Interview with me by author Simon Dillon here

It's said that the difference is that a writer writes about things personal to him or her, while an author deals in plot and stories. If this definition fits, then I am indeed both. All of my stories contain parts of me, be it the smallest things. But I personally prefer the term writer - since it means I can write about anything I want.

I was born in 1976 in Copenhagen, Denmark. At an early age, I knew stories were my true love. When I was a kid, I would listen to books on tape, and when I grew older and learned to read, I swallowed books with an appetite that was described as "voracious" by our school librarian. I vividly remember getting lost in fairytales, books on mythology, and – surprisingly fast – every kind of spooky story there was! Much to my parents dismay, because it kept me awake many nights…

I wrote my first complete novel (or in literary terms, it’s more of a novella) when I was 19 years old. That was Uplink. My style of writing has changed a lot since then – originally, my big inspirations were the Danish authors Dennis Jürgensen and Knud Holten, but today I think it’s fair to say I draw more from the Stephen King well. My greatest inspiration comes from my dreams, however. Many stories started out as vivid dreams, and were transferred to the page. A wise man once said that if you write about what you’re afraid of, it loses power over you and I believe that statement is at least partly true. I think there will always be an element of control from both sides. Dreams have a powerful hold on a man.

Not all my stories are scary. In fact, most of them lie somewhere in the borderlands between scary and amusing, but I have also written straight thriller stories, romance and 1950’s social realism. I’m never afraid to try something new. This means, of course, that if you find a story in a collection you don’t like – flip to the next one. Chances are, that one’s a different experience. Scary will always be my greatest love, though.

I write my books in English – for several reasons. One is that despite being born and growing up – and indeed, living my entire life, in Denmark – I feel like an American. I’ve spent a lot of time in the USA, and I usually refer to Tucson, Arizona as my “spiritual home”. Another reason is that the language just seems more natural. My “inner voice” speaks English – and has done so since I was quite young.

I’m always coming up with new stories and new ideas, although I tend to only work on one or two books at a given time. If you’re keen on knowing more about me, drop me a line in the contact form.

Read on!

Writer. Author. What's the difference?

Interview with ordlaboratoriet (In Danish) here

Interview with Whispering Stories here

Interview with author Cecilie Birkshøj (In Danish) here