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Above: “My Queer Teen Life” book cover. Authors Marcus Tallberg and Emma Björk.
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More about Tallbergs Förlag and a list of current and forthcoming North American titles here.
Contact: Andy Reynolds at andy@popularpublicity.com
My Queer Teen Life
“Why do I have to be gay?
Fucking hell.”
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Related: From Sweden with LGBTQ+ Love: Super Inclusive Swedish Publisher Comes to North America
(New York, NY) January 29, 2020 – Out this Tuesday, February 2, and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, YA (Young Adult) coming of age novel, “My Queer Teen Life,” marks the official North American launch of Swedish “rainbow media” imprint, Tallbergs Förlag.
Tallbergs Förlag titles range from an epic dystopian sci-fi trilogy to numerous YA novels, educational children’s books on gender identity and autism and, back in Sweden, even a Swedish translation of the Michelle Visage memoir, “Diva.” In 2021, Tallbergs Förlag will add ten new titles, including “My Queer Teen Life,” to the North American rollout of English language versions which began in November 2020.
The angsty and autobiographical “My Queer Teen Life,” was written by publisher Marcus Tallbergs and co-authored by best friend Emma Björck. It began its life as an entry into a book competition when Marcus was just 16. To make their story fiction, “We moved the location to another small town in Sweden (we googled: “Sweden’s most boring town”) and changed the names of our friends and family,” says Tallberg.
The book did not win competition, but “We’d put our blood, sweat and tears into the book, so we didn’t want to just drop it,” Tallberg explains. “With the help of a Swedish author (Hans Olsson) and my grandma, who was a teacher, we cut more than half of the book, rearranged and reworked it, and three years later it was published by an independent Swedish publisher when I was 19. I republished it under the Tallbergs Förlag imprint in 2018, when I was 29.”
Following its release in Sweden “My Queer Teen Life” was even picked up by high school literature classes. “ I wrote an email to every school I could find and talked about the book. I got emails from students who’d read and liked the book. I think it resonated with them because we were similar in age and there were a lot of relatable topics to discuss, like bullying, anxiety, depression and coming out.” •
Back cover text from “My Queer Teen Life”
Why do I have to be gay? F**king hell.
It’s 2005 in Sweden’s most boring town. Mattias is fifteen, a bit of a slob, a loner and gay. Though he’s never told anyone he likes guys, the rumors are flying and he’s sick of feeling like the school fag. A queer. Home life isn’t much help. Mom is a bitch. Dad is sad. Sister is the favorite. After he comes out to his super religious best friend and prettiest girl in school, Tove, everything changes.
For Mattias, life goes rainbows when a handsome stranger opens the door to a glamorous apartment and an eye-opening world of cool friends and thrilling new experiences. First kiss. First love. First Pride. His previously boring small town existence becomes exciting, electric and full of possibilities.
Yet while it gets better for Mattias, life takes a turn for the worse in the seemingly perfect world of his friend Tove. After a naive act of kindness violently backfires, she questions her faith. Deeply ashamed, Tove spirals into depression, panicking her friends and spurring Mattias to action.
English speaking readers will enjoy this look into Swedish teen life and fun customs like “fika,” “Chiquita pizza,” and “schlager music” which are handily explained in the included glossary.
Product Details
My Queer Teen Life
by Marcus Tallberg and Emma Björck
Publisher : Tallbergs Förlag (February 2, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 338 pages
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-9198654707
Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.51 x 0.76 x 8.5 inches
Distributed by Ingram
Link to book on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Two previous titles in this loose series of books set in the same universe saw a soft release on American and Canadian Amazon and Barnes & Noble in late 2020: “Being Alice,” about the emancipation a young trans woman and “Shattered Glass,” another autobiographical about a tight-knit family of queer friends. More about them below.
To request a review copy of “My Queer Teen Life,” “Being Alice,” “Shattered Glass,” please contact andy@popularpublicity.com
Shattered Glass
by Marcus Tallberg November 2020
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
We’re all a bit broken, but our friends make us whole
For Mikael and his friends Bella, Erik and Kasper, real life is as complicated for them as it is for the rest of us. Mikael flees his parent’s crashed marriage. Conservative Bella changes her mind. Erik discovers a horrifying secret about his own past. Everyone’s buddy Kasper is in love, but invisible to the one he loves. Together, these four friends form the family Mikael has been missing, his chosen family. Painful experiences, once shared, only bind us together. Just below the scars, friendship, love, laughter await. We’re all a bit broken, but our friends make us whole.
“Shattered Glass” is autobiographical, based on the life experiences of author Marcus Tallberg, from alcoholism, drug abuse, and rape…to love.
Being Alice
by Marcus Tallberg November 2020
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rising from the ashes of Oliver, Alice takes flight, a glittering phoenix
They’ve called her Oliver since the day she was born. Alice hates that. She has never been or ever wanted to be Oliver. Alone, abused and suicidal, Alice yearns to break free “from the lie that has been my life.” That life changes forever the day she meets her fairy godmother, the wise and witty Vincent, a genderfluid drag star named Ursula Undress. Under Ursula’s wing, Alice embarks on a tumultuous, bittersweet and empowering journey to become herself. Told through letters to Alice’s beloved Aunt Esther, “Being Alice” may be fiction, but the experiences and inspirational wisdom within are very real, based on interviews with ten trans and intergendered contributors.
Tallbergs Förlag AB is a Stockholm-based rainbow multimedia company that champions minority identities and role models, from LGBTQ, ethnicity, religion, class, and gender to autism spectrum disorders. In addition to being a publisher of nearly 40 books by over a dozen authors, the house produces workshops, educational and cultural events, podcasts and documentary films. All Tallbergs Förlag products are available as digitally designed educational packages for schools, businesses and organizations wishing to increase their awareness and understanding of gender, identity and autism. Tallbergs Förlag was established in 2017. http://www.tallbergsforlag.se @tallbergsforlag
Marcus Talberg is an entrepreneur, author, publisher, public speaker and founder of Tallbergs Förlag. He was born and raised in the small town of Trollhättan, Sweden and now lives in Stockholm with his dogs Max and Malva. @marcustallbergofficial
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