An Interview with Andrew Fraser

Andrew Fraser grew up on a farm in Manawatu, New Zealand. This in no way equipped him to string a sentence together, let alone a 90,000-word novel. These days he works in marketing, drives a standing desk in an office instead of a tractor, and welds a keyboard instead of a chainsaw.

A glacially slow maturer, he did not discover writing until recently. He firmly believes he is only scratching the surface of a deep pool of talent. Those close to him describe this pool as being more akin to a puddle. He’s okay with that, as he believes this just creates more opportunity to surprise.

The Lighting Effect is his first novel and probably not his last.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’ve always enjoyed putting words together to express a view, idea, or observation. So one day, I decided not to keep these to myself and started a blog. That was scary—publishing your first piece into the world. The storm of derision never arrived (cementing the fact that our greatest fears are imagined), and I continued writing the occasional blog post.

I quietly wondered if I could ever write a full-length novel, and concluded there was only one way to find out. I have since answered my question!

What made me want to write? My curiosity coupled with the joy of constructing a tale.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

English was not my best subject at school (none of them were—the sports field held much more appeal) I have been involved in sales and marketing roles. I’ve had a couple of GM roles (hard work) and recently quit my job to start a marketing consultancy (scary!), but like the book, I will never know if I can pull it off if I don’t try.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

HARD! I had so many ideas, most were shot down by my family (for good reason). And I still have a sneaking suspicion there is a better title somewhere out there…

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

Awesome! Having the completed books turn up on my doorstep and holding them gave me a massive sense of achievement. If no one other than my family ever saw the book from that point on, I wouldn’t have cared.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

We would have a couple of different genres to reflect the key characters (and my taste!). “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley and “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

That humans are weird and irrational decision-makers, but there is some beauty in our flaws.

My perfect reader is someone who enjoys adventure and likes a laugh. They are able to pause to give thought to the bigger things in life and take perspective from that.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Giving my mum a signed copy. She was SO proud!

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I have just finished the manuscript of the sequel to The Lighting Effect and am now in the editing stage.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.