Why stories matter

‘Why do you care so much?’ I ask, closing the book and handing it back to him.
He looks at me. ‘Stories weave our lives together. Didn’t you know?’
‘I don’t know’ I mutter, thinking of The Island in the Mist. ‘Maybe they do. Maybe everything is a story.’
‘Everything,’ Corentin agrees, spreading his arms in a wide gesture. ‘This hall, this dust, the hands that carried the books down here; the Ark, you and me and the bog... We’re all a thread in the tapestry.’

- A (translated) fragment of my novel The Island in the Mist

I am fascinated by story, by what it wants to tell us and how we are affected by it. Truth, I’ve found, is mostly to be discovered in books. Most of the time not very factual books either– however well-researched they were, the author had always implemented elements of pure fiction and imagination. But truth all the same – like the undertow of a river. And they helped me realize, as a writer, why stories matter so much.  

Self-Publishing vs. Waiting for a real publisher

Whoa, I haven’t been updating for a looong while. Perhaps it’s time to dust off this little blog and put a new shine to it, eh? Lack of updates doesn’t mean lack of writing, though! I have been working hard on Island in the Mist, and it’s now mostly finished. It’s gone through a lot of editing, not in the least by an editor who kindly offered to do it for free and to whom I owe a lot of gratitude! Now it’s ready to be send to a professional who can hopefully also help me find the right publisher for this thing :)

This stage usually brings up an old question for me: do I want to try my luck with a real publisher, or should I be satisfied with POD – print on demand?