PATRICIA A. RASEY ~~ Spotlight Interview with Tracey West ~~ June 2004

What an incredible honour it is for me to interview one of my favourite authors, one who is placed high on my list of must reads and buy everything she writes.  Patricia A. Rasey has had many releases, some long before I read a story by her, much to my chagrin.  But that doesn’t exclude the fact that her writing is magnificent and I have since worn out my credit card on her entire backlist.  Patricia was kind enough to agree to be interviewed and answer my endless questions.  I hope readers will enjoy learning more about Pat’s work, who she is and maybe even try her books if they haven’t already.  Patricia is a three time RIO Award of Excellence winner and has a long list of other awards for her writing.  Readers are missing out on some excellent stories if they haven’t read Patricia A. Rasey…

Welcome to The Road to Romance Patricia!

TW - What is a day in the life of Patricia A. Rasey like?  How many hours a day do you spend writing?

PAR - I wish I could say that I write from 9-5 everyday, but I don’t. My life is far from glamorous. It’s busy.  I work outside the home during the day, own a karate school that I teach at a couple of nights a week, and I have one son in college and one in high school sports. So right now, my writing is slipped into the cracks of free time, and that’s not as often as I’d like.

TW - You haven’t always been a writer. What else have you done in your life?

PAR - I’ve worked a lot of odd jobs from being a baker to assistance manager of a shoe store. Right now I work in a pizza/dive thru. I also own a karate school and teach martial arts. But mostly, I’m a mother and wife. I’m pretty well rounded in all areas. Writing, however, is the one mainstay in my life besides my family.

TW - You have 2 teenage sons.  Have you ever found it hard to balance being a Mom, wife and writer?

PAR - Of course. It’s not easy taking care of the family, the house, and being five places at once, let alone remembering to schedule all those appointments. My mind is usually swimming with so many day to day things, not to mention that plot needing to get down on paper that my husband frequently has to call me and remind me of the day’s events.  He’s a good sport about it.

TW - You have had many releases Pat.  A list that includes:

• Deadly Obsession
• Kiss of Deceit
• Façade
• The Hour Before Dawn, sequel to the best-selling Deadly Obsession
• Eyes Of Betrayal, sequel to the best-selling Kiss Of Deceit
• Lawfully Yours, her first historical romance
• Eternally Yours, sequel to Lawfully Yours
• In the Mind of Darkness
• Fear of the Dark

What story would you say was the most difficult to write?

PAR - Probably Eyes of Betrayal. For one, it was at that time I went back to work. So my writing time had been cut into significantly. And with the last few years, my youngest son getting into his high school years and sports—it just hasn’t left me much time. The other reason would be because as a writer I feel I have grown and came a long way, so writing it and adding all the mechanics I learned, and striving over every word on the page also slows down the creative process. I did a lot of research on motorcycle clubs and I wanted to try and get those details as correct as I could, as I do with researching all my books. Although it was a difficult book to finish—it was also a fun book to write.

TW - Which story is your favourite?

PAR - Every book I have written is my favorite at the time of writing it. I get pretty passionate about the current project and love delving into the research. But I would have to say out of all those I’ve written; Eyes of Betrayal is my favorite. I loved the biker world and writing about it…and Egan Tate was a hero to die for. I love bad boys, and he was the ultimate.

TW - You seem to have a passion for writing various genres.  Lawfully Yours and its sequel, Eternally Yours are Historical romances.  Deadly Obsession and its sequel The Hour Before Dawn are Vampyre/Dark Romances.  Kiss of Deceit and its sequel, Eyes of Betrayal are thriller/suspense stories.  Each story is amazing and each one shines, but what genre do you find you like the most?

PAR - I love thrillers the most. I don’t know why, but I love the research for these books. I’ve always been fascinated with detectives, forensics and crime solving so it’s a more natural genre for me. I did very much enjoy the vampyre series and had a passion about the culture when writing about it. I’ll probably one day revisit it when I write a third book in the series. I’m not sure I’ll revisit the historical romance genre. I’d have to say it was my least favorite to write—though I do love to read them. But never say never. Who knows what the future holds and where my muse will take me.

TW - What story (stories) from the list above has been best received by readers? Is there a story/series or character(s) that readers seem to want more of? (LOL – Pat knows who I want more of!!)

PAR - The vampyre series. But that stands to reason because there is a huge cult following there. And although my stories are not technically considered paranormal, but more about the vampyre culture in today’s society—they seem to be good sellers for me. The biggest question I’ve had asked is, ‘When does Damien get his own story?” I do plan on giving Damien a break and allowing him to play hero once. If I only had time to write all those plots swimming in my head.

TW - How long does it take you to write a story?

PAR - I used to be able to write a story in about eight months. But now because of my busy life, it does take over a year. Unfortunately. I need to start setting aside more time for writing. My current project, Love You to Pieces, has been sitting on my desk too long. I’d like to get that hammered out and move on.

TW - From the above titles, did you have to do extensive research for any of them?  For instance, the biker world that we read in Kiss of Deceit and Eyes of Betrayal was the research extensive for that? Same with the historical aspects from Lawfully Yours and Eternally Yours?

PAR - Oh, yes. I always do extensive research for all my books. Some genres I like delving into a bit more than others. I have collected a lot of books on the subjects I research.  I do 110% research for my books and only add about 10% of what I learned. I don’t want to bore the reader with the facts—but know enough to write on the subject and sound knowledgeable.

TW - What can you tell us about your upcoming tale Sanitarium, in the Once in a Blue Moon Anthology, due out this month?  The anthology is available from NovelBooks, Inc., which is an amazing collection of stories from wonderful authors, what can you share with us about Sanitarium?

PAR - Sanitarium was a fun novella for me to write. Since I don’t write much in the paranormal genre—I felt like I had a whole new license for creativity. I have always loved paranormal vampires, so the passion was easy to find for the story. Jake and Annie seemed doomed from the start as Jake chased the Legend of the Blue Moon. He wanted his mortality back, and he needed Annie to achieve it. Kenji, the vampire who created Jake, was sent to stop Jake from his pursuit. He became a lively character, one I may just entertain into giving him a novel of his own one day.

TW - You are also working on Dark Savior, another Historical romance coming from Amber Quill Press.  How is this book coming and what can you share about it with us?

PAR - Dark Savior is done except for the final galley reading. I had to do a lot of rewrites for this book because I originally wrote it years ago. I’m hoping the book will be received as well as Lawfully Yours and Eternally Yours. I’ve done fairly well with those two.  Dark Savior has a special dedication in the book and the book is close to my heart for that reason. I watched three young girls grow up to beautiful your ladies, and I dedicated the story to them. The 1920’s was a fun time era to write.

TW - Is Dark Savior connected to any of your previous releases?

PAR - No. Dark Savior is a stand alone book, connected to none of my others. There will be no sequel to that book. I have another historical that is a complete stand alone that if I ever get the time to rewrite it, will also come out through Amber quill Press, entitled Dragonlord—it’s about a French pirate. Because I always loved books about pirates and they seem to be a dying story line, I’d love to bring this book out in the future when time allows.

TW - Will there be further sequels to Kiss of Deceit/Eyes of Betrayal and/or Deadly Obsession/The Hour Before Dawn?

PAR - My plan at this time is to write a third book in both of those series. I know Damien would get his own novel in the Deadly series.  For the Kiss series, I really haven’t thought beyond the return of Psych and Tony. But yes, I would love to continue these books. I’d also like to do a sequel to Façade and have KC and Shar return as hero and heroine in the next book. They were a fun couple to write and their story is far from over.

TW - Out of all your heroes, who would you say is your favourite?  Is there one that you still think about?

PAR - I still think about a lot of my characters—but the one who is dearest to my heart is Egan Tate from Eyes of Betrayal. I loved his tortured bad boy image. He had a hard upbringing and ran with bikers. It really set who he had become.

TW - Have any of the heroines in your books been anything like you?  I could make a guess but I am not sure if I would be right…<g> who would you say was most like you?

PAR - Oh, wow. I probably try to stay away from myself as characters—but I would guess a bit of myself goes into every character I write for one reason or another. If I were to say who was most like me, it would be LeAnne McVeigh from Kiss of Deceit. Not because of the abuse, but because she was a very strong woman and stood up for herself.

TW - You are also an editor at Amber Quill Press correct?  What lines do you edit there?  Is it a fairly time-consuming job?

PAR - Was. I left the position to concentrate on my writing. That was probably another reason I got very little writing done last year. When I had free time, instead of writing, I edited. I needed to get that free time back. And it’s helped. I have been able to move forward with my current project Love You to Pieces.

TW - What do you find the best thing about working with/being an author with, Amber Quill Press?

PAR - I like the open communication. It seems that AQP wants to keep their authors happy and when you have a problem, they try very hard to solve it. They work hard for their authors—and I know first hand that everyone on staff is overworked, but they do what they do for the love of the medium and wanting AQP and its authors to go far.

TW - Do you ever suffer from writers block?

PAR - I think all writers do. Usually about half way through the book, I can’t figure out which direction I want to go. I never suffer from ideas, just putting them on paper.

TW - What is your favourite thing about writing?

PAR - Creating the story. I have always been a huge daydreamer and can remember even as a kid, creating elaborate tales in my head. I love telling stories. Having people read them and like them is a blessing.

TW - When you are not writing, what would we find you doing?

PAR - Sitting with an umbrella at track meets. It’s been a wet season. Or you might find me teaching karate and going to martial arts tournaments. I have a long road ahead of me building my reputation in the martial arts world as a school owner. Or you may find me in the drive thru at Hawk’s Pizza, working.

TW - What other things do you have a passion for?  I see a couple pictures on your website where you received certificates / awards in karate?  How much discipline does that take?

PAR - Karate is an extremely disciplined sport. Very structured. It takes many years to get your black belt, many push ups, and much respect of your upper ranking belts. The bright side, you learn to appreciate the work you do, see the growth in yourself, and build your self-confidence. If you don’t have the discipline—you’ll never wear the belt.

TW - Did you ever think when you began having your work published that so many readers would love them so much? You have won many awards, RIO Award of Excellence (3 this past year alone), TRS CAPA Award, Word Weaving Award of Excellence and a couple from The Road to Romance, to name a few.  Have these awards, reader responses, been a surprise?

PAR - A huge surprise. Each new award I get brings me to tears. For a long time writers beat their heads against walls trying to get their work published. There is a lot of negativity in the beginning and not much to make a person keep moving forward. So when the contract comes and readers get a chance to read your work—there is nothing like a letter that says what joy they got from your work or an award that was given because someone really enjoyed your stories. And since I usually hate everything I write and fear each new release, all of it comes as a big surprise to me. A very pleasant one. 

TW - Do you still worry over the responses from readers/reviewers when new books are released?

PAR - Oh yes. As I said above, I fear each release. You can ask my editors—when I turn a new book in, I usually apologize because I think it’s that bad. I guess we are our own worst critiques and it helps me strive to get better. Writing is always a growing process and I always try to make myself better. So when I put new work out there—I fear the reviews and what readers will think. As I tell my husband—I’m waiting to hear, ‘What was she thinking?’

TW - Who are some of your favourite authors? Do you have time to read with your schedule?

I make time to read because it’s a favorite pastime. I will read over television most days. I usually reserve that for nighttime, just before bed. So it does take me awhile to finish a book. Favorite authors…I hate to mention any names because there are so many. But I started out with roots in reading Sandra Brown, Brenda Joyce and Teresa Medeiros. And that just names a few. Tina St. John is an upcoming author with loads of talent.

TW - What did you want to be when you were growing up?

PAR - A fashion designer. Okay, well I really didn’t have what it took to be one of those. But about my senior year in high school I wrote in my journal that I wanted to have a story published someday. Maybe that was my premonition of what I really wanted to be.

TW - If you could give aspiring authors any advice, what would it be?

PAR - Never give up. If being published is your dream, then you must work hard at it, have persistence, and see your dream fulfilled. But never think there isn’t room for improvement. There always is in everything we do.

TW - What do you hope readers take with them/feel after reading one of your books?

PAR - I hope to leave lingering memories. I know there are some books after I put them down, I can’t stop thinking about them. That’s what I hope to leave with readers…a memory.

TW - Just a recap, what books do you have tentatively scheduled for release this year/early 2005?

PAR - This question brought a smile to my face. Simply because I cut myself off at the kneecaps. I have nothing scheduled for release beyond this summer. I stopped signing contracts in hopes of getting into New York and a bigger publisher. Once Love You to Pieces is done, then I intend to shop it around. If I don’t make a larger publisher, then I’ll sell it to a smaller house as I have with my past books. But it’s been five years since I knocked on New York’s doorstep…I thought it was about time to return. That and once I find time to rewrite Dragonlord, I’ll schedule a release for sometime in 2005 with Amber Quill Press.

TW - If fans would like to get in contact with you, where could they write?

PAR - They can email me at PatriciaRasey@earthlink.net. I love hearing from readers. Or they can send a snail mail to P.O. Box 385, Napoleon, OH 43545.

TW - Is there anything else you would like to add Pat?

PAR - I would like to say thanks to you for having me in for this interview and a huge thank you to all who have taken the time to read it and my books. I can’t thank you enough. It means a lot to me.

 
Readers can find Patricia A. Rasey books at www.hardshell.com and www.amberquill.com

Pat’s site is updated regularly with new information on books, reviews and other happenings in her life http://www13.brinkster.com/rasey/index.html

 
Thank you so much Pat for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit with us at The Road to Romance.