Ask the Author: Patricia Bond
Answered Questions (4)
Patricia Bond
My just-finished book, "From My Balcony," was inspired by a trip I took years ago to France. I fell in love with the coastal town of Cassis on the Mediterranean, and dreamed of what it would be like to live there. My writer's brain started playing "what if?" and the idea just wouldn't leave me alone. I've never lived there, but I've got one heck of an imagination, fueled by fond memories of a very picturesque town. The work-in-progress is a follow-up to that story, giving a pair of secondary characters their own story.
Patricia Bond
I'm hoping to straddle two genres, to give my readers a broader variety to choose from, and so my latest book, "From My Balcony," is not a historical romance, but rather a contemporary women's fiction/romance set in the south of France. I'm currently working on a follow-up novella to that. "Christmas in Provence" I hope will make it easier to draw in readers if they know I'm not abandoning those original characters. And then, it will be back to a half-done historical that's been waiting for me. "The Rainmaker's Daughter" is Bobby's (from "By Love's Honor Bound") story as he tries to make a life as a prosecuting attorney in Reconstruction era Carolina. Who knew his most important case would be a murder trial of a beautiful young woman. And who knew she would be in his custody at his nearly-ruined River's End plantation until the trial. And who knew his maiden aunt wouldn't be able to make it out there as chaperone? Watch for these to come.
Patricia Bond
Write! And read widely and judiciously - everything you can get your hands on. You need to be able to tell good writing from bad, so don't be afraid to pick up that story or book that's gotten bad reviews. Writing is highly subjective, so what one person thinks is bad, another may praise to the skies. Then again, if everyone says something is junk, well then... Learn the craft, practice the art - hopefully without pretension. Meet other writers and exchange work. Sadly, not every word we put to paper is gold, and we need to find a network of trusted folk to have the sense, compassion, and courage to tell us when it's equine excrement. Go to conferences, learn, network, write, learn, write. Keep repeating and have faith in yourself. Rejection is a fact for writers, so believe in yourself. You can do it. I say again - YOU CAN DO IT.
Patricia Bond
The best thing - aside from being able to mostly work from home in my pj's and with my dog and my coffee - is being able to play at being God. No disrespect meant here!! But, it's the closest metaphor I can come up with to describe what I do. I literally create people from nothing, drop them in a place and time, and manipulate their circumstances, then sit back and watch the results. Those results can be completely unexpected, given that I've allowed the characters a certain amount of free will. The other best thing about being a writer is getting to know people I would never otherwise have met and finding out that my stories have brought moments of enjoyment to them. I love getting to know readers especially, and what it is that drew them to my stories.
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