In the late summer of 2007 I began writing Unwanted [Askungar], the first book about Fredrika. Little did I imagine that what had been my hobby since I was seven years old – writing – would change my life and become my full-time occupation. Nor did I have any idea how many stories I had within me. It wasn’t until I gave up work that I (and everyone else, I presume) got the full picture of what my writing looked like. Wild and unruly. Passionate and driven. These qualities have made me productive, and perhaps rather unpredictable. My writing is different from that of many other authors. I have loved to write ever since my first year in school, and it is impossible for me to spend all my time in Fredrika Bergman’s world, never to be anywhere else. That’s why I wrote the books about Martin Benner. That’s why I wrote a horror novel. And that’s why I started to write children’s books.

When will the next Fredrika Bergman book be out? That question has haunted me since the spring of 2013, when The Chosen [Davidsstjärnor] was published in Sweden. And now I understand why; so many of you have accompanied Fredrika on her journey. So many of you want more of her. But it’s like this: books must be longed for by the author who writes them just as much as by the readers who are waiting for them. And I didn’t start longing for Fredrika until shortly before Christmas 2015. A new wave of longing seems incredibly distant at the moment, and Fredrika seems to be getting on fine without me. She and the children have a good life in London. And Alex will soon retire, whether he wants to or not. Maybe he’ll find that beach and lie there with a good book.

Anyway. Whatever happens to Fredrika, I will carry on writing, of course. You don’t just dump good habits that have been around for so many years. I’m not finished with Martin Benner; I want to know more about him. Nor am I finished with horror, and certainly not with my children’s books. There are so many stories to tell, so many characters to bring to life. I’ve only just begun.

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There are many people to thank, as is always the case. First of all, warm thanks to my friends. Too many to mention each one by name, but thank you for being part of my life and for making me strong and happy. Special thanks to Sofia Ekholm, who continues to believe that I can do anything, and do it well.