A Coffee Date with J.M. Frey

Author of Nine-Tenths

Paint a picture of your favourite coffee shop for writing. What makes it perfect to you? Is it the corner table, the barista who knows your name, the way the light hits at 2pm?

A shop where the music is soothing and low, and fellow patrons keep their conversations to a murmur. Ideally, I’ve love a big squashy chair, by a window looking out onto a nice garden, maybe rain rolling down the glass. And delicious coffee, of course—not over-roasted or scaled by the hot water—which magically stays hot no matter how slowly I sip on it.

You’re at the counter. The barista knows your order by heart. What are you getting? Be oddly specific.

Caramel Macchiato with full-fat milk and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. If you could hit it with a brûlée torch so the sugar caramelizes and gets smokey, that would be rad, thanks.

You're sitting across from me now, coffee (or other beverage) in hand. Tell me a bit about yourself and your latest book.

Nine-Tenths is my thirteenth published novel, and my first totally self-published book. I studied dramatic literature in university, and while I had some very mild success with some of my scripts, my love of fan-fiction quickly parlayed into original fiction and I took a crack at novels. I ended up selling my second manuscript and haven’t looked back. The books have been nominated for Lambda Literary Awards and the now defunct CBC Bookies, and have appeared on The Advocate’s Best Overlooked Books of the Year, the Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year, and the New York Times’ Best Romances of the year lists. I have been traditionally published, but this foray into full control and full transparency has been a wonderful—if sometimes terrifying—adventure.

You notice I'm scribbling your social media handles and website on receipt paper (old barista habit). What should I write down so readers can find you?

Website: www.jmfrey.net; Socials: @j.m.frey (TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads)

I'm that friend who always asks 'what should I read next?' What are your top three current reads that you'd practically force into my hands, and why is each one consuming your thoughts?

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and Fete for a King by Sam Starbuck. I love each of these books because they are unexpected. You think you know where the plot is going, and instead it gives you a self-aware, delicious, weird little twist that is just so SATISFYING. These characters are aware of the tropes of the kind of stories they find themselves in, and do their best to navigate them beautifully.

The coffee shop WIFI just went down, so we're stuck here talking. Tell me the weird, unexpected, or completely ridiculous path that led you to become a writer.

I got hit by a car. No, really. In 2006 I had finished my acting/dramatic literature degree and I was in Japan teaching English to pay off my student loans. I had every intention of returning to Canada after a few years, throwing myself back into singing and dance lessons, and getting myself fighting-fit and back on the audition circuit. Instead, I got hit by a car while cycling, which destroyed my feature on the stage but gave me the down time and incentive to finally get around to writing that original novel I’d been thinking about. That book ended up being my debut, Triptych.

I’m timing you with my phone’s stopwatch. You have exactly 50 words to describe your writing ritual or process. Go!

I often write a scene that takes place late in the story first. That way I establish the tone, stakes, and character voice robustly BEFORE I have to worry about how it starts. From there, I jump around and write on the fly until I have enough to stitch together.

You’re hosting a dinner party and can invite any of your characters. Who’s getting the invitation, and what are you serving? (Bonus points for pairing their personality with the menu).

I fear that most of them would thump me if they got the chance. Maybe I’ll invite my most genteel and well-mannered characters: Dav from Nine-Tenths, The Coyote from The Skylark’s Song, and Forsyth from The Untold Tale. Of course, every single one of them would happily knife me in the dark if they learned that I was the reason for their suffering, but they’d be terribly polite about it as they did.

The person at the next table is eavesdropping on us. Let's make them regret it. What's the weirdest research rabbit hole you've fallen down that would make them raise an eyebrow?

Less weird and more fascinating, but I’ve been reading a lot about the burning of Washington during the War of 1812, and how upset the British naval officer General Cockburn got when the American press made (*cough*) vulgar jokes about his name in the press. So upset that he planned to set fire to the newspaper buildings when he reached them. He was stopped by the women whose houses abutted the building, pleading for their homes, and instead he sent his sailors into the press rooms to steal all the letter “C”s from the type-cases. As you can imagine, the press was even more cruel with the next edition, and the nicknames were worse without the “C.”

As we're leaving, you turn back and say something that will stick with me forever about writing, creativity, or life. What is it (no pressure)?

Every person reading your manuscripts on submission or watching your audition in the room is thinking the same thing: “Please, let this person or this book be the one I need to fill that role/slot.” Every single person is hoping, even more than you are, that you are the answer to their problem. They want you MORE than you want that role or publication, and they are JUST as upset as you are when it doesn’t work out. They’re rooting for you. They believe in you. Even if they can’t pick you. ESPECIALLY when they can’t pick you. So how can you do any less for yourself?

Find out more about Nine-Tenths here.