Thank you for having me today! I am new
author, L. Dean Pace-Frech and my second novel, Disappear With Me, was just released on December 6.
In 2006, a co-worker shared with me that
one of her bucket list goals was to write a novel. That comment awakened a
desire in me that had been buried since I was in the fifth grade. After a visit
to Pea Ridge National Military Park near Pea Ridge, Arkansas, my characters and
their story revealed themselves to me and I started writing.
I have always loved history. I grew up
reading the Little House books by
Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Young Adult
category didn't exist when I was growing up, so I graduated from those books
and went on to read historical dramas like
Roots, The Blue and the Gray, the Kent Family Chronicles, and the North and South Trilogy. It's inevitable that I write historical
fiction.
Disappear
With Me is the story of the search for love and
acceptance. First of all, orphaned Reverend Leander Norris searches for
self-worth and unconditional love. Once he discovers unconditional love, he
gains the courage he needs to fight the accusations against him. Although my characters are gay, the book is
classified as LGBT fiction, and I am gay, my goal was to make the story
universal. Frank and Gregory could be
any couple facing parental influences, natural disasters, or societal
prejudices.
My goal was never to create an allegorical
story or political statement with my novel. I started out writing what I wanted
to read: historical fiction with strong
LGBT characters. With our current
political climate and the issue of marriage equality, it's difficult to deny
that there are some thematic elements that support equal rights. I read in the mid-1990s that just being an
out gay man at the time was a political statement. I think it's hard not to be an LGBT writer
right now and avoid any thematic messages about marriage equality or other
civil rights issues.
As a writer, I try to create stories that
are interesting to different types of people.
If just one person who doesn't understand the fight for LGBT equal
rights is persuaded by my novel to be open to those discussions, then I have
done my job.
Thanks for having me. You can join the discussion on social media
using the hashtag #disappearwithme and I will join in.
Here’s a little more about Disappear with Me:
Love
is greater than hope or faith, but can Reverend Leander Norris convince a jury
that the love he shares with another man is natural?
In 1910, the United Kingdom was in turmoil.
King Edward died after only nine years on the throne. The social class system
that upheld British society for centuries was being chipped away by social,
political, and economic unrest across the Commonwealth. Amidst this backdrop,
Reverend Leander Norris is accused of sodomy. After discovering his own
self-worth and unconditional love, Leander finds the courage to stand up for
what he believes is right and pleads not guilty to the charges. Throughout the
trial, Leander’s past is revealed, including the temptations that bring the accusations
against him. By the end of the trail, Leander is once again reunited with a romantic
interest from the past, but it may be too late to rekindle any love that might
remain, given the circumstances of the era and Leander’s likely sentence.
Excerpt:
“Are you not a scholar?” Weeks asked. “Do
you not know the Bible that you preach from each Sunday?”
“I know it very well,” Leander answered.
“But the Bible has many interpretations. I think you can guess that mine
might be a little less than conventional.”
Weeks reclined back in his chair. He made a
steeple with his fingers and rested them on his pursed lips. “You're actually
sitting here telling me that, as a man of God, you're all right with buggery
and feel you've done nothing wrong?”
“Mr. Weeks, do you realize you keep asking
me the same question over again, using different words?”
“As your counsel, I need to be sure that I
understand your position, the one you expect me to defend.”
“You sound shocked that I would suggest
such a thing. I can't have you defending me if you don't believe it yourself.”
“Reverend, my beliefs about the situation
are irrelevant; it doesn't matter what I believe. I need to be able to defend
our position in court and hope our defense can refute what the prosecution will
present.”
“I have to have conviction in my sermons
each Sunday morning. I think you also know you need to have conviction when
defending your clients.”
“And I can assure you that I have that same
conviction to make sure that you receive a fair trial. I will do my best—”
“Do your best to what? Go through the
motions and make sure that the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed so it
looks like I've been given a good defense?”
Weeks didn't answer and that was all the
answer that Leander needed. After a moment, Weeks tried to start again. “Look,
Reverend, I am your assigned counsel for this trial. I am on your side. I want
to see you get a fair trial, but you must understand what we're up against is
quite overwhelming.”
“I know; I've never done anything the
simple way.”
“Sir, you must understand that we are going
up against laws that are rooted in two thousand years of Christian tradition
and about as many years of British attitude.”
“Mr. Weeks, do you love your wife?”
Weeks let out an impatient sigh. “Of
course, but here you go asking intimate questions about me that have no bearing
on my defending your case.”
“Humor me, sir. Do you love your wife?”
“Yes, I very much love my wife and family.”
“What if you woke up tomorrow and a
constable showed up on your doorstep and arrested you because they said the
love you share with your wife was illegal?”
Weeks didn't answer him. Instead, in a
quiet voice, he said, “You know you and I are just two people. We're not going
to change these laws overnight.”
Buy
Links:
Directly from Musa
Publishing
Check my Author Page at Amazon
US for availability here.
Check my Author Page at Amazon UK for availability
here.
Check Barnes and Noble
for availability here.
About
the Author:
With inspiration from historical
tourism sites, the love of reading, and a desire to write a novel, L. Dean
Pace-Frech started crafting his debut novel, A Place to
Call Their Own, in 2008. After four years of writing and polishing
the manuscript, he submitted it for publication and Musa Publishing offered him
a contract in early 2013. Disappear With
Me is his second
novel.
Dean lives in Kansas
City, Missouri with his partner, Thomas, and their two cats. They are involved
in their church and enjoy watching movies, outdoor activities in the warmer
weather and spending time together with friends and family. In addition to
writing, Dean enjoys reading and patio gardening.
Prior to novels, Dean
did some technical writing in his career. He plans to write a sequel to both A Place to Call Their Own and Disappear with
Me.
Email deanfrech@aol.com
Blog:
Dean's Web Site
Facebook:
Dean Pace-Frech, Author page or send me a friend request Dean
Pace-Frech.
Twitter: @deanpacefrech
Google+: +deanpacefrech
Goodreads: L. Dean Pace-Frech
Pinterest:
Dean Pace-Frech
Check out Dean’s first book, A Place to Call Their Own, at Musa
Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other great sites!
Thanks so much for hosting me!
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