#MyStorytellerBrand: The logo

 So I learned that I was not going to brand myself, but my Storyteller persona. I defined my Storyteller role models and key characteristics.  

Now it was time to turn my chosen words: Creative, Caring, Closer into a logo. 

They all start with the same letter (I like the alliteration) and at the same time each word has a specific meaning. It made sense to me to use three different fonts.   After some searching I found three fonts by creative people who offer them for free. 

Debby  created by Typeface

Grand hotel Designed by Brian J. Bonislawsky and Jim Lyles for Astigmatic

 and Simplifica by Kaiwa . 

After choosing fonts, it was time to decide about colors.  I wanted something colorful.  I decided to go for Orange (warm, caring, passion) and Blue (my favorite color and a complementing color to orange). 

Last but not least, I wanted to combine the words in a way that made them not just words but also a symbol. I tried out a number variations and in the end I did what any sensible person would do, especially a closer; delegate the  task to someone who can do the job well. My husband.  

He took my input, turned my first attempts into something that looked really professional but not yet like me. 

"It looks good, professional, but it is too closed, to sharp. It is not me. I want it to be more  airy, more round, less edges..." 

After a few iterations it was there. My logo. 

On my book release November 16 in Kungälv, you will see the new look. Later on you will see it on the blog, in the newsletters and of course in the coming web shop.  

Branding my Storyteller Persona has been educational and fun. And I have a feeling this is somehow just the beginning...  

#MyStorytellerBrand: Key characteristics

"You have this unusual combination of creativity and self-discipline", 

said Staffan, a friend and colleague, after I had published my first book Jenny, Jenny. I had never thought about it that way, but when he said it, it felt right. 

It takes creativity to tell stories. Just like it takes creativity to be a good engineer, since the essence of what we do is solving problems together.

When it comes to self-discipline, I have plenty of that. Always had. 

When I watched the movie "The American president" (a forerunner to the amazing TV series the West Wing) a person described Miss Wade (Anette Bening) as a "Closer":

I liked that description a lot and found that it fitted me. At that moment I only thought about it from a work perspective; as a leader I make sure we get things done. I am a closer.

Over the years, I understood that being a closer is applicable for my writing as well. I have met many who say they want to be a writer, yet they do not manage to complete a story. They have a number of reasons (excuses?) and in the end they end up with a number of half-finished texts or ideas. 

When I write a story I conclude it. If I do not, the story will not let me go. It seems I am a Closer also when it comes to Storytelling.

It took a little while before I decided to add a third characteristic.

To me, we are like snow. We are all snow, all needed to light up the world, yet each one of us is unique, like a beautiful snow flake. I enjoy our differences and I care about all living creatures.  So the third part of my brand starts with another C: Caring.

Snow art by Simon Beck

Creative Caring Closer. My Brand, My Words.

 I was ready to get started with a logo.

Qui sine peccato est - the cover

I always find it exciting to see what a graphic designer can do with my input and ideas.
Since this is the first time I work with Recito förlag I did not know what to expect. Could they create a professional and great looking cover for my third novel?

I am happy to say that the graphical designer created a cover that really captures the feeling of the book. I hope you like it too!

The next step is the actual printing. The books will be available in time for the book release Nov 16 at Bokens Dag in Kungälv. I hope you will come there to see the book In Real Life!

#MyStorytellerBrand: Role models

Ok, so Jesper got me thinking when he said I was not going to sell myself, but a persona. What is my Storyteller persona like? How do I want to be perceived as a Storyteller?

I started by looking at some of my role models within Storytelling. Not surprising, my role models are independent women who wrote/write stories their own way. Let´s take them in chronological order:

Selma Lagerlöf 

Selma was asked to join “Svenska Akademin”, a very prestigious institution. She declined with a cocky statement: “I want to win the Nobel Prize first”. She knew should could never win that if she was part of the group that selected the winners and obviously she was convinced she could win the Nobel Prize. 

She did win the literary Nobel Prize, the first Swede and the first woman to do so.  With the money she won, she bought back the house where she grew up, a home her parents had lost when they could no longer afford it. Later on she had another chance to join Svenska Akademin and she did, the first woman to do that too. Her stories are the kind that stays with you and they are relevant also today, long after Selma herself has gone.

Astrid Lindgren 

There are few, if any, Swedish children who have not read and become absorbed by Astrid´s fantastic stories about Pippi, Emil, Ronja, the brothers Lionhearts and many, many more. Not only did she write stories that impacted generations of Swedes,  she also seemed to do it the way she wanted to. Her stories, her way.  She was also a woman who cared much about children and animals and she voiced her opinion in ways that impacted our society. No wonder I admire her.  

Joanne Rowling 

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” This quote alone is a great reason to see Joanne Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books under the pseudonym J.K. Rowling, as a role model. Her story was refused by  many until one publisher saw its potential. She wrote about Harry because she wanted to write that story,  not because she wanted to become known. Joanne Rowling stays away from media rather than seeks it and she donates some of her wealth to different charities. She is my third role model when it comes to Storyteller persona. 

Types of stories 

So, do I want to write like these three women? No. I see them as role models when it comes to how they behave as storytellers and how they brand themselves (even though I doubt they ever used that word) but my stories are not like theirs.   

When it comes to storytelling style I have other role models; authors who write the type of stories I write. Stories with lots of love, adventure and important questions for the characters and readers to consider.  They are:

• Khaled Hosseini (The kite runner, A thousand splendid suns and more)
• Nicholas Evans (The horse whisperer, The smoke jumper and more) and 
• Deborah Smith (on Bear mountain, Charming Grace and more).  

With these role models in mind, I had an idea of my persona as a Storyteller. In my next blog post I will describe how I chose to brand that persona.  

Qui sine peccato est - the blurb

I told you that I would post the blurb of my coming book Qui sine peccato est.

Before I do, let´s look at what a blurb is. The word was coined in 1907 and a blurb is, according to Wikipedia:

"a short promotional piece accompanying a creative work. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust-jacket of a book..."

And this is, supposedly, the very first blurb:

And now, finally, the blurb for Qui Sine Peccato Est:

 Hon springer genom eldregnet, springer med sina slagna skrapade ben, sina armar med brännmärken efter repet, sin kropp nedsmutsad, slagen och besudlad av hårda, klämmande händer, sin sönderslagna läpp. Hon springer med en själ som gör tiofalt mer ont.  

      Om du har ljugit om det här, vad har du då ljugit mer om? 

      Om du inte är den man jag alltid har trott, vem är du då? 

         Plötsligt tar det slut. Regnet, blixtarna, hennes ork. Hennes springande ben blir stumma trädstammar. Precis när hon sjunker ner på knä står de där bredvid henne. De sandgula benen med gråsvarta hovar. Ryttarens hand sträcks mot henne.  

Två länder. En organisation som ses som frihetskämpar av det ena landet, som terrorister av det andra. Journalisten Leyah Londo som hamnar mitt i och får kämpa inte bara för sitt liv utan också för att behålla sitt förstånd, när hon får veta mer än hon vill veta om de två ländernas problematiska förflutna och hennes mans del i det som händer omkring henne. 

Qui sine peccato est är Annika Rosendahls tredje roman. Precis som i hennes första romaner får läsaren djupa frågor att ta ställning till i en roman med högt tempo, spänning och som alltid, starka personligheter och kärlekshistorier. 

I hope this blurb makes you want to read the book as soon as possible :-). The very first possibility to do so will be at the book release on Bokens Dag in Kungälv November 16. I hope to see you there!

#MyStorytellerBrand: Not you, your persona

” The difference between you and Camilla Läckberg (a succesful Swedish author) is that she is known and you are not.”

 Jesper said and leaned back in his chair.  

We were sitting around a table at our friends' house. They were, just like we at that time, a Swedish family living in Spain for a few years. Jesper, who has worked as a creative director, knows a lot more about marketing than I do. A lot more. And still my answer was:  

“I don´t want to be known. I want my books to be known, but I do not want to promote or market  myself.” 

His reply was immediate: 

“You are not going to sell yourself. You are going to sell a persona.” 

Thanks Jesper for putting it in a way that made me understand. I am, like all of us, a complex person with a lot of different dimensions and different roles in my life. I am a mother to three fantastic boys, a loved and loving wife, a daughter, a friend and much more. And I am a storyteller.  Of course I am not going to brand or sell myself. I will only brand and clarify my Storyteller Persona.  

I will share my branding work with you in a series of blog posts, and of course, in the end you will see the result. I will display it for the first time on the book release of my third book: November 16 at Mimers Kulturhus, Kungälv (Sweden).  You will also see it online when I open my annikaslol web shop in December. Stay tuned!