Interview (and Book Giveaway!) with Anne Frasier

I am so pleased to bring you today my interview with one of my all time favorites authors, Anne Frasier!

Anne is a USA Today bestselling author of nineteen novels. Her books have been printed in both hardcover and paperback, translated into twenty languages, and featured in Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Club. She won the RITA for romantic suspense, and the Daphne du Maurier for paranormal romance. Anne spent twenty years living on a working apple farm, and now divides her time between St. Paul, Minnesota, and a century-old Gothic church in rural Wisconsin.

Publishers Weekly says Frasier “has perfected the art of making a reader’s skin crawl.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls her a “master.”

(Look to the end of the interview for how you can win Pale Immortal and Garden of Darkness!)

PS: Anne, You began your career writing romantic suspense novels under the pseudonym Theresa Weir, but decided to take out the “romance” because your agents and publishers were confused about your anti-hero characters. They also wanted you to remove the blood and bodies from your plots. Would you ever consider writing something in that genre again? 

AF: I doubt I’ll write in the romance genre again, but I noticed that my current project does have quite a bit of romance in it.  I just don’t think I was really cut out for the romance genre, maybe because personally I’m not a romantic person.

PS: Your more recent novels are much darker. Serial killers, vampires, voodoo… Is there any subject you won’t touch?

AF: I can’t think of anything I would find too dark to touch.  There are some topics I simply wouldn’t be interested in.  I would avoid sports and politics.   Those are both too scary for me.  Hah!

PS: What frightens you?

AF: Writing, the world of publishing, and the death of books and reading.   Oh, wait.  That’s probably not what you were looking for, but death of books and reading would rank high on my fear list.

The dark.   I don’t like not knowing what’s out there just beyond the reach of the light bulb.  At the same time, I like not knowing what’s out there.  I like the mystery and spookiness of not knowing.

PS: How do you get into the mind of a serial killer or fractured character?

AF: The scary thing about the mind is that anything and everything can be justified when given the right perspective.   I actually have a hard time making my killers unlikable, because first I make myself understand why they are doing what they are doing.  So then I have to take some of that skewed logic and justification away.

PS: Of the characters you’ve created, are there any you identify with personally?

AF: I one-hundred percent identify with Rachel Burton of Pale Immortal and Garden of Darkness.  I think we all feel trapped by the weight of responsibility and circumstance.  And I’ve felt the pull and attraction of a place that’s not really good for me.  I also modeled the town of Tuonela after my hometown in Iowa.

PS: What do you think is key to maintaining suspense and bringing on the chill factor?

AF: Pacing.

PS: Do your story ideas come to you in a flash or the more tortuous route?

AF: The odd thing is that I think every book gets harder.  The germ of a plot comes in a flash, but it seems it takes me longer to really hammer out the plot.  I think that’s because the plots become more intricate with each book.  At the same time I’m trying to avoid repeating something I’ve already done.

PS: What do you do to get through those rough patches or writer’s block?

AF: I sometimes get really down and depressed about the whole writing business.  When that happens I have to step away and try to get back to the joy of reading and the joy of words and a good story.  The nuts and bolts and numbers and players and people I’ve never met in control of my life – that’s the stuff that’s hard for me to deal with.

PS: This last year, you moved into a church. What has that been like for your writing?

AF: Getting away from the noise and distraction of the city was something I’d wanted to do for eight years.  Just had to finally kick myself in the butt and get it done.  So it’s the location – quiet, quiet, quiet – I was looking for.  The church—that just kind of happened.  I’ve always wanted to live in a church or old school house, but I was actually looking for a cabin when I came across the church.  The downside is that a building over a century old has some problems and requires a lot of maintenance.   And the rodents!  I had no idea squirrels will chew right through wooden walls!

PS: You’ve said that your publisher is not interested in any more Tuonela books but your readers love them. Is there any way to revisit Tuonela in the future and would you want to?

AF: I might revisit Tuonela if my German publisher wants the entire Tuonela trilogy.  That’s remote, and if it happens there will still be no guarantee of a US publisher.

PS: What aspect of writing do you find easy? Difficult?

AF: I think it’s difficult to keep going on a book, because boredom eventually sets in.  It’s hard to get past that without suddenly taking the book in a new direction, a direction it shouldn’t be going.  It’s easy to lose perspective when you’re bored.   Because boredom doesn’t necessarily mean the scene or story is bad; it means you’ve read it thirty times and are sick of it.

PS: Do you have a favorite scene or moment from one of your books?

AF: Hmm.  Well, it does seem that sometimes the scenes I love are the ones I’m asked to cut.  In Pale Immortal there is a scene where a gang of kids leave a mummified corpse in the park.  One of them says something about humping the mummy.  I thought that was pretty damn funny and pretty spot-on when it comes to kids that age, but my editor was aghast.    I also liked the sex-in-the-morgue scene.  I was asked to remove that too, but I just couldn’t do it.

PS: This summer, you were the guest of honor at Diversicon 16 held in Minneapolis. What exactly is Diversicon and what was the experience like?

AF: You really have to go to Diversicon to understand it.  It’s very laid back.  I would say academic meets geek meets movie and book buffs.  These people know their stuff.   They have an auction that is the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen.  You wouldn’t believe the cool things people donate.  One thing Diversicon isn’t is wild.  Some conferences and conventions are about spending a lot of time in the bar.  I don’t think that really goes on at Diversicon.   It kind of reminded me of going to a big family reunion where you might know a few people, but even though you don’t know the rest you kind of feel like you do.  There is definitely a lot of laughing that goes on, and I was really impressed with how much the audience participates during panels.  Really loved that about it.  It’s a small con.  I think the last one had around 120 people.  Can’t remember exactly.   Each con has a specific focus.  The 2008 was Hitchcock.  Diversicon 17 will be Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Should be fun.

PS: Your daughter created an amazing book trailer for Pale Immortal. Will she be creating one for your next project? Will you create a separate blog for it as well?

AF: Yeah, I thought she did a fantastic job on the trailer, but I doubt we’ll do it again.  The trailer was something my editor wanted me to consider making because a lot of writers were doing them.  With the book business tanking, editors and publishing houses are pushing writers to do even more beyond the book.  Unfortunately I don’t think we can really make a difference in sales from our end.   The trailer was fun, but it was also really time-consuming.   I’ll probably put something together myself with iMovie, but I wouldn’t do another mini movie.

PS: Your current project is being touted as shades of REBECCA meets Hitchcock’s VERTIGO. Can you tell us any more about it?

AF: Much of my current project is based on a specific period of my own life, and oddly enough it has kind of a Rebecca feel to it.   I’ve taken real events and added some fiction to bump up the plot.  A totally new thing for me, and definitely more literary.  It’s possible the new book will be released under Theresa Weir.  It hasn’t even been submitted yet, but that’s what my agent is thinking.    And of course it might not even sell, but hopefully I will have that question answered by early next year.

PS: Anne, I have no doubt your new book will sell and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!  Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me.  It’s been great getting to know you better!

~ Pamela Sweet

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You can learn more about Anne Frasier and her work at the following sites:

www.annefrasier.com

Books under the name Theresa Weir

Anne’s blog, Twitter, MySpace, Pale Immortal Blog, Library Thing, Madame Sosostris, and Wikipedia.

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Anne graciously offered to give away two of her books, Pale Immortal and Garden of Darkness!  All you have to do to win them is comment on any of our posts today through Wednesday, October 29th.  The winner will be drawn randomly and announced Thursday, October 30th!  Good luck!

Here are reviews for each book:

PALE IMMORTAL:

“Anne Frasier’s skill for colliding reality and the supernatural will have you searching the shadows for things not of this world. Pale Immortal gives you all the elements of a perfect thriller…a psychotic killer, gut-curling suspense, and storytelling that makes your blood run cold.”

Kelly Parra
Author of GRAFFITI GIRL

“The town of Tuolena, Wisconsin actually exists, according to the author and some maps. While stopping at a diner in Black River Falls, Anne Frasier overheard some locals talking about the Tuolena vampire who used to roam the streets at night of this small town on the Wisconsin River.

In “Pale Immortal” Anne Frasier blurs the lines of “genre fiction” with a tale of a town (Tuolena) and its local vampire. Best selling author Evan Stroud has made his living writing about the “Pale Immortal” aka Richard Manchester, who used to drink and bathe in the blood of his many victims. There’s even a Richard Manchester fan club of sorts: The Pale Immortals. Teenagers, they’ve taken “goth” to whole new levels.

Now, most people think Stroud himself is a vampire. He only goes out at night, his shades are always drawn, and his skin is so pale you can almost see through it. But there’s a reason: he has a disease called porphyria; he’s allergic to sunlight. And recently, he’s been suffering blackouts. He can’t account for his time or whereabouts, which is troublesome because there’s been a recent rash of corpses drained of blood.

When the murders become personal, and those closest to him are suddenly in mortal danger, Stroud must stay at least one step ahead of the police and find out what evil controls and lurks behind the Pale Immortals.

As with the best in this type of fiction, “The Pale Immortal” is ambiguous. It can be read as a modern vampire story, or as a believable serial killer thriller. But believe it or not, “Pale Immortal” makes for a gripping read.”

Gary
Once Upon a Crime

GARDEN OF DARKNESS:

“When I find myself leaving all the lights on, it’s a good sign I’ve found an exceptionally clever and scary read. While the story grabbed me, the book’s creepy atmosphere made my skin crawl. But what made Frasier’s book so compelling was the heart-wrenching love story between Rachel and Evan. The book is layered with rich detail, the subplots nuanced with shadows. Also of note is the smooth way Frasier combined first person and third in the same book, which I felt added texture and another dimension to the story. Garden of Darkness is truly one of the more exceptional books I’ve read.”
–Cerri Ellis

“When I find myself leaving all the lights on, it’s a good sign I’ve found an exceptionally clever and scary read. While the story grabbed me, the book’s creepy atmosphere made my skin crawl. But what made Frasier’s book so compelling was the heart-wrenching love story between Rachel and Evan. The book is layered with rich detail, the subplots nuanced with shadows. Also of note is the smooth way Frasier combined first person and third in the same book, which I felt added texture and another dimension to the story. Garden of Darkness is truly one of the more exceptional books I’ve read.”
–Armchair Interviews

Tags: Anne Frasier, book, horror, Interview, romance, suspense, thriller