I am Astrid V.J., USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy books in what I call transformation fiction. My writing focuses on our human potential in the hopes of awakening my readers to their own capacity for transformation and achieving success in the face of adversity. In this blog I provide insights into everything that underlies my writing. My main focus at the moment lies with my upcoming YA urban fantasy series set in modern-day Sweden, The Last Vasa series, and new editions of my retellings of lesser-known fairytales, currently a campaign on Kickstarter.
​
Take a look at all my books in the pages dedicated to each series.
This blog is intended as a springboard for thoughtful discussion. If you have anything to add or considerations you'd like to voice, please comment on the relevant post or write to me.
SUBMISSIONS FOR CHILDREN OF WAR, VOLUME 2
​
This is a charity anthology in support of Palestinian children. The toll of war is a high one and to grow up suffering from PTS is crippling for a person's development. The aim of this anthology is to raise awareness about the toll of war on children and to support a charity directly contributing to the physical and mental well-being of Palestinian children. You will have a chance in this form to contribute to the selection of the specific charity this anthology will support.
My first children's book, under the pen name A. Johnsson is coming to Kickstarter soon! This beautifully illustrated story is inspired by my four year old nephew's experience of breaking his thigh bone. Through my sister's experiences with this incident, which involved a lot of miscommunication with other adults and the medical services, I was sucked into what it all must have meant to the little boy who was in pain, trying to communicate about his experience and where it hurt, and what it meant for him when most of the adults simply would not listen because "what does a 4 y/o know about medicine anyway"?
Even though I was miles away (my sister's family lives in New Zealand), the situation sucked me right back into my own childhood, when I broke four bones in my right foot after jumping off a climbing frame. I was 10 at the time and the experience also proved how important communication with parents can be, since my father didn't think I needed x-rays because I put on a brave face and walked on the injured foot.
Between these two moments from my life and with Kristi's medical background and interest in raising awareness about holistic healing, we realized that our society doesn't really equip children to talk about injuries or how to communicate about their bodies when they're sick or hurt.
​
And with that realization came the seeds for Bearly Injured, a story in which Kitsumi and Kumako learn the value of speaking up and explaining what they are feeling, whether that's emotional or physical, because when it comes to the body and what we experience, our ability to communicate is key. At the same time, this magical realism story reminds adults how important it is to listen. Children can understand way more than we give them credit for, and when we're talking about their bodies it's even more important to empower them.
