Born and raised in Sweden, Johan Ingler started his adult life as a musician: teaching and performing. To pursue writing, he studied screenwriting at UCLA Extension, while working at an LA-based production and management company. After returning to Europe, working at an animation studio in Rotterdam, he’s now back in his native Stockholm, writing and developing projects for film and TV. Of course, he’s also working on his next novel.
Frankie and Chair plot summary
Nine-year-old Danny has an unusual best friend: Chair, an armchair. Together, they write The Adventures of Captain Redtail & Sir Winchester, a comic about a squirrel space pirate and his faithful companion, a robot cupboard. Content with life as it is, Danny dislikes any sort of change. He’s already had to endure the hardest change of all: the loss of his father.
But things take a turn when he starts at a new school and meets Frankie, a bold skateboarder whose friendship takes him by surprise. Frankie battles with a looming tragedy of her own, stirring emotions in Danny that he struggles to understand. And with Chair stubbornly opposing Frankie’s presence, the rising tensions set off a series of events that none of them could have imagined.
It’s a rocky journey toward new friendship and an understanding of grief, all mirrored in Danny’s comic world—a place where he explores the emotions he’s still learning to process.
Why do you write in the genre that you do?
Firstly, thank you so much for having me! This is really fun. I truly appreciate the opportunity to talk a bit about my writing, my interests, and my book, Frankie & Chair.
Growing up, my two biggest writing heroes were Roald Dahl and Don Rosa. I loved (and still love) their quirky, funny, and heartfelt stories, absolutely brimming with imagination and an obvious love for their craft.
As a young writer, they inspired me to look at the blank page as my friend—embracing its limitless possibilities. Back then, I only wrote for myself. Words like “marketplace,” “demographic,” and even “genre” barely made appearances in my innocent little head.
Now they do. And they don’t just make appearances; they barge in with sledgehammers and make a big ol’ mess of the neat order I try to maintain up there. And they make me absolutely dread the blank page.
So I try to push those intrusive invaders out as much as I can. And the only way I know how to achieve that is by writing only for myself, just like I did in those simpler times.
What comes out is what comes out. Frankie & Chair is one of those things, and it turned out to be a love letter to the power of imagination. In a way, it’s also a love letter to the genres that inspired me to become a writer in the first place.
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like stories about…”
I think it will resonate with readers who enjoy funny, quirky, and poignant stories about friendship, family, and navigating life in this big, scary world—at any age.
I’ve been very flattered to receive such kind words from adult readers who’ve said they laughed, cried, and felt an instant connection to the characters. I think part of that has to do with the strong sense of nostalgia the book evokes. I know it did for me while writing it.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want it to be turned into a movie or series?
Frankie & Chair actually began as a screenplay back in 2015. The first screenplay I ever wrote, which I was honored to win a couple of awards for.
As I later realized how very, very (very) difficult a career as a writer is, that early confirmation helped keep me motivated through thick and thin. Even now, to be honest.
In a way, it’s one of the reasons why Frankie & Chair is so important to me and why I felt compelled to turn it into a book. I just couldn’t let it wither away.
And I’d say it still fits best as a film. The story leads to a clear ending that wraps up the themes and character arcs. That said, Frankie & Chair contains a story within the story that could definitely be expanded upon.
The cosmic comic adventure that Danny writes has endless possibilities to continue into the intergalactic abyss and beyond!
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
I think Paul Giamatti. I’m a big fan of his. He’s got one of the most soothing voices I know. If I ever got to hear my book read by him, well, then I’d know I’d made it!
What are your passions/obsessions outside of writing?
Before becoming a writer, my life was all about music. As a teenager, my creative inclinations led me to the electric guitar, and from then on, my life revolved around playing.
I studied at a music institute, played in bands in bars and clubs wherever they’d have us, and worked as a guitar instructor—before the urge to write stories led me to my current path.
I still play a lot. Every day, if I can. It’s a great way to clear my head and reset my restless mind. And since I love movies, one of my favorite things to do is watch a film while practicing my scales and various technical exercises. It’s very calming.
Who would you most want to read your book, living or dead?
Definitely one of the storytelling heroes I mentioned. Roald Dahl or Don Rosa. If I had to pick only one, I guess it would be Don Rosa, since he’s still with us.
If my book could give him the same feeling I get when reading The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, then I’d feel invincible. I mean, how could anything ever get to me again?
What is the most unique way that an idea for a piece of writing has come to you?
Ideas are such strange little creatures. I call them creatures because I believe they have a will of their own (I’m very aware of how weird and possibly pretentious that sounds…)
Ideas can come to us out of nowhere—just wham!—into our brains like seabirds diving into the water. Or they can slowly creep in like careful sloths, making sure all is safe before they settle into their nests.
Once they arrive, it’s as if they tell me what they want to become, rather than the other way around. Some of them are pleasant to work with, while others put up a fight. Some give me energy, while others drain it.
The difficult ones are still hard to let go of, because they insist they deserve to exist just as much as the easy ones. It’s all very odd and quite fascinating.
I hope it’s not a cop-out to say that I find the entire concept of ideas fantastically unique.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
A few years ago, I was looking for a beautiful place somewhere in the world where I could completely change my way of life. I had this romantic idea of living as a wandering writer with nothing but my suitcase and laptop.
As I had recently been to Porto, Portugal, and absolutely fallen in love with it, I decided to try moving there. I packed up my apartment and off I went!
I rented a small house about forty minutes from the city. Or so I thought. It turned out to be just a room—a big misunderstanding and a whole story in itself… But it didn’t matter much, as I spent most of my time at an artist’s collective in the center of Porto. That was way more fun than the remote house. (I still got writing done, I promise.)
It only lasted a couple of months before an opportunity in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, came calling. So, I packed up my laptop and headed north.
Though brief, my time in Porto was a very memorable experience, and I’ve been meaning to return ever since. I actually left a stack of books there that I wouldn’t mind retrieving.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
A handful of people have told me they’d love to write—or that they are writers—but they can’t start until all the circumstances are right.
“When I live in a house in the forest with all my dogs, then I’ll write my book!”
If I got a penny every time I heard that, I’d have… well, five or six pennies.
A writer just has to write, no matter the circumstances. And from my experience, the right conditions don’t necessarily make it easier. I actually do live in a house in the forest (no dogs, but I have a cat), and I don’t find it much easier here than I did in an apartment in the city.
That said, the tranquility isn’t bad… But writer’s block, procrastination, self-doubt, and anxiety don’t care where I live. They tag along! It’s more important to find peace inside your mind than in your surroundings.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
If I’m happy, I feel successful. Even though selling a million copies would undoubtedly make me happy, it’s also about the small things.
A great idea makes me happy. Writing a page I like makes me happy. Receiving positive feedback on my writing makes me happy. A good conversation about creativity makes me happy. This interview makes me happy.
And if I can clear my mind of those intrusive invaders and write just for myself, I can feel like the most successful person in the world.
Enter the giveaway!
Author Links
Links will open in a new tab.
Pin it!
