Interview with Freya Barker

 

Biography

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about 'real' people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We've Read All Year Award for "Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

Credit : About | Author Freya Barker

Questions

Which of your novels do you recommend to a new reader and why?

There are a few books I could suggest. ‘Slim To None,’ the first book in my Cedar Tree series would appeal to those who enjoy romantic suspense. It also happens to be permanently free. For those who prefer more contemporary romance might enjoy one of my Northern Lights stories, those books don’t have to be read in any specific order and are available in French. The first two translated novels have already been released.

My Rock Point series is being translated into French as well. It’s romantic suspense and focuses on an FBI team working out of Durango, Colorado.

 

What are your inspirations?

Life is my biggest inspiration. I have my ears and eyes open all the time. Something as simple as a snippet of a conversation while waiting in line at the grocery store can stimulate my imagination and become the root of a story  plot.

Art imitates life, and one series I’ve written—Portland ME—is the best example of that. The first novel in that series is ‘From Dust’ and it is rooted in a news story from several years ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, wondering how the event described would impact the people actually living it. For two years it played through my head until I finally put it to paper in the book.

There are four books in that series and all four stories are rooted in real life events.

Do you read other genres than romance?

I do. I will read straight suspense, thrillers, women’s lit, and on very rare occasions fantasy.

What advice would you give to a new author?

Focus on the story you’re writing. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, Don’t get ahead of yourself and don’t expect miracles. The only way to become a better and more successful writer is to simply write more. Make sure you tell a great story, take the time to have it go through proper editing, be open to constructive criticism, and—I’ve already mentioned this, but it bears repeating—keep your expectations low.

Not everyone is going to be successful. In fact, the number of authors actually able to make a living is much smaller than you’d think. However, if you love telling your story, if you love the act of writing, then you success is not defined by sales, but by the satisfaction you are doing something you love.  

Do you do some research before you start a new writing project?

I do massive amounts of research, both before and definitely during the writing of a book. I pride myself on writing about ‘real’ characters and their  ‘realistic’ stories which means certain things have to be tested to reality. As an example, when I talk about a geographical location in my story, I’m either familiar with it from personal experience, or will have a map up on my computer. Writing about law enforcement and first responders, I have to make sure to be up to date on police procedure and local law.

If you want to be believed, you have to be believable.

What are your next projects?

I’m currently working on two novelettes which will be part of two separate Christmas anthologies., and then I have another story to write in my Arrow’s Edge MC series. After that I’m excited to start the plotting for a brand new series I’m hoping to launch in 2022, set in beautiful Montana. Keep your eyes open for the High Meadow series!

My reviews

Une lectrice compulsive: A change in tide by Freya Barker

Une lectrice compulsive: Burning for Autumn – On Call series by Freya Barker