[theme music]
J.P. Der Boghossian
Why hello everybody! My name is J.P. Der Boghossian and for our new listeners to this podcast, a new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life! will drop next week. But today we welcome you to 7 minutes in book heaven where I interview queer authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and to cuddle up with. With me today is Lindsay Freeman. Hello!
Lindsey A. Freeman
Hello Good to be here.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Thank you for being here! So, per the rules of the game Lindsey and I are going to spend exactly 7 minutes in this virtual studio talking about her new book Running. Also getting to know about the amazing human and writer that is Lindsey Freeman. Lindsey are you ready?
Lindsey A. Freeman
I'm ready!
J.P. Der Boghossian
Okay I will set the timer here and here we go. Question number one: would you please describe Running as if you're sharing it with your celebrity crush and telling us who the celebrity crush is of course.
Lindsey A. Freeman
Okay, I'm going to describe my book to Jennifer Beal who I know is a reader because I once saw her looking absolutely gorgeous in a bookstore in the west village of Manhattan buying a huge stack of books. And the internet tells me that she's also a runner.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Yay!
Lindsey A. Freeman
Just the perfect, perfect combo. So, I would say, “Jennifer, Running is the queer and feminist book about running that I always wanted but couldn't find it's about queer friendship. It’s about repetition and what comes from doing the same practices over and over. It's about making visible and beautiful the sometimes weird experiences of running in and of itself. Ultimately, my book is about the things you can touch while running that are difficult to access when still.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Jennifer Beal! If looking for your next read here you go! Question number 2. What's a sentence from a novel essay poem or other book that every time you read it, it gives you all the feels?
Lindsey A. Freeman
Okay, I'm going to choose a poem from Thomas Gardner's The Poverty Creek Journals which is my favorite book about running. And also it's a real poet's book about running. So he writes, “Your heart rate rises / Your concentration buckles / And you're suddenly flailing around inside with no landmark save for a familiar hatred of yourself / and the ego that made you line up in race / you slow down and turn on yourself.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Ooh. Wow. Do you include that in the book?
Lindsey A. Freeman
I think I include parts of it. Yeah yeah. It really hits me.
J.P. Der Boghossian
I can see why. Okay. Question number 3 What do you feel is the best sentence you've ever written.
Lindsey A. Freeman
Okay, I'm going to choose one of my favorites from Running. It goes like this, “This equation of elective affinities only come to light through running and race volunteers’ diligence. In the registering and collecting of the electronic timers that read the data feet crossing lines. The math that runners make.”
J.P. Der Boghossian
Hmm. Wow, Lindsey. I really love that. Okay question number 4. What's the best romantic scene you've ever read?
Lindsey A. Freeman
Okay, I Love this question. I'm going to choose from Roland Barthe’s A Lover's Discourse. In the opening section titled “How This Book Is Constructed.” He writes, “So it is with the lover at grips with his figures. He struggles in a kind of lunatic sport. He spins himself like an athlete. He phrases like an orator. He is caught, stuffed into a roll, like a statue. The figure is the lover at work.” And this really sets up how the book's theme of how the lover hopes suffers and delights.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Okay. Yeah! What’s this from again?
Lindsey A. Freeman
It's from Barthe’s A Lover's Discourse.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Discourse indeed. Um, okay question number 5. What are your favorite scents or smells to write about?
Lindsey A. Freeman
All right I'm going to keep this answer short and maybe mysterious: Forest scents, rain and, sharpened pencils.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Oh. I'm going to need more than that. I love the sharpened pencils. I would totally write about that too. Can you give us a little bit more about the other two?
Lindsey A. Freeman
I think it's something about the cedar in the forest where I run in Vancouver. That I think it just opens up a whole world there. Yeah.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Thank you! Question number 6. What is the worst writing advice you've ever got?
Lindsey A. Freeman
I love this question too. You can really exercise some things in me. Ah I'm going to give you two. One is never use a semicolon, because it makes you look pretentious.
J.P. Der Boghossian
What?! No. No, no. Hmm, mm. No.
Lindsey A. Freeman
No. And the other is clarity is more important than style.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Uh! What? No. No to that one too. I. I don’t want to project. For you, why do you think these are the worst you’ve ever gotten?
Lindsey A. Freeman
I felt like they were personal attacks.
[Both laugh]
J.P. Der Boghossian
Oh no!
Lindsey A. Freeman
Like, yeah. One of the feedback I got once was that my writing was precious and pretentious.
J.P. Der Boghossian
[gasps] No!
Lindsey A. Freeman
But then I realized that was like maybe a good thing.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Eww. What?
Lindsey A. Freeman
Coming from that coming from the person. Yeah.
J.P. Der Boghossian
Oh. Okay. But still. They know who they are. We’ll put them on read. Ok. Question number 7. Promote yourself! How do we preorder your book? How do we follow you on social?
Lindsey A. Freeman
Okay, first of all Running is priced to move. So, it's fifteen ninety-five and you can order it from Powells, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon if you must. But better yet, ask your local independent bookstores to order it for you. And you can find me mostly on Twitter at @ Lindsey A. Freeman (@lindseyafreeman) and sometimes on Instagram @ atomic underscore Lindsey underscore Freeman (@atomic_lindsey_freeman)
J.P. Der Boghossian
Hmm. Can I ask what's behind the story of that handle on Instagram?
Lindsey A. Freeman
Well I'm from an Atomic City. Yeah yeah, so I am an Atomic to the core. Yeah, and before I wrote about running I mostly wrote about Atomic things. So I'm making a real swerve here.
J.P. Der Boghossian
[laughs] Ah, well that is all the time we have today. Thank you so much Lindsey.
Lindsey A. Freeman
Thank you so much J.P.
J.P. Der Boghossian
This has been another episode of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven brought to you buy This Queer Book Saved My Life! Transcripts of all of our episodes are available on this queerbook.com. We are on Facebook plus we're @thisqueerbook on Instagram and Twitter because apparently that’s still a thing. My name is JP Der Boghossian and stay tuned to this space every Tuesday for new episodes of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven or This Queer Book Saved My Life! Until then, see you queers and allies in the bookstores!