Gareth Frank Interview

Does this book have a special meaning to you? i.e. where you found the idea, its symbolism, its meaning, who you dedicated it to, what made you want to write it?

I wrote this book for a couple of reasons. Primarily because near-death experiences and the almost unlimited capacity of the human mind fascinates me, but that is only where I started. I had to create a story that could hold those ideas.

Steven King once said:  "(The writer's) job isn’t to find ideas but to recognize them when they show up."

For me, the idea for my novel showed up in the mail. I received a Christmas card that mentioned the death of a friend's brother and alluded to his wife being the murderer. A very strange Christmas card, indeed. I couldn't stop thinking about it. When I called my friend and asked what had happened, I found out that, as they say, fact was stranger than fiction. I used the woman in question to create one of my characters. Some people think I created a monster. The truth is, real monsters are often real people. That was the genesis of my storyline.

The theme of my book grew out of my fascination with near-death experiences, and what they tell us about the conscious mind. Polling has shown that about 70 percent of Americans believe in some sort of afterlife. We all struggle between two competing natures, the logical and the spiritual. Where we lie between those two points largely defines who we are. That dualism lies at the heart of my book.

The Moment Between is a psychological thriller that brings death to life.

Where do you get your storylines from?

                Answered above.

Was this book easier or more difficult to write than others?  Why?

My first book contained a lot of references to my childhood, and involved the Vietnam War protests which I already knew quite a bit about. Because of that, it was easier to create, but it was my first novel, and as such, I will always consider it the hardest to write. The Moment Between, on the other hand, required a ton of detailed research on neurology, brain surgery, near-death experiences and even popular physics. It also required me to create characters from whole cloth, rather than rely on experience or history.  Although it was a lot of work, it was a ton of fun to write.

Do you only write one genre?

My first novel was historical fiction, my short stories have been all over the map, The Moment Between is a psychological thriller and the novel I am writing now  has a touch of magical realism. I love genre bending as well so while The Moment Between is a thriller, I like to think that it is character driven and is a thinking person's story.

Give us a picture of where you write, where you compose these words…is it Starbucks, a den, a garden…we want to know your inner sanctum?

I know it's bad for my posture, but I grab my laptop, get comfortable on my couch and write. Like Albert Einstein who often sat in his bathtub lost in thought hour after hour, I can hang out on the couch writing all day.

And finally, of course…was there any specific event or circumstance that made you want to be a writer?

I spent thirty years as a union organizer and administrator. It was a very rewarding career, where I felt like I was making a difference for people and helping make their lives a little better. I retired seven years ago without a real plan for what was to come. When people asked me what I planned to do in retirement, I said I was going to write a novel. I figured if I said it aloud I was more likely to follow-up. It worked. I am now writing my third novel and loving it. Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to get started, but I honestly think I would have given up if I had tried earlier in my life.