Amy Frazier, a senior lecturer in the Writing and Language Studies department, will have her first novelette, “Brujería in South Texas,” released on Wednesday, with parts of the book based on real events.
A short story writer from Brownsville, Frazier told The Rider she initially wrote the novelette as a short story.
“Brujería in South Texas” centers on Isabella, who finds a pile of puzzling objects appearing on her porch step. With each passing day, Isabella’s health starts to deteriorate and that is when her best friend Bonnie suspects brujería. Bonnie’s suspicions are confirmed when an anthropologist notices evidence in Polaroids taken by Isabella and advises her to see a curandero or a priest to break the brujería spells.
Not wanting to reveal too many details from the true events to keep the person anonymous, Frazier said it was someone she knew for a long time.
“I would never have thought it would happen, but coming from her, I believe her,” she said. “There are actual witches involved in the story that did take place. … Three witches caused extensive injury to this person, where she was in [the] ICU twice.”
Frazier, the mentor of Authors’ Corner, a Mathematics and Science Academy-based creative writing group with works published in The Rider, said she took the chance and submitted the story to Austin Macauley Publishers in New York City. She said they liked it but it was about 2,500 words too short for their 10,000 word minimum.
“They asked me if I would be willing to expand it to a minimum of 10,000 words and I didn’t blink an eye,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was going to write, but I started thinking about some ideas. And I isolated myself from the entire world for two weeks. … When you write as an author, you have to be alone and stay away from distractions … to be able to delve deeply into this, a psychology of these characters.”
Frazier said the characters came alive and were leading her in the writing process.
“I don’t write an outline, but I have an idea what the story’s about,” she said. “And it wasn’t until I added those three chapters to expand my short story into a novelette that I saw how these characters were leading me instead of the opposite.”
Gabriella Medina, a psychology freshman, told The Rider the book sounds like something that would interest her since she has heard about witchcraft in South Texas through family.
“I’ve never been able to get really into depth about [witchcraft],” Medina said. “But reading the synopsis and how [Frazier] told us some of it is actually based on actual events, I think it’ll be interesting to read and it’ll give me insight into witchcraft.”
Amy Leal, an English freshman, also told The Rider she is interested in reading the book and a big reason is because of the book cover.
“It’s just very vibrant and it catches your attention,” Leal said. “I think there’s a theme going there that you can see, definitely, with the witchcraft.”
Asked if either of them have experienced any sort of witchcraft, they replied no, but said they have family members that tell stories of witchcraft.
“I grew up being told to be careful of witchcraft out there,” Medina said. “Be careful of what I get myself into. So, I think Isabella in this book might have gotten herself into something.”
Frazier, who specializes in short stories, specifically fiction about the people of the Rio Grande Valley, was asked what drives her passion for the specialization.
She replied that as an English teacher at the public school and university levels for the last 35 years, she has met many talented students and community members.
“I started writing short stories about the people here in the Valley because I wanted to highlight and emphasize the gifts and talents in people,” Frazier said. “We can make a name for ourselves. We can put ourselves on the map here. We’re relevant. We may not be people from New York City … but there’s a great deal of talent down here. Talent that I don’t think is recognized and acknowledged enough.”
“Brujería in South Texas” will cost $6.95 for a paperback and $21.95 for a hardcover, and will be sold on Amazon and in Barnes & Noble, as well as in numerous bookstore outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and other countries.
Frazier said a book signing is in the works. Possible locations include the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts and the University Bookstore on the Brownsville campus.
“My [goal for the book] is that I offer hope in the story,” Frazier said. “No matter what hardship, what problem, what suffering we experience … it’s all about our attitude and the choices we make. If we can see the problem that we’re experiencing as an opportunity to ride out the storm so that we can see it as an opportunity to strengthen us, then we can come out stronger people after the storm.”
