Find out how I became an author

And a little bit about my new book

A digital drawing of a firework explosion in gold color on a black background.

Author from Finland in winter clothing holding a pair of white ice skates in a snowy outdoor setting.

Hi there!

I’m Lottie

Let me tell you about myself

My family moved from Finland to Germany when I was two years old. That’s when my journey around the world began: Germany, China, Poland, Finland, and finally, the UK. It wasn’t easy, I had to constantly say goodbye to schools, hobbies, homes and especially, friends.

So the only friends who stayed with me were FICTIONAL FRIENDS! Those friends were Anne, Hermione, Jo, Lucy and Susan. They made me feel less alone and less lost. That’s when I decided I wanted to become an author one day!

An author in a brown dress sitting at a wooden desk, working on a vintage typewriter with a laptop and decorative plants around her, in a cozy room with floral curtains and sentimental decorations.

I wanted to write books.

IT was my biggest dream:

During lockdown, I moved in with my granddad in Finland and started writing about him. My first non-fiction book, Coffee with Grandpa (Tammi, 2020), became a bestseller. That means it was one of the most bought books that year! Since then, I have published ten books in total: non-fiction novels for adults and picture books for children.

I like to write about my grandfather and his childhood during the war, about moving abroad as a child, about dementia (which my grandfather has) and about feeling a little bit different.

And now I get to write about nature and my home country Finland, which I also love very much!

Now I’m an author in the UK!

While I love the fact that I am an author in my home country Finland, I have always secretly dreamt of seeing my books on the shelves of Waterstones and many of my favourite independent bookshops in London and other cities in the UK. I live in the UK after all and I love browsing bookstores – do you, too?

And finally that dream is coming true! It wasn’t easy. I wrote two other books in English first, but those never got published. But finally, Lumi got me an agent (who helps me with all things regarding my books) and a publisher, who will bring my stories into the bookstores! Yippee!

Mock cover for middle-grade book 'Lumi and the Wolf' by Lottie Saahko with a blue and green watercolour. ISBN: 9781510112230 (ISBN10: 1510112235)

Here’s what my book is about:

A lonely autistic girl befriends a white wolf – but to save his life, she must first learn to trust her own strengths. A heart-warming, epic adventure across the snowy wilderness and cosy settings of Lapland by a new and truly inspiring storyteller. Beautifully illustrated by award-winning Jason Cockroft. Perfect for readers 8+, and fans of Hannah Gold, Elle McNicoll, and Michael Morpurgo.

Lumi is far from thrilled when her parents send her to stay in Lapland with her aunt and uncle – especially because being autistic makes it hard for her to adjust to the new place. But everything changes when she befriends a lone white wolf. So when hunters threaten his life, Lumi makes a brave decision: she will save him by leading him to a national park.

Scouting a trail through the frozen wilderness, making camp in cosy hiking cabins, and even trying saunas and ice-swimming, Lumi begins to open up to Lapland and even accepts the help of local boy Oskár. But with danger at their heels, can they find safety in time – and a place to belong?

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