Brian Freeman, author of The Deep, Deep Snow
Genre Fiction Category, sponsored by Macalester College
Each week leading up to the 33rd annual Minnesota Book Awards announcement, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our 36 finalists. You can also watch the authors in conversation with their fellow category finalists here.
In a year defined by a pandemic and its fallout, virtually everything about our lives has changed in some way. How has COVID-19 impacted your writing habits and preferences? Has the unique zeitgeist of the past year influenced your writing output in any ways that you can pinpoint? 
While the pandemic has given me more time to write – we had to cancel 30 library events last year – I think it’s also made it harder for artists to be creative. Writing means pushing aside the real world and immersing yourself in the lives and stories of your characters. That’s harder to do when the real world is so oppressive.
Would you tell us one or two things about your finalist book that you are particularly proud of, and why? (Sure, it may feel a bit un-Minnesotan to say so, but it’s not boasting if we ask!)
The older I get, and the more books I write, the more I try to craft thrillers that have a moral, emotional core. That’s The Deep, Deep Snow.  This novel isn’t about crimes and depravity; it’s about the ripple effects of bad choices on so many lives. And I hope it leaves readers in tears because they become so caught up in these characters.
What do you hope that your audience learns or takes away from your book?
I think the answer to the previous question applies here!
Minnesota enjoys a reputation as a place that values literature and reading. If this sentiment rings true for you, what about our home state makes it such a welcoming and conductive place for writers? 
Well, first of all, we have several months every year in which to sit inside and think deep, dark thoughts! But I also think that artistic communities build over time in certain areas in the same way that corporate communities do. The success of Medtronic gradually created a diverse, thriving med-tech industry in Minnesota, because it attracted many people with experience and interest in that field. I think the same is true of literature. We’ve had generations of great writers in Minnesota, and they have grown and inspired the artistic community over time – including not just authors, but publishers, readers, librarians, booksellers, and others who contribute to the vibrant arts scene here.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer with an interest in your category? 
100% of unwritten books have never been published! Writers tend to be their own worst enemies. They quit on themselves and psyche themselves out. Succeeding in this business takes a crazy amount of determination (and a lot of time staring at a screen).
Brian Freeman is a Minnesota Book Award-winner and New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty psychological thrillers and was named the official author to continue the famous Jason Bourne franchise.