PATRICK PARKER
- GUEST AUTHOR -
G'day folks,
Today I interview a charming author from Texas.
Welcome, Patrick ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE
ABOUT YOURSELF.
I grew up in a small
town, near Tulsa, Oklahoma. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management and a
master’s degree in international relations. I had a successful career in the US
Army and spent six years in Europe—five years in Italy and one year in Germany.
After retiring from the military, I worked an additional fifteen years in the
defense industry. Now retired again, I am writing fulltime. I enjoy scuba
diving, sailing, going to the beach and gun range. I currently live in Texas.
My three books to date
are, Six Minutes Early, War Merchant, and Treasures of the Fourth Reich. Currently,
I’m working on my fourth book and hope to have it finished soon. All of my
books are available on Amazon.com.
2.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A
WRITER?
It was because of a
challenge. I was traveling a lot and I would usually pick up a book to read on
the plane. After two books in a row, I complained to my wife how poorly the
books were written with various errors. They were published by big name,
traditional publishing houses. When I said I could write a better book, she
said, “Well do it.” I wrote Treasures of
the Fourth Reich. I had fun writing it and achieved my goal.
With the success of my
first book, I decided to write War
Merchant. It turned out great and next I wrote Six Minutes Early. All three have received four and five star
reviews.
3.
WHAT TYPE OF
PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST
SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
The first thing is the
idea. If it is something I’m interested in enough to work on for the time it
takes to write a book, usually a year or so, I will go on to the next step. I
proceed to explore it and then come up with an ending. With the idea (situation)
and ending, I then work backwards to get a rough idea of how to get to the end.
What must happen, what type of characters are needed to get to the ending.
Everything along the way must be believable. Usually, I take something from
history, something that really happened and go from there. For example, in Treasures of the Fourth Reich, that
story was based on the true Nazi looting of Europe and what could have happened
forty-five to fifty years later. The book I’m writing now is about what could
have happened during the 2016 presidential election and the attempted coup
d’état in Turkey.
I don’t really plan
everything out but capture the points that will get to the end. Usually, the
characters take control and write the story. I just get out of the way.
I have tried to plan
everything out but it just doesn’t work for me, or the characters. Many times
when I’m out on my morning walk, a character will grab on to me and tell me
what is going to happen.
I do research before
and while I’m writing. It could be about a character, place, or event. I try to
write so that the reader is constantly asking, “What is real and what is
fiction?”
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY
MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
When someone says,
“Wow! That was good. I couldn’t put it down.”
When someone buys a
book, they are committed to spending time with the author. I want their time
well spent. They expect suspense, realism, and to be entertained. When they
tell me I gave them what they wanted, that is it. I’m satisfied!
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST
THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I think it is not
getting distracted and having confidence in yourself. Some people will want to
shoot you down for any number of reasons. If you believe in yourself and don’t
give up, you will succeed. One other thing, you must get out of the way of the
characters!
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A
PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
As I mentioned in the
first question, I was a career US Army officer and then worked in the defense
industry. I travelled around the world and met many interesting people. I draw
on those experiences for my writing to come up with great characters in intriguing
locations, and suspenseful stories.
7.
WHAT IS YOUR
GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
I would have to say
that it is getting three very good books published. The greatest is yet to
come. I do, however, think that each successive book is better than the one
before it. That’s the way it should be.
8.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING
ON AT THE MOMENT? WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
I write fast-paced suspense
thrillers. They’re fun and exciting.
I’m working on a
suspense book that has actually turned out to be a sequel to Six Minutes Early. I didn’t originally
plan it that way, the characters did it. At the height of the 2016 presidential
election, an attempted coup d’état happened in Turkey. Chaos and turmoil was
the norm in the US. The election was full of corruption, dirty tricks and
shenanigans. Internationally the US and lame duck president were not respected.
So, I took the situation and came up with the idea.
The story is full of
suspense, corrupt politicians, murder, treason, terrorists, and all the other
makings of a great story. Keep watching for it.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
A lot of things.
People, events, and history. Usually, something happens and that has a
relationship to something else. I take a “what if” approach. That gets me
going.
10.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
Yes, keep writing and
learn from your mistakes. Join a good writers group—one that takes writing
seriously and will give honest and specific feedback. Don’t give up.
11.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
Not really. If I’m
stuck, I go for a walk. My head clears and ideas flow in. I just open the door
and the characters join me. I generally walk about 3.5 miles each morning. I do
it for health and to keep my mind clear.
12.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
I prefer to write in
the morning. Usually, I write five days a week. My mind is fresh and I’m ready
to go. I can’t really write at the end of the day or when I’m tired.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
Yes, I have my desk in
the front of the house by a big window. I can turn on the music and escape into
my writing world.
14.
WHAT IS YOUR
GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
I guess knowing that I
have produced a quality product. I get lots of feedback on how much readers
enjoy my books. I keep them on the edge of their seat and trying to guess what
is going to happen next. They enjoy the ride.
I work diligently in
trying to get the details right and making it as believable as possible. My
writers group keeps telling me that they will miss me when I am carted off and
placed in the Witness Protection Program. Some of the story lines are that
real.
15.
WHO IS YOUR
FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
I was inspired by
several authors. Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, John le Carré, and of course, Tom
Clancy. The most favourite is a difficult decision. They are all great suspense
storytellers. I like their style and their topics.
16.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
When someone tells me,
they couldn’t put it down and stayed up late at night on the edge of their
seat. I get a lot of great compliments from my readers. When they are happy,
I’m happy. The readers are the ones that count.
17.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
I think it was by one
reader that read, Treasures of the Fourth
Reich. She commented that she felt it would have been better if it were
just about one piece of art. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking. The title is
Treasures—plural. In the description it says, … the hunt for Europe's lost art falls to a husband and wife team who
become entangled in this web of stolen treasures. Dix and Maria Connor face
down a secret and deadly network trafficking in Titians, Bruegels and remnants
of Peter the Great's magnificent Amber Room. Plural.
So, I don’t know what
she expected.
18.
WRITERS ARE
SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Yes. I draw from my
military and corporate experience. I know most about those things. I am also
fascinated by current events—political and international. An author just can’t
make up some of these things.
19.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
My family, of course.
Having fun, travel, the beach, and those things I mentioned previously. Best
described as life.
20.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR
BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
Yes. That’s part of the
process. I will write a chapter, then my wife will read it and make
suggestions. I re-write it and then take it to my writers group. They read it
and critique it with suggestions. I make the corrections and when the entire
manuscript is finished, I send it to a beta reader I trust. He makes his
suggestions and then I work on those. After all of this is completed, several
sharp and critical eyes have seen it. Then I’m ready to send it to an editor.
The editor gets a very good manuscript, which usually goes through two rounds
of editing.
21.
DESCRIBE YOUR
PERFECT DAY
My idea of a “perfect
day” is going for a walk, then having coffee while doing some marketing, then
breakfast, and a shower. I write uninterrupted until lunch. After lunch, back
to uninterrupted writing until about five or six in the evening. However, I’m
still striving for this “perfect day.” Something always happens during the day
that keeps me from it. There are phone calls, unexpected events, haircuts,
mowing the grass, running an errand, and etcetera. I am a normal person with a
normal life. I don’t think there is a perfect day. Some days tend to be better
than others. At least I have my vision of a perfect day.
22.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON
A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Well, most guys, I
think, would probably say someone like Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, or Cate
Blanchett. However, that could have different problems. I, on the other hand, would
want to be stranded with someone like Dydre Rowyn, my protagonist in War Merchant or even Max Kenworth, the
protagonist in Six Minutes Early.
Both are resourceful, smart, cunning, and deadly. These skills would be a
necessity for survival, if one were stuck on a desert island. Especially, if
faced with marauding natives or bad guys. It might be nice to have the company
of an attractive female companion, so Dydre would be a good choice. However, my
wife might get jealous or Dydre might begin to think of me as a loose end, and
get rid of me. That leaves Max. However, Dydre is a woman and better looking.
That is a very tough question. A lot of things to consider. How long would I be
on the island? Does it have internet? Perhaps I shouldn’t be stuck on a desert
island.
23.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY
IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
How much time do I have
for an answer? Stop the corruption, petty bickering, and quest for dominance.
We all live on earth and we all came into this world the same way. No one
person is any better than the next. Everyone wants to live in peace. Accept the
fact that there are cultural and religious differences. No culture or religion
is any better or worse than the other.
24.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
Finish the book I’m
working on and publish it. Start a new book. Probably should squeeze in a
vacation or two in there.
25.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY
SELL BOOKS?
I haven’t decided yet.
If someone is looking to buy a book and isn’t familiar with the author or the
book, they may not take the time to watch the trailer. I think the reviews by
other readers are more important. If the cover of the book, description, and
review are good, the buyer may not bother with a trailer. Then if they do watch
the trailer and it’s not good, you could lose a sale. I think most buyers look
at the description, the reviews, and possibly the cover (of an unknown book or
author) then make a decision.
26.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF
IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
Yes, I think most
authors do that. Maybe not the entire character but portions, traits, habits,
or features. I think that’s common.
27.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
Yes, somewhat. However,
I do think it is improving. Amazon has caused a lot of changes for the better.
Self-publishing has come into prominence. In the past, it was very difficult to
get published, through a traditional publisher, as a new author. The process
was very lengthy, usually taking a couple of years, or more, to get a book
published. It was frustrating with a lot of ups and downs along the way.
Although Amazon has streamlined
the process and made it easier to be published, they still have standards. They
will de-list a title if it is full of errors and continuously gets bad reviews.
That’s a good thing. I like how the readers’ reviews are published on the book
pages for a buyer to see what others thought of a book.
I am not familiar with
the other self-publishing sites but hope they are following Amazon’s lead in
providing services and maintaining quality standards. Many good authors are
switching to self-publishing which is having an impact on the traditional
publishers. A lot of great books are self-published.
My biggest frustration
with a self-published title is that the big chain stores are very reluctant to
stock a self-published book. It boils down to economics. If a title doesn’t
sell, they can’t return the books. However, they will list them on their
webpage.
28.
DID YOU EVER THINK
OF QUITTING?
No, I’m not a quitter. When
I decide to write a book, I finish it. It is a lot of work and takes time. It makes
it all worthwhile when my readers tell me they liked one of my books.
29.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
Hmmm. Good question.
That’s like asking a parent which child he or she likes the best. Each child is
different and you love them. Manuscripts are the same—they are different and
you love them all. Each of my books tell a different story.
War Merchant was a lot of fun to write and it had a few
challenges. It has a female, kick-ass protagonist. I wrote it with a woman’s
perspective. A lot of women have read it and loved it.
Six Minutes Early is a story that could happen.
Treasures of the Fourth Reich, although fiction, is
based on true events that happened at the end of WWII.
30.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE
‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?
Consistently writing
well-written books. If a reader says, “That’s a good author. He/she writes a
very good book.” The reader is the one that counts.
31.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD
THEY FEEL?
They should feel
satisfied that their time was well spent. I want a reader to ask, “What was
real and what was fiction?” My goal is to entertain them. I want the reader to
walk away knowing that I write a good book and that I have worked hard to
eliminate errors. The next time they buy one of my books, they know it will be
a great ride!
32.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A
SCREENPLAY?
Yes, I would like to
have my books made into movies. That would be fun. I hope I could be part of
the process in making the book come to life on the screen.
No, I have not written
a screenplay.
33.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
A lot. I want the cover
to capture the essence of the story, look good, and be eye-catching. I want the
designer to come up with the idea from the story. I want them to design what
the story said to them. I discuss the different samples with the designer—pros
and cons. I make the final decision. I do get input from my writers group and
others. It is always a tough decision and I agonized over it for a number of
days.
I take into
consideration things such as, how well it shows up as a thumbnail on the web, the
font, title placement, eye-catching, colors, author’s name placement,
readability of the title, cover finish, and things like that.
There are many things
to consider and it takes time.
34.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
Have all the books I
write made into movies.
35.
WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
It is a never-ending
process and something you must do. Even if you are traditionally published, you
still must do it. It is up to you. You must do it daily and through various
means. I do suggest that authors be careful in spending their time and money
wisely. Beware of those that tell you they can make you rich and famous. Or
that their process is unique, the latest thing out. They are just out to get you
signed up. You can go broke in a hurry. I think you should take the long-term
approach. There is no such thing as get rich and famous quick.
The common thing I have
read from well-known and very successful authors is to write good books, and
keep writing. If a reader likes your book, they will want to read another and
another. Focus long term.
36.
ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
Yes. My first book was
traditionally published. As soon as the publisher recouped his money from the
advance, he seemed to lose interest. I was doing the work and he was making the
money. Many of the things he promised never happened. When my contract was up I
self-published that book. I self-published my other two and will probably do
the same with the one I’m writing now. I’m doing the work and making the money.
I think this is a
common theme with publishers. There are exceptions.
37. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE
WORDS.
Tenacious,
detail-orientated, caring, considerate, dedicated.
38.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
A person that is,
incompetent, arrogant, condescending, or just won’t try.
39.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
The
Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carré. Yes, it was a good one.
40.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST
SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
The end.
41.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU
HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Hmmm. Good one. Can we
go back to the desert island?
I’m a pretty happy and
content person. I’ve been around the world, lived in Europe, and done a lot of
neat things. I would like to go to Australia and possibly the Congo and South
Africa. I don’t think it would make me any happier but it would be interesting
to see those places.
I’ll just keep writing
and hope for a movie. Perhaps one day I will get invited to Australia.
42.
ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE
TO ADD?
I can’t think of
anything else to add. This has been thorough.
Thank you for
interviewing me. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. I would love to
hear from your readers and get their comments about my books.
Clancy's comment: Thanks, Patrick. Hey, a very good answer to question 23. Mm ... Your answer to question 22 includes two Aussie women. Like your style. Love ya work!
I'm ...
No comments:
Post a Comment