AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Patricia Stevenson

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?     

I have written most of my life.  It was always for my enjoyment, not for publication.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?

I write freehand at lunch.  Computers and food do not do well together.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Writing is a joy and it is exciting.  Correcting, editing, and marketing are a pain.

How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

The main character in my series is Professor Del Channing, and the idea for him came from my Grand Daughter when she went to UMass in Amherst Massachusetts for her Masters.  The rest of the characters in my series are developed to the rolls of life they portray. Professor Del Channing and his side kick Lieutenant B. I. Fredrickson (Bif) are good and interesting people.   Del realizes that history repeats itself, so he solves the mysteries because they remind him of something from the past.  The reader gets a taste of history in 

the solving.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

Basically I sell Book Stores into carrying the full line of my series.  My only intent is for people to purchase my books from a book store.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I write long hand at lunch and input the work at my home at night or on weekends.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

The seventh book in the series.  The fifth book has just come off the press and the sixth is written and will be published next year.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Yes.  I've written a first person book and will soon see if it is publishable.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Have faith in yourself and your writing.  Seek advice from successful professionals; but, don’t let anyone change your voice.

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Thank you, Patricia

Patricia's website: www.patriciagstevenson.com

Get her books here: http://patriciagstevenson.com/booksa.html

You can also read the character interview here.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Del Channing from the Dell Channing Murder Mystery series

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope

to achieve, etc.)

Order books here

My name is Del Channing.  I’m a professor of global history seated at UMass in Amherst, Massachusetts.  I live in a small home on State Street the back of which overlooks the falls that run from Puffer Pont to Miller Lake.  I’m 6’2” tall and have a somewhat lanky frame.  I have blond hair which I wear rather long, much to my Mother’s dislike.  I was born in 1975 and raised in San Francisco.  I was married and divorced prior to the start of the series.  My goal in life is to make history come live for my students.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I run every day.

What is your favorite color and why?

I have no particular color as a favorite and am inclined to wear tans and browns; but, do enjoy seeing others in bright colors.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

My mother, Madaline is a marvelous cook.  She has always awakened in me a love for all food that is well prepared.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

I dislike it when people talk too much about my ability to solve murder mysteries.  It actually embarrasses me.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? 

I hate it when I cannot quickly put a puzzle, about a murder, together.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

I have a best friend, Bif; who helps me solve murder mysteries, and have a loving mother.  My father was killed in the first book of the series.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I respect life, and feel that the majority of mankind is honest and honorable.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

I would like to find someone that I could spend the rest of my life with and have children. This seems hopeless, what with my inability to get over Marva . . . .

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Why do you want to get to know me better?

I always love getting to know new people, even fictional ones. I know with the characters I create, I get to know them pretty well and hate to see them go once the story or series is finished. Thanks for asking!

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Thank you, Del Channing!