And You Must Love Me by Katja Rusanen #Interview

When Renate falls for local bad-boy Ronny she has no idea what she's getting herself into. After all, she's only 15. She's never had to deal with someone like his Gypsy girlfriend Sabina, who is ready to go to extremes to keep him. And she certainly wasn't expecting to find herself caught up such a dangerous cat and mouse game which gets even more complicated when Ronny's cousin Emil gets involved in it.

The news about the love tragedy that ensues travels fast in the small village of Loddefjord, Norway, and Renate feels invisible fingers pointing at her. She starts to fall apart under the pressure. But was it really Renate's fault? Will she ever find out what really happened? Each malicious whisper at school increases her freefall. Can she stop her own destructive behavior before it's too late?

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INTERVIEW

How did you start your writing career?

It was a long journey to write my first novel. The idea sparkled in my head for years until I started writing on Friday 22^nd of August 2008. I went to see a palm reader on that day and he inquired me, ‘Why don’t you write?’ I was stunned. How could he know that I had always wanted to write but kept postponing it with various reasons? At that moment I couldn’t come up with good enough excuse, so I agreed to start writing…  

Tell us about your current release?

And You Must Love Me is a transformational story which centers on the experience of 15-year-old Renate. She falls for local bad-boy Ronny but has no idea what she’s getting herself into. She’s never had to deal with someone like his Gypsy girlfriend Sabina, who is ready to go to extremes to keep him. And she certainly wasn't expecting to find herself caught up such a dangerous cat and mouse game which gets even more complicated when Ronny's cousin Emil gets involved in it.

Well, they say that all fiction has at its center a kernel of truth. That kernel in this story is the traumatic event that Renate has to face. This actually happened to me and I felt the urge to write about it and break the silence. 

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

I find that rewriting and editing is the hardest part for me. It requires loads of self-discipline to go through the draft again and again when I’m an eager beaver to start writing a new story. But I know it is essential part of the writing process and therefore I pull myself through it. 

When in the day/night you write? How long per day?

I’m definitely a night owl. I love writing at night, when the world is finally quiet enough. It feels like my creativity is at its best around midnight. Once I start, hours fly by like minutes and it’s often hard to stop but the day-time commitments set certain limitations to my night shift. 

What are you passionate about these days?

Charity work is close to my heart. I just returned from Tanzania where I attended to Kilimanjaro charity climb for Amani Children’s Home (www.amanikids.org). It was an amazing experience! Amani, which means “peace” in Swahili, is doing very valuable work with Tanzania’s most vulnerable population; street children and AIDS orphans. They provide healthy food, education, counseling and medical care for every child who turns to them for help.We visited Amani Children’s Home before and after our climb and my heart melted when I saw the smiles of these children.

Tell us about your next release?

I’ve planned Renate’s story to be a trilogy. So I’m working with full speed on the sequel while developing the last part in my mind and I’d love to hear reader’s feedback about ‘And You Must Love Me’!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katja Rusanen is a Finnish writer who has been living in Barcelona since 2004. 'And You Must Love Me' is her first novel. She also writes short stories, six of which have been published by Barcelona Connect magazine. She is a Spiritual Life Coach and is involved in charity work. In February 2012 she participated in a Kilimanjaro charity climb for the Amani Children's Home in Tanzania.

 

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