Today we sit
down with author Paty Jager for a round of Q&A. Learn more about Paty and
her books at her website and blog.
What genre/genres
do you write?
historical and contemporary western romance,
historical fantasy romance, action adventure with romantic elements, mystery
When did
you realize you wanted to write novels?
When my children started school I decided to take my
interest in writing to another level. That’s when I wrote my first mystery. One
that has yet to be published and may never. It was after that, I discovered
Romance Writers of America and learned how to hone my writing and learned the
business side of writing.
How long
did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
It was nearly fifteen years from the time I started
writing novels to when I had a western historical romance published by a small
romance publisher.
Are you
traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
I’m a hybrid author. I’ve had over ten books
published with the above mentioned press. Since 2011 I’ve been getting my
rights back to the books and self-publishing them as well as self-publishing
new releases.
Where do
you write?
Right now, until we get our house built, I write on a
2 foot by 4 foot table in our 200 sq. ft. cabin. When the house is finished,
hopefully by New Years, I’ll have a wonderful office to write in. I’ve been
gathering Native American decorations to help put me in the mood of my current
mystery series, Shandra Higheagle Mystery.
Is silence
golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
I like to write with music. The type depends on what
I’m writing. I listened to Mayan, Incan, and Mexican while I wrote the Isabella
Mumphrey Action Adventures. With my Native American historicals, I listened to
Native American music. For the historical romance books, I listen to bluegrass
music. My mysteries are written to Native American and jazz music.
How much of
your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in
particular?
I would say about half of my plots and characters
have been sparked by real life. Either from people I know or songs or the
radio. My first contemporary western romance Perfectly Good Nanny started by listening to a talk show on the
radio. The DJ was talking about how children had ordered items online and the
parents didn’t know until the merchandise arrived at their door. I used this
premise and had a young girl order a nanny over the internet without her single
father knowing until the woman arrived. Then I placed them on a rural cattle
ranch and used my ranching knowledge to show the day to day living of the
characters. That is just one way I’ve used my real life in a book.
Describe
your process for naming your character?
A process? I didn’t know there was one… Actually, if
a character doesn’t pop into my head with a name already, I start jotting down
what I do know about them, and then I pull out a baby name book, and look up
names in the nationality I’ve given the character. As for secondary characters,
their names just pop into my head as I’m including them in the stories.
Real
settings or fictional towns?
I use both real and fictional towns. If I’m dealing
with history, I like to show ghost towns before they became ghost towns. And if
the research I’m doing for a book shows a unique thing about a place or it is
needed to show something unique for the story, I use real settings of towns. My
Action Adventure series was set in Guatemala, Mexico City, and Arizona. I’ve
not been there, but I needed the real settings for the stories so I connected
with people in those areas and did lots of research.
What’s the
quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Quirkiest quirk…Isabella
Mumphrey in the action adventure series has a “survival” vest. It’s a fishing
vest with lots of pockets. She keeps items and her survival tin (an Altoids tin
with a small signal mirror, 2 X-acto blades, 3 yds. of nylon string, 2
magnetized sewing needles, a Fresnel magnifier, safety pins, and 2 ft. of
aluminum foil folded into a small square. Mini magnesium fire starter and
tinder tabs. One inch candle, 2 quart-sized zip-lock bags, a glass vial of 20 water
purification tablets, 50 ft. of braided fishing line on a sewing bobbin,
plastic tube of hooks and swivels, 10 ft. of 24 gauge snare wire) in her vest
pockets.
What’s your
quirkiest quirk?
Wow, my quirkiest quirk… I have to have hot chocolate
in the morning like others have coffee or my day doesn’t go well.
If you
could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which
one would it be? Why?
Nora Roberts’ The MacGregor Brides. The characters in her series are so
real. The books held my interest and I’ve read them many times. Characters are
what make me remember a story and that’s what I try for when I write a story.
Memorable characters.
Everyone at
some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
My do-over has to do with college and how naïve I
was.
What’s your
biggest pet peeve?
People who talk during meetings or workshops when the
speaker is talking.
You’re
stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Chocolate, a pen and paper to write down stories.
What was
the worst job you’ve ever held?
I was a receptionist for a male chauvinist doctor who
told raunchy jokes.
What’s the
best book you’ve ever read?
I have several bests. Books mentioned above by Nora Roberts and A Tarnished Knight by Kathy Otten.
Ocean or
mountains?
That’s tough! I grew up in the mountains and love
them, but I also love visiting the ocean.
City girl/guy
or country girl/guy?
Definitely country! Grew up on 200 acres near a town
of 200 people and now live on 280 acres in a community that only has a post
office.
What’s on
the horizon for you?
I’m launching the Shandra Higheagle mystery series in
January with Double Duplicity. Book
two, Tarnished Remains comes out in
February and book three, Deadly Aim
will be released in March. After that I have the third book in the Halsey
Homecoming releasing and another mystery and an Isabella Mumphrey Adventure
book.
Anything
else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
You can preorder Double
Duplicity now for the low price of $.99.
Double
Duplicity
On
the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra
Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled
out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she’d witnessed
fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased
Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever, but just as
determined to discover the truth.
Detective
Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single
clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust
her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her. Together they discover
the gallery owner wasn’t the respectable woman she’d portrayed. Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an
arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?
2 comments:
I enjoyed the post, Paty. Best wishes with your book and Happy New Year!
Hi Angela! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and the New Year is kind to you.
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