Patricia
Gayle: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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!
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
Books-And-Authors.net: 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.
