José Báez Guerrero, “Opinions”, “Hoy” daily newspaper, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Apr. 15. 2011 (Translation).
Conchie Fernández's Opera Prima, 'Undrawn'.
When I finished reading “Undrawn”, I felt the sort of thrill you get when you discover something important. The most recent of a line of Dominican novelists to publish their works in English has debuted with a novel which, in my opinion, firmly establishes her as a serious author with an excellent grip on the profound complexities of the human soul.
Conchie immigrated to the United States a few years ago and just published her first novel, “Undrawn”, which spans 218 pages. I think she knew she was going to be a writer since she was very young, and her passion for literature made her a great reader. She was a creative writing teacher at Casa Chavón. Her links to art and artists is evident from the first pages of her work of fiction which narrates the life of Kyle Reed, a tormented painter who returns to his paternal home after a self-imposed emotional exile after his father, an affluent and powerful Massachussetts senator, dies.
In a recent interview, Conchie states that "'Undrawn' is about self-forgiveness, about the love that surrounds us and that we often fail to recognize. Ultimately, it's about the intricate brushstrokes that make up familial ties and intimate relationships."
Conchie –a fan of John Irving- defines her novel as a "literary painting" that took her ten years to complete. "In my dealings with artists both as a collector and a student of Liberal Arts, I couldn’t help but fall in awe and fascination with the intricacies of the lives and personalities of many painters and sculptors I met. I felt I had to tell the story of an artist, of the layers of thought, concept and vision that fill the minds of artists, the impact of their lives on their art and viceversa," she said.
When asked what advice she would offer other budding authors, she said, “Don’t give up. If you can’t get into the top 6 publishing houses, don’t despair. Technology and amazing resources (like self-publishing portals) give us tools, access and resources we couldn’t have dreamed of 10 years ago. Write your fingers off, make sure you write your best book possible, and then shout it out to the world. Readers will come, but your first task as a writer is simply to put it down."
As it often happens, "Undrawn”, a magnificent and convincing novel, was self-published by the author. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers online.