THE AUDIOBOOK EXPERIENCE

“I packed light and spent 18 months on the road, homeless but at home. Lost but unable to be lost because I had no destination. I arrived in new cities every morning, scraped coins to afford coffee and then tried to find the busiest venue in town where I begged to get to play a set or two. If I was lucky I sold albums enough to afford the train the next day. If I was luckier I could afford whiskey and if I was a god damn star I got some tip from the sound-guy. You read and write and sing and experience, thinking that one day these things will build the character you admire to live as. You love and lose and bleed best you can to the extreme, hoping that one day the world will read you as the poem you want to be. One day, things will change and you will not have to struggle every day to convince people that you and your art is good enough. One day, you will simply be able to be you, and be okay with that ….

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But somewhere on the road I started to feel drained. There I was with no belongings but my guitar and a few pair of clothes, ripping my heart out in every single way, but no one seemed to understand what I was saying, what I was singing about, what I tried to do. I screamed my heart out every night, and no one seemed to care. I pushed and cried and fought and struggled my way through the days, with nothing in return but the so called blessing of getting to do it the next day again. A constant fever from sleeping on floors, cheap instant coffee and if I’m lucky a little tip under the table from the bar-staff. I loved living like a wanderer, not owning keys, new beginnings every day, but I started to get scared. You’re never really relaxed, you’re always watching your back, always worrying. Will things ever change?"

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Read more quotes and excerpts from the book on Goodreads.

"I believe in writing your own story, and that’s what I’m doing here. I wanted to turn my life into art. My very existence into a poem. This is my journey.  It might not always be easy, but it will always be beautiful.“

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Charlotte Eriksson is the author of 4 books, most notably a book of prose & poetry called You're Doing Just Fine, published 2015 on Broken Glass Records, and Everything Changed When I Forgave Myself, published 2018. Quotes and poetry from her books have been shared on large platforms such as The Artidote, Berlin ArtParasites and Word Porn, and she's had writings published on sites such as Thought Catalog, Bella Grace Magazine and To Write Love On Her Arm. Her books have sold over 30,000 copies worldwide.

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At 18 years old she took off to London on her own to embark on the long journey of creating a life for herself. A life she could be proud of. A life that made her excited to wake up every morning. With nothing but a guitar, her stories and a dream, she spent a year wandering in England, sleeping at train stations, airports and helpful fans’ couches. Singing for whoever was willing to listen and collecting stories that she would later share in her first book ”Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; in search for The Great Perhaps”. Finding her fanbase through soulful connections by sharing her journey online, she started to build an exploding online fanbase of dedicated supporters.
Forward a few years and she has started her own artist collective Broken Glass Records, released 7 EPs and

3 critically acclaimed full-length albums, had her single ”I Will Lead You Home” reaching #2 on the Swedish iTunes-chart, been played on major radio such as BBC6 (UK), Sveriges Radio (Sweden) and 3FM (Netherlands) and toured all over Europe. She's published 4 books, telling the story of her wandering ways, life as an artists and travel essays on love and loss. Her books have been widely praised both by her music fanbase and by a new literary crowd of writers and readers.

Charlotte has taken on the challenge of writing comforting words on mental illness, depression, wanting more, growing up, heartbreak, chasing a dream and losing people.

She is currently living somewhere by the ocean in Europe, writing on her fourth book as well as writing a new album.