Heather Frimmer is a Connecticut author with a career as a radiologist. No surprise then, that her books have a medical background, but really, they focus on moral dilemmas and secrets that affect almost every character. Her latest, Better to Trust, actually begs that question. Is it better to trust? Or can trusting present problems of its own? The book has a fast-paced plot, with events and issues that had me asking myself what I would do in a similar situation. It will be a great book club read, after it comes out on September 21.
I asked about her favorite places to write.
Four years ago, we decided we no longer needed a dedicated play area behind the couch in our family room. Our kids were growing up and had lost interest in the train table, wooden blocks, and construction set ages ago. My husband and I agreed to transform that part of the room into my reading and writing nook. To decorate the space, we choose a cream-painted desk with a cane back chair, a reading chair with a matching ottoman, and a set of bookshelves. I will write here every day, I told myself as we packed away the toys and accepted delivery on the new furniture. I was convinced the beauty of my new space would inspire me to write for hours on end, the words pouring effortlessly from my fingers. Surely, magic would happen here.
Fast forward four years and I haven’t done anything other than pay bills at that desk. For one thing, it’s right next to the couch where my husband is often watching police procedurals or violent actions movies. But I really can’t lay the blame solely on him. I’m a wandering writer. I can write anywhere: at the kitchen table, outside on the patio, or on an airplane. The café of the now-shuttered big Westport Barnes and Noble store was my hands-down favorite. I loved the background noise of the espresso machine and cash registers and listening to conversations at the next table helped me craft dialogue and come up with plot ideas. I wrote the majority of my first novel at one of the tables in that café. But wherever I land, there must be a large iced coffee by my side.
My second novel, Better to Trust, releases on September 21, and explores the emotional fallout within a family after a neurosurgeon battling drug addiction operates on his sister-in-law’s brain.
Heather will be launching her latest at the Westport Library in Connecticut, in a live and virtual event at 7pm ET that evening. For more information, and to register, check here. You can also connect with her via her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Kristi Leonard
September 7, 2021 - 2:21 pm ·I am also a wandering writer and as long as I have headphones and white noise, I can be anywhere. I wish you the best of luck with your book launch!! Thanks, Gabi, for always giving us a peek into how others write. These short little forays are a nice little dabble when I want to procrastinate but don’t want to spend too much time away from my characters.
Gabi Coatsworth
September 7, 2021 - 2:34 pm ·I’m glad they’re a nice diversion – consider them part of your writing process
Heather Frimmer
September 9, 2021 - 8:12 pm ·Another wanderer! I agree. Gabi’s website is wonderful