Sannel Larson Interviewed by Bonnie Diczhazy

Sannel Larson Picking Golden Chanterells

An interview with children's book author and illustrator, Sannel Larson

What started your interest in writing Children’s books?

I loved to read as a child. I remember the joy and excitement I felt each time I opened the cover of a new book, knowing a world of imagination and new friends would take over my mind until the last page was read. At a certain age I realized that stories and illustrations did not just happen but were actually written and illustrated by real people, that’s when the dream of being one of those people started. By the time I could write, I used to write stories of my own. However, due to circumstances, called life, my childhood dream came true very late in life.

How did you come up with the title?

The titles to my books always seems to come easily to me. Well at least they have so far.

Having had both playful kittens and puppies in the house, I know what kind of trouble their mischievous acts can lead them to. How many times have I not myself shouted;

"Bad, bad kitten or bad, bad puppy

now look at what you have done!

Such a mess you have made

just to play and to have fun!"

So the title for my book about Melvin, a very naughty and mischievous kitten, came quite naturally.

How do you come up with ideas for your characters?

I never plan my stories or my characters. They kind of take shape on my drawing pad or as soon as I start to write. My imagination has always worked better if nothing is planned. I don’t say this is the right way but it works for me.

What books have most influenced your life?

Stories that we read in childhood stay with us forever. Elsa Beskow’s and Astrid Lindgren’s fairy tales with their wonderful illustrations have in some way shaped my life with their imaginative work. I loved to read their stories as a child and I could sit for hours looking at the whimsical and enchanting drawings. I truly believe those two Swedish authors triggered my big imagination and the love I have myself to illustrate and write for children.

"The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" by Selma Lagerlöf is a wonderful, funny and imaginative story.

I read this classic as a very young girl and fell in love with it. This fairy tale teaches us the important lessons about protecting the earth and living creatures.

Later in life I read "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown. It may not be the most well written book, but the story of Cupcake Brown is truly fantastic and inspiring. It’s an amazing story that teaches us all that we can do better with our lives if we set our mind and heart to it. Truly a motivational read!

Not long ago a dear friend of mine gave me "Tales of a Wounded Healer" by Mariah Fenton Gladys. It’s an inspirational read by a remarkable woman, sharing powerful insights into healing and wholeness.

What are your current projects?

Currently, I’m doing the illustrations for my next children’s book. The story is about angels and will once again be narrated in silly rhyme and rhythm with lots of whimsical drawings to look at. It will be a fun book to read out loud to the little ones. Reading poetry aloud to a child is such an enriching experience and also a very important way of connecting with them. By simply reading poetry to children we help them to understand phonemic awareness that is crucial for the child to avoid later learning problems and make reading and writing easier for them.

I am also working on my second poetry book. Just like my first poetry book, "Scent of a Haiga" I’ll combine my poetry with my love for photography.

What was the hardest part of writing?

Those first few words. Once I get those down, the rest just seems to fall into place.

Distractions are also a big issue. Distractions are always getting in the way of my writing.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Read and write as much as you can, and write about what you love and know well.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me here:

http://sannelsworld.blogspot.se/

http://sannellarson.blogspot.se/

http://wizzley.com/authors/Sannel/

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sannel-larson.html

http://www.bubblews.com/account/65700-sannel

https://www.facebook.com/sannel.larson

https://twitter.com/Sannellarson

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sannel_L

http://www.amazon.com/Sannel-Larson/e/B00DM6G0IK/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1399884058&sr=1-2-ent

More by Sannel Larson

Angels can be silly and playful too! By Sannel Larson

Bea's Busy Day by Sannel Larson

Melvin. . . Bad, bad Kitten! By Sannel Larson

This interview is originally featured at Squidoo.

http://books.squidoo.com/an-interview-with-sannel-larson-melvin-bad-bad-kitten

My Very Best Friend!

Max
December ?, 2000 - January 27, 2014

It's been a few days now

since I kissed him goodbye.

My friend took off without me

through the snow-flurried sky.

*

He were too tired and too old 

to leave without some assistance, 

so God sent him a pair of wings

'cause to heaven is quite a distance.

*

Through the snow flurries he flew

higher and further he went away 

while my teardrops was falling

as I wanted my best friend to stay.

*

My friend was not an ordinary friend 

No, he was quite special and unique.

Sure, he had a nose, four paws and tail 

with the most kind and gentle streak.

*

While friends have come and gone 

he were constantly by my side

never questioning, never judging,

his own interests he always set aside. 

*

He truly was a special friend

the kind you can not replace.

His selfless acts of kindness

made my world a better place. 

*

From now on I must carry on

without my dearest, best friend.

I must dry my endless tears 

and my broken heart mend.

*

One day we'll be together again,

as best friends ought to be.

On the lush meadows in heaven 

he'll be waiting patiently for me. 

*

But until that day comes

he'll be with me wherever I go.

For as long as there is a memory,

he'll live on in my heart, I know. 

*

In memory of my beloved friend Max.

He's been my constant companion 

since the day I rescued him, thirteen years ago. 

He was my light, my life, my love, my everything! 

My only hope and wish is that he'll wait at heavens gate for me when the day comes,

because I would give anything to look once more into the loving eyes of my Max. 

~Sannel~

My Poetry Book

"Scent of a Haiga" by Sannel Larson

Tomas Tranströmer - The Poet

At the moment I'm in the midst of reading “Selected Poems” by the Swedish poet and the winner of the Nobel Prize, Tomas Tranströmer. I have wanted to read this poet's work for so long, but never had the chance until now.This is one of those books I know, I'll never be finished reading. Not because it's no good, but because this book is endless reading. Page after page provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a fascinating poet. There is so much to discover within the poems of this Swedish writer, and I need to read his works over and over again, to be able to soak up everything he has to offer.Tranströmer takes you through so many emotions just with a few chosen words.There are few writers/poets who have that gift. This book will always hold a special place in my heart, as well as a special place on my nightstand.

Can be purchased at Amazon

Can be purchased at Amazon

The Half-Finished Heaven

By

Tomas Tranströmer

Despondency breaks off its course.

Anguish breaks off its course.

The vulture breaks off its flight.

The eager light streams out,

even the ghosts take a draught.

And our paintings see daylight,

our red beasts of the ice-age studios.

Everything begins to look around.

We walk in the sun in hundreds.

Each man is a half-open door

leading to a room for everyone.

The endless ground under us.

The water is shining among the trees.

The lake is a window into the earth.

Tomas Tranströmer

Tomas Gösta Tranströmer (Known to the world as author, Tomas Tranströmer) is a Swedish leading and most influential contemporary poet, psychologist and translator. Born 15 April 1931, in Stockholm. Tranströmer is very well known in his homeland Sweden, and is acclaimed as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since the Second World War. His books sell thousands of copies in Sweden. Besides being a brilliant writer, he also has a successful career as a respected psychologist behind him. Tranströmer is also known as a skilled literary translator, entomologist, and classical pianist.

Tomas Tranströmer 

Tomas Tranströmer is recently known for being awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature. He has now become the eight Swedish winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. However, he is no stranger to awards. He has already collected the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the Bonnier Award for Poetry, the Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings, the Petrarch-Preis in Germany, Swedish Academy’s Nordic Prize, the Oevralids Prize, and the Swedish Award from International Poetry Forum. In 2007, Tomas Tranströmer received a special Lifetime Recognition Award given by the trustees of the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, which also awards the annual Griffin Poetry Prize.


Early life
Tranströmer was born to Gösta and Helmy Tranströmer. The father was a journalist and the mother a schoolteacher. At the age of three, the parents divorced and left the young boy with a strong void of a father figure in his life. As a student he received his secondary education at the Södra Latin School in Stockholm, where his interest for poetry started.

Tranströmer spent much of his childhood summers on Runmarö Island, a small Island in the Stockholm archipelago. Those summers and that landscape became the birth for his nostalgic and the aesthetic tradition of Swedish nature poems, Östersjöar (1974 ) Baltics (1975) and his memoir Minnena ser mig (1993 ) (The memories see me).

Tomas Tranströmer artistic talents showed early on in his life. As a child he started to play piano and beside the poetry it became another passion of his. Besides selected poems published in journals, his literary debut took place at the early age of 23. In 1954 this talented young man published his first collection of poems. 17 dikter (17 poems.) It has been considered one of the most acclaimed literary debuts of that decade.

The young man continued his education at Stockholm's University, graduating as a psychologist, with additional studies in literature, religion and history. After he graduated, he started to work in 1957, at the Institution for Psychometric at Stockholm University. In 1960, he was employed as a psychologist at the Roxtuna center for juvenile offenders. He worked there for six years while he continued to write poetry.

In 1958, he married Monica Blach, and has raised two daughters. In 1965, Tranströmer moved with his family to Västerås, one of the oldest cities in Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren where he spent the rest of his working life.

Birds in human shape.

The apple trees in blossom.

The great enigma.

~Tomas Tranströmer~

Tomas Tranströmer's Poetry

This poet's work is distinguished by a sense of mystery and unseen, underlying the routine of everyday life. He explores the connections between the visible and the invisible, the realms of the conscious and subconscious. A quality which often gives his poems a religious dimension. He has therefore been labeled as a Christian poet. Much of Tranströmer's poetry captures the world from a greater height along with the atmospheric beauty of the long harsh Swedish winters and the Swedish seasons along with its nature.

Tranströmer's most notable works are Klanger och spår (Windows and Stones) and Den stora gåtan (The Great Enigma.)

His poetry has been translated into over 60 languages and critics have held his poetry in high regard for its accessibility in the translations.


His longtime friendship with the American poet and author Robert Bly has made a big impact in the Swedish poet's life. The two poet's works are often read in conjunction. The American poet has also translated and edited some of Tranströmer's work. It was Robert Bly who first introducing his friend's work to the United States in 1960, and their of more 25 years of correspondence has been published in the book 'Air Mail.'

Can be purchased at Amazon

In 1990, a year after the publication of his tenth book of poems, he suffered a debilitating stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body and affected his speech. Despite this, he hasn't let his paralysis stop him. In 1996, he published his collection, Sorgegondolen (Grief Gondola). The poet continues to write, producing over five new works since his stroke, including his memoirs. After his stroke he has remarkably trained himself to play the piano with his left hand. Tranströmer has developed into a proficient pianist and often performs one handed piano concerts in Sweden and throughout Europe.

Kindle Edition- The Great Enigma Can be Purchased at Amazon

An excerpt from "Face to Face

In February living stood still.

The birds flew unwillingly and the soul

chafed against the landscape as a boat

chafes against the pier it lies moored to.

~Tomas Tranströmer~

Reader's Favorite Gave a Five-Star Review for Melvin!

Melvin. . . Bad, bad kitten!

by

Sannel Larson

Received a Five-Star Review 

by 

Reader's Favorite

Children-Animals

34 Pages

Reviewed on 09/17/2013

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Book Review:

Melvin. . . Bad, bad kitten! by Sannel Larson is an absolutely delightful book about the antics of Melvin the cat. The book is adorable and will remind you of the antics of the pets you have at home. You will start looking them in a different light after reading this amusing book. All pets have an identity of their own and Melvin has his. The author has written it in a very silly manner with some rhyming verses that will appeal to small children. Melvin is a naughty kitten that makes children laugh with his behavior.

It's a beautiful book of verses which the author has penned, keeping in mind the youthful audience. Children love to read anything silly and light and the author has written just that with Melvin, the cat, as the main character of the book. The illustrations are really cute. I found the illustration with the strawberry nose hilarious. The illustrator has also created something that is so appealing to a child.

The author's love for children is evident in the book. It is one of the cutest cat stories/verses I have read in recent times. It is so difficult to say what I liked most about the book. Everything is so appealing and cuddly. Kids are also introduced to rhyming verses in a very subtle way, getting them into reading verses and trying to write or recite small rhyming poems. Absolutely delightful and a treat for young readers.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite