Kerry Fryar Freeman – 3 Questions & a Cover – Deborah

A short interview wherein one of my favorite authors answers three questions about the writing life.

What’s the hardest scene you’ve ever written?

The hardest ended up being one of my favorite scenes in SEDONA. It was Drunk Tommy’s background chapter because up until that point, I didn’t like him at all, and it was early. However, I’ll tell you a little secret…that scene was actually later in the book but during rewrites it got moved earlier but one of my editors thought it would help build interest in his character. I didn’t know where I was going with that chapter when I started but since he was my Wizard of Sedona character, he needed a good backstory that gave him magic but then took it away, much like you’d imagine the Wizard of Oz in the original L. Frank Baum tale. In a way he became Dorothy on this dusty black and white farm, giving tours through these magical trees, kind of hoping that his grandfather is telling the truth but also thinking that his mom is a little bit magical too. Then that horrible night happens when his mom leaves and he runs out and there’s the storm, again a bit parallel to the storm when Dorothy experiences the tornado, only Tommy doesn’t get swept up because there is no magical escape for him, he’s left to deal with his life. I just love the imagery of that moment. In the end he’s sitting on his porch, grown and dejected, swatting a fly and he repeats the words he was screaming at the sky as a child and there’s something so poignant about the parallelism. For a book that’s easy to read, there’s some depth there.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know how interesting it is but it’s the truth. I zone out a LOT when I am in writing mode, and it doesn’t happen at my computer. When I’m starting to draft or plot, my brain goes into mapping the story, so it compartmentalizes it and then I just escape into it. I can be sitting with people and just disappear and not really realize it. It’s gotten worse. Not sure if you’ve ever read or seen the Secret Life of Walter Mitty when the guy goes into a dream world? It’s kind of like that.

The first two books I wrote, I didn’t do it as much because I mostly wrote them on writing retreats or away from my family but the last two books I’ve written at home so I’ve noticed my mental absences more. Memes have told me I’m normal in terms of authors and they are pretty big authorities of truth in my life, so I’m not concerned yet. Though maybe I should be more concerned that I look to memes to tell me that I’m normal…hmmmm.

How should new writers invest their time and money in order to be successful?

Ask yourself: Are you writing because you just want to have fun and check something off your bucket list or are you writing because you want to start a small business? Because there is a big difference! Be ready to invest in yourself because being an author takes time and money and believe it or not, writing the book is the easy part. Editing, marketing, networking, those are the parts that take time and money and for the independent author, are the non-negotiables. The positive is that the writing community is AMAZING and supportive and you will find a tribe of people just waiting to embrace and surround you with kindness.

**Book Description:**

Sedona, AZ is a tourist town that lures people from around the world who believe there is more beyond the veil of reality. They come for the whispering pines, Hopi legends, vortices, magic crystals, and healing springs.

Enter Cal Novak, a spunky editor from Atlanta, Georgia, who gives up the city life because she is searching for more: more time, more adventure, more meaning. The magic of her new hometown does not disappoint. Behind the curtain of every window there are secrets waiting to be uncovered. For those searching for more, there’s no place like Sedona.
**BUY THE BOOK:**
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Golden Fig Books
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About the Author

Kerry Fryar Freeman crafts fiction as if it were a new puzzle. The settings are real and well-researched, the details are rich and layered, and the stories absorb and propel readers one piece at a time.

Kerry’s debut novel, SEDONA: A NOVEL, was long-listed for the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Award. Kerry also writes a blog called “Books and Bevies” where she features an array of authors from New York Times and Amazon bestsellers to debut Indie gems. Books and Bevies can be found on her website KerryFryarFreeman.com or by following her on Twitter @KerryFFreeman and Instagram @Books_and_Bevies. Kerry currently resides in North Carolina.

Connect with the author: website ~ blog ~ instagram ~ X ~ goodreads

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