Author of Nina’s Memento Mori
Q&A
Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?
Originally from New York City; presently residing in Athens, Alabama
If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?
Different marriages prompted me to move to other states, first Arizona, then Nevada and finally Athens, a giant cow pasture.
What made you decide to write and publish your first book?
As a child and young adult, my reading about the Holocaust and my experiences as an American Jew consciously and especially unconsciously moved me to express a wide range of my feelings about the event. The Holocaust is an indictment of the species; if you ever get lost about what we are delve into the subject, for it is the original sin of humanity. The book exploded in my hands, written quickly, feverishly over a week, day and night, whenever I could get to it while working. THE i TETRALOGY is the best thing I have ever written.
How would you describe your books to first-time readers?
If you google Mathias freese.amazon.com you will gain access to my author’s page. Two videos explain my point of view. In short, I view all my work as self-repair. I am explaining who I am to myself. It is a search for a measure of self-awareness. Royalties do not interest me. What I have to say to myself does.
What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?
That as I have aged a measure of some awareness or wisdom has arrived with considerable staying power. I see more clearly now.
If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?
Advice is useless for the inner-directed human being but I will answer in the spirit of the question. Travel, roam, experience in an attempt to attain what Krishnamurti called an awakening of intelligence.
How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?
Just a few intelligent readers. I don’t write for posterity. I write for myself and my loved ones.
What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?
I am an autodidact, aren’t we all. I wish I knew more about the craft. Yet I resist formal learning.
What are your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?
IMAGINATION! and EMPATHY I imagined what it was to be dehumanized in the concentration camps and many reviewers thought I had attained that.
What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?
Plotting.
When do you think you will write your next book?
I am writing a book of short stories at this moment. “Raymonde,” a short story, was published on my 80th birthday. That should say something to you, dear reader. A therapist once interpreted how I respond to the world — an abundance of awareness and unique drive.
Are you self-published or did you use a hybrid publisher or a traditional publisher?
Self-published. At my age, I don’t have two or three years to produce a book.
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