Ask the Author: Pat Esden
Answered Questions (7)
Pat Esden
I'd go over the rainbow to Oz. I'm not much of a Wizard of Oz fan, but I'd love to visit the Wicked Witch of the West and meet the flying monkeys. Flying monkeys are one of my favorite things--which is one reason Chandler, a metal sculptor in my Northern Circle Coven series, chooses to make statues of them.
Pat Esden
That’s a tough question because my books and series haven’t all been inspired the same way—and my inspirations usually comes from several directions. The Dark Heart series first came to me in the form of an image of a young woman pouring cremated ashes into the ocean while her father looked on from a rocky shoreline. Plus, I’d always wanted to write a gothic paranormal novel in homage to the old Dark Shadows TV show. Northern Circle Coven series started with the setting of Burlington, Vermont where I went to college and a desire to explore what it would be like for an empowered witch to move away from her parents’ home for the first time and have to discover a new community of witch-friends (including a new romantic partner).
That’s a tough question because my books and series haven’t all been inspired the same way—and my inspirations usually comes from several directions. The Dark Heart series first came to me in the form of an image of a young woman pouring cremated ashes into the ocean while her father looked on from a rocky shoreline. Plus, I’d always wanted to write a gothic paranormal novel in homage to the old Dark Shadows TV show. Northern Circle Coven series started with the setting of Burlington, Vermont where I went to college and a desire to explore what it would be like for an empowered witch to move away from her parents’ home for the first time and have to discover a new community of witch-friends (including a new romantic partner).
Pat Esden
How about I answer with a two-sentence quote from BEYOND YOUR TOUCH (Dark Heart #2)?
When the moon is dark and the red ghost lights whisper over the salt desert, I think of her standing in the hallway, her small feet pale against the dark crimson carpet, her voice innocent and sweet. "No, Grandmother," she'd said, as if it were the truth.
When the moon is dark and the red ghost lights whisper over the salt desert, I think of her standing in the hallway, her small feet pale against the dark crimson carpet, her voice innocent and sweet. "No, Grandmother," she'd said, as if it were the truth.
Pat Esden
I'm working on a new series, the Northern Circle Coven. It's set in contemporary Burlington, Vermont and centers around a disreputable coven and the stories of three strong women who are determined to save it and themselves from past mistakes. The first book in the series will come out in 2018.
Pat Esden
On the top of TBR my pile is Run to the Ground by Katie Ruggle (I scored a copy at RT in Atlanta). I'm a huge fan of her novels. Currently I'm reading Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong and Obsession by Nora Roberts. Yeah, I tend to read two books at once :) As far as the summer goes, I'm going to keep working my way through the books I got at RT. Oh, I've also got a hardcover of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness next to my bed. I'm digging into that soon.
Pat Esden
Romantic Times 2017 was fantastic! What a wild time. I met a ton of authors and readers I didn't know, and got to catch up with old friends. Such great events and a wonderful location.
Pat Esden
Thank you for the 5-star review. I’m so thrilled that you loved A HOLD ON ME. And I’m delight that you asked this question.
I’ve always loved gothic novels, TV shows, and movies. I knew it was a genre I wanted to write in. But it took me awhile to figure out how to get a contemporary college-age woman isolated in a mansion with her estranged relatives. I was a daddy’s girl myself and would never have deserted my father if he needed my help. I also lived in a household with a mentally ill person when I was a little younger than Annie and therefore am familiar with the range of emotions that can come from that sort of situation. I combined these two things with my love for myths, and all things supernatural and paranormal, and the idea for A HOLD ON ME came to life.
But, despite how much Annie loves her dad, when A HOLD ON ME began she was also on the cusp of starting her own life separate from her father. So the focus in next books in the series shows her shifting from a daddy’s girl to a woman who is building and fighting for her new friends and relationships.
I’ve always loved gothic novels, TV shows, and movies. I knew it was a genre I wanted to write in. But it took me awhile to figure out how to get a contemporary college-age woman isolated in a mansion with her estranged relatives. I was a daddy’s girl myself and would never have deserted my father if he needed my help. I also lived in a household with a mentally ill person when I was a little younger than Annie and therefore am familiar with the range of emotions that can come from that sort of situation. I combined these two things with my love for myths, and all things supernatural and paranormal, and the idea for A HOLD ON ME came to life.
But, despite how much Annie loves her dad, when A HOLD ON ME began she was also on the cusp of starting her own life separate from her father. So the focus in next books in the series shows her shifting from a daddy’s girl to a woman who is building and fighting for her new friends and relationships.
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