Ten Questions Plus One For Julie Frayn, Author of Suicide City

I'm bringing you a bunch of writers lately, but what can I say. They are my heroes. Some people have sports figures as heroes, I have writers. Sue me.
When Julie Frayn published her first book, I knew I had to read it. First because she is SO great. I've known her for a while and social media wouldn't be the same for me, without her. But also I had to read it because I was excited to read it. Suicide City ended up being one of the best Indie books I've ever read. I reviewed it here.
You can reach out to Julie at:

Website/Blog

FaceBook

Twitter

Amazon

Google+ 

Her books are linked on the bottom

I was pretty happy that she agreed to do an interview with me.
Thanks Julie!

1        Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? Why do you or don’t you?  I rarely make my bed. Sometimes I’ll toss the covers towards the pillows but that’s usually just to make room for the laundry basket. No one comes in my room but me and the dogs. Occasionally my kids. So what’s the point? When Batman accepts my request for friends with benefits, then I’ll not only make the bed, I’ll wash the sheets. 

2      Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers? Who doesn’t get road rage? What doesn’t piss me off about other drivers?

3      What is the most blatant lie you’ve ever told? *crickets* - call me George Washington. I just can’t tell a lie. And then admit it.

4       Has the dog ever eaten your manuscript? Did you still give him treats afterward or was he/she in the proverbial doghouse? My dogs are too small to reach my MS (and I doubt they could eat my laptop ). They do other nefarious stuff though. They always get love and treats, even when they barf on my feet and crap under the kitchen table. I think the unconditional love thing is why they live forever. Dixie the Dachshund is 14 and Rascal the Beagle is 22. Though we decided he died a few years ago and we live with the undead zombie version now.

5       What inspires you? My children. And wine. Beer too. Chips. Sunrise. But not long walks on the beach. I get all sandy and shit.

6       Tell me your biggest pet-peeve…the one that really bothers you that is a part of who you are? Why does it bother you so much? Irregardless. Supposably. Ambliance. Pick one… Do I really need to explain it? Doesn’t that drive everyone around the bend?

7       Before there was sliced bread, what do you think was the best thing and why? You assume I remember what came before sliced bread! How rude… When did sliced bread come into being? Let me Google…  Okay, I’m back. According to About.com, “In 1928, a man named Otto Frederick Rohwedder created the greatest invention -- pre-sliced bread.” So, best thing before sliced bread would have to be, um, uh... Oh, screw it. The best thing SINCE sliced bread is the computer. Without it I would not have been able to publish two novels in one year. Or connect with family and friends across thousands of miles for free. With pictures! Without email and internet access and instant answers I think I might shrivel up in a corner and suck my thumb. How did I ever get through grade school without one?

8       What is your worst quality, or the one you wish you can change about yourself? I’m too trusting. A bit of a sucker at times. Not that I want to be a hard ass or anything. I’d rather get taken to the cleaners.

9       Tell us about one of your relatives and the reason you think they are so great. My mother rocks. She is a tough old broad who never fails to give her honest opinion. Now that she’s aging and her mind is going just a bit south, sometimes we wish she would keep those opinions to herself. But she’s never boring! My sister is a warrior. My family knows why. My children are just amazing to me. They are adults now, but always my babies. Babies who are sarcastic and snarky and funny and give the most giant hugs to their mommy every single day. Love! Wait, that’s four relatives. Maybe my answer to number 8 should be that I don’t follow instructions well.

1     What tips would you give to a new writer just getting started? Be realistic. This writing, publishing, getting any kind of notice thing takes time and effort. You will not get rich overnight. You will not wake up the morning after you publish and have an inbox full of praise and offers. Make sure you’re in it for the long haul. Be patient. Learn. Read. Absorb. And most importantly, write.

Plus one

1      Tell me about your writing project in your own words, not something from your blog or from a blurb. What is your writing truly about.  I have two self-published novels and am currently working on two more. I’ve written a few short stories, some will be offered for free and another for cheap. My writing (except for my blog) is all fiction. For reasons I’ve not fully fleshed out, I write about damaged people. Abuse, homelessness, drug use and illness make constant appearances in my work. But I’m told none of the stories are depressing. One reviewer said that a theme in my writing is, when life kicks you down, you have to get right back up. It’s about beating the odds and thriving, even if they’re stacked against       The novel I am working on now is titled Unlike any Normal Day. It is about a profoundly abused woman, and how she emancipates herself and her twelve year old daughter from the abuse and the abuser. I hope to have it available by  year’s end to complete my 2013 goal of three novels published. 

      Julie's Books

  Suicide City

      A coming of age tale with a dark side. Sick of feeding stinking pigs and fed up with her mother’s controlling ways, sixteen-year-old August Bailey leaves the farm to find freedom and adventure in the city. She falls in love with seventeen-year-old Reese, a street kid and former heroin addict struggling against addiction. To what lengths will she go to prove her love? And at what cost?

  It Isn't Cheating If He's Dead

Jemima Stone is tortured by the disappearance of her schizophrenic fiance, Gerald. She seeks refuge from her pain by feeding the homeless. When he is found murdered in a city three thousand miles from home, Jemima finds salvation in the arms of the detective who has obsessed over her case for four years, and redemption by reuniting one of her homeless friends with the family he thought he'd lost.