Author Interview: Patricia Lynne

I first met Patricia Lynne through the Story Dam writing community. I wasn't intimidated by her in the first couple of chats I had with her because I didn't realize that she was a published author at the time. When I finally came around to knowing this, it was too late for any intimidation to arise. I found out she was a cool person who was easy to chat with and to learn from! This week Patricia is having a Birthday Bash for her novel, Snapshots. I asked to join in the celebration so that I could introduce her and her novel to the readers of Rivera Runs Through It!

Patricia Lynne's Book Loves 
 
Of course, I began the interview with a focus on my own obsession: reading. When I asked Patricia what her first book love was, she reminded me of a book I once fell in love with as well, Black Beauty, "I remember reading it over and over in elementary school," she said, and as if suddenly compelled to do so again, she added, "I wonder if Mom still has it." Patricia had a number of reasons to fall in love with the children's classic. Due to a reading program she was participating in school she "got a lot of points for it towards prizes since it was so long." Then, like so many beginning readers, she noted that "It also had pictures on every other page," but, coming back to what turns every good book into a book love, Patricia admitted,  "I loved the story."

Coming back to present time, I asked Patrica what book is capturing her attention and imagination right now. As co-host of the Canadian Reading Challenge, she's the perfect person to ask! She said, "I’m reading my friend Marie’s book, Undressed. It’s five short, steamy stories. Some of those men in them… *fans self* Don’t tell my hubby." (Let's hope he doesn't read Rivera Runs Through It!) Needless to say, Patricia has come a long way since that sexy black horse (...or has she?).

The Overlap Of Patricia and My Husband

On Patricia's website, she mentions she is a fan of Anime. This is something that never really came up in Story Dam chats, so I took the opportunity during the interview to ask her for her suggestions for must-see Anime films every budding fan should see. My motivation? My husband is the adviser to the Anime Club in the high school he teaches in (it was a club we once shared). Quite excitedly, Patricia endorsed Trigun, saying, "I love Vash the Stampede. He’s got the big gun and the red coat and he’s so damn funny." Since these are three criteria for a super-cool anime characters (cool weapon, cool outfit and hilarity), I think she's on to something! However, it was her second recommendation that had both my husband and I wondering if Netflix would have the recommended title, "Also Martian Successor Nadesico. That one is hilarious. I saw it first in the anime club when I was in college and missed out on some dialogue because everyone was laughing so hard." Any time people are laughing so hard that you have to rewind, I'm in!

A Lesson From Snapshots

The protagonist of Patricia's novel, Snapshots may not be Anime material, but he does have a great look (you'll be wishing you had a green bandana to sport after reading the book!) and some mysterious powers. I say "mysterious" because, as we meet him in the beginning of the novel, he's not really sure where they come from or how to control them. In fact, Cyclop, or Cyc, is confused about a lot of things and some of them are not as surreal as having abilities normal people wouldn't understand.

One major struggle Cyc deals with is defining his sexuality. A friend of his tries to help him explore various options concerning what he might categorize himself as, and there were options I had never heard of! I asked Patricia how important she thought education about this topic is. I love her answer,

I think it’s very important. When I was in seventh grade someone spread a rumor about me and another girl kissing. I was so embarrassed and ashamed because being LGBT was different. I’m certain the majority of my classmates and myself weren’t homophobic, but we didn’t know that it was okay to be LGBT. It’s still like that so whenever I have a LGBT character I want them to accept themselves so my readers know that’s it’s okay to accept themselves too whatever their orientation is.

Patricia's distinction between being homophobic and being uneducated is such a salient point that could probably inspire a story all its own.

Patricia's Writer-ly Wisdom

As your imagination starts to swirl with all types of story ideas based on Cyc's lesson, let's close up this interview with some talk about Patricia's experience as a self-published author. Patricia took the leap into self-publishing for Snapshots and her first novel, Being Human, because, in her words, "I like the control, even though promotion is kind of a pain." For those who are thinking about following in her footsteps, she advises, "Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are tons of authors and writers out there who have the answers you are looking for and they are willing to share. It’s the great thing about the writing community. We all want to see each other succeed." Which I have to agree with - the "writing community" is one pretty cool club to be in!

Want More Patricia?

Patricia continues to be a wildly productive part of that writing community, so don't worry if you are an instant fan! Once you finish reading Snapshots, you can move on to her first novel (if you haven't already read it), Being Human which Patricia describes as "a YA paranormal with vampires. Tommy’s not really interested mingling with the human race like Cyc is… unless he’s hunting. Then Tommy mingles." (Uh-oh... I don't think I really want to "mingle" with Tommy!) Once you're done with both of those novels, you'll just have to wait with the rest of us for Patricia to finish up her work on the TWO works in progress that she is bouncing in between! Here's what she has in store for us:

The first is a YA LGBT called Out of Secrets. JJ is a closeted teen wanting to come out. When his secret is revealed and his parents kick him out, he joins his undead boyfriend, Cage in immortality. But Cage has secrets of his own, putting JJ and the human life he thought he left behind in danger.

The other story I’m working on is a four part short story series called Path of Angels. It’s New Adult so the romance is a little steamier than Being Human or Snapshots. It’s up to Michael and his brothers, Zadekiel, Jophiel and Gabriel to hunt down fallen angels escaped from Hell. But the path isn’t as clear as they’ve been led to believe.

You can keep track of Patricia's progress online. She's pretty active on Twitter and Facebook, and she has an awesome website as well. Finally, if you are a Goodreads member, don't forget to check out Patricia Lynne's author page.

Where To Get Your Copy Of Snapshots

Are you ready to start reading? Patricia has her book selling all over the web in whatever format you'd like to tote around with you:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble

Smashwords
Kobo
iTunes
Sony eBooks

But WAIT... There's more. In order to fully celebrate Snapshots' birthday, Patricia Lynne has been awesome enough to share her book with Rivera Runs Through It readers! AND... she's offering up two versions: eBook and Paperback! If you are interested in winning a copy of Snapshots, use the widget below to enter.

 

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