Sara Blædel (website | Facebook | @sarablaedel) , the Danish author had her second book translated into English. Ms. Blædel, a fine writer has agreed to answer a few pesky question.
Q. How did you come up with the character of Inspector Louise Rick?
A. She simply appeared one day. I had been a publisher of crime novels for some time while at the same time working as a journalist. First came the question: What if (I could write a crime novel myself?). Then came Louise! Both she and side-kick Camilla Lind were at first based on some colleagues I had at a TV-station where I worked, because I wanted to create some distance between myself and my protagonists.
Q.If I go to Copenhagen’s and the surrounding community to where you set your stories, can I use your books as guide books or many of the local places made up?
A. Everything is exactly as I describe it! We could arrange a tour for Man of la Book and/or some of his readers! It’s important to me that the surroundings are recognizable to people who know them. At the same time I try hard to describe them in a way that makes it possible for people who don’t know them to still envisage them!
A. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to pathologists and I’m lucky enough to now count some of them as friends and advisers. I always take my plot to the pathologist first and get their help to make everything as realistic and life-like as possible.
A.Well, first of all, it’s so big! And it’s full of excellent writers already. I hope that the Scandinavian or even Danish tone of my novels will be interesting to an American crime-loving audience and that perhaps Louise Rick is an interesting enough character to grasp the interest of your otherwise spoilt readers.
A.It’s important to be present and active. I like to engage with my readers and already have a very active Danish Facebook-page where I discuss all sorts of things with my readers. The biggest problem now that I’m trying to break through in other countries is of course that it is becoming increasingly time consuming, swallowing a lot of the time I’d like to spend on writing my next book.
Nevertheless, I’m thrilled by the idea of engaging with an American audience!
Shameless plug disguised as a wise ass question: Why do you love ManOfLaBook.com so much and often visit the website?
Wise gal answer: The Man of La Book website gives me a very necessary insight into the workings of the American book scene – I’m eternally grateful that I found it and that you’ve seen fit to promote my book!
Thank you for the great answer Sara, love the idea of a tour.
Zohar – Man of la Book
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