Reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larrson, I have developed a nostalgic longing to see Sweden. I feel connected to Sweden in a more intimate way than one does to an ordinary novel setting, because my paternal grandfather was from Stockholm.
I just finished meeting a writing deadline and an editing one, and my reward was to begin reading this book. And like so many things in life, it came at the perfect moment.
How do I know? Subtle signs. I found the name of one of the characters from a novel I'm working on. I'm not sure how important a character Gunnar Nilsson is in Steig Larssen's book. I think he may be minor, the kind some authors call a spear carrier. But then again he may not.
The point is, seeing his name was an echo, reminding me of my undone work, and it made me more determined than ever to finish my novel manuscript.
And the opportunity is coming. In January, I join The Writers Studio at Simon Fraser University. Then the other Gunnar Nilsson will stand up. He's Canadian, though a Swedish descendant of course. He's my protagonist Caroline's husband.
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