Kjersti Synneva Moen - Selected Title Author
According to Kjersti Synneva Moen, too much in our lives is about performance. She wanted to write a book about the fact that it is more than enough just existing – and to create something for the joy of creating itself.
Seize the Fucking Day is one of NORLA’s Selected Titles for autumn 2023. Here, author Kjersti Synneva Moen speaks about the book, who it is written for, what inspired her to write it and where and when she works best.
What is your book about?
Sixteen-year-old Amalie is about to move into a dorm with her best friend, Vilja. Amalie is starting an arts program at school and is incredibly excited about all the new experiences that are to come; she’ll finally be able to draw all the time, and she and Vilja will hang out in the dorm, eat pizza, and gossip. But things don’t go the way Amalie had imagined. Vilja gets completely obsessed with her new friends from music class and Mom doesn’t understand anything at all. In her arts program, she meets Iver, who makes Amalie doubt everything she thought she could do. The book is about being lonely for the very first time, being both big and small at the same time, and understanding what clichés mean.
What inspired you to write this book?
I think there’s so much around us that revolves around achievement: being exceptionally young, exceptionally wise, exceptionally skilled. I wanted to write something about how it’s more than enough to just exist, to create for the sheer joy of creation; you leave a mark regardless.
Who is this book for?
Everyone who’s felt they have to be really good at something to justify pursuing it, whether they’re teens or adults.
Where and/or when do you work best?
I have a studio a bit outside the city that I love to spend time in. It’s spacious and well-lit, with everything I need to scribble down drawings and ideas. For me, ideas flow more freely around the afternoon and evening, and my inner critic relaxes a bit. That’s when I try to capture as much as possible – even if it’s just quick sketches or a long note on my phone.
Read more
See full presentation of the book here
See all NORLA’s Selected Titles for autumn 2023 here
