An interview with Francis
Frailey, 1840, Shadow Creek, Kentucky
Interviewer:
Mr. Frailey, I hear you're a great financier.
Do you plan to open your own bank, perhaps in town or in Paducah?
Francis: No.
Interviewer:
Oh, well then, tell me about your beautiful wife, Christine. I hear she is quite the horsewoman.
Francis:
Yes.
Interviewer:
Is it true you're educated back east, Harvard, that is?
Francis sighs:
Yes.
Interviewer taps
his notepad, then proceeds with the next question: Music!
I understand you are quite the musician.
Francis:
yes.
(Francis looks over his
shoulder as if someone called his name or that he merely wishes to escape the
prying interviewer.)
Interviewer
forges ahead: Your brother-in-law, Joe
Douglas, is a renown gambler. Tell me
about him.
Francis:
He's a good man.
Interviewer:
Surely you can tell me a story or two.
Francis: No.
Interviewer:
I've been told you don't see your family.
Is there a rift between you and your father?
Francis doesn't
answer for a moment, then: no
Interviewer:
I detect a story here. Something
happened to separate you from your parents?
A misunderstanding? Money
matters? Your wife's family, perhaps?
Francis: No.
Interviewer:
Your posturing tells me different. You
look a bit angry. Are you hiding
something, Mr. Frailey?
Francis
stares at the interviewer, then answers with a quiet: no.
Interviewer: Again, your actions say more than your
words. Let's talk about something else
then. Books, I hear your office is
filled with books. What are you reading
now?
Francis is slow
to answer: Oliver Twist.
Interviewer: Oh, a wonderful story. An orphan, fighting to survive. Is there a parallel to your life in that
story?
Francs: No.
Interviewer:
Aren't there wicked characters trying to take advantage of the young boy in that
book? And you refused to answer earlier,
but there seems an estrangement with your own family. Surely you can see the correlation.
Francis: No.
Interviewer:
Is there -, was there someone dominating you in your childhood? An over-bearing mother, perhaps? An uncle?
Francis:
This interview is over.
Interviewer: But we just got started. I've more questions. Many more questions.
Francis, dressed in his
tailored suit and freshly shaved, has already left the conference room.
READ THE BLURB
Francis
Frailey fears he might become as abusive as his uncle once was, so he admires
his young family from a distance. His plan is lonely, but safe, until his wife
Christine sneaks past his staunch decorum. With tender devotion she coaxes him
beyond his wretched childhood memories to a place where trust and love grows.
The
fragile bond shatters when Francis’ family intervenes and he must decide if
hate will rule his heart. Christine promises forgiveness will make him whole,
but Francis aches for revenge. He’s determined to kill his uncle and be done.
Christine’s
brother, Joe Douglas, has plans of his own that include asking his wife Annie
to face her troubled past. But to help Christine, Joe agrees to go after
Francis and bring him home. Taking his young son and nephew with him unhinges
them all. Joe doesn’t know if the love Francis has for his son is stronger than
the hate he harbors for his uncle. Or perhaps Francis despises himself most of
all. Joe fears the wrong person may end up dead.
MEET THE AUTHOR
DL Larson
always thought she’d be a city girl, but instead, she has spent the last 40
years surrounded by corn fields. She
lives in northern Illinois and enjoys the outdoors, especially gardening,
boating and bike riding with her family.
Reading is a
big part of DL’s life, both professionally as a writer and as a Children’s
Librarian.
She likes
being in the know, seeing firsthand what folks like to read. Going back to school as an adult rejuvenated
her desire to become a novelist. The
writing awards she received lifted her up and reinforced her drive to tell the
best story she could. Her second novel,
Promises To Keep, was a 2008 Reader’s Choice Recipient.
DL is a
WindyCity member of RWA. She blogs each Thursday at
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/
Visit DL
Larson at www.dllarson.co
Buy the book at Amazon
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteHello Library Judith ~ Thank you so much for hosting me. As you probably gathered, my character Francis has difficulty conversing about his past. He really is a good man, and his wife is adoring and supportive. Is there a question anyone might have for him? He might speak to us!! :)
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