Eleonora von Essen (b. 1978) was born to be a writer. She has made a name for herself as a cookbook writer and creator of recipes.

In 2022, Eleonora made her fiction debut with the novel Sisters, Regardless – a relationship drama that explores the complexities of sisterhood. The Challenge is von Essen’s second novel, published in 2024.

Eleonora’s cookbook Vi ses i köket (See You in the Kitchen), written with Camilla Läckberg, was published in September 2026. Her third novel, Om jag får vara helt ärlig (If I’m Being Honest), is to be published in October 2026.

Agent: Erik Larsson

Published Bazar, October 2026
Genre Fiction
Pages 350

Rights sold
Swedish: Bazar

It takes twelve minutes for chaos to break out.

Twelve minutes for the cracks to become too big and for everything to come crashing down.

Amanda is approaching forty. She runs a beauty salon in Stockholm and is becoming a familiar face as a contestant on Sweden’s MasterChef. On the surface, she’s in control: her career is going well, and her life looks great on Instagram. Inside, things are more chaotic. Her insecurities are gnawing at her, her loneliness is growing, and she’s finding it increasingly difficult to grasp who she really is.

Her relationship with her own family is strained, and Amanda’s three closest friends have long been the people who have meant the most to her. But the bond that once seemed so self-evident has begun to crumble, and she is forced to question relationships she has always regarded as the most secure foundations of her life. What can you really expect from a friendship – and what happens when you’re always the one who has to adapt? Or is that really what she’s doing?

At the same time, Jennie steps into Amanda’s life. Straightforward, uncompromising and uncomfortably honest. Jennie challenges Amanda to stop playing the part of the easy-going, understanding person – and instead dare to be true to herself. The question is: just how honest can you really be, and how high might the price be?

Published Bonnier Fakta, September 2026
Genre Cookbooks
Pages 176

Rights sold
Swedish: Forum

Co-written with Camilla Läckberg

Good food runs like a common thread through Camilla and Eleonora’s friendship and through life as it is – in everyday routines, cosy evenings on the sofa, parties and social gatherings, as well as in conversations about heartbreak. It might be langoustine tails on rice paper being served, just as easily as a simple tomato soup or a burger buffet with the tastiest trimmings. It might be deep-fried banana with ice cream one day and oven-baked cheese with wine the next. It simply varies, depending on what life has in store that day.

Food is also about memories, so here you’ll find the elk burgers just as Dad used to make them, and freshly cooked blue mussels just like in Fjällbacka. Camilla and Eleonora showcase every aspect of a lifelong love of food: how food is there through thick and thin, to gather round, to celebrate, to comfort, or to enjoy on your own. This is a recipe book for anyone who loves good food and making the most of life’s many opportunities to enjoy it.

Published Bazar, October 2024
Genre Fiction
Pages 320

Rights sold
German: C. Bertelsmann Verlag
Dutch: Meulenhoff

A relationship drama full of surprises and relatable moments

Cecilia and Robert have been married for almost thirty years, but sometimes it’s hard to remember who they were when they first got together – and who they wanted to be.

The kids have moved out and Cecilia and Robert are left with each other in the big house, standing on opposite sides of the kitchen island, alone in a marriage that is stuck in a rut.

Who is Cecilia writing to late at night, long after her husband has gone to bed? What happened in the neighbour’s garden? Why is Robert hiding in the bathroom at work? And will their marriage survive the challenge the couple exposes it to?

Suddenly, they see each other and themselves more clearly than they have in a long time, and they don’t always like what they see.