Pic courtesy of Tammi/Harri Hinkka
Salla Simukka: you may not be familiar with her name right now, but with foreign rights to her ‘Snow White’ trilogy sold to 43 countries, she’s going to be on your radar, right along with Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson.
No, she’s not a Swedish mystery writer, Salla is the YA author of As Red as Blood, As White as Snow, and the upcoming As Black as Ebony — her ‘Snow White’ trilogy. These are the tales of Lumikki (Snow White in Finnish) Andersson. Described as a YA Lisbeth Salander, the trilogy follows Lumikki through three very different mysteries in the trilogy.
Read on to learn more about Salla Simukka and Lumikki.
How did your love of writing start?
I think that my love of writing started from love of reading. I have always read a lot and I remember those magical moments when I was together with a great book and the rest of the world just disappeared. I started to think that I would love to be able to create such moments for others. And because I was an only child I was used to playing by myself and telling myself stories while playing. When I learned to write, I started writing down the stories. I was about nine years old when I first thought that I want to become a writer one day.
What is it about the YA genre that has grabbed you as a writer? What are the stories you want to tell?
I see the YA genre as freedom. I don’t need to think that I’m writing for grownups and I don’t need to think that I’m writing for young readers. I can write to both at the same time. Which means I can write about anything I want.
I love to tell stories about courage, learning to fight your fears, making decisions time and time again, about love and the strength of it.
What sort of books did you read growing up?
I read almost everything. I read Astrid Lindgren’s books, I read Tove Jansson, J. R. R. Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Philip Pullman, David Eddings… I read both children’s literature and adult books.
How would you describe your trilogy?
It is a trilogy of dark thrillers which take place in this time and world, dealing with hard crimes such as drug crimes but which also concentrate on the main character, 17-year-old Lumikki Andersson, who has secrets in her past and who has to learn to deal with them. The trilogy also uses fairytale elements in the language and style and on a deeper level too.
You’ve said that in Scandinavia there’s already a long tradition of strong female characters, and that’s what influenced Lumikki Andersson – can you tell us a little bit more about that and how the strong female characters you’re familiar with influenced her creation?
I think this has to do with the fact that women and girls in Scandinavia are very much equal to men and very independent – and it has been so for quite a long time compared to some other countries. We find it normal that a girl can be strong, sometimes even stronger than the boys. We don’t ask: can she do this or that because she’s a girl? It’s not an issue anymore. So I think Lumikki was mostly influenced by the whole atmosphere towards girls here in Scandinavia. And I also thought that I want to have a main character who is not afraid to act quickly, because the books are thrillers.
What are the (other) differences do you think in the US/UK YA genre and the genre in 
Scandinavia?
I can’t say that I’m familiar with such a wide range of YA-books that I could make judgements but I have a feeling that the YA-books in Scandinavia tend to be a bit more realistic (even if they have something paranormal in them) and maybe a bit more literate. They are usually quite unique and have something of a twist.
What did you think of the tale of Snow White growing up?
It wasn’t my favourite fairytale but I remember being fascinated by the fact that the evil queen used so much energy and time to try to kill Snow White. And in a school play on English classes I was given the part of evil queen when I was about eleven years old. So I have given the order to kill Snow White and bring back her heart…
Your Snow White Trilogy incorporates elements of the tale of Snow White – can you give us a hint of what to expect in that regard?
In the first two books the elements are mainly in the language, in colours (there is a lot of red, white and black) and in little winks. In the third book there is a school play called The Black Apple which is a new story about Snow White, after the fairytale has ended. The prince and Snow White are married but they are not happy together. And Lumikki plays the main role in the play.
When you started writing the trilogy, what was the most unexpected thing for you writing Lumikki’s darker tale with the fairytale elements thrown in?
The most unexpected thing was that writing the first book was so easy. I enjoyed every second of it. It felt almost illegal, because I’m used to that writing is hard and difficult. But OK, writing the second and the third book was very difficult because of the schedule and pressure. Rights of the whole trilogy had been sold to about 25 countries when the second book wasn’t even ready yet…
You’re writing about a darker 17-year-old than normal in this trilogy – what was the most important thing for you to keep in mind writing this for the YA audience? That said, YA books tend to be more adult than anything these days – was that a difficult line to walk?
I must say that I didn’t find it a difficult line to walk. I honestly didn’t think about the line at all. I wrote what interested me as a writer. Maybe I have a mind that is just cut for YA genre and audience.
You’re a reviewer as well – did your experience as a reviewer hamper your writing in any way, do you think?
No I don’t think so. And as a reviewer I know that as a writer you can’t think about the reviewer. You just have to write what you think is good and important and interesting. The reviewers will think whatever they will – and you can’t control it.
When young readers finish the book, what do you hope they see or understand about Lumikki?
I hope they understand something about why Lumikki is how she is, how she has become the person she is. And maybe understand also something about themselves – what it is, depends on every reader.
Something new to add to your reading list, right? You’re welcome, of course!
