It all started with a short story that I wanted to include in Christmas gifts for relatives and friends instead of the usual quickly forgotten cards. It was meant to be a winter fairy tale, so "Once upon a time, there was a king" seemed like a fitting beginning. The story was intended to be easy for my friends' children to understand, yet have deeper meanings between the lines. So, I had the king search for a gift that would make everyone happy. The happy ending was to have a touch of sadness, because when does everything in life ever go perfectly? In the end, the king stands alone in front of his castle, even though - or precisely because - he had found a gift for everyone. To this day, "In Search of the Perfect Gift" remains one of my stories that I am incredibly proud of. This first story was followed by more short stories.