Author Inspiration: Patsy Collins

It’s a real pleasure to welcome Patsy Collins to the Reading and Writing blog today as we’ve been blogging friends for some years now. Patsy’s own blog is great for keeping us up to date with free competitions and she has now taken over the excellent womagwriter blog. But Patsy is also a well published short story writer and the author of several novels and she has kindly agreed to share a little about the inspiration behind her latest novel, Firestarter. First here’s the basic story.

Firestarter

Alice has a fantasy. It starts with being rescued by a hunky fireman, involves the kiss of life and ends in him not needing his uniform. At the New Forest Show, Alice is offered an innocent version of her dream. Reluctantly she turns down fireman Hamish's invitation.

Despite Alice's blameless behaviour, boyfriend Tony's obsessive jealousy kicks in. Hamish wants to take Tony's place, but a hoaxer ensures Alice already sees far too much of Hampshire Fire Service. The threat of an explosive sprout surprise, her mum's baking, sister Kate's mind boggling pep talks and the peculiar behaviour of Alice's boss Miles provide distractions.

Is Alice really in danger? What is Kate up to? Can Hamish possibly be as perfect as he seems? It takes Alice masses of wonderful food, disgusting wine, smelly mud, red footed crows and steamy Welsh passion, but she finds the answers. And rethinks her fantasy.

Firestarter is available from Amazon in your own country.

Welcome, Patsy – it’s great to see you here and thanks for writing a guest post.

Thank you, Rosemary for inviting me to talk about the inspiration behind Firestarter.

Inspiration Behind the Story

As is often the case with my stories, I don't know exactly what prompted it. Maybe I just have fit, hunky firemen lurking in my subconscious? *concentrates* Nope, can't see any more.

I do know I enjoy reading crime stories and that what we read feeds our imaginations. My previous novels each included crime elements and I was keen to write more in that vein. That explains the hoax calls to Hampshire Fire Service. Obviously such calls don't make themselves. Once I added a few suspects and worked out the motivation for the guilty character, I had half the plot.

From the start I planned my lead character to have... let's be tactful and say a 'strong interest' in firemen. To be fair, Alice hardly ever drools in the presence of the emergency services, despite her sister's claims. Alice recognises her fantasy for what it is and, although tempted, doesn't throw herself at fireman Hamish.

Alice and Kate's relationship was inspired by mine with my brother. We tease each other. We've got each other in trouble and fallen out, but we know the other is there for us if we need them. Kate was a real help when writing Firestarter. She stirred things up, gave Alice someone to confide in and added humour. Even though we have to create them first, I believe our characters can inspire us. As we get to know them we see their limits and possibilities.

Both the main antagonists in the story would, I felt, work hard to get what they wanted. One has clear boundaries which he'd only cross under great duress. The other doesn't. Pushing one towards the edge and allowing the other to wander freely across it and watching what happened provided plenty of material.

My husband, Gary, and I have been together fifteen years but I remember how I felt, in the months beforehand when he thought we were just friends, and in the early stages of our relationship. He wore a uniform in those days and there were good reasons for us to take things slowly. That inspired the early stages of the romance in Firestarter. (We're both maintaining a strict 'no comment' policy with regards to the activities at the end of chapter 15.)

Gary also provided inspiration for the settings. We have a campervan which is our mobile office. When possible, I write stories where they're set. Gary's work means we spend a lot of time between Calshot and Southampton, the New Forest, at Portsmouth Harbour and on the Welsh coast. It seemed sensible to set the action in these places.

Both Southampton and Portsmouth are good for girly shopping trips and eating out, which suits Alice. The locations are also excellent habitats for birds and other wildlife. Spending hours in the van writing gave me plenty of opportunity to observe them. (For those who don't know, writing involves a lot of staring out the window.) The more birds I saw, the more interested in them I became. The same is true of Alice, although in her case knowing Hamish volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary between shifts with the fire brigade was the inspiration for her first taking a look.

I'm now hoping I've inspired you to read Firestarter.

You’ve definitely hooked me, Patsy! Thank you.

Patsy Collins is a novelist and short story writer. Hundreds of her stories have been published by magazines such as Woman's Weekly, Take a Break's Fiction Feast, My Weekly and The Weekly News as well as in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and Sweden.

Firestarter, a romantic comedy, is her fourth published novel. It was written on location in Hampshire and the south coast of Wales.

You can connect with Patsy on her website; blog; womagwriter

Escape with Patsy's Book

Just a quick post to let you know that Patsy's lovely first novel, Escape to the Country, is free to download from Amazon UK and Amazon US today.

Enjoy!
Rosemary

Good Books for the Weekend

Before getting back to a regular author spotlight slot, I thought it would be good to highlight a few recent novels from fellow bloggers. Below in alphabetical order, you’ll find each book’s cover art, blurb, and links. Happy reading!

Basic Theology for Fallen Women by Frances Garrood

Alice, Mavis and Gabs are three very different women who share one very big secret. Gabs is, to put it bluntly, a tart (although she prefers to call herself a "high-class escort"), and Mavis and Alice are each hopelessly enmeshed in their affairs with married men.

Having fallen foul of the Catholic Church (and the euphemistically-named "Basic Theology" classes designed to direct them back into the fold), the three women decide to carry on with their own monthly meetings (not to mention their nefarious goings-on), and an unlikely alliance forms between them. This novel follows their lives during a year in which all three experience both change and tragedy, for as everyone knows, life does not always go according to plan, and the path of true (and not so true) love can prove to be fraught with difficulties.

One top Amazon reviewer wrote of the novel:

"Frances Garrood writes with humour and sensitivity, there were times when I snorted with laughter and others when I gulped back a tear or two. No erotica in this story, but a bit of raunchiness now and again. The three main characters are drawn wonderfully well, no matter if you agree with their morals, you cannot help but love each one of them. The women are backed up by a great supporting cast of characters, not least Mavis' mother Maudie who although ageing and confused at times, often hits the nail right on the head – adding some comedy along the way."

Available from Amazon UK and US
Frances’ Blog

Gipsy Moth by Jean Bull

It’s 1929, and Kathy’s greatest wish is to fly a Gipsy Moth like her childhood sweetheart, Ben. But when his parents find out she’s expecting his baby, they forbid them to marry, and Kathy is dispatched to her aunt’s in Devon in disgrace, whilst Ben is sent to Lincolnshire for his RAF officer training.

How can their love survive when they’re so far apart? Especially now that Kathy has met her aunt’s stepson, Paul, who encourages her to take some flying lessons at Haldon Aerodrome despite her pregnancy. And Kathy’s imagination has been captured by Amy Johnson who is proposing to fly solo to Australia.

But when Ben’s plane is lost at sea, Kathy is torn between raising her baby alone and being frowned upon by society, or giving it up for adoption and pursuing her dream of flying. On top of this, she uncovers a disturbing family secret which makes her decision all the harder.

Available from Amazon UK and US
Jean’s Blog

Paint me a Picture by Patsy Collins

Mavis Forthright carefully rehearses her jump from Portsmouth's Round Tower. She's existed for over five decades. Lived hardly at all. Will end her misery with a few second's fall into the cold sea. Except she's not quite ready to die. A half day's delay to try a bacon sandwich from the cafe won't matter; Mother's no longer there to disapprove.

She delays another day to lend Janice a book. Then a week to use her new paints. A month. Until the end of term. Mavis makes new plans: to live, to create paintings full of emotion, perhaps even make friends.

As if to balance her survival a number of people connected to Mavis die. At first that doesn't matter. They're people she dislikes. Mavis continues painting, tending her garden, feeding the birds and keeping her home properly clean, without additional concern. Then people who've been kind to Mavis are killed or injured. That shouldn't happen.

Why are people dying? Is it because of charming Norman who's back from her past, or is that strange boy Jake her mistaken guardian angel? Perhaps Mavis herself is to blame. She must learn the truth, stop the deaths and protect those she's learned to care about before she can enjoy the new life she's making for herself.

Available from Amazon UK and US
Patsy’s Blog

Torn by Gilli Allan – relaunched with a new cover and now also available in print
She can escape her past but can she ever escape herself ?

Life is not a fairy tale; it can be confusing and difficult. Sex is not always awesome; it can be awkward and embarrassing, and it has consequences. You don't always fall for Mr Right, even if he falls for you. And realising you're in love is not always good news. It can make the future look daunting.

Jess has made a series of bad choices. Job, relationships and life-style have all let her down. By escaping the turmoil of her London life, she is putting her young child first. This time she wants to get it right, to devote herself to being a mother. But the country does not offer the ‘good life’ idyll she pictured. The landscape she looks out on is under threat, new friends have hidden agendas, two very different men pull her in opposing directions.

And in the face of temptation old habits die hard. She is torn between the suitable man and the unsuitable boy.

Available from Amazon UK (paperback) (ebook) and Amazon US
Gilli’s Blog

Author Spotlight: Debut Novelist Patsy Collins

A very warm welcome to debut novelist, mega published short story writer and online blogging friend, Patsy Collins. Escape to the Country is Patsy's first published novel. It is set in Kent, a county she visits regularly for the wonderful scenery, gorgeous gardens and historic buildings. It's no wonder Patsy’s blog is so popular as she combines her own upbeat, individual personality with regular links to free competitions. Those of us who follow her blog were delighted when Patsy won a recent novel competition from over 600 entries, and the result is the now published Escape to the Country. I don’t think any of us will forget Patsy’s happy dance video when she heard the news!

Escape to the Country

Leah is accused of a crime she didn't commit. Dumped by Adam, the man she planned to marry, she escapes to Aunt Jayne's smallholding in the Kent village of Winkleigh Marsh. Heartbroken and homeless, she strives to clear her name and deal with her emotions.

Jayne treats Leah's unhappiness with herbal remedies, cowslip wine and common sense in equal measure. In return Leah works hard for the delicious home-cooked meals they share. She wrestles with sheep, breaks nails and gets stuck in the mud - learning as much about herself as she does about farming. Soon Leah is happy milking cows, mucking out pigs and falling halfway in love with Duncan, a dishy tractor driver.

Back in London, steps are being taken to investigate what's happened to the missing money. It looks as though the real embezzler must soon be unmasked and Leah will have to chose between resuming her old life or starting a new one.

That's when her problems really start.

Escape to the Country is available in print and ebook from Amazon (UK) and Amazon (US)

Thanks for answering the following questions, Patsy.

This is your first published novel, is it the first one you wrote? And do you have others in your bottom drawer? Or computer file!

It's the third one I've finished. The first will stay on computer quite a while longer, I suspect! The second is another light hearted romance. I'm currently giving that another polish before trying to get it published. I've also done most of the first draft of yet another romance.

You’re a well-published and popular short story writer. How did you find the transition to writing a full length work?

It was a gradual process. I began a short story that I couldn't seem to end. After a while I stopped trying to keep it short and turned it into a novel. I like it but I'm yet to find a publisher who feels the same way. The next time I had a story idea that seemed like it could fill a novel sized gap I did a bit of planning, including deciding on a genre (romance) and an ending.

I think that writing novels is in some ways easier than short stories. Although it's still important to stick to the storyline there's a lot more scope for adding in all those interesting little details or twists and turns I always have to cut out of short stories. There's no need to decide between short stories and novels though; I still write both.

Had you tried to get this book published before winning the competition?

Yes, twice. First to a publisher who was quite positive about my writing but felt this story wasn't right for them. I also tried an agency and was told they weren't taking new clients (despite their website giving submission details - grrr). I'd previously tried to get an agent for my other novels and never got anything other than a standard reject (sometimes not even that) and had begun to lose heart a little.

How are you finding the whole launch and marketing of your book? Is it more difficult than you imagined?

I don't know if difficult is the right word, but it's more time consuming than I'd anticipated. As a new novelist contracted to a small publishers I didn't expect to have a massive launch party and huge advertising campaign so it wasn't a shock to find marketing is mostly done online and through local press. If anyone would like to assist in this, I've been assured that a few good reviews on Amazon will make a big difference!

Do you miss living the country life?

Sometimes I think I do, then I go back to the farm and pick my way through the mud looking for my dad who's always busy doing something involving hard work. I like looking at the cute calves without having got up in the night to attend their birth or feeding the sheep once a year instead of every single day regardless of the weather.

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

There are no facts - I'm a fiction writer! (A fun answer)

Are you going to concentrate on contemporary novels, or is there another genre you’d like to tackle?

I'll probably stick to the same kind of style, but if I got an idea I really liked that happened to be a different genre I'd give it a go.

Do you have any encouraging tips for new writers?

Read a lot and write a lot. Get feedback - always listen to this but only change your work if you're sure the change is one you want to make and that it will improve your writing. Feedback can come from a writing tutor or other professional or from writing group, either one you physically attend or online. Do these three things and you're bound to improve.

Remember, no one was born a published writer. Every writer had to learn to spell and where to put punctuation marks and all the rest of it. As far as I know all published writers have at some time had work rejected - if JK Rowling had given up after her 14th reject we'd never have heard of Harry Potter.

Excellent answers, Patsy. You can find out more about Patsy on her blog and Facebook.

Patsy Collins lives on the south coast of England, with her fiance. Over 150 of her stories have been published in a range of British, Irish, South African and Australian magazines including Woman’s Weekly, Take a Break's Fiction Feast, The Weekly News, Woman’s Day, That's Life! and My Weekly. Patsy maintains a blog where she gives details of free to enter writing competitions, rambles on about writing, gardening, cakes, and other random stuff that interests her. She'd love you to visit and perhaps share your thoughts on these important matters.

Patsy entered Creative Print Publishing's monthly competition after featuring it on her blog and encouraging other writers to have a go. She decided to follow her advice and when she was informed her story, Escape to the Country had beaten over 600 other novels, she was very pleased she did. Patsy likes to research her stories thoroughly, so before writing this story she lived on a small farm for 26 years and learned to milk cows, drive tractors and deliver calves just as her main character Leah does. She also tried getting rescued from mud by handsome strangers, but was less successful at that.