"The Beautiful Mind of Rhiannon Frater:"
The Next "It" Author in Supernatural/Urban Fantasy Fiction
A few months ago, I was scouring list after list on the Goodreads website looking for something new to read. I had recently finished reading World W "Z" and The Hollows trilogy so, I was sorta on a zombie kick. I enjoyed all the books but I was getting tired of the genre. So, I thought it was time for something new. But, when I asked a friend with similar tastes in books for suggestions, she recommend the As The World Dies trilogy. So, I took her advice and picked up yet another zombie book, The First Days. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. The mere fact that it was "just a zombie book" sorta had my expectations low. I imagined it would have some cool action scenes, but stereotypical heroes and I was sure to encounter some completely outlandish plot devices. After all, the last zombie book I read the heroine had a pet lion! Really, a pet lion...ah, right... (long awkward, pause). Boy, was I wrong!!! This book was... well bold. Yes, that is the best word to describe it... BOLD. It is so ground breaking for its genre, heck for any genre! The author wrote this book without fear! She has atypical heroines and true to life characters. She has heart stopping action and be careful which characters you grow fond because NO ONE is safe! She will "Joss Wheadon" their ass and you'll have grab the tissue box. But, don't get me wrong, she wasn't throwing characters "under the bus" just because it would create a wacky zombie bloodbath. It's that she lets her story move forward organically and wouldn't pull a deus ex machina. As a reader, I felt like it is a bold choice to take a chance that you might piss your fans off in order to stay true to character and circumstance. After all, the setting of this trilogy is the Zombie Apocalypse. On another note, as The SciFi Chick, I am always on the look out for strong female characters. The are three standout female characters in this trilogy, Katie, Jenni, and Nerit. These three ladies now hold a spot my top 10 list of favorite female "ass kickers". The author took three average women (and the men) and shows how extraordinary circumstances and the drive to save the last of your family and friends can bring out the hero in the ordinary and the meek! (I love Jenni, "Go crazy mama bear!!") Needless, to say, I tore right though all three books. When I had finished the trilogy I had to know who the author was. Yea, I know...I know her name was on the book. Plain as day it says...Rhiannon Frater. But, what I really wanted to know was who was Rhiannon Frater? This person that had me gasping out loud as I turned each page and cursing the sky when "crap" happened to good people! Who WAS this author? I soon discovered with a quick search on google that she was a Texan and happened to live right here in Austin! And not only did she live in Austin but was having a book signing in three days! I was like... "stop the insanity"! Really, what are the chances I would randomly pick up a book, love it, have a ton questions about the author and discover I could go and ask her all my questions, in person?! And so, I did. Meeting Rhiannon Frater was amazing. She was smart, funny and totally unique! After listening to her explain about her writing techniques it was clear to me that it takes a special talent to create excellent fiction, thus the "beautiful mind". When I asked her about her natural ability to pull a reader into a story she said, "I write what I see in my head." and that often these stories and characters "come into my dreams". She also, stated when she's not dreaming about these characters they often "just show up her head " and she can "hear their conversations". Ms. Frater said that sometimes a character will pop into her mind and she has to say "Who are you?" and then she beings the process of flushing out these "people" and their story. Ms. Frater commented that when she writes she is "not constructing set pieces" but rather "I'm observing them". I believe that this technique gives her books a cinematic feel. That rather than writing fiction she is just documenting the lives of these characters in her head. Giving her books, in my opinion, that true to life feel about them. Ms. Frater made the amusing statement; " I'm crazy. But, instead of putting me away for it they let me write." So, we can thank that "crazy, beautiful mind" for Ms. Frater's narrative style which allows us to become immersed in her world. Rhiannon Frater has recently released a new book called, The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel. Not into Zombie fiction? That's ok. Rhiannon Frater has Vampire novels too! And she posted on her Facebook page she's feeling the need to write a book about witches and personally I hope that those "witchy" characters get chatty in her head real soon! I can't wait to read The Last Bastion and all of Ms.Frater's novels and short stories! So, if you are into books with a supernatural/urban fantasy themes I can safely say that Rhiannon Frater is an author worth checking out! For a list of all her titles go to http://rhiannonfrater.com/?page_id=10
A Note to Self-publishing Authors:
One of the most interesting parts of attending Rhiannon Frater's book signing was hearing about her journey from writing short stories on the web for friends, family and fans, to self-published author, to an author who became sought after by the publishing companies! If you are an aspiring self publishing author I recommend following Ms. Frater on her blog: http://rhiannonfrater.blogspot.com/ Although, I am not a writer of fiction myself, I find her advice insightful and in my opinion it never hurts to get inside the mind of someone who has "been there, done that" and is willing to share those experiences.
Five by Five,
The SciFi Chick
