Christer is too old to believe in fairy tales. He’s not
the kind of guy to pick the proverbial seven flowers on Midsummer’s Eve so he
can dream of who he will marry, and he certainly isn’t the type to fall for
someone he’s just met. Especially not a womanizing blogger named Henrik.
Besides, Christer’s previous marriage didn’t end with a
happily ever after. Therefore he has no interest in gifting his heart to
someone who lives five hundred miles away and probably isn’t even gay. His
family is right: it’s time he grew up and stopped dreaming.
But
Midsummer’s Eve in Sweden is a magical night, and Henrik won’t stop flirting.
As the midnight sun shines down on the misty woods, maybe there’s room for
one last dream.
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Guest post with Author Ingela Bohm
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Midsummer is a huge deal in Sweden, second only
to Christmas (and for some, not even that). If you don’t celebrate it, you’re
viewed as kind of odd, and people probably feel sorry for you. It’s kind of
mandatory to do something.
Christer, the narrator of my new novella The Seventh Flower, spends his Midsummer’s
Eve the usual way: at the family cabin in the middle of the woods. Not that
he’s so very keen this year, because he’s still moping about his failed
marriage – sort of. He’s not depressed or anything, just… resigned. His
illusions are dashed, and spending time with his family won’t make him feel
better. In fact it will probably have the opposite effect, but cancelling will
bring more problems than suffering through it, so he goes.
And good thing he does, because he’s about to
meet the love of his life.
It’s just… there’s a problem. Henrik, a
colleague of Christer’s brother and this year’s pity invite, isn’t entirely
unknown. Christer has been crushing on him for the better part of a year, while
Henrik doesn’t even know who Christer is. It’s a recipe for awkwardness, and
boy does Christer do awkwardness well. He’s a master.
But it’s Midsummer’s Eve, and the air is filled
with magic. As soon as dinner is over and done with, Christer finds a way to
lure Henrik away from the other guests and into the woods. This is where he
feels most at home. He loves the bright summer nights out here in the middle of
nowhere, where mosquitoes whine and the mist dances on the water.
This is where he can be himself, and even though
he’s shy with Henrik, Christer finds himself opening up. He tells Henrik about
the history of the place, about the old club house that’s falling to pieces,
about the forest industry that once thrived in this abandoned village, about
his grandparents’ hard life. He never talks like this with anyone, but somehow
Henrik makes it so easy to let the words flow. Almost as if he actually finds
Christer’s stories interesting.
They stay for hours out in the woods, and
Christer just can’t stop talking. It’s as if there’s something in the air – something
not quite real. The sun only sets for a couple of hours, and in the golden
afterglow Christer’s silly crush grows into something more. Something he really
shouldn’t give in to – because Henrik lives too far away, and the whole thing
is doomed from the start.
Or is it?
Find out in The
Seventh Flower, on sale from February 8.
Ingela Bohm lives in an old cinema, tucked away in a northern Swedish forest
where she can wander around all day long and dictate her books. She used to
dream of being an actor until an actual actor asked, “Do you really need to do it?” That’s when she realized
that the only thing she really needed to do was to write. She has since
pretended to be a dietician, a teacher, a receptionist and a cook, but only to
conceal her real identity.
Her first imaginary friend was called Grabolina and lived in her closet.
Nowadays she has too many imaginary friends to count, but at least some of them
are out of the closet. Her men may not be conventionally handsome, but they can
charm your pants off, and that’s all that matters.
Ingela’s more useless talents include reading tarot cards, killing pot
plants and drawing scandalous pictures that no one gets to see. She can’t walk
in heels and she’s stopped trying, but she has cycled 12 000 miles in the UK
and knows which campsites to avoid if you don’t like spiders. If you see her on
the train you will wonder what age she is.
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Books by Ingela Bohm
The Pax Cymrica series:
Standalone novels:
Short stories:
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Thank you for your guest post Ingela and congratulations on the release of The Seventh Flower. I liked the blurb.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Sweden once and I was awed by your country.
Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.,I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
ReplyDelete