Dear readers: I’ve made no secret I’m concerned about AI. My guest today may have found the solution. Keep so busy, even artificial intelligence can’t keep up. But be warned. Productivity comes with a cost. My guest suffers from Frazzled Author Syndrome. It’s a new ailment, so you won’t find it on Web M.D. But it’s out there. Trust me. Please welcome Author Annette Dashofy as she tells us all about it. ~ Donnell
What Book Am I Talking About?
by Annette Dashofy
Author Annette Dashofy
A decade ago, when I was exuberant over the publication of my first novel and still writing the next one, I discovered a gaping hole in my writing education. Despite devouring books on craft and sitting through dozens and dozens of workshops, I never heard anyone discuss what was to come. Namely, forgetting which book I was talking about at any given time.
The first three books gave me an inkling of what was coming. I would be promoting one book, editing a second, and drafting a third. No one told me about this or what it does to a writer’s already frazzled brain.
Last month, I was honored to be an Agatha Award finalist for the seventh time. (I’ve never won, but we won’t discuss that.) The book up for the award was last year’s Zoe Chambers Mystery #12, Helpless. Meanwhile, I’ve published two other books in a second series and my recently released Zoe Chambers #13, What Comes Around. I’m also working on edits to the third book in the second series and drafting yet another.
During Malice Domestic, the mystery convention where the Agathas are given out, I was focused on the nominated book. I was prepared to stay immersed in that one for the weekend. All was well until the end of my panel and that final question: “What’s next for Zoe and Pete?” Suddenly, I needed to pull a one-line blurb out of my hat for What Comes Around. I smiled with a confidence I didn’t feel. I sputtered and stuttered. And managed to mumble out a quick tease, all the while hoping I was talking about the right book.
Something similar happens when I talk to book clubs. In my defense, they’ve just completed reading a book I haven’t looked at in years. And years. They remember all the details. Me? Not so much. I recall the time I attended such a club, and someone asked me why a certain character acted a certain way. I went blank. Not only couldn’t I remember the character’s motivation, I couldn’t remember the character! Thankfully, the other club members jumped into the discussion. I stood there smiling (again, with a confidence I didn’t feel) and nodding.
So, in spite of the two other books I’m working on right now, here’s a little about What Comes Around. It picks up right where Helpless leaves off, with County Coroner Zoe Chambers-Adams locked in a battle of words and wits with her chief deputy coroner, the pompous Dr. Charles Davis. She’s this close to firing his insubordinate a$$ when her other forensic pathologist lands in the hospital, leaving Zoe with no choice but to keep Davis on staff. Then a woman comes to town, claiming to have information for Zoe about Davis’s past, but is murdered before she has a chance to share what she knows. At least, I think that’s what it’s about.
About the Book: (Really this one!) Just as Monongahela County Coroner Zoe Chambers-Adams decides to fire her abrasive chief deputy, Dr. Charles Davis, and put an end to his constant undermining of her position, a suspicious car crash severely injures the county’s only other forensic pathologist. To keep the office operational, Zoe has little choice but to keep Davis on staff.
When Zoe and her husband—Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams—respond to a brutal homicide, they quickly learn the victim had come to town for the sole purpose of sharing vital information with Zoe. And the decedent’s ex-husband is none other than Zoe’s deputy coroner.
As Zoe and Pete dig deeper into the victim’s past, more questions arise along with a tangle of connections between multiple cases, including a very cold one that leads Zoe and those she cares about directly into the crosshairs of a crazed killer.
About the Author: Annette Dashofy is the USA Today bestselling author of sixteen mystery novels including seven Agatha Award finalists and one Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award winner. What Comes Around is the thirteenth in the Zoe Chambers series set in rural southwestern Pennsylvania. She also writes the Detective Honeywell Mysteries. Annette and her husband live on ten acres of what was her grandfather’s dairy farm with one very spoiled cat, Kensi.
Thanks so much for having me back on your blog, Donnell!
My absolute pleasure, Annette. You are one multitasking, able-to-focus woman!
It’s such a relief to put a name to my condition. Frazzled Author Syndrome is a life-affecting condition. Thankfully, joining a support group like Sisters in Crime can help those who are affected cope and realize they are not alone. Stay strong, my fellow frazzled authors.🫨
Nanci, SinC is vital to our survival!
Totally agree that Sisters in Crime is an awesome support group. I hope your Frazzled Author Syndrome is under control.
Annette, I’m so with you. I, too, suffer from Frazzled Author Syndrome. I’ve had times where I can’t remember a character’s name as I’m speaking about one of my books. It’s usually easy enough to work around when it’s not a major character, but that’s rarely the case!
Lois, I’m so glad to hear it isn’t just me!
Great article, and thanks for getting us to think about this! Wonder if I should start creating cheat sheets for each book…
Not a bad idea, Marie. All those characters you include 😉
Marie, those are really helpful…as long as you remember to keep them updated. It’s that last part that I’m not so good at.
I can’t imagine how you do any of it. The writing, keeping them straight in your mind, or all the marketing. We love you but we cost you so much.
Jeanie, Annette has an unparalleled passion for writing. Plus, she pretty smart. But while we’re at it, Annette. do you keep spreadsheets, character charts, etc. etc.?
Thanks, Jeanie. I love my readers, too, which is what drives me. Donnell, I use Scrivener, not for writing but for everything else. Plot lines, characters, research, locations, backstories… Lately, I’ve started keeping a spreadsheet that I can search alphabetically to keep from overusing the same first initial. At least, that’s the idea. Despite that, I managed to have Emma and Eric in Erie. And Baronick who lives in Brunswick.