In One Day this Will All Make Sense, Emma moves to LA from Sweden to embark on a new, exciting career. She soon finds the city of her dreams may actually be more of a nightmare. The sink-or-swim work environment is filled with an array of malevolent forces—from dirty office politics, to sneaky HR loopholes, to one heck of a Machiavellian boss who would make Miranda Priestly look like a timid kitten.

Take it from someone who knows, conquering these obstacles makes Frodo’s epic journey to the flaming eye of Mordor look like a stroll through the Shire.

Read on to learn more about Emma’s voyage into the maelstrom of corporate America. Seeing as how we’re both career girls who have been through the gauntlet and back, we should totally get together for drinks!

What made you decide to write a story about a Swedish woman trying to make it in the city of LA?

LA is such a fascinating place, with its huge population of “chasing dreamers.” It’s a character in itself and paired with a meaningful message, it can make for a captivating combination. But mainly I chose LA because that’s where the actual story took place. I myself had a very interesting experience trying to make a life for myself in LA. And I felt it was a story worth telling. For various reasons I actually tried many times to move the location to NYC, but it just didn’t work. The story, my story, I wanted to tell just disappeared outside of the world’s largest suburb.

How did you go about researching corporate culture in America and Sweden?

I’ve experienced them both first-hand myself. I moved to CA summer of 2010. I’ve worked for two different companies here in the US. But it wasn’t until early spring of 2013 when I switched departments, that I actually started to see how incredibly different they can be. I was suddenly in the extremes of the extremes of American corporate culture, and it’s not for everyone. It can be ruthless and with a lot of mind games and intimidation going on and at times feel like a cult. What’s even worse is that there’s nowhere for the intimidated employee to safely turn, and no one who can help them because of the politics and unwritten rules of the American workplace. When I saw that extreme difference from Swedish culture, I thought, “wow, this book practically writes itself.”

What do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

The importance to somehow see the humor even in the darkest period of your life. To consistently remind yourself that it will get better so that you don’t give in to the temptation to give up. But more importantly, that even if you don’t believe things happen for a reason, you can still give it a reason by taking advantage of it afterwards and making the best of it. My debut novel would not have been written this early in life had it not been because of what I went through at my old job, which in itself is a positive outcome.

If you could take one of your characters out to lunch, who would it be and why?

It would be Nicky. She’s actually one of the few characters who is completely made up and not inspired by anyone I know. I love her no-nonsense attitude, and I think her support would be great to have in any tough period you’re going through. We all need a friend like that. Someone who just says it like it is but still always stays loyal and has your back.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Music was such a big part of writing this book. Each chapter has the same title as the song I was inspired by while writing that particular chapter and showcases Emma’s feelings. I’ve posted a playlist on my blog (you can find it here), if anyone wants to take a look.

About the author: Katie’s love for writing is versatile. Before taking the big leap into novel writing she focused mostly on screenwriting. In addition to that, she has a blog where she writes book reviews and articles on writing: An Authorista’s Blog. Katie is originally from Sweden but moved to California summer 2010 and currently resides in the North Bay area just outside of San Francisco. When she’s not working on her writing, she is an HR and recruiting professional. Although her debut novel is not a biography, as you may have guessed, One Day This Will All Make Sense is heavily inspired by her own experience moving from Sweden to Los Angeles and her life there.