Katarina Bivald, Author
1. If money were no object, how would you spend your time?
I am writing full time, which is as close to money being no object as a writer can get.
Naturally, I fill my days with adventures and all kinds of Cool Things. This is what my life consists of:
- 20 % sitting in sofa watching television series (also known as “research”)
- 20 % reading books (definitely research)
- 10 % harassing friends with normal office jobs
- 10 % killing my plants (that is, wandering around the apartment trying to think of ideas, eventually feeling kind of silly just walking around with no purpose and instead picking up the watering pot and just “topping up” my flowers a bit. Apparently if you water your plants four times a day, they die)
- 20 % actual writing
- 10 % doubting said writing
- 10 % hubris
It’s a great life.
2. What book impacted your life the most and how?
Books have had a huge impact on my life, and not always for the better. Books in general has taught me not to wait for God to develop a sense of plotting. In books, if a person dreams about doing something, you can be pretty sure she’ll have done it by the end of the book. In real life, if a person dreams about doing something, she’ll probably spend most of her days doing everything but that. God has a lousy sense of plot development, so whatever you do, don’t just wait for things to happen.
Romantic books have taught me that if you meet a rich, handsome, obnoxious guy who annoys you, he will turn out to be nice and charming once you get to know him. This is not true! Rich, handsome, obnoxious, annoying guys will turn out to be jerks. Just trust me on this one.
Also, avoid men who lock up their wives in attics.
Fried Green Tomatoes has taught me to lie to save a friend – or better yet, someone you don’t know – but if you have to swear on it in court, Moby Dick will do just as nicely as a bible.
Witches Abroad has taught me that stories just want an ending.
3. Tell us something about you that would surprise most of the people who think they know you.
Success is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Failure is very boring, of course, but there is some sort of inherent contradiction in living the dream. Choosing to follow a dream, yes; working towards it, definitely, even that sweet moment when you’ve fulfilled it – but living it? I have no idea how you do that. And yet most people I know would look at me and think: “Katarina, now there’s someone who’s living her dream”.