Jennifer Fraser, the author of the acclaimed thriller Crush: A Wine Thriller, which is set entirely in and around Osoyoos, held a book signing and meet and greet at the Osoyoos public library last Friday afternoon. Fraser discussed her passion for writing, inspiration for the novel and answered questions about the publishing industry. She sold copies of her new book and signed them for (from left) Linda Hilford from Richmond, Monica Shelvey from Osoyoos, Ann Frost from London, Ont. and Sally Hughes from Burnaby. (Keith Lacey photo)
Jennifer Fraser says she would love to give up her day job – she’s a longtime university professor – to pursue writing novels full-time.
The woman who penned the acclaimed thriller based in Osoyoos called Crush: A Wine Thriller paid a visit to the Osoyoos branch of the Okanagan Public Library last Friday afternoon to sign copies of her first novel.
She also talked to aspiring writers about the inspiration for her novel, the many hurdles aspiring Canadian writers face in trying to get published and her love for the Town of Osoyoos, where she and her husband and two kids have been coming for vacation for the past two decades.
“This is what I would love to do full-time … it’s my passion,” said Fraser.
However, with two boys – one in high school and the other in university – that won’t be happening any time soon, said Fraser.
Fraser taught comparative literature at the University of Toronto for 14 years and wrote numerous academic books during her tenure there.
She is now a university professor in Victoria.
Fraser, 50, said she originally wrote the original manuscript for Crush more than a decade ago.
An editor she hired basically “butchered” the novel “and turned it into a Harlequin romance” and she wasn’t happy about it, she said.
She basically re-wrote the book over the past two years and is thrilled with the response to Crush, she said.
She urged the small crowd that gathered for the book signing to join reading groups and book clubs and to pursue their passion, even if getting published could very well prove difficult.
Fraser, who has written numerous technical and educational books before turning to fiction, said she is working on the sequel to Crush, which is called Celsius and is based in Hawaii.
Crush, which garnered numerous rave reviews, is based solely in and around Osoyoos and features lead character Paige Munro, who is sent to do a feature on the South Okanagan wine industry after trying to get over the death of her partner who was killed while working as a war correspondent in Syria.
While she believes the assignment in Osoyoos will be peaceful and relaxing, Munro gets caught up with characters involved in smuggling and other illicit activities.
Despite her busy schedule as a wife, mother and university professor, Fraser said she will always find time to write fiction because it has been the most rewarding artistic experience of her life.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
