Amber and I first met online. We both published with Anamcara Press, and Amber has been instrumental in promoting my books. We met in person at the American Library Association Conference in Chicago earlier this summer. Online connections are great but not as much fun visiting in person and sharing pizza and wine. Amber has a witty sense of humor, and I think you will enjoy this interview and her books, Kansas GenExistential: Essays from the Heartland and her novel The Bug Diary.

If your protagonist could live in another era, which would she choose and why?

I think Kymer would choose to visit several eras—especially in the past, because she’s an insect lover, and she’d want to see species of insects that are extinct. But I think Kymer could only live in the present. She knows she’s privileged and comfortable, and most importantly, she wouldn’t want to live in a time when women had fewer rights. Also, I don’t think she could give up technology.

If she could change anything in her life, what would it be and why?

It sounds cheesy, but I think Kymer would like to see a more just and equal society.

What do you and your protagonist have in common?

Lots of things! The biggest difference is she grew up in a family with money. Not tons of money, but she’s never wanted for anything.

If you had an argument, who would win and why?

I think I’d win only because I’m older, but I think both of us would think we’d won.

How long have you been writing? What was the motivating factor that got you started?

Since elementary school. A teacher turned me on to writing, and I was hooked for life.

What do you want most for your readers to come away with after they read your books?

That women are complicated people—actually, I want them to get the sense all people are complicated people with their own back stories, no matter how one-dimensional they might first appear.

Tell us about your perfect writing day.

That would be a day when I have nothing else going on to worry about—no tasks or errands or freelance deadlines—and nobody interrupts me or asks me to do anything for them. Sometimes, writing feels like an almost selfish act! Reading, too.

What was the oddest job you ever had?

Throwing newspapers—not as a child, but as a college student. I was often up all night long, driving around on country roads in surrounding counties, throwing newspapers. We adults who deliver newspapers are an odd lot, to say the least. It was a rich environment for learning about character, that’s for sure!

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is an essay collection titled Kansas GenExistential. If you have a sense of humor, if you’re a Midwesterner, a Gen Xer, if you like the essays of David Sedaris and/or you are a person going through menopause, you will relate to something this book. Hopefully, you will laugh.

Name three authors you would recommend and tell us what you like about their writing.

Oh, man. No pressure, Kathleen! Seriously, though, I would recommend Stephen King’s writing because of its accessibility—his books are entertaining and not difficult to get through—even the long ones, and they’re not all scary. I’d recommend Langston Hughes because he’s a great American author, poet and playwright, and I’d recommend Kathleen Kaska’s, Sydney Lockhart mysteries because the writing is fun, witty, and real. Sydney is a dynamic, tough, smart female lead, and the books are just a pleasure to read!

Amber Fraley is your typical Gen Xer suburban Kansas wife and mom of one who grew up a book nerd in a dysfunctional family and now writes about those experiences as hilarious therapy. She’s the author of the darkly humorous essay collection From Kansas, Not Dorothy, and the viral essay Gen X Will Not Go Quietly. The Bug Diary was her first novel. Her latest essay collection, Kansas GenExistential, will be released in December of 2023.

Gen X refuses to die with dignity. We will die in the spirit of Grace Jones and Poison, thank you, as we express ourselves in any way we see fit, whether that be in a suit or full body suit of tattoos.

Most of us are not, as our parents did, dressing our age. We see those articles — the ones that say we’re supposed to stop wearing strappy sandals and high tops and combat boots and miniskirts and skintight jeans with holes and ’locks and tattoos — and we consider it for a second and then we say, “f*ck that,” because we’ve always worn whatever we wanted and we don’t particularly give a crap if you don’t like it. -from Gen X Will Not Go Quietly, Kansas GenExistential

Links

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amber-Fraley/author/B00KEQXNHC?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://www.amazon.com/Kansas-GenExistential-Heartland-Amber-Fraley/dp/1960462113?ref_=ast_author_dp