Author Interview: Anne Patrick

I get to introduce you today to one of the absolute nicest people I've met since I've been writing. Anne Patrick is a wonderfully encouraging lady, and a magnificent author. If you haven't read any of her books, you need to. Enough said.

This is actually Anne's second visit to my blog. In the fall she wrote a post about her amazing journey to publication, since then Anne has had the joy of watching numerous books of hers become published. Today though, she's going to share with us about her latest, Fire and Ash. (Which is really good!)

Would you please tell us a little about yourself? Well, I’m the author of over a dozen novels that are either published or under contract. I write Inspirational Romantic Suspense under the name Anne Patrick, and Inspirational romance under the name Kinzie Monroe. And when I’m not writing I enjoy spending time with family and friends.

When did you first become interested in writing? Since reading my first Romantic Suspense novel as a teenager. I’ve been a junkie ever since.

Can you tell us a little about the ups and downs on your journey to publication? After many, many, rejections I sought the help of a very wise professional editor who was brutally honest about my writing flaws. She taught me so much about the craft and was also very encouraging. After a few more rejections, the Lord finally opened that door.

Well, it must have helped because your writing is fantastic! How do you approach a new project? Do you research and plot before you write? Or do you have a general idea and just go to it and see where it leads? I’m a character driven pantster—meaning once I have an idea I generally concentrate on the characters and let them tell me their story. I’ve tried plotting, but it never worked well for me. I am a careful researcher though.

I can tell. Your characters come across as very believable in their professions. Tell us about your latest release? I’m thrilled to announce Fire and Ash releases today from Desert Breeze Publishing. It’s a ‘Sweet’ Inspirational Romantic Suspense. Here’s a snippet: Fire investigator, Sadie McGregor is called to her hometown to investigate a suspicious fire that claimed the life of a local college student. Teaming up with the handsome new police chief, Quinn Harrington, the two must unravel the mystery surrounding the fire. The answers they find could rock the whole community and may cost one of them their life.

What inspired you to write this story? The idea came to me while watching the DVD of the movie Backdraft a couple of years ago. I loved Robert DeNiro in the part of the fire investigator and was really intrigued by what all goes into finding the answers to why a fire started.

I thought of that movie while reading it. Can you give us a little history on the characters, including how you developed them , and what endears them to you? Sadie and Quinn are two of favorite characters thus far. Sadie lost her family in a fire when she was seven and blames God and herself for not saving her baby brother. Quinn, in a close walk with God, is determined to help her to face her past once and for all. As far as developing the characters, I had the help of fire investigator, Keith Tarbox, in researching this book and understanding the make-up of a fire investigator. His help was invaluable. He not only helped with the logistics, he gave some great advice on how to improve my characters.

What do you hope to be able to accomplish through your writing? Any long term goals? Whether I’m writing as Anne or Kinzie, I try to weave an inspirational theme into my stories. I want to share my faith in a subtle way that leaves the reader feeling good—which isn’t always easy considering the dark subject matter in some of my works. The main thing I want to accomplish is letting people know that no matter what we travel through the Lord is always with us.

You do that really well, Anne. The faith element flowed so naturally through this story. This is a book that people will enjoy even if they don't typically read Inspirational stories, because everything intertwined effortlessly (that's how it seemed). I was never pulled away from the story, nor did I feel like faith was an afterthought.

Any ideas for future projects? I’m working on two projects right now, an Inspirational Romance and a ‘Sweet’ Romantic Suspense. The Romantic Suspense is the first in a series I’m working on. You can read my progress online here: http://suspensebyannewips.blogspot.com/

Trivia time! What's your favorite movie, food, and place to vacation? Also, any other hobbies? Favorite movie – French Kiss w/Meg Ryan. Fav food – Chinese (black peppered pork & fried rice). Vacation – Central America. Hobbies – Video games and camping with family and friends.

Other than your book, do you have any recommendations you'd like to pass along? The most recent highly recommend read is The Shack. It’s an amazing book!
Thank you for having me Shawna! You ask great questions!

Glad you think so!
For more about Anne, check out the link to her blog above.