Red wine. How about Merlot? I mention it in one of my novels.
I love Merlot! Let me pop the cork while you tell us, about your favorite camping trip, adventure or vacation. What made it special to you?
I have camped, but perhaps my favorite adventure was canoeing in Georgia’s beautiful Okefenokee Swamp, paddling past beautiful flowers, birds—and crocodiles.
Gulp! 😲 Never thought about canoeing with crocs. I am looking forward to camping in Georgia though. Tell us about your latest project and what’s on the horizon.
My new release, Shadows of Doubt, is about a young man who fell into drug dealing in college, but got out of it by leaving school and going to work on his uncle’s North Caroline farm. He returns to a different college to get a degree in agriculture, and there is forming a relationship with a young woman when his old drug supplier finds him and wants him to begin dealing again.
Oh, that sounds like an interesting premise. Can you give us the tagline?
Despite warnings, should she take a chance on him? On the horizon is a novel about a teacher and student tentatively titled The Arborist. (I change my mind about titles.)
How long did it take you from conception to publication? How did you do it so quickly, or what circumstances drew the process out?
I actually began a version of Shadows of Doubt in the 1980s when I’d taken a year off from teaching. I meant it to be a YA and so the main characters were in high school. But I went back to teaching, and not until about two years ago did I pull out the old, yellowed, literally cut-and-pasted-on typescript. I re-read it and thought it had possibilities. I rewrote the novel, making the main characters college students and adding the drug dealer elements for stronger drama.
Are there any mentors, authors, or books you would like to give a shout-out to?
One mentor is my sister, Dorothy Altman, who has always been one of the first readers of my fiction. Another is Kaycee John, my Wild Rose editor. I have learned a lot from her—from being sure I infuse more descriptions of characters’ emotions into crucial scenes to presenting action before dialogue to identify the speaker rather than using tags. Finally, a book that really helped me—recommended by Kaycee—was Revision and Self Editing by James Scott Bell.
I have a sister named Dorothy too. I’m also looking forward to meeting Kaycee at the Ignite Your Imagination conference in Tampa. Every author has their own idea of what being a successful author is. What does that look like to you?
A friend emailed me that she’d finished Shadows of Doubt. She’d just begun reading it earlier that day. I commented, “You read fast.” She wrote back, “I couldn’t put it down.” Without obsessing on sales, that’s what success looks like to me.
Do you have any tips, tricks, or anything you specialize in that you would share with others. I’m also interested in how you have been managing your life and writing with COVID-19.
A “trick”: I, like many writers, keep a piece of paper and pen by my bed. When I get an idea for my current writing project during the night I turn on the light and jot it down so I won’t forget it. I’m retired, so my life during Covid did not change drastically. However, I found I could remedy the boredom and stress of the Covid year by escaping into the world of my fiction.
Now the fun questions
Years ago, there was a commercial that talked about a “Kodak Moment.” It’s a moment in time you catch in a picture. One you never want to forget. What is yours?
My Kodak moment is literally a photo of me with my sister when I was maybe five and she three. We are sitting in a field of grass, her head is leaning against me, and I seem to be comforting her. It epitomizes the close relationship we’ve always had.
Teach me something I don’t know in two sentences.
Lay takes a direct object: Chickens lay eggs. Lie does not: I like to lie on my couch and watch tv. (Apologies; you probably know that, but I so often see those verbs used incorrectly, even in novels, that I had to seize the chance to vent with this answer.) (I’m always trying to figure out which to use, so thank you.)
What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Cinderella, because I like romance and the idea of a Prince Charming.
Favorite childhood book?
The Wizard of Oz
What weird talent do you have?
I type very fast with only two fingers.
Patricia, thank you so much for stopping by the campfire today. Can you leave a little more about your book and where to find out more about you?
by
Patricia McAlexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful to the End!
McAlexander’s story is about a universal dilemma: knowing who people really are, not how they appear to be.
Former grade school bully and, later, amateur drug dealer Jeff Hudson turns his life around and is pursuing a degree in agriculture. His future, as well as a budding relationship with fellow student Sandy Harris, is threatened when a former dealer threatens to expose Jeff’s past to university authorities if he doesn’t rejoin the ring. Realizing that Jeff is no longer an angry, misunderstood boy, Sandy must take a stand against her family and friends who swear he is no good and will only cause her unhappiness. Together, can they escape the past in order to forge a future?
Need more?
“Sandy—I need to tell you something about him.”
“I don’t want to hear it. You’d better take me home.”
Bill abruptly turned around in a parking lot he was passing and headed back toward her house. His expression was grim, almost angry. “I’d be better for you, Sandy. Your mother thinks so, too.”
Anger replaced her anxiety. “How do you know what my mother thinks? I hope you and she didn’t discuss this!”
“Just a little, last night before you came downstairs. She didn’t say much, but I could tell how she felt.” He pulled up in front of her house. “We both worry about you with Jeff. It’s not just that we think this won’t last…”
“Why else should you worry?”
Bill hesitated. “For one thing, he has a temper. He may physically hurt you. Remember how he was even as a kid.”
Her anger notched up higher. He was sounding just like her mother, expressing unfounded, outdated fears. “It was years ago that he got in those fights. He’s not like that now. I’m sorry, Bill, but I think it would be better if you and I don’t see each other for a while.” She got out of the car and slammed the door.
Bill started to pull away, then stopped, lowered the window, and called out to her. “Just remember, if you ever need me, I’ll be here.”
Convinced? Here’s the links.
https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Doubt-Patricia-McAlexander-ebook/dp/B08XTN863F/ref
https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Doubt-Patricia-McAlexander/dp/1509235426/ref
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-doubt-patricia-mcalexander/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-doubt-patricia-mcalexander/1138919956
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781509235438
If you’re looking for more about Patricia and her writing
Patricia McAlexander is from upstate New York, the setting of Stranger in the Storm (2020), but she’s also lived in Colorado, Texas, and Wisconsin. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New York at Albany, a master’s from Columbia University, and a doctorate from The University of Wisconsin, Madison, all in English. Patricia now lives in Athens, Georgia, with her Southerner husband, whom she met when they were graduate students in Wisconsin. After retiring from teaching at the University of Georgia, she’s had had more time to garden and travel while renewing her interests in photography, history, and, most of all, writing fiction. Her second novel, Shadows of Doubt (2021) is set in Athens.
Website: https://patriciamcalexander.weebly.com
Email: mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/patriciamcalexanderwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatMcAlexWriter
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/patriciamcalexander/