Magdalena Stanhoff
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff
Author of The Trouble with Belonging
The Trouble with Belonging is a contemporary coming of age novel about love, friendship, and complicated family relationships. It tells a story of a supersmart but antisocial Asian boy growing up in a foreign country and a free-spirited girl who becomes his friend. They stick together through thick and thin during their childhood and adolescent years, but as they get older, different lines begin to blur...
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff
Author I draw inspiration from: Oh, there are so many, and it's a very eclectic company, both regarding the time frames and the literary genres they represent. The Bronte sisters to begin with, Rosamunde Pilcher, Ursula Le Guinn, Tammara Webber, Andrea K. Host, Anne Bishop, and Laini Taylor the master wordsmith. And many more. My head is a shadow library.
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: There are two: the comfortable sofa in my daughter's cozy little attic room and the table in our kitchen with a view on the garden behind the big glass door.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Miranda Sharifi from "Spanish Beggars" trilogy by Nancy Kress. All the questions I'd get to ask...
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: When I read my first book at the age of six?
But it had taken a long time and many false starts before I wrote my first full-fledged novel. For many years I felt that I just didn't have anything interesting to say yet. I had this strong conviction that you have to see more of the world and live through some hardships, and gather some life experience before any story you want to tell will sound credible.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Currently ebook, though I still remember the times when I couldn't get used to reading on the screen.
The last book I read: "If I Had Your Face" by Frances Cha. Totally depressing, but also very interesting. One of those books which stay with you for a long time, I think.
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer, definitely! My handwriting is atrocious, and even it it wasn't, all those modifications and corrections, adding fragments of text and removing other parts - I don't even want to imagine having to do it on paper anymore.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Zoe Ardelay from "Troubled Waters" by Sharon Shinn. I think I am a coru person, too. And I love smart, independent girls with a rebellious streak.
Author Interview - Magdalena Stanhoff | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: There is no "if" in my case. I am. A teacher. And I love it.
Favorite decade in fashion history: Probably now, I guess. It seems to me everybody can wear whatever they want these days, and I am all for comfort and personal choice over the requirements of fashion.
Place I’d most like to travel: New Zealand. I became enchanted by its landscapes even before Peter Jackson shot there "The Lord of the Rings". And I'm going to visit it, definitely, as soon as the pandemic is finally over.
My signature drink: Tea! Five times a day at least.
Favorite artist: Botticelli - I love the ambience of his paintings. Kandinsky, too, because of the colors. I generally like art, but my knowledge about it is very basic.
Number one on my bucket list: Paragliding. I'm one of those people who regularly fly in their dreams, and it's the first thing I would choose if I could aquire a superpower.
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Author Bio: Magdalena Stanhoff writes contemporary novels exploring romantic love, family bonds, and friendship in their various forms and shades. She loves traveling and is vividly interested in how diverse cultures coexist, mix, and clash and how it influences people's lives.
