Hello fellow book lovers,

Here is August’s Indie Update. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Maria P Frino about her book ‘Fame and Other Disasters’.

Thank you for reading x

Author Interview with Maria P Frino
Author of Fame and Other Disasters

Hello Maria, thank you for joining me at Indie Author Insights. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Thanks for having me Lydia. I live in Sydney, Australia and have been writing my whole working life. But, I didn't become a published author until ten years ago and then finally published my debut novel, The Decision They Made, in November 2019. I wrote this historical fiction family saga for my parents and had it translated into Italian for them. This August (2024) I travelled to Southern Italy to a book fair to promote the Italian version. I have so much more inspiration to write other stories now.

It’s great to meet you and hear a bit about you. I don’t think its ever to late to publish a book. Could you tell me about your book?

Fame and Other Disasters was published in November 2024 and is a book inspired by my job in television at the beginning of my career. It is a contemporary women's fiction novel about two female TV hosts who have a huge fight over social media.

SYNOPSIS – Fame is a double-edged sword, and nowhere is this truer than in the volatile world of television hosting. One misstep, one dip in ratings, and the audience holds the power to elevate or cancel hosts in a heartbeat. In this flawed environment, the line between stardom and downfall is razor-thin, and public opinion can turn a career into a disaster where the hosts become breaking news.

It’s so useful to be able to draw on your own life experiences for your writing. Are you working on anything else at the moment?

Fame and Other Disasters is my current project but I do have another science fantasy magical novella I'm working on - TRACI. The concept is how AI is influencing our society and robots are used more and more. What would happen if a robot developed human feelings? My other magical novellas are the Edward's Cat Trilogy, for readers 13+.

That sounds very apt for the times we are in! Could you tell me about your author journey: what were the highs, the lows and how you overcame them?

Being a self-published author has many challenges but I have had more highs than lows, thankfully. One highlight was launching The Decision They Made at a local bookstore during 2021, in between COVID lock downs. Many people attended and I sold out of the books I took with me. More recently, having the Italian version, La Decisione Presa, accepted by three libraries in Italy was amazing. One in the town my parents were born in (where the book fair in August was held) and two in libraries in Florence.

Self-publishing is such a roller coaster! But it sounds like you’ve had a lot of success. I find marketing the hardest. Do you have any top tips?

Marketing is the hardest part indeed! I still struggle with it and my day job is marketing. You have to keep at it and have your name out there.

I use social media - Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X regularly. I have a website - www.mariapfrino.com and I write blogs on this site, I go to writer's groups, festivals and sell my books at markets. Also, Sydney Authors Inked is a group of Sydney authors I am a part of, we do free author talks and festivals for readers, book lovers and emerging writers. People register on Humanitix for tickets.

Social media is definitely key to marketing. I always struggle to find in person events though. So, if you could go back in time and give your past self some advice, what would it be?

My advise to my younger self is keep writing and don't be frightened to publish your own work. I was fifty before I took my writing seriously and so wish I had done so sooner.

Great advice. Do you have other hobbies you enjoy when you’re not writing? I like to crochet.

You crochet? So do I. I also enjoy gardening and watching movies. I regularly binge movies and shows on streaming services.

Thank you so much for joining me. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about before we finish? And where can we buy your books, please?

I started with one book for my parents to enjoy and I now have ten books with two more coming. If you enjoy writing, then do it, the writing is the best part! You can find my books on Amazon and other online sites, in libraries (ask if they don't have it), various bookstores and from me directly.

I am on Threads, Facebook, Instagram and X.