Ruben Eliassen

The creator of Phenomena. Eliassen is an author, illustrator, composer, singer, and small-time actor. He has 3 sons, 1 stepson, a daughter, and a 5th son is on his way.

Favorites

 * Color: Black
 * Band: Led Zeppelin
 * Book: Jonas, Jens Bjørneboe
 * Movie: The Wall, Pink Floyd
 * Food: Sushi
 * Drink: Water
 * Quote: Memento Mori

Other books

 * Mare, a dark fantasy series for younger children. A trilogy.
 * Memento, crime fiction. Duology, planned to be a trilogy.
 * The Gran Canaria series, together with Mari Jungstedt, planning to become a trilogy. Dropped out before the second book but had helped with the third leading to a controversy when Jungstedt used what he had written without crediting him and he had said he wanted to drop out of that series completely.
 * W.i.t.c.h. Ibenholdtpyramiden
 * Some booklets about ADHD as a task for the advertising company he worked for at the time, he sees it as an old shame.

ADHD
Eliassen has been open about his ADHD diagnosis and has been a huge supporter of the ADHD community in Norway. He has himself diagnosed both Alk and Ilke with it as well. He has even written booklets about it for psychologists to read.

Early life
Despite loving rock at a young age, was his dream to become an opera singer. His father left him, his younger sister, and mother behind. He is however very proud of his grandfather whom he never met. The man who didn't even eat fruit at his deathbed, that was for the kids to eat.

Eliassen dropped out of school during 8th grade inspired by The Wall and Jonas. He started working as an illustrator, and before he finally started his first comic, he was taken into a advertising company instead.

Compositions:
Including to Phenomena Theme I has he composed and sung some songs to be image songs for Phenomena and Mare, such as Forbidden Colors, Lullabye, Something Wrong, In Too Deep, It Goes Away, and Mare Bonus Song. When he was younger he wanted to become an opera singer, but didn't have a good voice for it.

Awards:
For Profetiens Utvalgte:
 * Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affair Debut Book Award
 * Children's Choice Ark Awards 2002

Acting carrer
Eliassen had a small role as a doctor in the Norwegian children's horror movie Titanics Ti Liv (Titanic's Ten Lives).

Trivia

 * His website www.rubeneliassen.com was stolen by a Japanese beauty blog called "kirei no himitsu", or in English; "the secrets of beauty". It's unknown why they chose a site with such a different name.