CURRICULUM VITAE

Fran Dorf is a psychotherapist, essayist, poet, and author of three highly acclaimed, internationally published novels, A Reasonable Madness; Flight, and Saving Elijah, the latter an unconventional ghost story inspired by the tragic 1994 death of Fran’s three-year-old son, Michael.

Fran is also a breast cancer survivor and believes that, given the proper tools and time, we can not only survive our life losses, we can grow from having experienced them. Although no one likes to talk about it, and modern culture has few rituals to help people deal with it, loss accompanies each and every human being on this planet on the journey through life.

Fran lectures on “Coping with Loss” and conducts “Write – to – Heal” workshops to help people identify and tell their loss stories, and gain the knowledge and skills to help them cope. Fran has taught creative writing, and her essays and poems have been published in literary magazines such as Perigee, Ars Medica, and the Poetry of Psychiatry. Her essay, “My Son’s Name was Michael—Not Elijah,” which reflects on the process and consequences of turning real grief into fiction, was published in 2009, in The Wellness & Writing Connections Anthology.

ABOUT FRAN’S FICTION

Although Fran’s novels are divergent in story and style, all are heavily psychological, exploring the sometimes terrifying confrontation between human beings and their psychological demons, and the unclear boundary between the natural world and the supernatural one.

Saving Elijah

Part ghost story, part family drama, and part thriller, Saving Elijah was published to rave reviews in June, 2000 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly called it “a stunning novel that crackles with suspense, dark humor, and provocative questions. With sharply emotional description and unerring domestic dialogue, Dorf turns a family tragedy into a spellbinding novel of psychological suspense, and meditates, with honesty and insight, on the nature of parental love and responsibility.” The Wall Street Journal said, “Ambitious, imaginative, and beautifully done;” The Washington Post called it, “Deeply believable, wrenching and poignant, vivid and tough-minded; and Glamour raved, “Fascinating, skillful, a fiercely compelling read.” Published internationally, Saving Elijah was optioned for a film by Emma Thompson, and then Filbert Steps Productions, and was also recorded as full-length audio book.

Flight

Flight, a psychological thriller published in l992 by Dutton and l993 by Signet, was a featured selection of the Literary Guild Book Club and was also widely published internationally. Publisher’s Weekly called it “riveting, tantalizing, shocking;” Kirkus raved: “Powerfully imagined…packs quite a punch!” In a starred review, Booklist said, “Fran Dorf pilots this ambitious book with infallible accuracy… an emotional landscape, two decades of decaying counterculture, artfully distilled and disassembled;” and Library Journal said, “Vivid and believable…characters that make the reader care about happens to them.”

A Reasonable Madness

Birch Lane Press published the l990 edition of A Reasonable Madness, and a Signet paperback appeared in l991. Kirkus called the novel, “tautly effective;” the CHICAGO TRIBUNE said it was a “a chiller that will keep you up!” United Press International raved, “Uncommonly good…a wonderfully believable psychological thriller;” Entertainment Weekly “highly satisfying” and the Macon Beacon, “One of the best psychological thrillers of the season.” A Literary Guild alternate featured selection, the novel was translated into many languages, including Germany, where it became a bestseller, now on its 10th printing, and still under option for a German language film.

EDUCATION

Fran holds the following degrees:

• BS (Bachelor of Science) in communications/journalism, Boston University

• MA (Master of Arts, in psychology), New York University

• MSW (Master of Social Work), New York University