New Publication! (Danish Short Story)

~ mariasjostrand ~ Leave a comment


Hi guys!

Guess who got published again! 😉
This time it’s a cute little short story via the Danish publishing company Alias. Be warned, though – it’s in Danish 😊

So if you happen to speak the language (or are really into Google Translate), why not check it out?

It’s five cute little stories that explores what it would be like to meet a literary character.
Just in case you have wondered what would it feel like to chat up Pippi Longstocking.
Or to berate Juliet for her rather melodramatic choices.

And the title of the book? Bænkemøder (Meeting on Benches).

Pick it up via the link below or via any Danish library.

And if you’re interested in an English version – let me know. If there’s enough of you, I’ll tell my publisher that might be something to consider 😃

Aliasr.dk/baenke-moeder

My Book Got Published!

~ mariasjostrand ~ 5 Comments

Hi everyone – ready for the most exciting news ever?

My book got published! (Yeah, yeah, I know – hardly a surprise after that title!)

But if you’re interested in humour, witty banter, and more than a dash of fantasy I definitely recommend that you check it out.

Intrigued? Then check out this awesome synopsis! (written by my awesome editor):

“A Supernatural Jaunt Through Life, Death, and Beyond

Grace O’Neill passes away peacefully after a long and eventful life. Denied at Heaven, she reluctantly heads the other way. But Hell is not that bad a place: barbecues, drinks with paper umbrellas, and concerts with dead rock stars — with all the truly bad souls exiled to the formless void of Limbo.

But one such undesirable soul breaks out of Limbo, threatens both Hell and Heaven, and seeks to remake the universe in his own image.

Ever optimistic Grace teams up with unlikely friends, a sarcastic shapeshifting demon lord and a preacher’s son, racing across Heaven and Earth in search of a holy relic. They must succeed before their enemies use it to unravel the order of the universe and make the afterlife more… hellish!”

Interested? Then check it out at: https://shorturl.at/fvJQ3


Saving Hell

~ mariasjostrand ~ Leave a comment

A Supernatural Jaunt Through Life, Death, and Beyond

Grace O’Neill passes away peacefully after a long and eventful life. Denied at Heaven, she reluctantly heads the other way. But Hell is not that bad a place: barbecues, drinks with paper umbrellas, and concerts with dead rock stars — with all the truly bad souls exiled to the formless void of Limbo.

But one such undesirable soul breaks out of Limbo, threatens both Hell and Heaven, and seeks to remake the universe in his own image.

Ever optimistic Grace teams up with unlikely friends, a sarcastic shapeshifting demon lord and a preacher’s son, racing across Heaven and Earth in search of a holy relic. They must succeed before their enemies use it to unravel the order of the universe and make the afterlife more… hellish!

“★★★★★ — 5 Stars! This surprisingly witty tale is just brilliant. There is no other way to describe it. [An] incredible literary journey of life, death, Heaven, Hell, and a world in-between… Suited to readers who love a good comedy while contemplating the journey of death and beyond. And yes… I am still laughing.”
—Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite

Genre: Comedic Fantasy

Buy it today at: https://shorturl.at/fvJQ3
(currently available as a paperback, soon to be available as an ebook)

Going Live! + Poem

~ mariasjostrand ~ Leave a comment

Our Kickstarter just officially went live, and it would absolutely mean the world to me if you checked it out and considered supporting us!

Also:

Two broken hearts,

One hidden, one revealed.

Only one had the man who broke it,

Also be the man who it healed.

What movie am I?

Phantom Listeners

~ mariasjostrand ~ 3 Comments

Hi guys!

I realise you haven’t heard from me in a while but I do have a good reason!

I recently got hired at a small publishing firm, which is just starting up. It’s super exciting but also a little scary.

Anyway, we’re coming out with our first book (yeah!), which is a Halloween poetry collection called Phantom Listeners.

We’re starting a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds and I wanted to ask you all to check it out. We’re going live in a week, but the pre-launch page is officially up. We do have some Early Bird Offers if anyone is interested. Next week, I’ll upload an extract from my novel-in-progress to thank you all!

Anyway, here’s the link:

Erasure Poem 2

~ mariasjostrand ~ 3 Comments

Hi guys! Another erasure poem here! This one is from Disciplines by Dawn Lundy Martin 






If there is prayer, there is a mother kneeling, hands folded to a private sign. We recognize it. If there is a mother kneeling, hands a tent, she is praying or she is crying or crying and praying at the same time. Although it is recognized, the signals of it, it is private and no one knows, perhaps not even she, the content of the prayer, and perhaps its object. If there is a mother praying, she is on her knees over some object, as one does not often pray in the middle of the room. One prays at the window or over the bed, the head bent slightly up or down, the eyes open or closed. This is a prayer for prayers, you know, a wanting something equal to a prayer, even though I am not a mother.






			

	


			
				


	

		
Erasure Poem 1
	

				

			 ~ mariasjostrand			 ~ Leave a comment					

				

		

Hi guys! Haven’t posted in a while, have I? Sorry about that! 





Here’s an erasure poem created using the following four texts: Short Walk on Sleep Stones by Anne Carson, Harbour by Michael Ondaatje, the Orphan Lamb by Amy Hempel and the Deck by Yusef Komunyakaa.





Three of the chosen texts were pretty sad, so I wanted to subvert them and get something life-affirming out of them! Anyway, here’s the result: 










 
  I am living at night.
 It is real life. It is sincere.
 I sing and I love.
 Dancing at they wait. 
  
 Anonymity and seduction. 
 His body over mine. 
 Like old lovers guessing each other’s move. 
 With as much euphoria as we can expect from the living.  

			

	


			
				


	

		
The Levels of Liking a Book
	

				

			 ~ mariasjostrand			 ~ 6 Comments					

				

		
For me there are eight levels of how much I like a book.


One. I can’t read it. I just can’t. I mean, I’ll try if I really have to, but after reading the same paragraph half a dozen times, I’m just going to give up and google my way to a summary. It’s so extraordinary bad that I just can’t read it. My brain goes on a strike as soon as I try. It’s figuratively holding up a small sign saying “What do we want? Entertainment. When do we want it? Now!”


Two. I don’t want to read it. This is the part where my brain and I are sitting at opposite sides of the negotiation table, trying to work something out. My brain is threatening to go on another strike, but I successfully calm her down by promising her entertainment right after this one last job. Sure, neither of us actually wants to read the book, but we’ll struggle our way through it. Teamwork. Continue reading “The Levels of Liking a Book” →

			

	


			
				


	

		
A Great Character
	

				

			 ~ mariasjostrand			 ~ 2 Comments					

				

		
A/N: Very light spoiler alert for Lucifer.




The Great Character is a character, who can save a show. It’s a character, who can take a book, a movie, or a TV-show and make it worth your while. You can, of course, argue that subjectivity plays a vital role in this – as it does in everything regarding the worlds of literature and media. Just because I find a show dull and a character entertaining, doesn’t mean that you do.


But often, we do agree. Quite a few people agree that Game of Thrones is a great show. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have the budget it has today. Sure, taste is subjective but there are certain things that speak to ninety-five percent of us. And ninety-five percent of seven billion is quite a lot of people. If ninety-five percent of people like something you’ve made, you’re set. Or should I say almost set? You do, after all, need to get their attention before you can impress them. But that’s a post for another time.


Right now, I want to talk about characters that impressed me – and then I hope that in this case, I’m part of the ninety-five percent and not the five. Otherwise, feel free to comment and let me know why you might disagree.


For this post, I’ll focus on the characters of the TV-show Lucifer, which is currently airing on Netflix. And why I think the characters are what makes Lucifer worthwhile to watch. Let’s see what we have to work with, shall we? Continue reading “A Great Character” →