Interview with Photographer Josefine Jönsson

Remember when the cover for Entangled by Cat Clarke was revealed? Remember how everyone reacted to how beautiful it was? Well, I was lucky enough to interview the strikingly beautiful photographer AND cover model for Entangled and Forgotten by Cat Patrick, Josefine Jönsson!

N.B. All photos used in this post are copyrighted to Josefine Jönsson and used with her permission.

Thank you so much, Josefine, for letting me interview you! I absolutely love your photos! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your photography?Thank you, very glad you like them!

I started photographing in the beginning of 2006, back then my very best friend Harriet used to model for me. This was also when my love for photography first started and by then I was ever so eager to experiment with different lights, locations and models. I learned a lot by taking self-portraits, this way I could test new things that I wasn’t ready to test on other models. If I failed I could just throw the photos away and make it better next time. But taking self-photography is a great way of letting your creativity flow and that is what I like the most by modelling myself.

Basically what I’d like to express with my photography are my dreams and memories, doing this by scouting locations I find timeless, as well as creating my own characters. I do find my self-photography a lot more different than my other work with models, as I take my self-portraits for myself rather than to anyone else. I guess that is why they’re filled with more emotions than my other work.

Not only did you take the photos for the covers of Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick, you are also the model. Is it difficult to take self-portraits?
I’ve been taking self-portraits for quite some time now, but now and then I find it quite hard. Sometimes they turn out how I like them to turn out, but other times they don’t. And finding the right angles sometimes is hard! Working with a remote sure make it easier, but sometimes the focus drives me insane. To achieve a certain emotion is easier when taking self-portraits as you know exactly what you want, but also a lot harder when you’ve have to do it all yourself!

Are you approached about using your photography for book covers or do you have to submit?

Being a member in a photo agency makes it easier for clients to find my work, but I’ve been approached personally also about selling my photos for covers.

When using an older photo rather than taking a new one for book covers, how do you decide which photo to use?

It is not usually me who decides which photo to be used. But it depends on the book, because sometimes I think my older work fits the cover better than my newer photos.What is the process from photo to book cover? Do you just take the photo, or are you involved in actually designing the covers?

Most of the time the clients see a photo they’d like to use, then it is a photo I’ve had on the agency or on my own website. But they can also request a shoot where they decide how the photo should look like. I am not involved with designing the photo, even if it would have been fun. But I guess it is for the better, I am not good with designing anyway.

Your photo _heartbeat II. had a few edits before making it to the cover of Forgotten, the most noticeable being the edits to your top. Why were the changes to the sleeves made?

Yes, actually I didn’t know this until I saw the cover. I have no idea why they decided to change the sleeves, but I guess they had good reasons for doing it. Personally I prefer it without the sleeves like the original, but it’s up to the designer to decide.

_heartbeat II.


You have also had photos used on the covers of The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt and Kwetsbare Vrouwv (Willing Flesh in the UK) by Adam Creed. Out of the four covers that feature your photography, which is your favourite?

I really enjoy the cover of Entangled, which has also gotten the most feedback. But the cover for Mari Jungstedt is also a favourite of mine.


Click for larger views.

Outside of book covers, what can people expect from your photography? What do you hope they will see?

I always explain that I rather speak with my photography than with words, because this is how I express myself the best. And hopefully they will enjoy looking through my thoughts, dreams and memories resembled as photography.

_playing with fire.


_hearbeat III.


_autumn sleep II.


Who or what inspires you in your photography?

Dreams and tales inspire me a lot, also when seeing a certain location gives me several ideas, so nature sure inspires me a lot. A few photographers I am inspired by are Carl Bengtsson and Jimmy Backius.Are there any more book covers featuring your photography coming soon that we can look forward to?

Yes! There might be two, but one I am sure about, I believe it is in Dutch though!

Thank you, Josefine, for such a fascinating interview! Look at those beautiful photos! Oooh, I love them! You can see more of Josefine's photography on her website, her blog, or her deviantART page. I highly suggest you go check them out!

If you haven't yet, but the covers have piqued your interest, you can read my reviews of Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick.

Continue reading Interview with Photographer Josefine Jönsson

Engtangled Blog Tour: Interview with Cat Clarke and Contest

Today I have the great fortune to have next year's fantastic debut author, Cat Clarke, on my blog to answer some questions about her novel, Entangled, for her blog tour!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a writer/editor/literary consultant living in Edinburgh. I like cheese a lot.

How did you come up with the idea for Entangled?

I got the spark of the idea in an English Language A-level exam in which I had to write the opening pages of a novel. (Why can’t all exams be like that?!) I didn’t start writing ENTANGLED until many years later, and by that time the idea had morphed into something almost unrecognizable.

What research did you have to do for Entangled, if any?

Not much at all. I think it would be all too easy for me to get wrapped up in a comfy blanket of research and never actually write anything. I checked one or two facts, but that’s about it.

There are quite a few serious issues covered in Entangled. Is it important to you to cover such important subjects in your writing? If so, why?

The issues that crop up in ENTANGLED are there purely because of the story. I didn’t plan ahead (oh, how I envy writers who plan ahead!). I think the most important thing in any novel I write is the story, but if I can explore some serious issues along the way, then all the better. It probably helps that the stories I want to tell aren’t exactly light and fluffy - I like things dark!

How was your route to publication?

Surprisingly painless! I can say this now, but at the time I was angsty and stressed out and probably very boring to be around. I got an agent a few months after finishing the first draft, and got my publishing deal with Quercus a couple of months after that. There was A LOT of obsessive email-checking involved.

How does it feel to know your book will soon be in the hands of readers?

Pretty damn scary. And exciting too. There really should be a word for that. Scexciting? Exscary? Hmm... perhaps not. The idea of someone actually going in to a bookshop and picking up a copy of my book? That’s just about enough to make my head explode.


Has having a career in publishing affected your own publication experience? Did you find things less or more exciting for knowing the ins and outs?

Knowing the ins and outs has meant having access to a little too much information at times - sometimes ignorance can be bliss! It has, however, given me access to lots of good advice. People in publishing are some of the nicest folk you can meet – always happy to help out, even if they work for supposed ‘rival’ companies.

As for whether it’s been more or less exciting, I’m not sure! Maybe equally exciting, just different. I reckon getting published is pretty blimmin’ exciting whatever the circumstances.

Tell us about how you write; do you write in a particular place? Do you have any music playing? Do you have any must-haves with you while writing?

I write sporadically, but I’m trying to be more disciplined now that I’ve got a deadline looming. I tend to write sitting on the sofa, usually with a cat on either side of me. I’ve recently moved to Edinburgh, so I’m on the lookout for some good writing cafes.

I need to have music while I write. Silence is my enemy! I’ve created playlists for each book, and can listen to them over and over again without getting bored. I often use headphones, which seems to immerse me in the music even more. I also need water, frequent cups of tea, and maybe a biscuit or two.

What was most surprising to you during the writing process? And the publication process, if anything?

The most surprising thing about the writing process that I was actually capable of finishing a novel. It’s a bit of a joke in my family that I take up new hobbies, get super-enthusiastic about them, only to get bored and move on after a couple of months.

The publication process hasn’t surprised me yet, but there’s still time! I suppose I’m lucky in that I know basically what to expect. If I hadn’t worked in publishing, I might have been surprised by how S-L-O-W the route to publication can seem. Lots of people I speak to seem to think that your book should be published about three months after you sign the contract. If only!

What are you working on now? Can you give us a teaser?

I’m working on my second book. The working title is BURIED, and it’s about the mysterious death of the most popular girl in school. She dies on one of those outdoorsy activity holidays that I was lucky enough to avoid at school. The main character is called Alice, and there’s a rather lovely boy called Jack, who happens to be the dead girl’s brother. That’s all I can reveal at the moment! Just got to finish writing it now!

Anything else you would like to add?

*racks tiny brain* Nope. Thanks so much for asking such awesome questions, Jo!

Thank you, Cat, for answering them! Be sure to check out Cat's website and her blog.
Entangled is released 6th January 2011. Read my review here.

Courtesy of Quercus, two lucky readers will win signed copies of Entangled!

Rules:

• Enter by filling in the form below.
• One entry per person. Multiple entries will be deleted.
• Open to UK residents only.
• Two winners.
• Contest closes 22nd December.
• Winners will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced on 23rd December.
• Winners' contact info will be passed on to my contact at Quercus, who will send out the prizes.
• Please read my privacy policy.

***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!***

Continue reading Engtangled Blog Tour: Interview with Cat Clarke and Contest

News: Entangled by Cat Clarke Trailer

There is now a trailer for Cat Clarke's debut novel, Entangled!



How awesome does it look? And, having read the book, I'm loving the puzzle pieces! Genius! If you haven't yet, check out my review, and visit Cat's website and blog.

Continue reading News: Entangled by Cat Clarke Trailer

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Entangled by Cat Clarke (review copy) - 'The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?'

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?
A story of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction. From Amazon UK

When I received this book for review, I was extremely excited. Not only did it sound brilliant, but I've met Cat Clarke - she came along to the book bloggers meet up back in May, and is active enough in the blogosphere that many consider her "one of us". But I was also worried. What if I didn't like it? I pride myself on my honest reviews, but how could I possibly be negative about a book someone I know wrote. It scared me.

Fortunately, I was hooked from the very first page. Why was this girl locked in a room? Will she ever get out? What is her abductor planning? But after a while, I worried some more about negative review writing as it looked likely. I did not like Grace. She was too much of a typical teenager; she was loud and brash and had didn't seem to have a nice word to say about anything. She really wound me up, and I kept wanting to tell her to shut up. Yet I couldn't put the book down. Her circumstanced were just too strange, and I needed to know what was going on.

As the pages turned, my feelings towards Grace changed. As I got to know her better, understood her better, I liked her more - even if she did/said things that still annoyed me. But her story was so intriguing. The secrets, the strange behaviour. I read and read and read. Since I've started work, it has taken me well over a week to finish a book, but I was so caught up in Grace's story, it took four days. And now I'm finished, and I can really only say... wow.

The plot is just fantastic! Such a great way to tell a story, having Grace write it all down almost like a journal. The twist is just awesome, I didn't entirely see it coming. I had theories and assumptions, but they weren't completely correct, and I was just blown away with the actual outcome; just why Grace was abducted. But the story of all that happened before she was abduted really touched me. I laughed, I cried, I sympathised, I fell in love, I got mad, I had fun. It was just fantastic!

In total, there were seven characters in the book, but the three main ones are Grace, Sal, and Nat. Sal is Grace's best friend, and as nice enough as she seemed, I never really liked her. Not that I disliked her, I just didn't feel I knew her well enough to base an opinion on. Grace is the narrator, so we only know what she tells us, and as she's writing months after most of the events happen, so we don't get every detail. We don't need every detail, I just didn't feel enough of a connection to Sal to like her, though there was enough for me to care what happened to her.

Nat on the other hand you couldn't ask for me detail on. And I think I might just have to say, move over every other fictional guy I've ever read about, I have a new fic-guy to have a lit crush on. It's like Clarke crawled into my head, saw who my perfect guy would be - well, pretty much - and put him in her book. He was just so lovely! He was just awesome! The only thing I can complain about really, is not having enough conversations with him about nothing. They're not necessary for the story, but I would have enjoyed them!

Then came the end. Oh my god, the end. When everything fell into place, and we knew what was what. Some of it I was hoping desperatly wouldn't turn out like I thought it would, but it did, and there were tears, and a whole lot of anger. And the actual end! Simply amazing, but I wish it hadn't ended there! I wanted more! What happens next, Cat?

Entangled is simply fantastic! I loved it! I want to pick it up and read it over. I want to climb into the pages. Seriously, this book is just amazing, a stunning debut, and if you don't get yourself to a bookshop in January and grab yourself a copy, well, I suggest you go see a doctor. Another to add to the list of favourites. I can't wait to read whatever Clarke brings us next!

Thank you to Quercus for sending me a review copy.

Published: 6th January 2011
Publisher: Quercus
Pre-order from Amazon UK
Pre-order from The Book Depository
Cat Clarke's Website
Cat Clarke's Blog

Other Reviews of Entangled:
Portrait of a Woman
Entangled

Continue reading Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke