Hello, Mr. Kallentoft, thank you for taking time for an interview. First I want to ask you why you started to be an author.

I write out of necessity. I can’t imagine another life. I knew this from the age of fourteen when I discovered literature.

You didn’t start writing crime novels at first. Why did you change the genre? What is special about crime novels for you?

I have always loved genre literature, and I believe that violence and death are great engines for stories, as you can come close to the essentials of human life and write exciting stories that many people want to read.

I also chose to write crime because I wanted a big audience, and wanted to see if I could write a truly successful book commercially.

I learned that “Midwinter Sacrifice” and “Summertime Death” are parts of a trilogy. Did you already work out the other two parts before or while writing the first one? Or are you usually just writing straight on?

It’s going to be five books! I just write straight on.

Where did you get the partly extreme ideas for your books, especially for the manners of death of your victims?

I get them from images in my subconscious. In dreams, really, not the stories but the images of the victims. It’s scary and spooky, but there is darkness in everyone.

The persons in your novels seem to be very close to reality. Did or do you have any living models for your acting characters?

No. They are fiction. Although my subconscious is at work, and some people seem to recognize themselves or others in the books.

“Midwinter Sacrifice” and “Summertime Death” both take place in Linköping, your hometown. Isn’t it strange to imagine all those cruel things in your direct neighbourhood? Did you ever think of choosing another place for your novels?

No. I wanted to use my childhood geography, the dreamlike qualities it tends to take with age, and re-establish my contact with the town where I grow up. The books are a bit of coming of age experience for me on personal level. I moved from the town a long time ago in search for a greater life. Sadly, cruel things happen everywhere. Just weeks ago there was a really brutal murder in Linköping, which is really a quiet country town.

Are you already starting a new project after “Midwinter Sacrifice”, “Summertime Death” and “Autumn Sonata”? If you do so, will it be a further crime novel?

Yes. Book four about Malin Fors. The spring themed one in the "seasons"-series.

Was it difficult for you to find a company to publish your first novel? Do you have any good advice for young authors who look for a publishing house?

It was difficult and easy. I got many noes, but one yes is enough. And before that I had written two rejected novels, and collections of poetry. My advice is simple: Don’t give up and work, work, work. It takes time to find your own voice.

What kind of books do you read yourself? Do you have a favourite author or genre?

I read mostly novels. I am a big fan of American literature. Cormac McCarthy is a big favourite.

Thank you very much!