Christopher Fryer interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

I live in California with my wife and three kids. I've been a teacher for seven years and a barista for ten before that. Majored in Creative Writing at Sonoma State. Been writing since I was a kid and still manage to squeeze out a few paragraphs here and there despite a busy life at home. 

When did your love of books begin?

My dad was a big reader. He had a Stephen King collection that I admired, and eventually inherited. I just wanted to read like that. Writing was something I developed on my own, though my dad certainly dabbled here and there. Saw a lot of movies. Soaked up that knack for storytelling. 

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I wrote the sequel to Jurassic Park when I was like eight years old. I haven't stopped writing since. Being an "author" wasn't a notion of mine until high school. I had stories that I wanted to share and some teachers had told me that I should pursue writing, and so I went to college to hone the skill. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Oh for me it's part of my being. No joke. It's my yoga. I am constantly thinking of story ideas, then chewing on them for a while, making them work, piecing together an ending. It's frustrating because there's so much I want to say and share, but finding that big audience is still a mystery to me. I've got the "author" part down, but now I'm trying to find out what being a "successful" author means.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Don't stop reading. Find an author you're jealous of (for me it's Grady Hendrix at the moment), and learn from them. And if you get a writer's block, buy a current bestseller and read it to remind yourself that you're just as capable, have stories just as compelling, and if this person did it then so can you. 

Tell us about your book/books:

My debut novel is called "The Epic of Glenda Mesh" and it is about a high school junior named Glenda Mesh and her rival on the track and field team, Enkidu. Both girls are aiming to repair wounds of their past and forge legacies they can be proud of. This sends them on a hero's quest to fight against a madman criminal, a drug lord, a creepy stalker, and a rampaging bull. As their quest becomes more harrowing, they find out how hard it is to be the hero, and there's a chance one of them won't live to see the end of junior year.

Fun Fact: It is a modern retelling of "The Epic of Gilgamesh," written in Ancient Mesopotamia in 2100 BC, and consists of the same themes of tyranny, purpose, relationships, grief, and legacy. 

I also have two short story collections called "Fryerworks" and "Fryerworks II," as well as a blog-turned-book called "Left To Fry," and two novellas on Kindle Vella called "Lampwick" and "The Trial of ABLE."

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I love that we share in each other's successes and failures. We are writers. We empathize well. I know we're all too broke to buy everyone's books, but we would in a heartbeat because we know the passion behind every project and how much it means when a single person gives your work a look. And the readers appreciate our dedication to a hobby/career that often feels like yelling I to an echo chamber for nothing. 

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

I promise you'll never know how my stories are going to end. 

Where can people connect with you?

Website: Christopherfryer.com

Twitter: @fryerworks

Email: fryerworksbooks@gmail.com

I'd love to hear from readers!