How do you come up with things to write about?
Usually, something just pops into my head. If it won't go away, I end up writing about it. It can be a character, or a setting, or a little snippet of a plot. I never know where those things come from, or why some thoughts just pester you until you write them down. It's a wonderful mystery.
What is it like living in Sweden?
It's a lot like living in Northern Wisconsin, with thousands of lakes, and trees everywhere. Living in Stockholm though, which is where I grew up, is pretty different from living in a tiny town like I do now. City people seem to be in such a hurry. Whenever I visit Sweden, my sisters (who still live there) tell me to stop smiling and saying hello to everybody I meet. That's small town behavior.
When did you become interested in writing?
As soon as I was old enough to hold a pencil.
What is your favorite thing to write about?
I have recently discovered that I really like to write about Sweden. But, actually, I enjoy writing about just about anything.
Where do you usually write?
In my cute little office, but that's only where I actually write the words down. I write things in my head all the time, even when I'm not writing a particular piece. When I have conversations with people, I write them down in my head, changing the words while we're still speaking, making our conversations more interesting. If people only knew...
Why do you like to write?
Hmm... Writing is something I've always done. I believe that people learn about the world around them in different ways. My way of processing the world is to write things down, to change them a little, or even a lot, to revise, to change some more. Sometimes I understand things differently when I'm done writing, and sometimes I do all that work, and don't learn a thing. 
Do you have any advice for people who are just starting to write?
Be prepared to work hard and don't let rejections stop you. In the end, you need to write for yourself and not for approval from anyone else.
What kind of an education do you have?
I have a BA in something called Cultural Science (that's code for "literature") from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and I have about half a master's degree in Applied English Linguistics, a degree I abandoned when we moved up north and I started writing full time.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I have always known I wanted to be a writer. Even when I had other jobs, which I did for many years, I knew it was just something I had to do to get by at the time.
What was the first place you were ever published?
I was seven or eight years old and had written a poem about an aluminum can found in the woods. The poem was about who could have lost the can, did they miss it, and were they sad about not having their can anymore. Very cynical. It was published in "Land", a nationally distributed farmer's magazine in Sweden. I think I got the Swedish kronor equivalent of about five dollars for it.
What do you do all day?
Get the kids off to school. Check my email. Write back to editors and friends. Drink coffee. Write new material. Take the dog out for a jog. Revise old writing. Eat lunch with my husband. Marketing, which usually means writing letters either trying to sell a piece of fiction or querying about writing a magazine or a newspaper story. Play Spider Solitaire. Check my email. Read something I need to critique for another writer. Eat chocolate. Email photos for articles to editors. Email an article out to someone. Sketch out a new idea for a story. Research for articles and books. Get supper ready. Coach soccer. Read. Read. Read. Sleep.
What are your favorite books?
It's not that easy to pick. There are millions of good books, and I could easily list twenty under each heading, but today, these are my choices.
Picture Book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems
Middle Grade: Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate Dicamillo
Young Adult: I love young adult books written in Swedish, but one of my favorites has recently been translated into English, You, You, and You, by Per Nilsson
Adult: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
