We welcome translator Marlaine Delargy to TheCrimeHouse and this interview!  Marlaine has among other things translated Johan Theorin and Åsa Larsson´s books from Swedish to English.

Can you tell us shortly about your background? What kind of education do you have? How did you become a translator? And why do you know Swedish?

I did a degree in Swedish and German at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, then worked in Sweden for a year. Laurie Thompson, who has translated many Swedish novels including several by Henning Mankell, Håkan Nesser, Åke Edwardson and Mikael Niemi, was my tutor in Aberystwyth, and when he started the journal Swedish Book Review in 1983, he asked me if I would like to do some translation.

I taught German in secondary schools in England from 1986 – 2004, and didn’t do a great deal of translating during that period, because it’s difficult to meet deadlines when you have a demanding full-time job. However, when I gave up teaching in 2004, I was lucky enough to be able to pick up the translation again, and have gradually built up a sound reputation.

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How did you get the job translating Åsa Larsson and Johan Theorin?

Laurie again – he recommended me to Bonnier Group Agency, and I translated extracts from several novels for them. One of the first things I did was Åsa Larsson’s Solstorm, and when the book was sold to Random House New York, they asked me to translate not only that novel, but also the next two. The same thing happened with Johan Theorin – I translated an extract from Skumtimmen, and was lucky enough to be asked to translate that novel and Nattfåk. I’ve just sent the translation of his third novel, Blodläge, off to the publisher – it will be out in April next year.

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What do you tink are the biggest differences between the English and the Swedish language?

That’s a difficult question! English tends to use more words, for one thing – an English translation is usually about one third longer than the Swedish original. And often there are many alternatives in English to one Swedish word, and it’s a question of picking the right one for the context.

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Since you have just finished translating Johan Theorins Blodläge, can you give us an example of a word or sentences that were tricky to translate? I am also curios on how you and Johan collaborate? Do you speak continuously while you are translating?

Johan is very good to work with. I send him questions if I am unsure what he means by a particular expression, and he always replies within a day. He is also very amenable to changes that might need to be made for a non-Swedish audience; for example in this latest novel we have removed a couple of songs which would have sounded terrible in English, and have simply referred to them in the text instead.  I can’t think of anything that has been particularly tricky in this novel, but as a general rule, swearing is very difficult to get right. It’s always hard to judge the impact a word or phrase might have on a reader; for example, the Swedish series of Wallander is currently being shown on TV in the UK, and there has been some criticism over the frequent use of ‘fuck’ and similar expressions in the subtitles; every time the Swedish dialogue uses ‘fan’ or ‘jävlar’, the translator has used some variation on ‘fuck’, which offends many viewers.

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Are there any translator you look up to and think is amazing?

I would have to say that Laurie Thompson is the translator I respect more than any other. He has been both encouraging and supportive from the start, and frequently stressed the importance of delivering the best possible work and of meeting deadlines. He has a very impressive feeling for language, coupled with a very wide knowledge of Sweden and its history and traditions which he is always willing to share. He is an honest critic, and is always completely down-to-earth. I’m very proud to call him a friend.

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Do you read a lot of Swedish literature? And if so, do you think there is something special that characterizes Swedish literature?

Most of the Swedish books I read are related to work these days; the British press tend to focus on the ‘gloomy’ aspects of Swedish crime novels in particular, and while I think that’s true to a certain extent, I also think the characterisation is often very strong, as is the sense of place.

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How long did it take you to translate Echoes of the dead?

It usually takes me three to four months to translate a novel, depending on the length of course; my goal is roughly 40 pages per week, with plenty of time left at the end for revisions and proofreading.

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What does it look like when you work? Do you work from home? In an office, is it messy or neat and tidy? How many hours a day do you work? Do you need tons of coffee? etc…

I live in small house in a small town in Shropshire, and work in my study at home. I’m a very tidy person, so my desk is always clear at the end of the day, and any work in progress is back in its tray on the filing cabinet. I tend to work 2-3 hours a day, but not in one stretch; it depends what else is going on. I teach IT to adult learners as well, which takes up one day a week at the moment, and like to meet up with friends once or twice a week. If a translation is going well, I don’t need distractions and am quite good at concentrating; if it isn’t going well, I suddenly realise the windows need cleaning… or I ought to check my e-mails… or perhaps there’s something interesting on daytime TV…!

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What do you read on your spare time?  and what do you read right now?

I read crime novels in English all the time, and am a great fan of P D James, Ruth Rendell, Peter Robinson, Val McDermid,  Peter Lovesey, Reginald Hill, and of course Colin Dexter. I also enjoy writers like Katie Ford, Rosie Thomas, Marcia Willett, Erica James, Elizabeth Noble, Jane Moore, Jane Green and Alexander McCall Smith. I’ve just finished Katie Forde’s A Perfect Proposal, which was great fun, and am about to start Alexander McCall Smith’s The Double Comfort Safari Club. I think Precious Ramotswe is a fantastic character!

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What was the first you did when you found out that Johan had won the CWA international Dagger Award with your translation?

I rang my two closest friends and e-mailed a couple more!

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Are there any books you wish you could or could have translate?

There’s always ‘the one that got away’ – I nearly had a contract for Mari Jungstedt’s first two novels, but lost out to Steven T. Murray. And I’m sorry to say that I’m not translating Åsa Larsson’s fourth novel, Till dess din vrede upphör; Laurie Thompson is currently working on that for MacLehose Press, who of course publish the Stieg Larsson novels in English.  I really hope Åsa gets the success and recognition she deserves in the UK.

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What do you consider the most important thing to think of while translating books?

Without a shadow of doubt, the book must read well in English. Obviously an accurate translation is important, and the translator must be able to capture the tone of the original, but when the reader sits down with a novel, he or she does not want to be constantly aware that this is a translation. When I finish the first draft of a book, I leave it for a couple of weeks, then come back and read it as if it were a novel written in English, making any necessary changes. Sometimes when you are working closely on a translation you don’t realise that you are mirroring the Swedish phraseology, and it just doesn’t sound right.

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Do you have any tips and advice for those who wants to work with translating novels?

I think you have to be a reader first of all, and you have to be able to write well in English. Sarah Death, the editor of Swedish Book Review, is always ready to encourage promising new translators, and there is a lot of support and advice available through SELTA – The Swedish-English Literary Translators’ Association. The website address for SBR is www.swedishbookreview.com , and for SELTA it’s www.selta.org.ukThe other option is to contact Swedish publishers such as Bonniers or Norstedts, who frequently need someone to translate extracts from both fiction and non-fiction. Contacting British or American publishers directly is a waste of time unless you have a body of work to show them.

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What is your next assignment after Blodläge?

I am currently translating a short story by Liza Marklund for the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in the USA, and in September I start work on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Lilla Stjärna for Text Publishing in Melbourne. My translation of Människohamn will be published under the title Harbour later this year; Camilla Ceder’s Frozen Moment was published in August, and Lars Kepler’s The Hypnotistshould be out next April. Bonniers have just sent me Kepler’s new novel Paganinikontraktet, and I’m very much looking forward to reading that and finding out more about Joona Linna!

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Thank you Marlaine!

We welcome the Swedish author Åsa Schwarz to TheCrimeHouse and this interview !

Can you tell us shortly what kind of crime novels you write? (Her latest novel is Nefilim – read our review of it here!)
I would say it is a thriller where current realities is mixed with history and religion. A simple way to describe them is that they have similar ingredients like Stieg Larsson, Dan Brown and Stephen King.  

What kind of books did you read as a child?
My greatest memories are in this order: Barbapapa´s new House, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Ring. All together I must have read them hundreds of times. The first of them is really worn out.

What is the biggest reason to why you became a crime novelist?
I worked too much and decided that I needed a Hobby. So I signed up for a writing course. I still remember that the wednesday evenings that I spent there were the highlight of the week. Then the Hobby took over my life.


How much of you is there in the character Nova from the book Nefilim?
I think she has a fantastic taste in music, We are both people who needs independence. Apart from that we are not that alike.


Why have you chosen to use companies that exist and name them by their real names in your books?
I use real names in general to help the reader to get a sense that this is for real. The story is right here right now. When it comes to companies like Vattenfall (A big electricity company in Sweden) , it is because I am genuinely upset with and concern about how they behave and act. I want to supply information and facts that we otherwise never hear or see. My books are built on months of research.

I can see several books, authors, movies and characters that have inspired you Book Nefilim. What do you think about that and can you name some of your sources of inspiration for the book?
No, I think you are wrong there. I know that my books are very similar to some other books that are very popular now. I believe that is because I like to write about things that just happened to be bestsellers now. Lisbeth Salander did not inspire me to write the character Nova, even if many thinks that. I did not have thought in my mind of her when I wrote about Nova since I had not even read the books at the time. I was just very fortunate to write about things that are “inn” to read right now. I get my inspiration from Patrick Süskind, Stephen King, John Ajvide Lindqvist and some of the great authors like Strindberg and Alexander Dumas. When it comes to movies, I like action movies like Terminator and most movies made by Tarantino.

I am always curios on what it looks like when authors write. Is it messy? Do you have any special rituals? Do you you a stationary computer or a laptop? Do you use an office or do you sit at home by the couch etc.
I rent an office space at Horntulls where ten musicians, journalists, photographers and other freelancer sits. I go there daily, partly to concentrate and focus, partly to get nice working colleagues that I can eat lunch with. Everything is really undramatic. I poor myself a cup of coffee and start to write. If it is messy? Yes, my space is not the cleanest of them all. I always have a laptop in my bag since I need to be mobile and connected at all times. The Laptop goes from home to my office, to a location I have picked to use in my books, or just where I happens to be at the time.

Can you list your top 3 favourite Swedish crime novels as well as three foreign authors you think our readers should read.
The Darkest Room, Johan Theorin
Most of the books written by Håkan Nesser
Another Time, another Life, Leif GW Persson

Foreign books:
Panic, Jeff Abbott
The Parfume, Patrick Süskind
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas

When will you finish the next book about Nova?
It will be published in Swedish spring 2011

The character Nova exists as a person on Facebook. Did you realize the effects this PR-trick would have?
No, but it was fun with all the positive reactions and all friends Nova got on the site. To me it was very unexpected and some persons got upset that she did not really exist. Because I also work wit Internet security I think that reaction is both dangerous and alarming. Next time it is a pedophile or a con artist who is behind the wheels. I pu way too much time on Nova on Facebook but that´s because it is so much fun. Right now she lives an ordinary life until the next book will be finished. Many publishing companies and readers from other countries  have added her as a friend. Mostly people in the industry that knows Swedish but also marketers.


If you could make a movie out of Nefilim. Who would you like to direct, play Nova and who would make the Soundtrack?
If I could dream freely i would pick Tarantino, some unknown but talented actress and Trent Reznor. One of the most important parts of the books contains a song by Trent.


What crime series do you watch on TV and can you give us a tip of a really great crime movie?
Unfortunately I have not had any time to go to the movies or even watch TV the last two years after I became a mother. Before I was often stuck by Medium and NCIS. That is not a recommendation. It is rather a fact that it is easy to chill while watching them. 


How would you rank these ingredients in a book if you had to?
Good story, thrilling, Great characters, Clear ideology, Great language, something else
1. Good story
2. thrilling (if it is a crime novel)
3. Great characters
4. Great language
5. Thorough research so that the reader learn something while reading
6. Spectacular milieu descriptions
7. Clear Ideology

What are you reading right now?
A script that a friend have written and who is not published yet. I recently finished Något i din säng by Andreas Roman. It is a psychological horror novel that is about a woman who is very successful on the surface. Inside she is lonely, miserable and have invented an imaginary friend. But when she decides to stop her mind games the friend will not have it. I can recommends that you read it by the fire with the lights out.

Thank you Åsa for this interview!
For more info visit  www.asaschwarz.com

We at the CrimeHouse welcome the Danish crime author Michael Katz Krefeld to this interview. Krefelds second book, Pan´s Secret, about the doctor Maja Holm was just released in Sweden Read our review of Pan´s Secret here!

Michael, Can you give our readers some information about, age, where you live, where you are from etc.

I am 44 years old. Born in Gl Holte but raised in Hvidovre which is a suburb to Copenhagen. Hvidovere is also used as a backdrop for my stories. Right now I live in the heart of Copenhagen with my girlfriend Lis, who is a lawyer.

How did you become a writer?

I started directing short films but got more and more interested in writing screenplays. Following that, I was working on a number of Danish television series. Amongst other Emmy Award winner “Nikolaj & Julie”, “The Hotel” and “Nynne”. After about 7-8 years as a screenwriter. I started in parallel to write my first novel, “Før Stormen”. A project that took more than four years to complete.

I read an article you wrote about crime litterature where you where very passionate about the genre. When and how did your interest in crime fiction start? Do you have any crime writer idols?

I have always been interested in plot-driven narratives including crime stories and thrillers. Both on film and in literature. Hitchcook, Orson Wells, Scorsese, Brian De Palma is my cinematic role models. Among Screenplay writers, it is people like Towne (Chinatown) Richard Price, (Sea of Love), Joe Eszterhaz (Basic Instinct). Among (Crime)writers it is especially writers like  Cormac McCarthy, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard, and of course James Ellroy.

Your main character is a women and it always intrigue me how people can ”become” another sex and have the perspective of the other sex and make it believeble in writing. “I know I would find that a bit difficult) How do you do it?

Through my work on TV series I have written many female characters, so it was not strange for me to choose a female protagonist in my book. I think it offers some unique opportunities to select characters who are as far from your self and therefore challenge one’s thinking. As for female characters, I think that as a male writer I see details that a female writer will not notice due to the fascination of the differences between the sexes. A female writer who writes about men will undoubtedly experience the same.

You also write for Film and Television can you tell us a little about that?

I have directed  7-8 short films and written on a wide variety of television series. It has been very educational for me and given me a proper discipline. I think you can see on my style of writing that I have a very visual /scenic approach and that am much into writing dialog. On the other hand, I am glad to have left the film business for the benefit of writing books. And since I have just signed a contract for my next 3 books, I am in the fortunate position that I can concentrate completely around my bookwriting. A great privilege I have worked a long time to achieve.

What do you consider the biggest differences in writing for film verses books?

Of course there is the whole technique thing. Scripts are blueprints for others to follow. They are kept short and tight with no internal dialog. But the biggest difference for me is that with books I have complete control over the story. With movies and tv you either with others, or for others who must interpret what you write. With the books you are the sole master. That is a great joy.

There has been a lot of talk about the nordique crime novel. People seems to go crazy over any Swedish crime novel in some parts of the world. Is it the same with danish crime litterature? and how would you describe Nordique crime litterature? What exactly is it?

I think that Swedish authors currently have the greatest success. However, we, the Danish writers, are approaching. I sense an increased sale and interest in the country my own books have been published in. It is easier to sell Danish crime films abroad perhaps because of the Swedish success. I think the uniqueness of Nordic crime fiction literature is the social- and sometimes political commitment and theme. Its attempts at realism and perhaps coolness. Maybe Scandinavian cool is the new black?

Can you name 5 danish crime novels/thrillers, 3 danish crime movies and 3 international TV-crime series you think we should read/watch?

A couple of Danish crime fiction writers that are worth reading: Leif Davidsen, Jusi Adler Olsen, Mikkel Birkegaard, Elsebeth Egeholm. All are major international successes, and very different in there approach to writing crime fiction. As for movies, it is difficult to get crime movies financed in Denmark. But check out. “Rembrandt,” “Kongekabalen” and “Kandidaten”. Among International television series: Look for “Forbrydelsen” A Danish series that celebrats great international success. Have just bought the first season of “Homicide” which may be regarded as a classic. The dialogue is phenomenal and the psychological portraits just as good. ”The Wire” has a little bit of the same. And then I can not wait to buy the last season of LOST.

Can you describe a typical working day for you. I want to know where you work (no adress needed of course), if it´s messy or neat, do you use a laptop and sit in a sofa? or by a desk? how long you work, do you need tons of coffe etc.

A typical working day usually starts at 8:30 to 9:00 when I sit in my home office. Unless I go out to do research which may consist of either to visit locations or talk with experts. When I start a book, my office is usually very clean and nice but very soon there will be countless paper stacks and research notes up around me. Halfway through the process I am literally buried in my story. Work tools that I appreciate is my laptop, a Mac Air I can bring everywhere. Then my whiteboard that I can throw ideas up on franticly. And last my camera a Riccoh, which is the world greatest pocket camera.

At the beginning of the writing process, I write 6-8 hours a day but as my deadline approaches the day gets longer. This july I’ve been working 10-12 hours seven days a weeks. So regarding coffee? Coffee is the oil that lubricates the machinery. I am a coffee – junkie!

What do you do on your spare time (except reading or watching movies/TV)?

I have a small classic sailboat which me and my girlfriend loves to sail on the Öresund. In addition to that, Am riding my mountainbike a couple times a week in the forest around Copenhagen.(yes its more steepy than one could imagine) In both cases, I like the close contact with nature and the physical activity involved.

Can you tell us your three top favourite books and top movies. (It doesn´t have to be in the crime genre.)

Wow, only three? Then I’ll pick a couple of classics: “Lawrence of Arabia”. “Taxi Driver”, “Vertigo”. Books which recently have made an impression: “No Country For Old Men”, Cormac McCarthy, “The constant gardener” John LeCarré, “The end of mr. Y”, Scarlett Thomas

I was quite upset with Maja (The main character in your book) and some of her actions but I guess that means that I  care about the character. If not I wouldn´t bother with what she did. Is that something you want your readers to get? A connection to the characters?

I’ve heard before that Maja is sometimes difficult to love. In some ways I understand that – without it has been my deliberate intention of provoking the reader. I will defend her at all times, even when she is difficult. Mostly because I think that aspect of her nature is a part of me. I understand her spite and that she can not let things lie but necessarily must interfere. Katherine Bergman has the same side, perhaps even into a more extreme and violent degree. Especially in my next book where she will be the protagonist you will experience that. Maybe I just like troublesome characters who challenge me and that it takes an effort for me as a writer to understand.

What do you thing significe a bad crime writer and a good crime writer

A bad writer is one who does not take his characters seriously. Who do not know what is at stake. If it is not personal for your protagonist it will not work. I do not like crime novels where the protagonist solves a case without personal consequence. The good writers believe their main character and drama to be found in psychology, not in how many bodies there are on the table.

Will you continue writing about the doctor Maja Holm or change your main charachter?

The dramatic events Maja was exposed to in “Pans Hemmelighed” has been of such a harsh nature that I have decided to give her a break to recover. She will return in a later book. But in the next one Detective Katherine Bergman who appeared in “Pans Hemmelighed” will take over together with a new protagonist Nikolai Storm.

What do you read right now?

I got “All the pretty horses” by Cormac McCarthy, as a birthday present from my girlfriend. Loved “The Road” so am really looking forward to this one.

Thank you Michael!

Pan´s Secret

In this book Maja and her partner have moved back to the idyllic suburb in Denmark where Maja Grew up. It turns out it´s not so idyllic any more… Someone kidnaps children, kills them and leave a book mark from the children’s book Peter Pan. One day Maja gets a card where it says “Welcome home Wendy” It seems that the killer have a special interest in Maja that puzzels both Maja and the police.  

This is in many ways a classic cat and mouse game and it is a thrilling novel. My only reservation is that Maja acts irrational. It is a bit too unbelievable that she would put her self in danger so many times, especially when she is pregnant. However I still liked the book as a whole and the twist in the end is great.

I can recommend this book and I believe the first book (Before the storm) also is good. Unfortunately you don´t want to read the first book after reading this, meaning you HAVE to read them in the right order.

On Thursday we will post an interview with the author Michael Katz Krefeld, don´t miss that!

Persson has worked as a consultant for the police and state for many years. He is  a big TV-personality and has among other things been an expert on the TV-show Efterlyst (Crime Watch) for many years. He is loved by many but not all and some critics thinks he is to macho and arrogant. Undoubtedly he is tough and raw and he writes about a male world but I can´t help but like him and his books.

Persson did not write a crime novel until 20 years later when he once again wrote about Lars Johansson in another trilogy. The first book from 2002 Between summer´s longing and winter´s end takes place in the 1980s and involves the Cold War as well as the murder of the Swedish Prime minister (The Swedish Prime Minister was murdered in 1986 and we still don´t know who murdered him). The book will be available on Amazon.com from September.

The book is set in the luxurious Monaco. One night a very popular radio show gets a disturbing phone call while broadcasting live. The person ends with the words “I kill…” The next day a famous Formel 1 racer and chess player is found brutally murdered.

In Monaco crime ratings are extremely low and murder just never happens. The Police inspector Nicolas Hulot takes help from his friend the FBI-agent Frank Ottobre who is recovering from traumatic experiences. We´ve seen his sort before. The traumatized, depressed, almost supernatural women magnet. The murderer and his motives are also a bit cliche. This is a book more about two intelligent men who are set against each other then exiting new characters.

Even though the main characters are stereotypes there are some nice descriptions of less important characters. There is a nice portrait of a mentally disabled boy and his mother and an old man with a big record collection.  The descriptions of the locations are also wonderful. You can feel the breeze from the mediterranean sea, imagine all the yachts in the harbour and all the glittering people at the casino while reading this book.

This is a thrilling book with just perfect tempo. Just as things were set on repeat things started happening. The authors also gives one or two surprises. I can recommend this book to all who likes psycopath killers, gruesome murders and an exotic milieu. The book has sold over 3.5 million examples in Italy alone and will be filmed.

In Sweden we celebrate Midsummer today to celebrate the time of year where the Summer Solstice. Where I live the sun goes down around 22.00 and up 03.40 but in the north of Sweden the sun doesn´t go down at during the summer months!

This is also a time when a lot of people start their vacation. I recommend that you try reading something new. Why not close your eyes and point your finger on a world map. Find a crime novel from the country your finger points. Who knows? maybe you´ll discover a whole new country by reading a book. I love reading about Sicily in Andrea Camilleri’s books, about Botswana in Alexander McCall Smiths books and China in Qui  books. For those of you who haven´t read anything from Sweden yet, I recommend Johan Theorin.

We at TheCrimeHouse wish you a happy summer with lots of time to read crime novels!

Can you describe what a day at work looks like for you?
I have a working room in an old house in central Gothenburg, where I sit between 10 am and 6 pm. Sometimes it’s really slow and I only write one page/day but when everything works I can write up to 8-10 pages/day.


You are also a script writer. Tell us what kind of scripts you have written and how it differs from writing novels?
I didn’t write film scripts but interactive game scripts for the Internet and CD-ROM. Interactive scripts are tricky to write because the script are not in chronological order but more like a maze, with different directions the story takes. But there are of course some freedom in that sort of story telling compared to traditional novels with only one sequence of action.

Can you name some authors that have influenced your writing?
Basically all I’ve ever read! The great authors inspired me because I was jealous of them after reading them and wanting to write as good as them. The bad was inspiring because I thought “I can do this just as good and better”!

Last year you won the CWA John Creasy (New blood) dagger award for your novel Echoes from the dead. How does it work and did you go to the award ceremony?
The CWA award is distributed by the British Crime Writers Society and there is a jury who reads the books of the year and pick the winners. The ceremony itself is a lavish banquet in a banquet hall in Hyde Park, London, with press photographers, film crew and smoking dressed guards. It was big. You can find an article about it here. Link…

 
Your characters are not perfect people but are still very likeable. My favourite character is Per from your latest novel. What is you favourite character?
Except the ships captain Gerlof there are several new characters in every novel and I have spent a lot of time with them during the writing. The killer Nils Kant in Echoes from the dead was special. In the beginning I really disliked him but in the end of the novel I mostly felt sorry for him.

Your crime novels are not that traditional or tied to a specific crime genre. Do you think yourself as a novelist, crime writer or something else?
I don´t have any problem with people thinking I write crime novels. It may not be procedural but all the novels about Öland are about crimes and mysteries. Then they also have other things in them, like folklore, natural romance, and relationships problems. I like to mix a lot of ingrediences in a story and see what happens.

 
Can you give our readers tips of 2 crime novels, 2 horror novels, 2 collections of short stories and 2 ordinary novels?
Crime: Calling out for you (English translation), The Indian bride (American translation) by Karin Fossum, The talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Horror: The haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Mörkrädd (Swedish) by Andreas Roman
Collection of short stories: Fly till vatten och morgon (Swedish) by Thorsten Jonsson and Berättat om natten (Swedish) by Niklas Rådström
Novels: Busters ears by Maria Ernestam, Vim älskar Yngve Frej (Swedish) by Stig Claesson.

Your descriptions of the island Öland is very beautiful. Is it memories of Öland that brings out the description or where do you get your inspiration?
It’s both child hood memories of Öland and new experiences from the island. I still visit the island every year. But I can write about Öland anywhere – when I’m in Gothenburg I can just close my eyes and relocate to Öland in a second.

How do you look at the author ship today when a big part of a writers work is marketing?
The novels should be the only thing that is important. Not the persons who writes them – but that’s not how it works today. There is a huge interest in hearing and seeing the authors in libraries and book fairs. I sometimes sigh about it as a writer since I enjoy writing in peace, but I guess that as a reader I am the same. If I read an interesting novel I instantly want to know more about the author.

If you look at crime series on TV or watch a crime movie, what do you choose?
The latest TV-series about Inspector Winter, based on Åke Edwardssons novels was good. When it comes to movies, the latest I saw and really liked was Insomnia with Al Pacino and Robin Wiliams, but that was several years ago.

  
You were refused several times before you got published. What made you not give up?
In a way I have been an author since the 1980s. I´ve published short stories in over 20 years but they didn´t want my novels. It´s very hard not to be published but I didn´t give up. Writing was a hobby and passion and I would have continued writing all my life even if my novels never were published.

What will you write after you’ve finished the fourth and last novel about Öland?
I have some ideas for a novel that feels exiting, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. I will take a break from Öland though.

And last but not least. What are you reading right now? 
I’m reading the South African author Deon Meyers first novel Dead before dying. A very good procedural novel.

We at TheCrimeHouse are very happy to welcome crime author Sara Paretsky to this interview!

On the photograph to the left you see Paretsky with the Cartier Diamond Dagger she recieved in 2002. The award is given by the Crime Writers´ Association of Great Britain to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime’s contribution to the crime fiction genre.

You’ve described your work process on your homepage and on your blog but where do you write? Is it in an office? In a sofa? Do you write directly on the computer, is it messy or do you keep everything very organized while writing and so on…
I live in an old house, and we turned the attic into my office. It’s a lovely light space, which unfortunately is also very disorganized. I like the comfort of many books around me. Indeed, I like to sleep with them in bed with me.

The character V.I was a totally new type of character in the 80s and as you’ve said in many interviews – women in noir/hard-boiled fiction were always portrayed as either a vamp or a victim before you changed this. Can you name some contemporary authors that you think also have strong and believable female character and write with the same type of agenda as yourself?
I wouldn’t second guess another person’s agenda in writing, but some of the other strong women that I like in contemporary fiction include Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon; the two characters created by Liza Cody, Anna Lee and Eve Wylie; of course, Grafton and Muller’s Milhone and McCone, respectively; Barbaraneely’s Blanche; and Valerie Wilson Wesley’s Tamara Hayle.

Can you tell our readers shortly what Sisters in crime is? Is it available for writers outside of USA?
We started Sisters in Crime in 1986 to try to change discrimination against women writers in the way our books were reviewed and distributed. Sisters continues to advocate for women crime writers, and there are chapters all over the world. For more information, and to see if there is a Swedish chapter, visit the website: Link…

Can you recommend 3 novels you think our readers should read (apart from your own books)
Liza Cody’s Bucket Nut – this book is almost a primer on how to turn an unsympathetic character into someone for whom the reader cares passionately.

I’m having a hard time with this question because in crime fiction there are series of books that I think are well-worth reading – Ian Rankin, Nevada Barr, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jonathan Coe, Karin Alvtegen – just to name a few, but not individual titles. In general fiction, three books that just jump to the top of the list in my head are:

Wolf Hall by Mantel

Gilead by Robinson

A Blessing on the Moon by Skibbell

V.I is aging. Will she retire? and if so when? And will there then be a new character?
I’m taking the coward’s way out now on V I’s age. She’s going to hover around fifty for awhile. If she retires, she’ll probably end up blowing up the nursing home that she’s incarcerated in. I can imagine creating a new character, but I can’t imagine leaving V I behind.

You told me that you liked Stieg Larssons Lisbeth Salander in general but had a hard time with the graphic description of the sexual abuse. It seems you draw some line there. Do you think books in general today are more graphic when it comes to violence and sex? And if so, do you have any idea why? Is it influences from TV and movies we see or perhaps symptoms of something else?
These are tough questions to answer in a short way. I think sadistic and graphic violence have always been a sub-part of the genre, but were considered pornagraphic and were not widely distributed or read until the last 15 or 20 years. The level and degree of graphic violence seems to get more extreme all the time. I think this is partly due to some writers wanting to create a dramatic presence for themselves in a crowded marketplace. I also think some readers are desensitized to the graphic descriptions of the violence so that the decibals have to be increased to get their attention. I also think that some of the increase in fictional graphic violence against women is a reaction to the women’s movement – some readers and writers perhaps feel so threatened by the greater presence of women in positions of authority that they act out revenge fantasies through these kinds of violent crime novels.

What was the first crime novel you ever read?
Rex Stout’s The Black Mountain

Chicago plays a big role in your books but our readers come from all over the world and have perhaps never been to Chicago. Can you give us a couple of tips of things to do in Chicago as a tourist and crime fiction lover?
Alzina Stone Dale’s Mystery Reader’s Walking Guide: Chicago is a great place for mystery lovers to start, but I would urge any new comer to the city to go to the Chicago Architecture Foundation: Link…

They’re at 224 South Michigan Avenue, right across the street from the Art Institute, and they offer wonderful tours of the city. People should also check out the Chicago Cultural Center’s website: Link…

because they offer bus tours of a number of neighborhoods, and if you email far enough in advance, you can get a tour guide who speaks your language.

Writing is obviously the main thing a writer does, but a big part is also marketing, touring etc. It seems authors ”have” to be more and more available to her/his readers and I can’t help but feel sorry for the sometimes hectic schedule some authors have. On the other hand it helps selling books and some authors likes coming close to their readers. What are your thoughts on this?
I enjoy touring except for the exhaustion of the travel itself. The trouble with touring is you spend one day in a place and move on so that you miss the pleasure of exploring a new country or a new city.

Can you place these ingredients of a novel in the order you think is most important in a novel (feel free to add or remove any word): Characters, story, milieu, message to the audience, thrills, dialogue
Story and characters are intertwined for me. I can’t tell a story until I have characters that I care about, who come to life for me. Dialogue is a way of creating believable characters. As a reader, milieu is always less important to me than good writing. I guess good writing is number one.

What do you think/hope that the readers will think and feel after reading one of your books?
I hope readers will be engaged enough by the story that the story and the characters will stay in their minds.

Do you have a favorite crime movie and do you watch any criminal series on TV or and if, so what?
There are several crime movies that I love:  Myrna Loy and William Powell in the first of the Thin Man movies; Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. Although the ending is a little treacly, the middle part, where he’s hunting the children, is bone chilling; I love Some Like It Hot – the all around great gangster-on-the-lam movie. I love the current series, NCIS, even though in many ways it’s quite predictable. I thought The Wire was brilliant but almost too close to the bone to make for comfortable viewing. I also love the brief-lived series with Paul Gross called Due South.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just come on Collin Cotterill’s Laotian crime novels. They’re gentle, but unflinching, and I love the characters. I’m also reading the Ian Rutledge series written by the mother-son team who write as Charles Todd. The best book I’ve read for some time is Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.

Thank You Sara Paretsksy!

The main character Chen Cao lives in Shanghai. He works as a police inspector but is really a poet. He studied English at the university and to earn some extra money he translates englishcrime novels to chinese.

The novel starts with two men finding a women in the river. This is not just any women, it´s a famous women, who the communist parti uses as an example for the people of the perfect working women but when Cao and his colleague starts to dig in to her personal life, everything is not as it seems. The partyis not happy and Cao and Yu have to be very careful with their actions….

It took me a while to get through this book. Not because it was bad but because a lot of things was new to me. I have to admit that I thought I knew a lot about China but it´s different to read history books or watch the news. It´s a different thing to actually read how ordinary people live and work. Although the book is from the beginning of the 90s it´s still a very good way in to the Chinese society.

There is a lot of social critisism in the book and I am not surprised the the author lives in USA since 1989. However, there is a whole lot of love for the chinese people in the book which is shown through the characters, the food, and small quotations, poems and words of wisdom.

This is a really good crime novel and it gives a fantastic insight in the Chinese society (1990s) The book requires a bit of the reader but I think it´s a good thing. There are too many crime novels that you just hurry through. I will definately read more of Xiaolong and other Asian crime authors!