Ask the Author: Kersti Niebruegge
Answered Questions (4)
Kersti Niebruegge
It's early days (so I won't tell you too much!), but I just started working on a new comic novel that takes place within the same universe as my other two books, "Mistake, Wisconsin" and "The Zonderling."
Kersti Niebruegge
Yes, "zonderling" translates to an "eccentric or odd person," and the Dutch reference is a nod to the New Amsterdam history of New York City. As detailed early in the novel, the name of the character who founded The Zonderling residential hotel—home to eccentrics and oddballs—is Charlie Van Der Zonderling.
Kersti Niebruegge
I’m currently writing a book that is set in present-day New York City. Much like Mistake, Wisconsin, it’s a comedy about a quirky, idiosyncratic world that could only exist in one place, which this time is NYC. I’ve been kicking around the story, in various forms, on and off since 2010…so it’s about time that I finally finish it! More details to come this fall.
Kersti Niebruegge
I grew up in Wisconsin and it was always exciting to find the handful of books, movies, and sitcoms that were set there. (I mean, it was pretty cool that the opening credits to That ‘70s Show ended with someone yelling, “I love Wisconsin!”) For my debut book, Mistake, Wisconsin, my goal was to create a fun, relatable satire that called out Wisconsin eccentricities in a loving way.
I didn’t have any specific characters or storylines in mind when I started, but I wanted a fictional setting in the Northwoods, an area known for fishing, hunting, lakes, Scandinavian heritage, and family vacations. Mistake needed to be located far away from any real city so that I could fill it with the kind of folklore and history that grows in the middle of nowhere.
I sat down and wrote a tourist brochure for the town that I was picturing. After I wrote the brochure, I asked myself, “Who lives in a place like this? Who passes through a place like this?” The characters and story then fell into place, and the tourist brochure became the first chapter of Mistake, Wisconsin.
I didn’t have any specific characters or storylines in mind when I started, but I wanted a fictional setting in the Northwoods, an area known for fishing, hunting, lakes, Scandinavian heritage, and family vacations. Mistake needed to be located far away from any real city so that I could fill it with the kind of folklore and history that grows in the middle of nowhere.
I sat down and wrote a tourist brochure for the town that I was picturing. After I wrote the brochure, I asked myself, “Who lives in a place like this? Who passes through a place like this?” The characters and story then fell into place, and the tourist brochure became the first chapter of Mistake, Wisconsin.
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