I was super excited to read this novel as I had seen Josephine writing about it on Facebook for a while, so as soon as I was able, I bought a copy from Amazon and dived straight in. When I read the blurb of the book I thought why would anyone want to kill a reindeer. I have read many books where people get killed – and in particularly unpleasant ways too – but it is so shocking and intriguing to read of animals killed merely for killing’s sake…

Have you ever wondered how an author comes up with the setting and characters in their books? Join, Josephine Greenland as she talks about that very subject!

The main setting of Embers, the mining town of Svartjokk, is based on a real town in northern Sweden called Gällivare.

When did you start writing?

I started writing at about age nine. I wrote one short story and then one novel about horses, before delving into fantasy and beginning a high fantasy novel…

Author Q&A with Janet Emson

1. Tell us a little about Embers.

Embers is a YA Mystery and crime novel set in the fictional mining town of Svartjokk in northern Sweden. It can be described as a Scandi Noir version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Oh, that cover, isn’t it beautiful?! I am once again on tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club and today I am welcoming Young Adult author, Josephine Greenland onto my blog.

I knew nothing about reindeer herding until I read this part fact, part fiction book. I was totally surprised at the tradition, and the hate crime/victimisation the herders receive by people in positions of power or by capitalists. For these topics alone, this book is an important read.