Camilla Läckberg
 

It’s always been my life’s dream to write detective novels. It first came true in 2003 when my first book The Ice Princess was published in Sweden and now, my seventh book, The Lighthouse Keeper has reached the shelves in Sweden at the same time as the rights to my books have been sold to over 30 countries worldwide. Here on my website you can find out about me, my books, and Fjällbacka, the place where I grew up and the scene of all my murders. Most of the characters in my books are fictional, but some are real people living in the area, and I’ll be telling you more about them in these pages. Happy reading! Camilla Läckberg

Camilla’s books are set in Fjällbacka, the coastal village where Camilla was born and raised. In northern Bohuslän, about 140 km north of Göteborg, lies the little community of Fjällbacka. Already a fishing village in the 17th century, Fjällbacka is now an idyll that’s steeped in history. Its name derives from the imposing rocky outcrop that the village encircles. Thousands of tourists visit Fjällbacka in the summer. For the rest of the year, there’s about 1,000 permanent residents. Fjällbacka might be small, but there are still hotels, cafés and shops. The best way to get to Fjällbacka without a car is by train to Uddevalla. You can also take a train to Dingle and from there take a bus to Fjällbacka, or alternatively fly to Trollhättan and make your way from there.

Crime-writers’ school – the seven steps I get lots of questions about my writing, many of them asking for advice. Unfortunately there are no miracle tips I can give. The most important thing is to make sure that you sit down and start writing, not that each sentence is perfectly composed. A wise person once said that writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, and I can personally vouch for the truth of that! So don’t get in a stew over how the words fall – just make sure THAT they fall. Let the words just flow. In other words: write, write, write! Here, I’d like to present my own seven-part crime-writers’ school. Each part contains tips and exercises as well as some pointers for books that you might find inspiring. Good luck!

Sjöjungfrun

 

A man mysteriously vanishes in Fjällbacka. Despite all the efforts by Patrik Hedström and his colleagues at Tanumshede police station, nobody knows whether the man is dead or alive. Four months later he is found murdered, frozen in the ice. The case is further complicated when one of the dead man’s acquaintances, author Christian Thydell, suddenly begins receiving anonymous threats. Christian, who is on the brink of his big breakthrough with his novel Sjöjungfrun (The Mermaid) receives another message during the launch party. He breaks down and shows the letters to Erika Falck, who helped him with the manuscript. Christian tries to tone down the seriousness of the situation and refuses to contact the police, but Erika sneaks one letter into her bag and shows it to Patrik. She has long suspected that something is tormenting Christian and she is worried about what might happen, and Patrik realises the danger Christian is in. Someone carries a deep hatred for him, someone who is apparently a confused and unstable person who wouldn’t hesitate in turning his threats into a reality. When yet another man is found murdered, the police realises that there is a connection and the leads take them back in time…
The Mermaid (Sjöjungfrun) is the sixth book in Camilla Läckberg’s highly successful series following Patrik Hedström and Erika Falck in Fjällbacka. So far the series have sold in 2 million copies, and in 2006 Camilla received the award for The People’s Literature Prize.

Following the success of her previous novels Camilla Läckberg’s THE MERMAID was an instant summer sensation. Published in May 2008 it was already number one on the Swedish bestseller charts in June and July. The book has sold around 500 000 copies and with her patented cliff-hanger ending, Camilla ensured that the book would stay in the minds of her readers for a long time to come. If you want to learn more about the book, please visit Camilla’s Swedish publishing house Forum: www.forum.se

Läckberg writes well /…/ Her stories are intermittently very exciting and THE MERMAID is going to be the obvious vaccation read for many people this summer

JAN ANDERSSON, LÄNSTIDNINGEN I ÖSTERSUND

It is so skillfull! Twenty pages in to Camilla Läckberg’s sixth novel about Patrik and Erica and you have already met all the principal characters. It is about quick and effective strokes /…/a thrilling contemporary story.

STIG HANSÉN, HELSINGBORGS DAGBLAD

Best selling crime queen Camilla Läckberg has been called Sweden’s Agatha Christie. And there are definitely similarities. Läckberg’s novels too, present a perfectly packaged little murder mystery.

CECILIA ISBERG, KRISTIANSTADSBLADET



Please address all queries about Camilla Läckberg and her books to Nordin Agency for further assistance. E-mail: info@nordinagency.se Phone: +46-8-571 685 25 Address: Nordin Agency, P.O. Box 4244, 203 13 Malmö, Sweden For questions regarding sponsoring and press, please contact Christina Saliba at Weber Shandwick. E-mail: christina.saliba@webershandwick.se Phone: +46-70-341 46 54. For more information in Swedish about Camilla Läckberg please visit Camilla's Swedish website: www.camillalackberg.se .