Interview with Author Birgit Forsberg

 

 

 

1.      What inspired you to write this book? 

Many factors in my life came together simultaneously to provide the background for writing. First, the mere joy of living delighted me, as I was freed from working in shifts! Secondly, I was free to retire, and so to choose how to spend my time. Thirdly, I wanted to tell my children, cousins, friends and relatives of how I experienced life as a child, teenager and young adult while growing up in Thailand. And lastly, I was quite alarmed at the car crash incident which my husband experienced.  I was very glad and thankful to God that I had time to be with him every day. I wanted to share my life experiences with him and so try to encourage him in physical rehabilitation of the broken leg.  

 

2.      What exactly is it about – and who is it written for? 

The story is about vocational school students who become acquainted and keep up their friendship throughout their lives. These students were from totally differing backgrounds and life situations, but that did not deter them from being friends.  

This story took place in northern Thailand in the 1970’s. Many things have changed since that time. I grew up in the area, watching how illegal immigrants were taken into custody because they did not have any identity papers, how illegal pouching was commonly practiced, and how illiteracy brought problems into many lives.  I thought that perhaps by reading about these mishaps, today’s people might learn to appreciate what older folks have had to go through and so be thankful for the great leaps in civilization today. Maybe mission enthusiasts would like to learn about life on the mission field. And maybe the realization that cultural differences are not always a point of contestation, but a richness which allows for deeper understanding. 

 

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? 

I hope that readers will enjoy the characters (who are true people!), benefit from some of the observations made by the main characters and perhaps view their own lives from different perspectives. I hope that readers will get a small glimpse of northern Thailand. I also pray that readers would have a desire to learn more about people from other cultures in their own

communities. 

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? 

The title of the book was a difficult one for me. I played with two tiles, WHEN LIFE CHANGES and WHIRLING EVENTS.  Then I realized that with WHIRLING EVENTS I might mislead the readers to expect some fast-moving plot; perhaps the first title would be better! The cover design unfolded by itself.  I was playing around with the story, trying to form a short ‘comic book’ strip of it to entertain my nephew when he came to visit.  I sent these sketches then to the publisher, who drew them into this neat and compact combination. 

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run? 

I feel that it’s good to write about something that touches one’s heart. I also like sharing everyday life events with my readers, especially when people from various cultures interact with each other.  I also enjoy writing when I feel ‘the flow’ of writing; then, words and sentences are easily formed.  If possible, when writing, I try to avoid interruptions! 

  

6.      Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

Truthfully, yes. I have always wanted to help underprivileged people wherever I live in some way or another. These characters are real people, with names, places and family relationships altered purposely to protect their identity.  I have also asked these people if I may write about their lives, and they answered in the affirmative, provided that their names were not used as such! 

 

7.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing style similar to? 

Personally, I prefer to rate my writing style as a ‘narrative’, or ‘one telling a story’, or a ‘description of events’. Perhaps I do not conform to any style as such, but this is what comes naturally. I have also realized that I often change my style if and when I’m writing in the first person or third person.  Then if I’m ‘an outsider’ in the story, it differs from when I’m ‘an insider’. 

 

8.      How do you feel your book compares to others in your genre? 

Fiction. the fact that these stories are based on true events causes limitations.  I cannot let my imagination run wild! Then again, the timeline of the story limits part of it. Yet, I think that this story is strange and different in the sense that it brings its own suspense and energy. 

Compared to other books, I feel that one must understand the surrounding culture somehow to enjoy reading the book. But I have attempted to explain cultural importances or to show them in practice so that the readers may better understand the events.  

 

9.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? 

I had to curtail so much of the story! I wrote far too much and wanted to explain everything to the reader!  Gory details were left out, character descriptions, historical events, background information, and so on. 

 

10.   If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? 

This book is based on true events.  The stories of these people need to be heard. 

This book shows how life’s difficulties are very small after all, when compared to those difficulties encountered by the characters in the book.  I will get a better understanding of myself as I get a new perspective on life.  This book might challenge behavior, lifestyles, motivations, understanding and actions in MY everyday life as I meet these people in my community who come from other cultures. This book might cause me to become active in bringing about social justice in the community today. 

 

About The Author: I was born in Sri Lanka, to Finnish missionary parents.  The oldest of three siblings, I lived my childhood and youth in both Sri Lanka and Thailand. In 1985 I married a Christian Thai Chinese man, and together we had three daughters. My husband died suddenly in a car crash in 2002.  For over thirty years I worked as a missionary in Thailand, part of the time as a member of the Laine team. After 1999, I became a Finnish returnee and worked as a nurse until retirement. In 2010 I married a Christian Finnish man.  Presently, I live with my husband in a small country house. Our senior dog keeps us company. In addition to enjoying handicrafts, I volunteer in my church as an interpreter sometimes and sing in the church choir. Fo more info, please see: hodos21.webnode.fi/

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum