Interview met thrillerschrijver Stefan Ahnhem

Leuk: ik mocht thrillerschrijver Stefan Ahnhem interviewen. Vóór Corona zou ik uiteraard op kosten van OverAmstel uitgeverij naar Zweden of Denemarken zijn gevlogen en onder het genot van een uitgebreide lunch mijn vragen hebben gesteld. Maar nu is het interview via mail gegaan. Het resultaat is er niet minder van, wat een leuke man! Hieronder de vragen van mijn kinderen en van mij, en uiteraard de antwoorden:

Dear Stefan,
I just finished reading “Motief X”, to be honest the first book I read from you. I liked it very much and it made me wonder again why I always like reading about ‘bad people’ and want to know about the horrible things they do to others. What part of me is attracted by these ways of thinking and acting? And what kind of person likes to write about those horrible things… 😉

Let me start by saying: I’m glad you do! It made your book very intriguing. I also liked the variety of characters in the book and of course you made sure I’m going to read your next book as well!

The questions I have for you:
● How do you feel about people being interested in you as a person? When I grew up, an author was a small black-and-white picture on the backside of the cover, at most. Nowadays there are all kinds of events where fans of your work can meet with you. I always think that writing is something done mostly by people who are more or less introvert. How does that work for you?

You are right. How ”to be” an author nowadays has changed a lot over the last years. As for me I have to admit that I kind of like having contact with my readers to some extent. I wouldn’t say that I’m introvert, but I love being alone with my stories, and I have no problem doing it for hours every day. The first time I went up on stage I was nervous and didn’t like it at all. But I understood that it was a part of the deal with the publishers, and now I love it. Standing there on the stage with a big audience creates the perfect balance with all the loneliness.

● What are your writing ‘rituals’? Do you write every day, a vast amount of words or time or is it more dependant on inspiration?

Normally I start the day with a workout to get the blood flowing. A lot of my colleagues start early, but I usually open my laptop around 10 am. I write every working day, at least 1000 words, and it takes me a bit less than a year to finish the first draft, which always is too long. So in the editing process I cut out somewhere between 100 and 150 pages. There are no professional writers who wait for inspiration. We just sit down and write, and sometimes you are inspired and sometimes you’re not. 🙂

● Does doing research and writing about people with ‘bad intentions’ make you more anxious/ careful as a father? Do you notice a difference in how you see the world when your oldest children were younger compared to now?

I don’t know if I’m the right person to answer that. But I don’t feel more anxious. Maybe it’s because I’ve been writing crime fiction and suspense for so many years that I don’t remember how it was before, haha! (I worked as a screenwriter for 20 years before my first novel was published.)

● Questions from my children:
○ what is your favorite color?

Orange.

○ when you could be an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

A three-eyed raven.

○ do you think you want to write other genres, like horror, in the future?

I don’t know. But why not?

Thank you for your time answering these questions. I look forward to your next books!
Best regards, Karina.

Hi Karina,

I’m happy to hear that you liked Motive X, and look forward to hear what you think of second part X Ways To Die.

My best,

Stefan

[copyright foto’s: Thron Ullberg]

 

 

 

Hieronder de recensie van Motief X:

Motief X – thriller (deel 1 van 2) door Stefan Ahnhem