No Stone Unturned

Today I'm fortunate to talk with Jeanette A. Fratto.

Author of

“NO STONE UNTURNED” and   “NO GOOD DEED”

Tell me a little about yourself and your writing life.

Jeanette:  I grew up in Michigan but have lived in southern California most of my life, graduating from California State University at Fullerton, with a B.A. and M.A.  I’ve always loved to write short stories, articles, and essays, and have won awards for some of them. It wasn’t until I retired from a 26-year career in probation that I wrote my first novel, NO STONE UNTURNED.  The sequel, NO GOOD DEED, has just been published.

What made you decide to write a novel?

Jeanette:  It seemed to be a logical extension of my writing experience, and a challenge for me to develop a plot and characters that would engage readers. I’m an avid reader, and love mysteries. I decided that would be the genre for me.

Was it difficult to come up with a story line?

Jeanette:   Yes and no. I knew I wanted my story to unfold through the inner workings of the probation department for two reasons. One, when I worked, I realized that few outside the field understood what probation officers did, and what the department did in general; two, mystery writers rarely mention probation, which is an important aspect of the criminal justice system, and if they do, they usually get it wrong. I wanted probation to have its own audience. The harder part was coming up with a plot where my protagonist becomes a probation officer and have it be believable.

How did you finally get there?

Jeanette:  I thought about the many people who want to make a change in their lives and used that premise to bring my protagonist from Michigan, where she was a school teacher, to California, with the promise of a job in publishing. Unfortunately the position doesn’t work out. She decides to stay in California and job hunting leads her into probation, where she finds more than she bargained for. The reader will learn a great deal about a very interesting component of law enforcement, while following an engrossing story line.

I understand you’ve written a sequel. How did that come about?

Jeanette:  The sequel, NO GOOD DEED, is the result of suggestions by many of the readers of my first book for me to continue writing about my main characters. They said they wanted to know more. I listened to them and came up with NO GOOD DEED, which begins about six months after NO STONE UNTURNED ends. It has just been published and is available in paperback, Kindle, the Nook, and an e-book. A synopsis and ordering information can be found on my website: http://outskirtspress.com/nogooddeed Through this website readers can also click on my other title, NO STONE UNTURNED, and proceed to that website for that book’s synopsis and ordering information.

What’s next for you?

Jeanette:  For the next few months I’ll be busy promoting NO GOOD DEED, with book signings, blogging, and any other promotional opportunities that come along. I’m also thinking about whether I want to turn this into a series, in which case I’ll be trying to plot the third book.

Anything else you’d like to let my readers know?

Jeanette:  I’d just like to thank them, and you, for the opportunity to share my writing, and encourage anyone who likes a novel with mystery and romance to check out both NO STONE UNTURNED and NO GOOD DEED. Both are set in southern California, and my probation experience ensures that the reader will get an accurate glimpse into this segment of the criminal justice system. I encourage feedback and can be reached at Bjfratto@aol.com. 

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Writing and Balance in Everyday Life

Yeah!

It's balance Thursday.

And today we have

Jeanette Fratto!

Read on . . . 

I’ve always loved to write and have done so all my life – short stories, essays, and articles. I’ve even won awards for some of them. It wasn’t until I retired from a 26-year career in law enforcement that I decided to write my first novel. That’s when the desire for balance really set in.

All of my previous writings were efforts that only required a few pages. I could write most of it in my head while cleaning the kitchen or driving to work. When it was time to put it on paper it didn’t take me long to have a finished product. Balance with my day to day activities was never really an issue, as I was able to fit my writing in “here and there” when I had some time.

Writing a novel seemed to be a natural progression of my writing experience. After much thought, I decided to make it a mystery that unfolded through the inner workings of the probation department, where I had worked. My reasons were two-fold. When I worked I realized that most people outside the field did not know what probation officers did, and as a mystery reader, I noted that writers rarely mentioned probation in their books, and it is an important part of the criminal justice system.

For something as complex as a novel, I knew I needed a writing plan more specific than when I could find the time. So I began the search for the “holy grail” of when, and how often, I should write. My husband and I had many activities we enjoyed together, including extensive traveling, and I didn’t want to give those up. A book requires dedication, so I looked for ways to write with optimal results, while still living an active life.

I attended book festivals and endless workshops of published writers. When questions were taken from the audience I would always ask, “how often do you write, and when do you do it?” The answers I received were as varied as the authors. Some wrote between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day. Others started writing at midnight after their children were in bed and the house was quiet. None of these plans appealed to me. Most wrote every day, which agrees with what most writing tutorials say to do – WRITE EVERY DAY.

I started out writing every day, usually after breakfast. But then my exercise class interfered. So I moved to the afternoon, but someone would drop in. Each day writing would nag at me until I sat down and wrote a page or two. If I missed a day I felt like a failure. This was obviously not working for me. Then one day I read an article in Writer’s Digest by an author with young children. She said she knew she couldn’t write every day so she didn’t obsess about it. Instead she wrote a few sentences when she could. She had certain designated times which were devoted to writing, but they were short periods. Eventually her book was finished. Her advice – there is no one best way to write. It all gets finished in the end. The best way is the one that works for you.

I felt like a weight had been taken from me. What if I made one day a week my writing day? Only in rare circumstances would I let anything interfere with it. The rest of the week I would think about my plot, maybe jot down notes, but there would be no more daily nagging because I hadn’t yet written anything. My mind would be free to think about my story without feeling the obligation to put something on paper. I chose my day and announced to my husband that he needed to find something interesting to do on his own, because I'd be unavailable from 9 to 5. He was fully supportive.

My first novel was published two years ago, and I just finished my second one. I still follow the one-day-a-week schedule. It may not work for everyone, but since it works for me, I’m sticking to it.

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 I live in southern California and am a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, with a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Social Science. I planned to be a clinical psychologist when a flyer on being a probation officer caught my eye. I applied, and after a rigorous four-month process, I was hired and began training. I had a wonderful 26-year career and retired as a Division Director. I'm now concentrating on being a novelist and have begun a series about a female probation officer and her adventures. I have two adult children and three grandchildren. My husband and I travel, take pilates classes together, and enjoy life. He supports my writing efforts and is my best publicist, promoting my work everywhere he can.

 

 

  My Books

                NO STONE UNTURNED was my first novel. It is available in paperback, on Kindle, and as an E-Book via my website, which is: http://outskirtspress.com/nostoneunturned   It follows the experiences of probation officer Linda Davenport, who comes to California for new beginnings and gets more than she bargained for.

 

                NO GOOD DEED will be out by May or June. It is a sequel to my first book and continues with Linda Davenport's experiences.  Both books are in the mystery/romance genre.

 

                Readers can connect with me in a variety of ways, as follows:

 

                                       http://Jeanettethewriter.blogspot.com

 

                                       http://twitter.com/Jeanettewrites    

 

                                       Bjfratto@aol.com     

 

I'm also on Goodreads and Linked-In and I promise to respond to any contacts I receive!

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Thanks Jeanette!

I hope you all enjoyed reading.

If you would like to be considered for a post

let me know.