AA Freda is an award-winning author. He’s
written several novels with a third to be released in the first half of 2018.
His first novel, Goodbye Rudy Kazoody, an award winner, is a coming of age work about a group of teenagers growing up in a New York City neighborhood during the early 1960's was acclaimed by the critics.
His second piece and just released, A Police Action is another coming of age story about two confused young adults caught up during the free love and Vietnam era of the late 1960's.
The inspiration for his books are always his lifelong
experiences and people he’s met along the way.
Freda was born in Italy but grew up in New York City and now
resides in Easton, CT, a suburb of New York City that offers him a tranquil
environment that allows him to keep his finger on the pulse of the city he
loves so much. A graduate of Bernard Baruch College at the City University in
New York, he has served as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of
Technology in NYC. Freda also served in Vietnam the subject matter of A Police Action. In addition to writing, in his spare time, Freda enjoys fishing,
hiking, climbing and shooting pool.
Questionnaire:
Thanks for letting
us interrogate you! Can you give us a
go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
It wasn’t because
of a professional choice. And it certainly isn’t for the money. I just love to
write and tell a story. I just love when I find a reader fascinated by one of
my stories.
Tell us (we won’t
tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?
I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
Well if you are
after fortune, you’ll be disappointed. I’m still working on the fame part. My
first book, Goodbye Rudy Kazoody was an award winner and was critically
acclaimed. My second A Police Action has also been well received. So the fame
part could still come.
Which route did you
take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low
down on what’s that like?
I chose to be
independently published. This is the quickest way to market. I want to share my
works. I believe I write a good quality product and I want people to enjoy my
stories.
Tell us for real
what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book
written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
I love the writing
and the publishing route. The more difficult part of the business for me is the
marketing and promotion side of the business. I’m mostly shy and introverted
and socializing about my works is difficult for me.
Do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have
to wait until you type just one more word?
I don’t own a pet but
I’m constantly cat sitting Roland the cat for my son who travels a lot for his
job. Roland lets me know when his dish is empty. He sits on my computer keys
until I get up to feed him
Are your plants actually still alive?
This is why I have
all fake plastic plants. A hired gardener takes care of my shrubs and grass.
You would not want to see my yard if I had to do it myself.
In writing your
book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or
your boss calling you saying you’re late?
Since I own my own
business, I don’t have to deal with a demanding boss. Clients are a different
story. When I’m in the middle of a furious writing session I put all my calls
through to voice mail.
What was the
craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
Realizing after my
first book was published that in spite of my careful proofreading, I still had
seven errors.
How about the
social networks? Which ones do you
believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
I’m still
evaluating. I don’t believe Facebook has been very helpful. I’m having better luck
with Twitter. The jury is still out on Goodreads.
Book sales. Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)? How are you making the sales happen for you?
This is the part of
the self-publishing business that I believe needs the most help. Publishers are
of no help at all. There are pros on the outside that can be useful but they
come with a price tag. It’s been trial and error so far but I’m getting better
at evaluating the good from the bad.
What is one thing
you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
The positive
critical reviews I have received on my first two books, Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody
and A Police Action. My star rating on Amazon and Goodreads exceeds those of
some of the classic books.
Okay, too much
sugar for you today! Here’s a nice cup
of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves
roll in. Now…can you tell us what you
love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t
matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t
have it any other way?
Well that is
certainly true. But, I do intend on making a profit. I just need to figure out
the formula. I have the first part done and that is to provide the customers,
the readers, a good quality product. Now I just need to bring that product to
market.
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