Blog Archives
INTERVIEW FOR PATTY J SMITH’S BLOG
I was invited to do interview for Patty J Smith’s blog after she was my guest at Ognian Georgiev’s space. Check below our conversation or visit her blog, where you may find many interesting articles and authors presentations.
– What inspired you to become a writer?
– My job is related with writing. I am working as a sports reporter in “Bulgaria Today” daily newspaper. In the last 15 years it was a daily routine for me. However, writing a real book is something very different. The main character of my first novel “The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski” was the reason that I was inspired to put everything in one big story. My editor-in-chief encouraged me to write the story and this was just the beginning.
– Which of your books do you consider your pride and joy? Why?
– Easy answer, because I’ve got only one book “The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story”. For now it’s my pride. I gave a lot in order to produce the final output. It was a joy as well, because the adrenaline during research and writing period was very high. Sometimes I had some problems with the sleep, because I was thinking non stop about the book and how to pave the readers’ road.
– Do you have any preparation rituals before you begin to write?
– I need silence. Because of my daily assignments in the newspaper, I don’t have much time to focus. This is why I worked on the novel after my work. Sometimes I was staying until 3 at the night in my office to develop the story chapter by chapter.
– If you had to come up with a book title to describe your life, what would it be?
– The Angel Who Saved My Life. I’ve got many risky situations since I was born. Thanks to my personal angel, I am still alive and in good condition. Now, at the age of almost 34 (next Monday is my birthday), I started to realize many things, that before were just passing by my mind without paying enough attention.
– If you had a chance to have dinner with any author who would it be?
– I will give you Top 3, ok? The first one would be Karl May. The German writer was my favorite during my child years. He describes by incredible way his characters and is a real teacher of the best human qualities. Number two would be Raymond Feist. He is my favorite fantasy author. I was very deep into his Midkemia world and all his great personages. Number 3 – Michael Connelly. He is a great master of crime literature and a person who I would like to interview one day.
– We all have family, work and other obligations…how do you maintain balance while in the middle of a writing project?
– The sad thing is that my family suffered when I wrote my book, because not much time left for them. Sometimes I feel kind of guilty about that, but my girlfriend and my daughter always supported me. They were very happy when the book finally was published and I would like to thank them once again for all the hugs they gave to me, when I had some bad moments during writing and publishing period.
– What is the one piece of advice you received about writing that helped you the most?
– Probably when I read somewhere that I need as much as possible eyes to take a look on my script before being published. I am very grateful to all test readers, who helped “The White Prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story” to become better novel.
– Where can we purchase your books and how can we keep up with you?
– You may order the print version of the book here
– Last, but not least…..What and when is your next release? Provide a brief synopsis….
– I started recently with the research for my next book. Once again it will be a non-fiction sport book about the last man who beat the richest athlete in the world, Floyd Mayweather, and his incredible fate. Plans are the Bulgarian version to be published at the beginning of 2015 and the English version to be ready for the start of the next summer.
PATTY J. SMITH: I HAD STRUGGLED WITH FORGIVENESS
Patty J. Smith is the first religion books author, who is a guest in the blog. If you read the interview, you may find some issues that everyone of us is questioning, but never dares to ask the God about them. Let’s go into our next talk with Lady Smith.
– What is your book, “Moments with God” about?
– Moments with God is a collection of rosary meditations on a variety of topics and as an added feature, my personal testimony of my journey from sin to redemption. The meditations included are:
A Mended Heart – Rosary Meditations on Forgiveness
Journey To Sunset – Rosary Meditations for Caregivers
Redeemed – Rosary Meditations for Post-Abortive Women
Embrace The Morning – Rosary Meditations to Calm The Storm
And God Still Loves Me – A Journey from the Dark Abyss of Sin to God’s Mercy
– How did you decide to write the book?
– It all started with “A Mended Heart”. I had struggled with forgiveness for many years, and realized my inability to forgive was causing me great pain and holding me back on moving forward in my faith journey. Once I finished that devotional, I was inspired to do three others and include my personal story.
– What was the biggest challenge during the writing process?
– The biggest challenge I faced was quiet time. I was a caregiver for my mom before she passed in February, as well as a caregiver for my dad and uncle. Added to that was regular household responsibilities and my ministries for the church. I found that writing in the wee hours of the morning solved the dilemma.
– How much time do you need to finish the story and publish it?
– It depends on what I’m working on. I wrote one of my devotionals in a week and submitted it for publication. The longest project was “And God Still Loves Me”. My personal testimony took over a year, in fact, I wasn’t planning on having it published, it was my way of coming to terms with my past.
– What about The San Francisco Wedding Planner and Grave Obsessions Series?
– The San Francisco Wedding Planner Series: I call this “tag team” writing. It was a collaborative effort with five authors. In Series I, the first volume was written by all six authors. Our publisher determined the writing order. Once the first author finished a chapter, the second started where the first left off, and so on. In the second volume, each author wrote a short story of about 10,000 words and followed the same pattern as the first volume. Series II, which was just released, tells the back story of each character. Each author picked the character they wanted to focus on.
About Grave Obsessions Series: I am a crime buff and my publisher suggested I do my own series. After careful consideration, I decided it would be a good way to stretch my imagination muscles and agreed. The series follows the life and faith struggles of Detective Dallas Keegan as she tracks down a serial killer that continuously evades capture. Volume I and II are published and I just submitted Volume III this past weekend.
– Who are you?
– I am married and a grandmother of three. I live in Vista, CA with my husband and provide care for my father and uncle who also live with us. I serve as a Regional Coordinator for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, Co-leads Rachel’s Hope After-Abortion Healing Retreats and sing in my parish choir.
I was born in Wimpole Park, England and lived in England and Morocco as well as several state-side Air Force Bases, but consider my father’s last assignment, Moses Lake, Washington, my hometown. I audited for the Dept. of Labor and Veteran’s Administration Offices of Inspector General, served in the U.S. Army Reserve (Transit Control Unit and Criminal Investigation Division) and recently retired as a background investigator.
– What are your writing habits?
– I consider myself a “seat of the pants” writer. I do not use outlines. I just go where the spirit or my characters lead me. You will find me in the living room on my laptop from ten o’clock in the evening until four o’clock in the morning…the quiet time in my home.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of the book and do you plan another one?
– So far the sales numbers look promising; however, I’m waiting for the quarterly report from my publisher, due out the end of the month. I know my book will be used for some spiritual retreats which should generate more publicity. As far as writing another one, I always have a story floating around in my head as well as devotional ideas.
– How do you promote your book?
– My publisher does a great deal of promotion and I use social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Goodreads, Twitter, Google Plus). Further promotions are done through my speaking engagements and conference attendance.
– You worked in the US Army. What exactly were your occupations and how did they affect your writing?
– I served ten years in the Army Reserves as administrative support for a transit control unit and criminal investigation division. Working closely criminal investigators spurned my interest in the criminal element and helped me understand the investigative process from a detective’s standpoint.
– Tell us more about the Silent No More Awareness Campaign?
– The Silent No More Campaign is a project of Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life, whereby Christians make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women and men. The campaign seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the physical pain of abortion. More information can be obtained at: http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org.
– My favorite question: What is your personal top 3 places in the world that you visited?
1. Casablanca, Morocco: My experience living there gave me an appreciation of diverse cultures.
2. Fiji: Fiji was a tropical paradise with mid-afternoon showers. Unlike other tropical destinations, where I stayed was sparsely populated and peaceful.
3. Washington, D.C.: The monuments were breathtaking and the museums allowed me to gain a deeper knowledge into my country’s history.
You may learn more about Patti at her
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Look at Patti’s book:
Moments With God
The San Francisco Wedding Planner Complete Series 1
Grave Obsessions
Embrace The Morning – Rosary Meditations To Calm The Storm
Land Of Books 