MEET THE AUTHOR
FEATURED AUTHOR: PAT MCDONALD
Hi, Jacks here! Today it is my greatest delight to interview the friendly, positive, and amazingly talented author Pat McDonald.
Let’s see what she had to say:
Hi Pat, how about we start by GETTING TO KNOW YOU a bit better.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Although I have only been writing fiction since 2012 it has been my lifelong ambition taking a detour along the way to write academic papers and books. In other words I have always written, but began crime fiction first because it was the last job I had before undertaking it full time. I worked for seventeen years in policing and therefore it seemed the right place to begin; moving from the formal into the fictitious turned out to be a smooth transition.
(Giggling) I love that. And also, what a nice element of true life experience to bring to your writing. (Jacks)
So Pat, just wondering, can you please share the TITLES OF YOUR BOOKS?
I began to write one crime book, Getting Even: Revenge is Best Served Cold moved easily into Rogue Seed when I couldn’t find the one ending. It happened again so I ended with Boxed Off and found I had a trilogy on my hands. They became the Blue Woods Trilogy because each book warranted a wooded scene although I do have a love of forests and woods, I joke that it is because of an overactive imagination when it comes to the disposal of bodies!
(Big Smiles) (Jacks)
Now Pat, let’s talk more ABOUT THE BOOKS. More specifically, where did you draw your INSPIRATION from FOR YOUR CURRENT WORKS?
When I first began to write Getting Even it literally was with a blank screen and I began with my first main character, Luc Wariner because I had seen someone at a craft fair I thought would make an ideal Major Crime Detective character, the rest I made up as I wrote. I am led by the characters, who may evolve from a conversation, or a quirky conversation with a person I have met, which ever it is the plots emerge as I write and I call it ‘free flow’ writing.
The title Rogue Seed came about because I had bought a packet of chilli seeds and when one of them grew into a strange plant I asked the garden centre man if he knew what it was; he told me rogue seeds are sometimes dropped by birds, or they blow in or could even be in the compost already. I thought about the connotations of the term, in the horticultural sense, or if a child grows up in the wrong family and of course the term is used in policing – ‘going rogue’ is when a cop goes bad. So it became my theme for my second book, which is about murder, baby snatching, and a very bad Chief Inspector Harry Beddoes.
Boxed Off was another theme through the third book incorporating burial of bodies, kidnap and containment, and it was to remind me to actually ‘box off’ my story for this one.
Let’s see what she had to say:
Hi Pat, how about we start by GETTING TO KNOW YOU a bit better.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Although I have only been writing fiction since 2012 it has been my lifelong ambition taking a detour along the way to write academic papers and books. In other words I have always written, but began crime fiction first because it was the last job I had before undertaking it full time. I worked for seventeen years in policing and therefore it seemed the right place to begin; moving from the formal into the fictitious turned out to be a smooth transition.
(Giggling) I love that. And also, what a nice element of true life experience to bring to your writing. (Jacks)
So Pat, just wondering, can you please share the TITLES OF YOUR BOOKS?
I began to write one crime book, Getting Even: Revenge is Best Served Cold moved easily into Rogue Seed when I couldn’t find the one ending. It happened again so I ended with Boxed Off and found I had a trilogy on my hands. They became the Blue Woods Trilogy because each book warranted a wooded scene although I do have a love of forests and woods, I joke that it is because of an overactive imagination when it comes to the disposal of bodies!
(Big Smiles) (Jacks)
Now Pat, let’s talk more ABOUT THE BOOKS. More specifically, where did you draw your INSPIRATION from FOR YOUR CURRENT WORKS?
When I first began to write Getting Even it literally was with a blank screen and I began with my first main character, Luc Wariner because I had seen someone at a craft fair I thought would make an ideal Major Crime Detective character, the rest I made up as I wrote. I am led by the characters, who may evolve from a conversation, or a quirky conversation with a person I have met, which ever it is the plots emerge as I write and I call it ‘free flow’ writing.
The title Rogue Seed came about because I had bought a packet of chilli seeds and when one of them grew into a strange plant I asked the garden centre man if he knew what it was; he told me rogue seeds are sometimes dropped by birds, or they blow in or could even be in the compost already. I thought about the connotations of the term, in the horticultural sense, or if a child grows up in the wrong family and of course the term is used in policing – ‘going rogue’ is when a cop goes bad. So it became my theme for my second book, which is about murder, baby snatching, and a very bad Chief Inspector Harry Beddoes.
Boxed Off was another theme through the third book incorporating burial of bodies, kidnap and containment, and it was to remind me to actually ‘box off’ my story for this one.
Oh my goodness, such strong plots. I just have to read these! (Jacks)
Pat will you GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT INTO YOUR NOVELS?
I am fascinated by people, the odder the better, and that is why you will find unusual characters and often an in-depth view of their personalities. I have been criticised for not having one main ‘hero’, that is because everyone has something to offer and so do my characters. I tell them you get a slice of their lives because even Police Officers have lives, and those lives influence their work and vice versa. Of course my plots are larger than life, so you can expect the unexpected! When I get a review where someone has understood this, it has been well worth the wait.
I have fought long and hard (my publishers are American) to retain the fact that my cops are British, they speak British English, therefore there will always be a difference between them and American cops. There is, I once said, room in the crime writing world for one more English crime writer and so try to be as authentic as possible – first time out I went kicking and screaming through the publishing process – it is much better now they know me!
Any traces of YOUR PERSONALITY IN YOUR MAIN CHARACTER?
Is it true that all writers encapsulate something of themselves in their books? There is not one particular character in mine that is meant to be me, but a lot of ‘little’ things that only the people who know me well will see. There is definitely a lot of my life experiences within the pages and I’ll let you guess at which bits I mean.
Who is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS and why?
One of my favourite characters will always be P.C Hugo Bott who comes into the story at Rogue Seed and appears in Boxed Off; and yes he is oddball, but he is a combination of someone I heard about when I was working for the police (mostly his appetite for the job and his unusual sucesses) and a person I met – so a hybrid really! I did once confess to liking the bad characters and not so much those that towed the professional line!
What is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THIS SERIES?
One of the things I love the most is being able to kill people off; I think that maybe most crime writers will say that. In my case building someone up to be a lovely caring character and then…….has made more that one person cry.
WHERE ARE YOU FEATURED ONLINE? And what is SOMETHING UNIQUE to be on the lookout for there?
My publisher website http://www.sbpra.com/PatMcDonald is not an interactive site, just where I showcase my books. I use my author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PatMcdonald‐502374626484358/?ref=bookmarks to post book reviews, and it is where I post things about myself. I began this because I had a need to contrast the seriousness of my crime fiction with some light hearted and I hope amusing ancedotes about me and the world. It was here that I first announced I had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and subsequently posted a little about my progress after the operation to remove Hamish (which was the name I gave him at the time).
We thoroughly loved your trailer for Getting Even: Revenge is Best Served Cold, WHAT IS ONE FUN THING THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT IN THE FUTURE IN REFERENCE TO IT?
My fourth book Breaking Free (which I thought was an apt title in the circumstances) was a spin off from Getting Even and a completely different style to the others. One of the characters that dropped out of Getting Even, running away to United Arab Emirates to get away from the hateful Harry Beddoes, came back to live in North Wales where she wanted to escape her past. The book explored the idea of losing oneself, running away which interests me immensely. It brings together paranormal, stalking, crime with a hint of WW1 history which is quite haunting. I finished this book whilst I convalesed and also wrote my first comedy book A Penny for Them to keep my sense of humour and my spirits up. I dedicated this book to ‘Hamish my tumour without whom I would never have tried humour.’
Pat will you GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT INTO YOUR NOVELS?
I am fascinated by people, the odder the better, and that is why you will find unusual characters and often an in-depth view of their personalities. I have been criticised for not having one main ‘hero’, that is because everyone has something to offer and so do my characters. I tell them you get a slice of their lives because even Police Officers have lives, and those lives influence their work and vice versa. Of course my plots are larger than life, so you can expect the unexpected! When I get a review where someone has understood this, it has been well worth the wait.
I have fought long and hard (my publishers are American) to retain the fact that my cops are British, they speak British English, therefore there will always be a difference between them and American cops. There is, I once said, room in the crime writing world for one more English crime writer and so try to be as authentic as possible – first time out I went kicking and screaming through the publishing process – it is much better now they know me!
Any traces of YOUR PERSONALITY IN YOUR MAIN CHARACTER?
Is it true that all writers encapsulate something of themselves in their books? There is not one particular character in mine that is meant to be me, but a lot of ‘little’ things that only the people who know me well will see. There is definitely a lot of my life experiences within the pages and I’ll let you guess at which bits I mean.
Who is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS and why?
One of my favourite characters will always be P.C Hugo Bott who comes into the story at Rogue Seed and appears in Boxed Off; and yes he is oddball, but he is a combination of someone I heard about when I was working for the police (mostly his appetite for the job and his unusual sucesses) and a person I met – so a hybrid really! I did once confess to liking the bad characters and not so much those that towed the professional line!
What is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THIS SERIES?
One of the things I love the most is being able to kill people off; I think that maybe most crime writers will say that. In my case building someone up to be a lovely caring character and then…….has made more that one person cry.
WHERE ARE YOU FEATURED ONLINE? And what is SOMETHING UNIQUE to be on the lookout for there?
My publisher website http://www.sbpra.com/PatMcDonald is not an interactive site, just where I showcase my books. I use my author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PatMcdonald‐502374626484358/?ref=bookmarks to post book reviews, and it is where I post things about myself. I began this because I had a need to contrast the seriousness of my crime fiction with some light hearted and I hope amusing ancedotes about me and the world. It was here that I first announced I had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and subsequently posted a little about my progress after the operation to remove Hamish (which was the name I gave him at the time).
We thoroughly loved your trailer for Getting Even: Revenge is Best Served Cold, WHAT IS ONE FUN THING THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT IN THE FUTURE IN REFERENCE TO IT?
My fourth book Breaking Free (which I thought was an apt title in the circumstances) was a spin off from Getting Even and a completely different style to the others. One of the characters that dropped out of Getting Even, running away to United Arab Emirates to get away from the hateful Harry Beddoes, came back to live in North Wales where she wanted to escape her past. The book explored the idea of losing oneself, running away which interests me immensely. It brings together paranormal, stalking, crime with a hint of WW1 history which is quite haunting. I finished this book whilst I convalesed and also wrote my first comedy book A Penny for Them to keep my sense of humour and my spirits up. I dedicated this book to ‘Hamish my tumour without whom I would never have tried humour.’
‘A Penny for Them’ is written from the perspective of Benjamin Matthews who is a hapless thirty something who hasn’t done much with his life, always finding himself made redundant or out of work, never having much luck he meets Rebecah, the daughter of a failed politician and arch villain and his luck begins to change. It is a humorous look at crime from the other side and I enjoyed writing this as I gained my health again.
You have a very active presence on twitter and social media in general. So, that makes you the perfect person to pose the next question to. WE SEE A LOT OF HASHTAGS (IARTG, FWRT) ALL AROUND THE INTERNET on various social media spots, CAN YOU PLEASE DECODE SOME OF THEM FOR OUR READERS as well as explain their significance (and how readers can find great authors because of them)?
In order to develop an audience I started my twitter site @issyblack and I try to link it to my Facebook page. In the beginning (3 years ago) I had two followers and really didn’t know how to go about attracting people. It seemed to me that all writers (authors, artists, photographers) are trying to do the same. As I progressed and learnt how to, I began to give each person who followed me a Shout Out or promo to show my community of followers their work. I have worked hard at this and learnt about #tags and use them to maximise exposure for people amongst likeminded folk. I used #IARTG – indie author retweets; #FWRT ‐ freelance writer retweets and others (currently #IAN1) because writers can see fellow writers and personally I have met some wonderful people this way, because it gives me exposure too. I now have 25.4 K followers so my tweets will go a long way for them and looking at the statistics I get I can see that there is a lot of interest out there for them.
In what way do you write Pat, ARE YOU MORE A PANSTER OR DO YOU PLAN OUT YOUR BOOKS WITH OUTLINE?
One question I am often asked is about planning my books and how do I do it. Like I said I am a ‘free flow’ author, never plan a book, I just write and let it flow. Sometimes it is from a book title, but more often from beginning with a character. Writers tell me they have a head full of ideas but don’t know where to start. You start by getting the ideas down on paper or screen, you can fiddle around with it later, but you will be amazed how your ideas will lead to others. The only concession I make to planning (and I use gel pens and Bryn Parry note books to write my novels) is the first page I leave blank to write my characters names and relationships which usually form a spider diagram and a list, just to remind me who they are. This I think is essential for a trilogy or series.
Can you share a moment about when a READER CONNECTED WITH YOUR BOOK and gave you feedback? HOW DOES THAT FEEL FOR YOU AS A WRITER?
Usually people will tell me which character they liked and why and I loved the review of Breaking Free which told me it was a departure for the reader to read such a book and that it was the only book she had read that made her cry. A reaction is all a writer needs (preferably not a bad reaction) but if they tell you they enjoyed it, it spurs you on to try and be better still.
Most times when creating one of your novels, WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE?
I love to write just about anywhere and wrote the trilogy sitting in my local garden centre café (most of it except when I flew out to Dubai and wrote on the plane, at Fujairah on the Indian Ocean and surrounded by the desert). I discovered this when I thought I had writer’s block, but really all I needed was a change of scene; because I am character driven where else would you find a wonderful source of incredible people? If you have writer’s block I suggest a change of scenery or writing habit. Writing in a café gave me the ability to write anywhere; and you can drink coffee without making it, have lunch prepared by someone else and meet lots of people!
Wow, great suggestion! (Jacks)
Who is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS?
As a child it was Frances Hodgson Burnett ‐ The Secret Garden which I loved and led me on to reading the classics Dickens, Bronte, Jane Austen, Emma Orczy, Alexandre Dumas, Thomas Hardy – I could go on. Now I read lots of wonderful books of authors I meet either on Twitter or Facebook and it is difficult to pick one BUT ‐ I am in absolute awe of Gary Dolman another crime writer who writes a series of historical novels with Atticus & Lucie Fox who were Victorian private investigators based in Harrogate England https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gary‐
Dolman/e/B00A8E823A/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1472830974&sr=1‐2‐ent
What is ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF ADVICE THAT YOU RECEIVED that you live by?
The best advice given to me was when someone told me that my style of writing was as good as anyone else’s and unique to me, once I accepted that and tried not to be someone else, it just flowed. It is absolutely true.
I love that! (Jacks)
What is ONE TIP you would like to share FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS?
I tell writers just to write, be true to your story and yourself and don’t try to conform to someone else’s idea of what makes good writing ‐ it is after all just their opinion. The only book I have ever read on writing is Stephen King’s – On Writing; it made me realise I was as valid a writer as anyone else. I find a variety of new authors who have unique ways of writing that do not conform to the accepted norm – it is a breath of fresh air!
So very true. (Jacks)
Pat, WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
What are some UPCOMING RELEASES that we should be on the lookout for?
Currently I am finishing two books. One is a new crime novel Echoes of Doubt about a character who went into the Witness Protection Programme in Boxed Off. Bartholomew Bridges PI and ex‐ Scenes of Crime Officer and became Cyrus Bartholomew a Clock Maker in Time and Tide and begins to feel unsafe when his next door neighbour is murdered. I started this book when my mobile phone alarm went off at midnight on New Year’s Eve – I hadn’t set the alarm! It contains all the strange things that have happened to me recently.
Have to just say, that sounds so intriguing. I’m in! (giggles) I will let you continue Pat. (Jacks)
AND in contrast I am writing the second in the ‘Penny’ series, The Penny Drops because I wanted to find out whether Benjamin Matthews aka Pollock will be reunited with his wife Rebecah and manage to get out to United Arab Emirates to join them. He has a further series of unfortunate events that seem to stop him. This is the second humorous book which is keeping me entertained.
Sounds like a great read! (Jacks)
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT TO SEE FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE?
I have yet to tap into my wide experience working in an old Mental Asylum which is something for the future.
What are you MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
I am proud of the fact that I recently got back my driving licence (you have to surrender it when you have a brain operation) and drove myself (after an 18 month layoff) to North Wales using Mr. Satnav for the first time. I love this part of the world and it is where my ghostly ending to Breaking Free came to me; I wrote reams whilst there and am thoroughly inspired by the place.
We here at SBC are so pleased to hear that you are recovering and we are looking forward to all of your upcoming works! (Jacks)
Just have to ask you Pat, HOW CAN WE:
BUY YOUR BOOK OR CONTACT YOU
I have an Amazon page should anyone want to read a few pages of any of my books.
Thank you so very much Pat McDonald for doing a stop in for a chat! This has been a really fun one! Please do join us again!
You have a very active presence on twitter and social media in general. So, that makes you the perfect person to pose the next question to. WE SEE A LOT OF HASHTAGS (IARTG, FWRT) ALL AROUND THE INTERNET on various social media spots, CAN YOU PLEASE DECODE SOME OF THEM FOR OUR READERS as well as explain their significance (and how readers can find great authors because of them)?
In order to develop an audience I started my twitter site @issyblack and I try to link it to my Facebook page. In the beginning (3 years ago) I had two followers and really didn’t know how to go about attracting people. It seemed to me that all writers (authors, artists, photographers) are trying to do the same. As I progressed and learnt how to, I began to give each person who followed me a Shout Out or promo to show my community of followers their work. I have worked hard at this and learnt about #tags and use them to maximise exposure for people amongst likeminded folk. I used #IARTG – indie author retweets; #FWRT ‐ freelance writer retweets and others (currently #IAN1) because writers can see fellow writers and personally I have met some wonderful people this way, because it gives me exposure too. I now have 25.4 K followers so my tweets will go a long way for them and looking at the statistics I get I can see that there is a lot of interest out there for them.
In what way do you write Pat, ARE YOU MORE A PANSTER OR DO YOU PLAN OUT YOUR BOOKS WITH OUTLINE?
One question I am often asked is about planning my books and how do I do it. Like I said I am a ‘free flow’ author, never plan a book, I just write and let it flow. Sometimes it is from a book title, but more often from beginning with a character. Writers tell me they have a head full of ideas but don’t know where to start. You start by getting the ideas down on paper or screen, you can fiddle around with it later, but you will be amazed how your ideas will lead to others. The only concession I make to planning (and I use gel pens and Bryn Parry note books to write my novels) is the first page I leave blank to write my characters names and relationships which usually form a spider diagram and a list, just to remind me who they are. This I think is essential for a trilogy or series.
Can you share a moment about when a READER CONNECTED WITH YOUR BOOK and gave you feedback? HOW DOES THAT FEEL FOR YOU AS A WRITER?
Usually people will tell me which character they liked and why and I loved the review of Breaking Free which told me it was a departure for the reader to read such a book and that it was the only book she had read that made her cry. A reaction is all a writer needs (preferably not a bad reaction) but if they tell you they enjoyed it, it spurs you on to try and be better still.
Most times when creating one of your novels, WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE?
I love to write just about anywhere and wrote the trilogy sitting in my local garden centre café (most of it except when I flew out to Dubai and wrote on the plane, at Fujairah on the Indian Ocean and surrounded by the desert). I discovered this when I thought I had writer’s block, but really all I needed was a change of scene; because I am character driven where else would you find a wonderful source of incredible people? If you have writer’s block I suggest a change of scenery or writing habit. Writing in a café gave me the ability to write anywhere; and you can drink coffee without making it, have lunch prepared by someone else and meet lots of people!
Wow, great suggestion! (Jacks)
Who is ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS?
As a child it was Frances Hodgson Burnett ‐ The Secret Garden which I loved and led me on to reading the classics Dickens, Bronte, Jane Austen, Emma Orczy, Alexandre Dumas, Thomas Hardy – I could go on. Now I read lots of wonderful books of authors I meet either on Twitter or Facebook and it is difficult to pick one BUT ‐ I am in absolute awe of Gary Dolman another crime writer who writes a series of historical novels with Atticus & Lucie Fox who were Victorian private investigators based in Harrogate England https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gary‐
Dolman/e/B00A8E823A/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1472830974&sr=1‐2‐ent
What is ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF ADVICE THAT YOU RECEIVED that you live by?
The best advice given to me was when someone told me that my style of writing was as good as anyone else’s and unique to me, once I accepted that and tried not to be someone else, it just flowed. It is absolutely true.
I love that! (Jacks)
What is ONE TIP you would like to share FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS?
I tell writers just to write, be true to your story and yourself and don’t try to conform to someone else’s idea of what makes good writing ‐ it is after all just their opinion. The only book I have ever read on writing is Stephen King’s – On Writing; it made me realise I was as valid a writer as anyone else. I find a variety of new authors who have unique ways of writing that do not conform to the accepted norm – it is a breath of fresh air!
So very true. (Jacks)
Pat, WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
What are some UPCOMING RELEASES that we should be on the lookout for?
Currently I am finishing two books. One is a new crime novel Echoes of Doubt about a character who went into the Witness Protection Programme in Boxed Off. Bartholomew Bridges PI and ex‐ Scenes of Crime Officer and became Cyrus Bartholomew a Clock Maker in Time and Tide and begins to feel unsafe when his next door neighbour is murdered. I started this book when my mobile phone alarm went off at midnight on New Year’s Eve – I hadn’t set the alarm! It contains all the strange things that have happened to me recently.
Have to just say, that sounds so intriguing. I’m in! (giggles) I will let you continue Pat. (Jacks)
AND in contrast I am writing the second in the ‘Penny’ series, The Penny Drops because I wanted to find out whether Benjamin Matthews aka Pollock will be reunited with his wife Rebecah and manage to get out to United Arab Emirates to join them. He has a further series of unfortunate events that seem to stop him. This is the second humorous book which is keeping me entertained.
Sounds like a great read! (Jacks)
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT TO SEE FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE?
I have yet to tap into my wide experience working in an old Mental Asylum which is something for the future.
What are you MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
I am proud of the fact that I recently got back my driving licence (you have to surrender it when you have a brain operation) and drove myself (after an 18 month layoff) to North Wales using Mr. Satnav for the first time. I love this part of the world and it is where my ghostly ending to Breaking Free came to me; I wrote reams whilst there and am thoroughly inspired by the place.
We here at SBC are so pleased to hear that you are recovering and we are looking forward to all of your upcoming works! (Jacks)
Just have to ask you Pat, HOW CAN WE:
BUY YOUR BOOK OR CONTACT YOU
I have an Amazon page should anyone want to read a few pages of any of my books.
Thank you so very much Pat McDonald for doing a stop in for a chat! This has been a really fun one! Please do join us again!
This has been Jacks for SBC. That’s all I have for today!
Jacks, Silver Beans Reviewer and Interviewer
Posting: CRIME NOVELS
Posting Date:9/27/2016
PAT MCDONALD'S Book Reviews Average 4-5 STARS
HUGE THANKS AGAIN...
PAT MCDONALD for popping in for a chat!
PAT MCDONALD for popping in for a chat!
Additional Fun Fact:
PAT MCDONALD got the idea for her novel ROGUE SEED from a packet of chili seeds!
PAT MCDONALD got the idea for her novel ROGUE SEED from a packet of chili seeds!
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for a good book readers. Check out Pat McDonald's NOVELS.
for a good book readers. Check out Pat McDonald's NOVELS.
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