Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Norway, and I'm not sure it influenced my writing at all, since I live in the US and write in English about Americans. I'm very happy to have grown up where I did, though, and once in a while a Scandinavian setting or character makes its way into one of my books.
When did you first start writing?
I've always been writing. I can remember being about 5 and sitting on the floor of a friends house writing and illustrating a "book" about a black poodle named Top. I made up stories all through high school and through my twenties, but it wasn't until 2006 that I began writing professionally, with an eye to publication.
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