The Art of Always by Patricia Friedrich - Women’s Fiction/Historical - The biggest mystery is why we lie to ourselves
by Patricia Friedrich
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Interview with Patricia Friedrich
Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
Tell us a little bit about your writing career.
I am a professor of linguistics and have a love for words
that in unmatched. I have been writing for a long time. I have written eight
academic books and over forty papers in scientific periodicals. And then I fell
in love with writing fiction. I am about to publish my third novel, All the
Parts of Your Soul, which I co-wrote with author Jen Jensen. My current
latest release, The Art of Always won a few awards and it is a story
very close to my heart.
Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?
They are. All my stories have two repeating elements: a
strong sense of place and a mystery. I like to think of the geography of the
story as almost an additional character. I often choose the stories I read
based on the atmosphere that a given location emanates, so I wanted to write
stories that had such a feature too.
What are you working on now?
I am writing a prequel to my Victorian romance A Love
Made to Measure. It’s called In the Letters of a Lady and it is a
fun story about a couple separated by a mistake they did not make. I hope to be
done in the next several months.
Who is your favorite character from your own stories, and
why?
I love Ana from The Art of Always. She is a modernist
painter from 1922 Brazil, and she is larger than life and fearless.
What are your plans for future projects?
I would love to continue to publish fiction that has a
strong sense of place and great love stories.
Good luck with your newest release, and thank you for being with us today.
Excerpt:
A thin mist had covered the city. Inside the fog, cobblestone pavers and streetlamps gave the streets a dreamlike feel, which Ana experienced from the other side of her window. Watching the movement of neighbors hurrying to catch a train or walk to work, she knifed a small wedge of butter and slathered it on a piece of toast. The flavors of the morning, fresh coffee and jam, delighted her. It was a moment of perfection, a fleeting one, full of ideas about art and success, so she took full notice of it. But soon the pleasure of warm French bread and sweet coffee was replaced with worry. Her morning with Joaquim and the strange intuition she had about it kept her heart prisoner and made her attention falter. The strange prophecy and the knot in her stomach alerted her to be careful. As she fell asleep the night before, she had made up her mind that the recent encounter would be their last time together. She reminded herself that no matter the powerful hold Joaquim had on her, she could do whatever she wanted.
About the Author
Patricia Friedrich is a Professor at Arizona State University, having received her Ph.D. from Purdue University. She teaches courses in composition, linguistics, peace, and culture. She writes non-fiction about the intersection of those areas. Her non-fiction work has appeared in eight books and in over 40 book chapters and journal articles. Her fiction has been published in several literary magazines including Eclectic Flash, The Linnet's Wings, and Birkensnake, as well as in the anthology Flash in the Attic. Her novel The Art of Always was awarded first place at a regional RWA competition, was the winner of a National Indie Excellence Award, and was published in 2022 by The Wild Rose Press. She is also an author of historical romance under the pseudonym Eliza Emmett. All the Parts of Your Soul, her next novel (with Jen Jensen), is forthcoming. She lives in Arizona.
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