Anne Frasier's Blog, page 10
December 8, 2012
MEMOIR WRITING CAN BRING CLOSURE
Dread of writing The Orchard was a cloud that hung over my head for fifteen years. I knew I had to write it, but I kept putting it off. I didn't want to go through it, revisit it, but I felt a certain duty to tell the story since I'd lived it and I was a writer. I felt an obligation to document farming culture in an anthropological way. But I didn't want to write it. I suppose I could say it was on my bucket list if the bucket list contained things I didn't really want to do. But now that all of my appearances and talks and events are over (except for two in April of next year), I've been rewarded with something unexpected.
Closure.
I was never after closure. I never considered closure, and I've never heard memoir writers mention it. Some people have asked if writing The Orchard was cathartic, and I have to say not in the least. Quite the opposite. It was horrible and it was torture and it was awful in every way. And once it was published, I had to go around and talk about it. More torture. I can now admit that while making public appearances I often regretted writing the book because I had to keep reliving it at each event. I was like a cutter who traveled place to place and cut myself in front of an audience. Oh, that's so melodramatic.
But now... NOW, it's like a door has slammed on that old world. It's over over over for me. I did my job. I no longer have to remember and hold it in my head because I've written it down. I no longer have it looming before me, this book I have to write, this life I have to revisit. This duty. I never expected to get anything out of writing it, nothing for myself, so the closure has been such a surprise. Right now I'm wondering if closure ever uncloses. I suppose it does, and I still have those two gigs next year, but I don't know... I feel that it's truly behind me.
Maybe.
Closure.
I was never after closure. I never considered closure, and I've never heard memoir writers mention it. Some people have asked if writing The Orchard was cathartic, and I have to say not in the least. Quite the opposite. It was horrible and it was torture and it was awful in every way. And once it was published, I had to go around and talk about it. More torture. I can now admit that while making public appearances I often regretted writing the book because I had to keep reliving it at each event. I was like a cutter who traveled place to place and cut myself in front of an audience. Oh, that's so melodramatic.
But now... NOW, it's like a door has slammed on that old world. It's over over over for me. I did my job. I no longer have to remember and hold it in my head because I've written it down. I no longer have it looming before me, this book I have to write, this life I have to revisit. This duty. I never expected to get anything out of writing it, nothing for myself, so the closure has been such a surprise. Right now I'm wondering if closure ever uncloses. I suppose it does, and I still have those two gigs next year, but I don't know... I feel that it's truly behind me.
Maybe.
December 1, 2012
SOME NICE REVIEWS THIS WEEK
I'm always so grateful for reviews, whether they're left by readers on Amazon and Goodreads, or posted on blogs and review sites. Reviews are hard to write. I don't think I've ever written a decent review in my life, because it's so hard for me to capture the story along with my response to that story. So when someone goes to the trouble to write a thoughtful and often powerful review, I'm kind of blown away. For one thing, I could never write that well. And here they are, WRITING about my WRITING. It hurts my head to think about it very much. :)
Reviews are gifts. That's how I think of them. And this week I received two wonderful gifts, one for The Girl with the Cat Tattoo, and one for Made of Stars, both 5-star reviews, and both wonderful and wonderfully written. Both stories are very dear to my heart, so I think when you get this kind of response to them...well, it's extra special.
The first review is from Short Fiction Spotlight , a site that reviews short stories. Like me, a lot of writers love to write short stories. Unfortunately, the short story format isn't embraced by readers. I hope that changes at some point, and I still keep thinking that short stories would be great for reading on phones while people are waiting in line, or waiting in the dentist office. Some sharp little phone app that you can open and read a sharp little short story. I think price is one of the issues with short stories. We have to charge .99. Can't charge less, And .99 might sound like a lot for a short story, but the writer gets .35.
The review for The Girl with the Cat Tattoo is from Romance Around the Corner.
This is the book that horrified the two agents I sent it to. One agent said it was the weirdest thing she'd ever read. I still scratch my head about that response, but I think when any idea slams into such resistance, it's always especially nice to get such positive feedback once the book is finally made available. Because how can a writer not be full of doubt when a story gets slammed by the gatekeepers? But as soon as someone tells me I can't do something... that just makes me all the more determined to do it. I suppose it's childish, but I basically want to prove them wrong and prove myself right.
Reviews are gifts. That's how I think of them. And this week I received two wonderful gifts, one for The Girl with the Cat Tattoo, and one for Made of Stars, both 5-star reviews, and both wonderful and wonderfully written. Both stories are very dear to my heart, so I think when you get this kind of response to them...well, it's extra special.
The first review is from Short Fiction Spotlight , a site that reviews short stories. Like me, a lot of writers love to write short stories. Unfortunately, the short story format isn't embraced by readers. I hope that changes at some point, and I still keep thinking that short stories would be great for reading on phones while people are waiting in line, or waiting in the dentist office. Some sharp little phone app that you can open and read a sharp little short story. I think price is one of the issues with short stories. We have to charge .99. Can't charge less, And .99 might sound like a lot for a short story, but the writer gets .35.
The review for The Girl with the Cat Tattoo is from Romance Around the Corner.
This is the book that horrified the two agents I sent it to. One agent said it was the weirdest thing she'd ever read. I still scratch my head about that response, but I think when any idea slams into such resistance, it's always especially nice to get such positive feedback once the book is finally made available. Because how can a writer not be full of doubt when a story gets slammed by the gatekeepers? But as soon as someone tells me I can't do something... that just makes me all the more determined to do it. I suppose it's childish, but I basically want to prove them wrong and prove myself right.
November 29, 2012
ADVENTURE PUBLICATIONS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
I wanted to let writers know that my friend Pat Dennis has taken a position as acquisitions editor for Adventure Publications. They will be publishing four wilderness/outdoor mysteries per year, and they are now officially open for submissions.
Here's a bit from Pat and Adventure Publications:
"My new job is the fiction acquisition editor for Adventure Publications! Please feel free to share the following. “Adventure Publications, an award-winning publisher of outdoor guides is accepting fiction manuscripts for its new series of outdoor/wilderness mysteries. We are looking for mystery fiction that will appeal to both the mystery reader and the outdoor enthusiast. The books will be produced in both print and e-book format. Example of authors we love are: Nevada Barr, Victoria Houston, C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger and Beth Groundwater. Currently, we are seeking novels set in the Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and Rocky Mountains. Email your submission to: fiction@adventurepublications.net. Email queries sent to any other address will not be read. We do not open email attachments, unless we request them. Your entire submission must appear in the body of the email and not as an attachment. The subject line should be “QUERY” along with the title of your manuscript. Please email the first chapter and a synopsis along with a cover letter. Also, in your email, please include the number of words in your completed manuscript, as well as a bio, and pertinent writing and/or outdoor wilderness experience. If you prefer, you may snail-mail your query, along with your first chapter and bio to Fiction, Adventure Publications, 820 Cleveland St S, Cambridge, MN 55008.”
ADVENTURE PUBLICATIONS
Personal note:
I must confess that I flaked out on Nanowrimo due to some unforeseen circumstances, but I'm back working on the sequel to Play Dead and am about 1/3 of the way done with the first draft. ( You can see by my little tracking thingy up on the right that I'm just over 20,000. Will probably hit 25,000 by the end of the Nano. Half of my goal.) I should have the whole first draft completed by the end of February. I'm enjoying the process so much that I've decided to write a sequel to Hush once Play Dead is finished. Hush is still my bestselling title, and I keep getting requests for a sequel, so it only makes sense since there's a demand. Plus I do love writing sequels because the characters are already developed. There is no question about what a character would say or do or think. Both books will feature the same characters and settings.
Wait, that's not all!
A new indie press called Forty Press is going to be reissuing Before I Wake. The trade paperback will come out this March. More on Forty Press and the reissue later.
Here's a bit from Pat and Adventure Publications:
"My new job is the fiction acquisition editor for Adventure Publications! Please feel free to share the following. “Adventure Publications, an award-winning publisher of outdoor guides is accepting fiction manuscripts for its new series of outdoor/wilderness mysteries. We are looking for mystery fiction that will appeal to both the mystery reader and the outdoor enthusiast. The books will be produced in both print and e-book format. Example of authors we love are: Nevada Barr, Victoria Houston, C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger and Beth Groundwater. Currently, we are seeking novels set in the Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and Rocky Mountains. Email your submission to: fiction@adventurepublications.net. Email queries sent to any other address will not be read. We do not open email attachments, unless we request them. Your entire submission must appear in the body of the email and not as an attachment. The subject line should be “QUERY” along with the title of your manuscript. Please email the first chapter and a synopsis along with a cover letter. Also, in your email, please include the number of words in your completed manuscript, as well as a bio, and pertinent writing and/or outdoor wilderness experience. If you prefer, you may snail-mail your query, along with your first chapter and bio to Fiction, Adventure Publications, 820 Cleveland St S, Cambridge, MN 55008.”
ADVENTURE PUBLICATIONS
Personal note:
I must confess that I flaked out on Nanowrimo due to some unforeseen circumstances, but I'm back working on the sequel to Play Dead and am about 1/3 of the way done with the first draft. ( You can see by my little tracking thingy up on the right that I'm just over 20,000. Will probably hit 25,000 by the end of the Nano. Half of my goal.) I should have the whole first draft completed by the end of February. I'm enjoying the process so much that I've decided to write a sequel to Hush once Play Dead is finished. Hush is still my bestselling title, and I keep getting requests for a sequel, so it only makes sense since there's a demand. Plus I do love writing sequels because the characters are already developed. There is no question about what a character would say or do or think. Both books will feature the same characters and settings.
Wait, that's not all!
A new indie press called Forty Press is going to be reissuing Before I Wake. The trade paperback will come out this March. More on Forty Press and the reissue later.
November 16, 2012
November 4, 2012
LAST APPEARANCE UNTIL APRIL 2013
This Wednesday will be my last public appearance until April of 2013.
If you are in the south Minneapolis suburbs, please join me for a presentation where I will talk about writing The Orchard. I will have trade paperbacks on hand if anyone wants a signed copy. I will also have trade paperbacks of The Man Who Left. These sold out in a matter of minutes at my last event, so I plan to bring more this time!
Where and when:
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Elko New Market Library, 50
Church St., New Market, MN
Elko New Market Library
My grandmother, Doris Ahlberg MitchellLove this photo. And really, could a person look any cooler? Those boots? That hat? That attitude? When I was eight, she and I took a trip to Ohio to visit my aunt. On that trip, my grandmother (mother's side) died... Unknown causes. She was fine...and then she wasn't. I like to think of her like this. I actually wanted to publish The Orchard under her name. I think that would have been so cool.
If you are in the south Minneapolis suburbs, please join me for a presentation where I will talk about writing The Orchard. I will have trade paperbacks on hand if anyone wants a signed copy. I will also have trade paperbacks of The Man Who Left. These sold out in a matter of minutes at my last event, so I plan to bring more this time!
Where and when:
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Elko New Market Library, 50
Church St., New Market, MN
Elko New Market Library
My grandmother, Doris Ahlberg MitchellLove this photo. And really, could a person look any cooler? Those boots? That hat? That attitude? When I was eight, she and I took a trip to Ohio to visit my aunt. On that trip, my grandmother (mother's side) died... Unknown causes. She was fine...and then she wasn't. I like to think of her like this. I actually wanted to publish The Orchard under her name. I think that would have been so cool.
November 2, 2012
PICKING THE SCAB
I'm retiring.
Because I was a writer who'd lived through this uniquely American experience, I felt an obligation to write The Orchard. My goal in writing the book was to document and capture a farming era in an anthropological yet personal way. At the same time, I didn't want the book to be about me, or about one family. I wanted it to feel like every farm, and every family. I wanted it to be a parable. Which is why I used my name but once in the book. I didn’t want to intrude upon a story that I didn’t feel was my story, but was rather everybody’s story. Maybe America's story.
The Orchard is a book about one farm, but it’s also a book about every farm. It’s a story about our children and our children’s children. It’s a story about a young girl who falls in love, marries an apple farmer, and never sees the world in the same way again. And it’s a story about one of the deepest and most profound loves of all: the love of a parent for a child.
My hope is that people will still be reading The Orchard in fifty years, or even a hundred years. That it will become a doorway to the past. That people a hundred years from now will pick up the book, or more likely download the book, and say, "This is what life was like on a farm in the 1980s. And this explains why the world is the way it is today."
But right now I can't talk about it anymore. I wrote it. I didn't want to write it, but I forced myself to do it because I thought it was important. And I'm grateful to all of the independent booksellers who embraced and hand-sold the book. I'm grateful to the people at Grand Central Publishing who embraced the book, who felt it was important. I'm grateful to my agent, who felt the same way. I'm grateful to the reviewers and the book bloggers and and the people I will never know who passed the book to a friend or relative. But now that the release of the paperback has come and gone, I have to move on.
Every time I talk about the story…it's like opening a wound that's just begun to heal. It's not too bad when the events are one on top of the other, but once there is a gap of a few weeks… that's when it's tough. That's when I have to go back there all over again after starting to feel like myself again.
I really thought I would get used to talking about The Orchard. But it doesn't get any easier. I think the reopening of the wound over and over and over…that's not healthy.
So for now, I'm retiring. I've committed to some events in April of next year, but at this time I'm not accepting any new speaking invitations. I feel bad about that, because it's such an honor to be invited to speak, but I'm retiring from public speaking, at least public speaking about The Orchard. Of course, like so many people who retire… Well, we know how that goes.
October 31, 2012
WIP
I still have a couple of book events left before I can knuckle down and begin writing my next Frasier suspense novel (as yet untitled), but I spent the day working out some plot issues. And I am so excited to be writing another Frasier book. I think the hardest part of writing The Orchard was having to put the Frasier name aside. That KILLED me. I'd left my real name behind long ago, along with an old life, and had worked hard to create the Frasier brand. So to go back to Weir in such a public way, and to abandon Anne Frasier… So hard. I've been pretty vocal about how badly I wanted the memoir to be released under Frasier. I still feel strongly about that, but I also realize the name change might have been for the best. But now I can get back to what I love – writing suspense. Not that I haven't been dabbling. I wrote my cat book that was a joy to write, and I've written a lot of short stories, but not a full-length suspense for so long. Too long. I'm so ready. And for anybody who wonders, I've put the second cat book aside for the time being. I'm pretty sure I'll eventually finish it, but I don't know when.
The magical Forevertron!This new book has three mystery threads, and I knew that at least two of them needed to merge at some point. And today I finally solved that issue. Yay. And what is really cool about writing a sequel is that I KNOW these people. So well. So one thing I've been doing is actually charting an emotional journey for the two main characters (David and Elise). Because I KNOW them. Normally I GET TO KNOW my characters as I write a book, but this is so nice and so familiar. I know their fears and their loves and their desires. And the mystery is the framework on which to hang their emotional journey.
October 28, 2012
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Several years ago I paid the $20.00 a month fee to list The Orchard on the Publishers Weekly site in hopes that it would attract an agent or editor. I even made a video
along with a synopsis, but I heard absolutely nothing even though the Anne Frasier name was fairly established at that point. And yet this method still seems a good idea to me. Instead of authors flooding agents with thousands of query letters... Why not turn it around? Let agents and editors come to the writer if the writer has a project of interest. It doesn't normally work that way, but more and more we are seeing editors and agents contacting authors about book offers and representation. When one of my titles takes a leap on Amazon, I'm contacted by editors and agents. So they are watching. And it only makes sense to let editors know that I'm accepting offers. It seems uncouth, but I just posted the following on my website:
Dear editors and publishers:It's a new publishing world, and I'm currently working without an agent. If you have any interest in any of my titles, past, present, future, please contact me directly through the contact link on this page. The only books contractually bound are The Orchard and Bad Karma, and Bad Karma will revert back to me in April of 2013. My current project is a Frasier Play Dead sequel, which will be completed September 1, 2013. I'm in talks with a publisher about this proposal.Anne Frasier/Theresa WeirTitle ListWriting as Anne FrasierHush, USA Today bestseller, RITA finalist, Daphne du Maurier finalist (2002)Sleep Tight, USA Today bestseller (2003)Play Dead, USA Today Bestseller (2004)Before I Wake (2005)Pale Immortal (2006)Garden of Darkness, RITA finalist (2007)Once Upon a Crime anthology, Santa’s Little Helper (2009)The Lineup, Poems on Crime, Home (2010)Discount Noir anthology, Crack House (2010)Max Under the Stars, short story (2010)Deadly Treats Halloween anthology, editor and contributor, The Replacement (September 2011)The Pale Boy (short story 2011)Once Upon a Crime anthology, Red Cadillac (April 2012)Woman in a Black Veil (July 2012)Dark: Volume 1 (short-story collection, July 2012)Dark: Volume 2 (short-story collection July 2012)Girls from the North Country (short story, July 2012)Black Tupelo (short-story collection, July 2012)Made of Stars (short story and continuation of The Pale Boy, August 2012)Stars (Collection: Max Under the Stars, Made of Stars, August 2012) Writing as Theresa WeirThe Forever Man (1988)Amazon Lily, RITA finalist, Best New Adventure Writer award, Romantic Times (1988)Loving Jenny (1989)Pictures of Emily (1990)Iguana Bay (1990)Forever (1991)Last Summer (1992)One Fine Day (1994)Long Night Moon, Reviewer’s Choice Award, Romantic Times (1995)American Dreamer (1997)Some Kind of Magic (1998)Cool Shade RITA winner, romantic suspense (1998)Bad Karma, Daphne du Maurier award, paranormal (1999)The Orchard, a memoir (September 2011)The Man Who Left , a memoir (April 2012)The Girl with the Cat Tattoo (June 2012)
October 24, 2012
NANO NANO
I'm doing it! First time ever, but this November I'm joining the writing frenzy known as National Novel Writing Month. That time in November when crazy writers try to write 50,000 words in a single month. I'm starting off at a disadvantage because I have book events through November 7. So I'm not sure what I'll accomplish, but I think it will still be a good catalyst for my Play Dead sequel, which is due to the publisher on September 1, 2013. Which means it won't hit shelves until 2014. Just in case anybody is keeping track.
If you are doing nanowrimo and want to look me up, my URL is:
MY HOME AT NANO
I'm not sure what friends do there. Roast marshmallows over a virtual fire? Get drunk? Swap war stories? Give shoulder pats?
I've done some one-day group writing events with other writers, and I've learned that the group thing works. It's fun. Not sure about the VIRTUAL group thing, but I'm going to give it a go. The old NaNo try.
October 21, 2012
Free Books!
Happy Halloween!
Three of my ebooks will be free Monday and Tuesday, October 22 and 23.
If you're in the mood for something a bit spooky, you might enjoy Pale Immortal (a crossover of crime fiction/horror/paranormal). (Clicking the title with take you to Amazon page.)
PALE IMMORTAL (click title)
In the mood for something lighter? Some readers have described this quirky story as part mystery, part romance. And many have said it's kind of a melding of Anne Frasier and Theresa Weir. The Girl with the Cat Tattoo was a Dear Author Recommended Read, and was also certified Wonktastical!
THE GIRL WITH THE CAT TATTOO (click title)
Or how about a short fantasy? I know a lot of readers don't care for short stories, but give this whimsical fantasy a try! How can you resist this cute cover? It's a story about an author who wrote his first novel before he was born.
MAX UNDER THE STARS (click title)
People ask why writers make their books free. A lot of reasons, but one is that we hope readers will leave reviews. The more reviews a book has, the more visible the book becomes due to algorithms. And because visibility is based on algorithms, the review doesn't have to be long or involved. It just needs to BE. So please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
Three of my ebooks will be free Monday and Tuesday, October 22 and 23.
If you're in the mood for something a bit spooky, you might enjoy Pale Immortal (a crossover of crime fiction/horror/paranormal). (Clicking the title with take you to Amazon page.)
PALE IMMORTAL (click title)
In the mood for something lighter? Some readers have described this quirky story as part mystery, part romance. And many have said it's kind of a melding of Anne Frasier and Theresa Weir. The Girl with the Cat Tattoo was a Dear Author Recommended Read, and was also certified Wonktastical!
THE GIRL WITH THE CAT TATTOO (click title)
Or how about a short fantasy? I know a lot of readers don't care for short stories, but give this whimsical fantasy a try! How can you resist this cute cover? It's a story about an author who wrote his first novel before he was born.
MAX UNDER THE STARS (click title)
People ask why writers make their books free. A lot of reasons, but one is that we hope readers will leave reviews. The more reviews a book has, the more visible the book becomes due to algorithms. And because visibility is based on algorithms, the review doesn't have to be long or involved. It just needs to BE. So please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
