I was born in
the Mississippi Delta but from
the age of eight was
raised in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Reading and
writing, aside from school-work, did not become a part
of my life until my older adult years.
All through my school years I was painfully shy and
introverted making giving the dreaded ‘Oral Book
Reports’, that
I’m quite sure a lot of people remember, a very traumatic
experience for me and ultimately turned me off to
reading. I
guess you could consider this
an early negative influence. For the positive
influences, I need to give the most credit to my mom,
now 94 years young. She convinced me that reading was
very enjoyable and, as usual, she was right. So I began
checking books out at the local Library and discovered
the wonderfully descriptive style of Dean Koontz. His
descriptions in his books reminded
me a lot of the oil paintings I do. As opposed to
painting with brush and canvas he painted with words and
that was fascinating to me. Another positive influence
in my life in relation to writing books was an episode
on Walker, Texas Ranger. Yep, this is a true story,
believe it or not. I was reading a Dean Koontz novel
when the episode of Walker where Jimmy Trivet, Clarence
Gilyard, was going to write a book and he was telling
Walker, Chuck Norris, all about his plan and how easy it
was going to be and that’s
when the idea of my actually writing a book was first
born. I also keep an article out of a Readers Digest
book entitled “My First Job”, compiled by Daniel Levine
about Chuck Norris and how he overcame his shyness and
used his self-determination to climb to success. That
article stays right next to my computer and I read it
every day for inspiration.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
Patricia
Gayle:
I guess I
write because it is another form of artistic
self-expression. Learning
to paint with words has opened a whole new arena for me. I’m also intrigued
by mysteries and
puzzles and I find
creative writing quite challenging as
well. It keeps my
imagination well oiled and active. It’s really sort of
fun to create characters and let them lead
you to places you would never have gone before. Not
to mention the fact that fiction writing allows you the
freedom to create anything your mind can conjure up. And
I love it.
PageOneLit.com: Tell us about your new book Blow Dart.
Explain your title Blow Dart as it relates to your plot.
Patricia
Gayle:
Blow Dart is
not a ‘the moral of this story is’ kind of book unless
you don’t know before-hand not to park beside vans. It’s
a story that is meant to be
fun and provide
pure entertainment and keep
your interest from beginning to end. And if the
reviews on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are any degree
of measurement, then that’s what Blow Dart gives you.
The title
evolved mainly from my hopes of finding an MO for my bad
guy that hasn’t been used a whole lot because I wanted
originality. I
wanted a title that would grab the reader’s eye, depict
what the book was about but at the same time leave
enough mystery about it as to not give away the story. I
wanted the title to make
people ask, “What does Blow Dart actually mean?” I hope
I have succeeded.
PageOneLit.com: Who is Patricia Dawson? Who is Shea?
Patricia
Gayle:
I patterned the
characters, Patricia Dawson and Shea Connors after
certain traits of myself at different times in my life. Alter
egos, if you will. Patricia
Dawson is a survivor with a strong will. The kind of
person that I longed to be as a
child growing up and with traits
I had to learn
in order to overcome my introverted, shy self. Shea Connors,
on the other hand, is the wide-eyed, dreamy and trusting
innocent, a part of my personality that I maintain today
and truly cherish.
PageOneLit.com: The cover of Blow Dart is outstanding --
Who did the cover?
Patricia
Gayle:
Dog
Ear Publishing did
the cover based on my selections, ideas and
compilations. I wanted something eye-catching and
memorable so they took what I wanted and did an
amazingly beautiful job of putting it together. My hat
is off to them!
PageOneLit.com: In your opinion what makes Blow Dart
stand out among other 'suspense thrillers'?
Patricia
Gayle:
For
those who have read the book, it seems to have been
quite appealing to them, in today’s busy lifestyles, to
be able to read a book in one or two sittings. This
aspect seems to be very important to people who don’t
have a lot of free time and I think that’s important to
remember. It’s also an attention grabber from the very
onset and keeps you turning the pages until the very
end, or so I’ve been told.
PageOneLit.com: Blow Dart would make a great film -- If
Hollywood called and asked you to cast the film who
would you cast and why??
Patricia
Gayle:
Thank you
for the compliment, PageOneLit. I, too, think it has the
makings for a very suspenseful, entertaining and edge-of-the-seat
film. A lot
of my readers have expressed this same sentiment. If
Hollywood called for casting suggestions, I would have
to choose a blond Ashley Judd to play the role of
Patricia Dawson. Her versatility, talent, looks and her
very persona lend to captivating an audience. I
would especially like to see Matthew McConaughey play
the role of Trish’s husband, Roger Dawson. I saw the
movie, ‘A Time to Kill’, with
the two of them and it was outstanding. Mr. McConaughey
has the talent, charisma and looks. Then
I would pick Michael Weatherly to play the role of Dr.
Bradley Forrester. I would love to see him in a ‘good
guy/bad guy’ roll and I believe he has the depth of
character to do it and do it well. I would be so proud
and honored to have any
or all of these
extremely talented artists represent
my characters. They could do no
less than make them memorable
and unforgettable.
PageOneLit.com: Plot or character? Which is more
important and why?
Patricia
Gayle:
I believe
that both the plot and characters share an equal
importance in the success of any book or film. To me,
it would be very difficult for even strong characters to
carry a story that doesn’t have an equally
strong plot. On the flip-side, you could have the best
plot in the world and weak, uninteresting characters
would detract from it causing a loss of interest, for me
anyway. The characters and the plot need to complement
one another.
PageOneLit.com: What is a typical writing day like? Do
you write everyday?
Patricia
Gayle:
As
an artist, I have to
be inspired to paint, write or just create.
I don’t believe any day that your mind is in a creative
flow could be considered typical simply because it just
doesn’t happen every day. At least not for me. I will
say this much; when my creativity is flowing, all else
in my world sort of takes a backseat because once that
flow is interrupted, it may not return for a while. This
is the reason I applaud my husband for his patience,
understanding and endurance. He truly is the most
patient man I’ve ever known.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with Blow
Dart?
Patricia
Gayle:
Blow
Dart has already provided me with the greatest
achievement I could possibly ask for. Its completion and
publication and the knowledge that I can do whatever I
set my mind to. Where
it takes me from here, who knows? I love surprises. But
whatever doors may open and whatever challenges it
brings, I’ll welcome with open arms.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
Patricia
Gayle:
The book I
just finished was Michael Prescott’s ‘Last Breath’. An
excellent read! I
enjoyed it very much.
almost unconsciously, to plot the outline for a
thriller of her own. Sustained by
self-determination and the promise to her
brother, Bob, to bring her idea to fruition,
Patricia developed her budding story into her
debut novel, Blow Dart.