Interview with author Patricia Clay

Q: What is your first step in beginning a novel, after the idea of course?

A: The main characters always come first. At this point I don’t flesh them out so much that I know what the heroine has in her purse. I come to know them more intimately as I write, but I know lots about them before I start writing, like their goals, what motivates them and what things are holding them back from achieving their goals. Then I come up with a situation, a catalyst to set the hero/heroine on a quest.

Q: Do you use characters from real-life?

A: Not an entire character, warts and all, but I use things I observe about people and borrow traits from them. Arita’s wavy red hair comes from an Ohio friend. Many of Mama Please’s expressions come from a Cocoa Beach woman no longer with us.

Q: Do you ever have writer’s block?

A: I’m not sure what that means. Once  my work in progress is up on my computer, I can always write.  Getting myself to the computer is my problem. I’m a procrastinator. So many other activities beckon me like a Siren’s song.

Q: Will there be a sequel to Inherited Danger?

A: I wouldn’t call it a sequel, but I am working on Piper’s story. Many of the same characters will show up.

Q: Have you always wanted to write?

A: Always.

Q: Which authors do you admire most?