I found this article here: 15 writer's bedrooms ... and I'm just saying, I do not believe writers have bedrooms that tidy. Most of these writers are dead, so presumably somebody went in and tidied it up. I wish someone would do that to my room. Sigh ...

The only one that remotely resembles my bedroom/office belongs to Alexander Masters (haven't read any of his books), and that's on a really, really good day ...

Duma key by Stephen King

DUMA KEY is the engaging, fascinating story of a man who discovers an incredible talent for painting after a freak accident in which he loses an arm. He moves to a 'new life' in Duma Key, off Florida's West Coast; a deserted strip, part beach, part weed-tangled, owned by a patroness of the arts whose twin sisters went missing in the 1920s. Duma Key is where out-of-season hurricanes tears lives apart and a powerful undertow lures lost and tormented souls. Here Freemantle is inspired to paint the amazing sunsets. But soon the paintings become predictive, even dangerous. Freemantle knows the only way forward is to discover what happened to the twin sisters -- and what is the secret of the strange old lady who holds the key? The story is about friendship, about the bond between a father and his daughter. And about memory, truth and art. It is also is a metaphor for the life and inspiration of a writer, and an exploration of the nature, power and influence of fiction.

Yeah, right. Thanks a million.

How can any review top that? Good question. I'm not going to say much, but I'm sure I'll read this again at some point. This is one of those Stephen Kings books that tips over into the literary – although I wouldn't read it before bedtime. I get spooked by King ...

   He has completely ruined rural America for me. I would never dare drive a car there, alone after sundown. And now he's more or less ruined the idea of Florida as well. God knows what lurks in the waters outside the beaches ...

 After reading a book like this, I loose some confidence in my own writing. It passes, but still. It's tempting to pull a «Misery» on him ...

A quote:

Don't quit until det picture's complete. I can't tell you that's the cardinal rule of art or not, I'm no teacher, but I believe those six words sum up all I've been trying to tell you. Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter. An there always comes a time - if the work is sincere, if it comes from that magic place where thoughtt, memory, and emotion all merge - when you will want to quit, when you will think that if you put your pencil down your eye will dull, your memory will lapse, and the pain will end. I know all this from the last picture I drew that day - the one of the gathering on the beach. It was only a sketch, but I think that when you're mapping hell, a sketch is all you need.

Not literary, my ass ...

New project ...

We are working on a brand new project - something for children - and need to have serious meetings. A grand cup of coffee is a must. So off to town we go ...



My co-writer doesn't take things very serious...

And I'm not very inspired ...

Next time, perhaps not so much coffee?

A loose translation of Sunday's review of The Scandal, the first book in my new series: 

Tar, fish and coffee

Catchy about upper class life in the 1790's

The heroines Constanse and Karen seem different at first, but have much in common: they are beautiful without knowing it, kind and brave. Constanse is the daughter of a “coffee baron” from Bergen, and creates a scandal when she falls in love with a man of lower standing.

Karen is a servant, working for an absent-minded scientist who encourages her to read books and develop her drawing talents. Sense and sensibility, in other words. In paticular Karen is a complex character I would like to read more about.

Ball gowns, steamy love letters and adventurous journeys – romance have reached Norway. The writer portions out historical facts in good measures and manages to create drive in the story without creating neck-breaking cliffhangers.
(Then there's something about my rather "wild" use of prepositions and a some clumsy wording – but let's not dwell on that...).

The ending plays with the excitement of whether or not Constanse will manage to get on board the ship before it sails, but the extraction from the next book reveals that she does. Even so it's tempting to follow the sisters of destiny.

Kristine Isaksen

VG (Norway's largest newspaper).

From a serial writers diary ...

My new book has been out since Monday, and I'm having problems concentrating. It'll get back soon, I know that, so I'm not worried. I've spent the last week reading Under the Dome by Stephen King, and although it didn't grip me the way The Stand did, it was still a good read.
Otherwise it's all nice and quiet at the Northern front. Spring is coming, winter is still at it's heel, but  it's coming. And I haven't written much new stuff lately. It's an itch.
But it's all good.

Oh, yeah, very good ...

Technologically challenged - help?

I'm not a tech savvy, I'm happy as long as my computer works, so when something goes wrong, I get frustrated. Since Sunday, I've been having problems with my Facebook page. No updates show, no matter how many times I try. So far, no response from the four reports I've sent to Facebook.
Because I get frustrated, I have no patience. So I try to fix things.
I changed the username ot my page, so now I can't get into the page - it's on and off, sometimes I see it, sometimes I don't.
I also changed the password, and achieved only that now my phone demands I enter it everytime I access Facebook from the mobile.
Any good advice?
Help ...

Back in business ...

I've been avoiding my blogs these last months. I have two other blogs in Norwegian, and the blogging thing takes time. And sometimes priorities have to be hard. And in September last year I stopped writing blogs. Now I've started again but I'll keep my ambitions at a lower level.
My priorities have been preparing for my new series - the first book will be published on February 20th. I'm really looking forward to it. This is my second series, and the experience is still exciting! It's fun and challening, so I'll keep going for as long as I enjoy it.

We're having a competition in connection with the book and people can win the first five books. (It's in Norwegian - as are the books, so ...). Anyone want to participate, here's the link: Skjebnesøstre







I'm reading two books at the moment: The Retribution by Val McDermids, and Snuff by Terry Pratchett. They have absolutely nothing in common, which makes it a bit bizarre when I change books. Retribution is dark and filled with serial killers and gruesome details, Snuff is my favourite policeman, Sam Vimes, going to the country side. Funny, but not hilarious. At least so far. I might even manage to write about them here when I'm finished ...
Read well!
Natalie