Fiction Friday! Fran Orenstein

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WHAT IS A WRITER?
by Dr. Fran Orenstein, Author, Poet, Presenter

Writing prose and poetry is the means I use to express myself. All artists have a unique talent or ability that drives them to create. From the first storyteller chiseling a picture on a cave wall, to today’s writer at a computer, the goal is to produce something they hope people will read.

Personally, being a published author and poet is a fulfillment of a dream I have had since I wrote my first poem at age eight. Part of that dream is to leave a legacy for the future, whether it is simply a book my grandchildren will enjoy and pass on through the generations, to the ultimate dream of producing a classic that will live on forever.

As a writer you must be willing to keep putting ideas down in words, and really want to write. A friend who is a musician and artist said to me many years ago, “When are you going to call yourself a writer?” The question boggled my mind, for I did not consider myself a writer, even though I had been writing academically and professionally for much of my life. I was other things, but I thought, “Me, a writer?” Then one day, I woke up and realized, “I am a writer.” It did not matter what I wrote, I was producing articles, newsletters, papers, books, short stories and poems, and people were reading them.

Writing is a lonely art. Sometimes, days go by when the only communication you have is with the characters on the page. Then there are the days when nothing happens, words refuse to appear on the page, the book seems to drag, the characters are bland, and you are ready to give it all up. But suddenly there is a breakthrough; your fingers are off and running, and your brain surges forward with new ideas.

The ultimate high for a writer is the day the doorbell rings and someone in a brown uniform rushes away like a felon down your driveway. You open the door and there it is; a plain brown box. You haul it inside, paying no attention to your screaming back and run a blade carefully through the tape. You open the flaps and there they are snuggled in bubble wrap. You lift out the top book and hold it in your hands, then stare at the cover like it was the archaeological find of the century. You open it and the words you slaved over for so many months or years jump off the paper. Glancing furtively around to make sure no one is watching, you clutch it to your chest, and grin like a kid with a new toy.

That’s what writing is all about. Every book is a new baby; a new beginning. Murder in Duplicate (June 2013, World Castle Publishing) is a new writing genre for me, and the second novel written for adults. I’ve written children’s mysteries, but never an adult mystery. An avid reader of mysteries since the Nancy Drew series, people have nagged me for years to try writing a mystery. Finally, I gave in and loved doing it. Readers are enjoying it, so this may be my genre of the future, wherever that may lead. A series? Who knows what diabolical plots lie dormant in my brain? Stay tuned to for future books, events, and blog tours! 

Fran's newest release

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Blurb:
Romance mystery writer, Lily Aaron is a young woman looking for a forever love and inspiration for her popular books. On a lunch break from her job as a magazine editor, she meets a sexy, gorgeous man in a coffee shop, and falls hard. Is Ken Braun’s image as a successful attorney and charming companion all a façade, or is he the man destined for Lily’s future? Meanwhile, Ted Warren, an obsessed computer geek starts stalking her, calling her Laurel. She can’t get rid of him and before she can figure it out, Ted is murdered and Lily is now in first place as the killer. Lily struggles to prove her innocence, and deal with the enigma of a new man in her life and the secret behind Ted’s obsession and death. In a harrowing climax, Lily discovers the truth, but it may not be in time to save her own life.