Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I've been writing in some way from a very early age. Most of my earliest writing were poems, but the very first prose I wrote was a mystery/thriller novella about a man who got brutally murdered and became a vengeful ghost set on avenging his own death and protecting his beloved wife. Now that I think about it, that probably should have been my first clue that I would become a published author one day. The story was pretty dark and gruesome and very detailed in its plot and mythology. Most eleven-year-olds don't write that way, I don't think. LOL
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a small country in Europe. It's not very know for its industries, but more for its natural beauty. While they've adopted Christianity as the main religion, many of the old pagan customs and beliefs are still prominent, though now they tend to be labeled as superstitions. I've grown up believing in elves, fairies, demons and vampires as part of life. It's been a tremendous influence on me personally and on my writing. I write what I would want to read, describe worlds I'd want to live in and creatures I would want to meet, and in that sense, there is a little (or a lot) of the supernatural and magical in all of my books and stories.
Read more of this interview.