Mathias B. Freese Finds Success with Writing and Publishing Fiction

Feb. 12, 2009 - PRLog -- Award-winning author Mathias B. Freese has published two books and the positive reviews for his writing have been pouring in ever since.

Teacher and psychotherapist, Freese holds master’s degrees in secondary education and social work from Queens College of the City University of New York and Stony Brook University. For more than thirty years he taught English and social studies in New York secondary schools. An analytically trained and insight-oriented psychotherapist, he has incorporated his abiding interest in Eastern thought into his life and work, leading workshops on experiential and psycho-spiritual approaches to inner awareness.

Listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who Among American Teachers, A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, and the International Authors Who's Who, his work emphasizes creativity, spiritual wisdom, self-awareness, transcendence, and meaning. His short fiction has appeared in Jewish Currents, Pig Iron Press, and Skywriters, among other magazines. His nonfiction articles have appeared in The New York Times, Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, and Publishers Marketing Association Newsletter. In 2005, the Society of Southwestern Authors honored him with a first-place award for personal essay/memoir.

His first book, The i Tetralogy, explores the dynamics of the Holocaust through the lens of three different characters. He delves into the psychology of the Holocaust from those perspectives to try to answer the question of how it could happen.

Mayra Calvani at booktalkcorner.today.com wrote, “Freese shows humanity as it is, in its own raw and naked reality. He does it with bluntness, yes, but also with incredible insight. His sentences flow like the blood that gushed from the victims’ veins during this terrible event—relentless and ruthless. The protagonists reveal themselves to the core, from the deepest corners of their minds to the bottomless misery of their hearts. I found myself taking breaks between readings. I had to. Immersing myself in this story was killing me a little every time. This is without a doubt the most terrifying book I have ever read, and not because of its callous bluntness, but because it made me realize what human beings can be capable of.”

There are many books about the Holocaust, but few have delved into the psychological makeup of the atrocity—from the victim’s point of view as well as from the predator’s side—as deeply and with as much genius as Freese.

“More than half a century after the end of World War II, when hundreds of books have been written and movies made about the horrors of the Holocaust, why should you read The i Tetralogy, a book that delves into the psychologically crippling world of the concentration camp? Because you have never read anything like this.” --  Alyce Wilson, Wildviolet ezine

Lauded as a fantastically written and emotionally raw work of fiction that deals with the harsh realities of the Holocaust in a way few would dare to write, Freese’s novel has drawn tremendous praise.

“The i Tetralogy is not an easy book. Reading it was painful. But after you start it, you can’t stop. It is that compelling.” -- Gautami Tripathy, My Own Little Reading Room

The second book, Down to a Sunless Sea, plunges the reader into uncomfortable situations and into the minds of troubled characters. Called “impeccably sculpted” by The Home Planet News, each selection is a different reading experience—poetic, journalistic, nostalgic, wryly humorous, and even macabre. An award-winning essayist and historical novelist, Mathias B. Freese brings the weight of his twenty-five years as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist into play as he demonstrates a vivid understanding of—and compassion toward—the deviant and damaged.

A reviewer at readersrespite.blogspot.com says of the book of short stories: “Down to a Sunless Sea is a treasure-trove of fifteen short stories in which Freese captures verbal snapshots within the human brain… As a psychotherapist and teacher, the author commands extraordinary insight into the mind. But so do a thousand others in his field. So what makes Down to a Sunless Sea so impressive? It's simple: Freese's ability to present each errant character in an understandable light.”

Freese was recently tapped as the winner of the Summer Writing Contest from SubtleTea.com and was a Popular Fiction finalist at the 2008 Glyph Awards and the Short Story Fiction finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards.

For more information on the author, visit http://www.mathiasbfreese.com.

His books are available for order at the publisher’s website at http://www.wheatmark.com, on Amazon.com and other online retailers, as well as for order from your local bookstore.

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About Wheatmark

Wheatmark, the independent author's most powerful ally, is a team of book-publishing professionals dedicated to helping self-publishing authors compete more effectively in today's marketplace. Founded in 1999 by publishing entrepreneur Sam Henrie, the company provides aspiring and established authors with publishing, distribution, editorial, and book design services that support authors' sales and marketing efforts. Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Wheatmark can be reached through its website at http://www.wheatmark.com or by calling 1.888.934.0888.