Frannie is a…
Storyteller: My short stories are published in North American Review and Berkeley Fiction Review. I also have two children’s plays on the Drama Notebook.
Research Enthusiast: I actively seek out research experiences for my writing, like those at Manassas Battlefield, the Library of Congress, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Publishing Industry Experience: For two years, I co-agented with Fritz Heinzen, a literary agent of military history and historical fiction. I also interned with Creative Media Agency, Inc. I am passionate about early career development, and I currently serve as secretary and communications co-chair on the Young Publishers Association.
Storytelling as excavation
Researching Roman life at the Getty Villa
My obsession with historical fiction is hard to pinpoint. Perhaps it started with a stage performance of 1776 at Ford’s Theater, infamous for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln? Or maybe I should blame it on Felicity, my American Girl Doll, who was a fellow redhead and therefore we were the same, even though she lived through the American Revolution. Either way, through several different projects, I have become an author-archivist with a special interest in American history.
Historical novelists play in the margins of fact, extracting empathy and thought from places, dates, and times. My writing process is much like running a marathon where you are forced to pause every 50 feet to read a book chapter. I am addicted to finding the unknown - in almanacs, court documents, old newspapers, and memoirs - then twisting the threads of a story until they braid together seamlessly. Knowledge is our greatest superpower against ignorance, and it is my greatest joy to equip readers with knowledge of the past in fun, character-driven stories.