Today I welcome author Patty Wiseman. "An Unlikely Arrangement" is Patty's debut novel and is available now online. Please visit the link below for more information and to read some of Patty's other work.
Welcome Patty, and thank you for being my guest today.
For the uninitiated, please describe your genre.
First of all, thank you Joanie for having me! I guess I would describe my genre as romantic suspense. I love an old-fashioned romance and I love mystery, so I’ve tried to intertwine the two.
The story is set in 1920’s Detroit. How did you become interested in this time period?
As a child, I was always fascinated by the stories I heard of m y grandparents on my father’s side of the family. Their marriage was arranged. Unfortunately, my grandfather died in a fire when my dad was only 10 months old. My grandmother left the area shortly thereafter and remarried. They changed my father’s last name without benefit of adoption and so the existence of my grandfather was lost in the shuffle. When my father was grown, an aunt of his told him the real story, and he tried to search for clues about his real identity. My father died before he could find anything out. I took up the search a few years ago and was amazed to find his grave in Detroit. Through other sources I pieced together bits and pieces about his life. There is no one else alive to ask that I’ve been able to find. The story fascinated me, and I felt compelled to weave a story. .
Your protagonist, Ruth, is placed in an interesting situation. Her feelings of teenage angst are very relatable. Did you base any of your characters on real people or people you know personally?
Ruth was actually based on my grandmother. I knew her well before she died, and her personality coupled with the stories I heard about her as a young woman fashioned the character in my book. She was rebellious and stubborn, and a great beauty. Peter is based on what I hoped my grandfather was like. I have pictures of him now, but heard very little about his personality.
This is your first book. Please describe what the journey has been like and a little bit about the publishing process.
This has been an incredible journey. It seems every step I take forward another door opens, and I am ushered into another phase of the process. I love the writing part and can sit down for hours and spin the story. When it comes to the publishing part, I am a novice, but exactly at the right time the exact person I needed for the next step appeared in my life. My publisher Desert Coyote Productions took me by the hand and led me through the self publishing experience one step at a time. Typesetting, fonts and formatting, ISBN numbers…kinda not my forte. Needless to say, I’ve learned quite a bit. Could I do it on my own now? I think not. I’ve been amazed at the amount of time all of that takes. I just want to be in my office spinning my stories.
And lastly, how did you get into writing and what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
I’ve always wanted to write, but like so many others, life got in the way. Many years ago, I found myself raising two teenage boys alone. Divorced, working two jobs and spending a lot of time at sports events watching my boys left little time for a personal life. But once a week, a girlfriend of mine and I took advantage of ladies night at different events. We had a lot of fun and many adventures. One day, we mentioned to each other we should write a book and that’s how it started. I went off on my own as I discovered my style and voice and “An Unlikely Arrangement” was born.
Advice to aspiring writers? Keep going! Learn and grow. Read, read, read. You can learn so much from reading the works of others. Go for your dream. It IS possible!
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Patty and best of luck with your debut novel "An Unlikely Arrangement".
Author of An Unlikely Arrangement
Author of Short Story Blackbeard Drank Cocoa
Author of If It's Thursday Night, My Name Must Be Lola
http://www.pattywiseman.com/
