Camilla Läckberg, the best-selling crime novelist, has become a voice for female empowerment. In a recent press conference in Madrid, she declared that women should be "a little more angry." She argues that women face "invisible rules" that hold them back from reaching their full potential.
"Women are expected to be the best mothers, wives, or businesswomen, and they are expected to be kind, caring, and to take care of everyone. This stops us from developing as human beings," she said. "I think we should be more unpleasant."
Läckberg, who is known for her series about the murders in Fjällbacka, has sold over 39 million copies of her books in 70 countries. She is also a screenwriter, has written children's books and cookbooks, designs jewelry, and has her own wine brand.
Läckberg's own experiences have confirmed the existence of these different rules. Ten years ago, when she was 40 and met her third husband, who is 13 years younger, Swedish tabloids and magazines spent two or three years writing about it. She also received a lot of comments on Instagram. This, she says, does not happen when the situation is reversed.
"There's something strange about men my age. They want girlfriends who look like they're from OnlyFans, but they want them to behave like their mothers. It's a disturbing contrast," she said. She recommends that women date younger men.
Läckberg, an economist by profession, became a mystery writer after the success of her first novel, The Ice Princess (2002), which launched her series set in Fjällbacka, the coastal region where she was born. She has published 11 installments in the series.
After the ninth installment, she began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to do something different. "I remembered that when I was a teenager in the 80s, I loved the books by Cindy Sheldon and Jackie Collins, about strong women who built empires, were stylish, and ate men for breakfast."
"I wondered what had happened to them and why now everything was about women looking for the love of their life and a strong man." That, and a tribute to Fay Weldon, author of The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, led her to give Erica and Patrick, the protagonists of her original saga, a break and create a new character.
After A Golden Cage and Silver Wings, Dreams of Bronze, the closing chapter of a trilogy that will have its own television series, is now on sale in Spain and Latin America.
They are currently writing the screenplay, but Läckberg has no problem revealing who her dream actors would be. "Emily Blunt would be great, and I wouldn't mind being in the casting to choose the actor who plays Jack, maybe George Clooney. He's too old for the role, but I'd include him in everything."
On the other hand, she has a mystery series she wrote, The Crystal Skull, premiering on Netflix on April 15th, and on April 1st, Swedish television will begin airing a reality show about her life that she has been filming for seven months.
She has not only opened the doors of her home, but she also includes, for example, a visit to the gynecologist. This decision was made to raise awareness about menopause. "In Sweden, it's almost never talked about. Sometimes, doctors themselves don't have enough information and just prescribe antidepressants," she lamented.