Lucas Film and numerous autobiographies for athletes such as Julie Krone, Bela Karolyi and Monica Seles. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.Fischer applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Speed of Falling Objects, and reported the following:
From page 69:Visit Nancy Richardson Fischer's website.Heart hammering, I dump the unsent letters on the kitchen table. My mom takes a long time to look up. That’s when I drop the ceramic coin on her notes. It spins, then settles, making a soft whisper like the sound of a page being turned.There were two inspirations for The Speed of Falling Objects. The first is my obsession with survival stories. I don’t think anyone knows themselves or the people around them until they’re tested under extreme circumstances.
Commander Sam pulls out her earbuds. “I can explain.”
There’s a part of me that hopes she can. I want to believe that my mom wouldn’t do this to me, couldn’t. “Try.”
She squares her shoulders, like a fighter about to throw the first punch. “He left, Danielle.”
Disappointment tastes like acid. I swallow and it’s gravel going down my throat. “Don’t call me that. I wrote at least fifty letters. I thought Dad didn’t want me after what happened. He probably thought I blamed him, too—”
“You should have.”
The second inspiration pertains to this passage which begins Danger Danielle “Danny” Warren's journey. Danny perceives herself as defective and inferior based on a childhood accident that left her with one eye, her mom’s bitterness, parents’ divorce, and her father’s abandonment. Discovering a huge lie her mother told propels Danny into the arms of the TV survivalist father she idolizes. She joins her dad for an episode of his show, Cougar, filmed in the Amazon rainforest and starring teen movie idol, Gus Price. But when their plane crashes, leaving some dead and others injured, Danny is forced to face everything that terrifies her, including a secret about the father she loves and the movie star she’s fallen for. To survive, Danny must discover her unique strengths and redefine herself or she will never save those she loves or find a way home.
We all create ourselves based on the past, stories told or recalled, misperceptions and even lies. My hope is that Danny’s journey will encourage readers to question their own perception of who they are, recognize what isn’t true, make changes if needed, and ultimately become of the hero of their own life’s story.
Writers Read: Nancy Richardson Fischer.
My Book, The Movie: The Speed of Falling Objects.
--Marshal Zeringue