Interview with Author Patricia Rasey

Patricia Rasey, Author of Suspense Romance

Ms. Rasey is a three-time recipient of the Word Weaving Award for Literary Excellence and a three-time winner of the prestigious RIO Award Of Excellence. She is also a three-time EPPIE finalist and was a 2001 nominee for Romantic Times Magazine's Best Electronic Book. Additionally, Twilight Obsessions and Twilight Visions, two anthologies she was a part of, was nominated for the PEARL, the Paranormal Excellence Award in Romantic Literature, in the Best Anthology category. Her short story, In The Mind of Darkness won the P&E 2002 Horror short story category.

When not behind her computer, you can find Patricia working, reading, watching movies or MMA. She also enjoys spending her free time at the river camping with her husband and two sons. Ms. Rasey is currently a third degree Black Belt in American Freestyle Karate.

We're very excited to have Patricia visit with us this week. Readers, Patricia is featuring a giveaway. Details below. Help us give her a warm welcome!

Louise: Patricia, welcome to our blog! We’re so excited you could join us for a chat. When did you first decide to submit your work to be published? Tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

Patricia: Actually, I believe it was the first local RWA group that I joined, MVRWA. They were a big support system, encouraging, offering critiques, telling their own experiences. A big thank you goes out to some of the members and formal members: Deanna Jewel, Tori Carrington, Melody Morgan, Sue Charnley, Denise Lynn and many others! What a great group! Of course, I didn’t get published for quite a few years…but I just kept plugging away. That’s when I met Lara Adrian back in 1995. She’s been so supportive and helpful to my writing and career over the years.

Louise: Please tell us a little about your new release Love You to Pieces.

Patricia: Love You to Pieces is about a detective that loses everything…his wife, his child. He feels he doesn’t have much to live for except to see that the killer dead by his hand. His late wife’s cousin, Sara, decides, out of love for her cousin, that she needs to rescue Jaycen…who doesn’t want or need her acting as his savior. What neither counts on is the passion that ignites, or just how close to home the killer actually is.

It's been a few months since Jaycen McCain's troubled wife fell victim to a sadistic killer. Losing Kelly Jo has haunted him deeply, and his failure to keep her safe has driven Jay to the brink of a bleak, self-destructive despair. But the small-town police detective has bigger problems to deal with when a string of serial murders crop up on his home turf--murders with eerie similarities to the violence perpetrated on his wife.

Compelled to stop the killer and find much-needed answers about Kelly Jo's final hours, Jay is forced to enlist the help of a woman too tempting for his own peace of mind: Kelly Jo's pretty cousin, Sara St. James. Together, Jay and Sara embark on a pursuit for justice that will take them into an underground world of dark places and dangerous, irresistible desires. As an unwanted passion kindles and combusts between them, the killer closes in, pulling Jay and Sara into the web of an evil that will rock them to their core.

Louise: Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Patricia: For the most part. I use the writing software WriteWay from http://www.WritewayPro.com to help plot and characterize. I love the character profiles they provide in the software. No more printing pictures or tins of sticky notes. I keep everything inside the software and it’s there for me at a glance. They also have NoteCards that are great for plotting. It’s a tool every writer could benefit from.

Louise: We acquired WriteWay Pro. We can't wait to use the program. How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits to share?

Patricia: I love writing dark fiction and the research that goes with it. I’ve come across a few of my favorite things to research, biker gangs, the underground culture of vampires—and even talked to a few self-professed vampires who helped me with my research for The Hour Before Dawn. I got to meet Chuck Zito a couple of times who was inspiration for my book Eyes of Betrayal. He used to be the VP of the New York Hells Angels. For the police work, usually my brother or a family friend helps me and I try my best to get the details to as correct as possible. 

Louise: What is your writing process? Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants (Pantser) or a combination of both?

Patricia: I do a lot of my writing, by sitting in the chair and flying without a net—I was once told. And it’s true. I do plot—but loosely at the beginning of the project. Then when I get about halfway through the book—I’ll do the heavy plotting to work out the details. So I guess it really is a combination of both.

Louise: Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer or still do?

Patricia: Before writing, not even sure I remember that long ago—but I worked a lot of part-time jobs. No career jobs at that point in my life. I started having kids…and that was my main focus. Once I started writing, I’ve had a couple of periods in my life that afforded me the luxury of being a full time writer. But for most of my career, I’ve either worked part-time or full time along with writing. Right now, I work for WriteWay, yes—the same software company I mentioned above. I’ve used them for years as my good friend Lara Adrian’s husband created the software. But two years ago, they asked me to come on board and work for them. I am their PR/Marketing manager as well as handle their support.

Louise: Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

Patricia: Comfy quiet place is a must. I do not write with music on most days as it’s a distraction for me. So I have a roll top desk I use to write at in my office, or sometimes, I’ll grab my laptop and head for the living room couch. My dog, Todd—he’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel—is always at my feet or by my side.

Louise: How cute! My mom has a dog of this same breed named Fergie. Describe a typical writing day for you.

Patricia: there is no typical day for me. I have to steal what free time I can find. I start my mornings and most of my day working at the computer. Sometimes, I’ll take my lunch and write for a period. Then about three in the afternoon—I’ll be back at it until supper. And I need to get better at writing after supper as well.

Louise: Please give us a sneak peek at your future books. What’s on the horizon?

Patricia: I have two books I am currently working on. Charred Remains is the sequel to Love You to Pieces and my book Façade. They crash together into one book. I sidelined that book to work on another project at the moment called Sons of Sangue. That book is still under wraps…I haven’t told a soul about the premise—so you’ll just have to wait until I am closer to release on that one. But it is a Paranormal Vampire series…

Louise: What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?

Patricia: I love contemporary romance books. Usually the lighthearted ones. I don’t write them—maybe that’s why I like to read them—to get my mind out of the dark for a while. I do read some romantic suspense, though. My favorite author besides Lara Adrian? Is Sandra Brown. I’ve been a die-hard fan of hers for years.

Louise: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers we have not touched on?

Patricia: I would like to thank all the readers who have stuck by me over the years—I can’t thank you enough. I also want to thank my new readers. Bless you for allowing me to tell my tales!

Louise: Where can the readers learn more about you and find your books on the web?

Patricia: the best places to find me on the net are: my Website 

on Facebook and Twitter @patriciarasey 

My Amazon Author page

My books are on the following sites:

Love you to Pieces on Amazon

and on B&N

Deadly Obession on Amazon

The Hour Before Dawn on Amazon 

Readers, I'll give away an eBook of Love You To Pieces in Kindle or Nook format to one lucky commenter. Make it easy to contact the winner by leaving your email address or Twitter handle.

Please enjoy an excerpt of Love You To Pieces below.

Sara placed her palm in the center of Jaycen’s black tee, meaning to shove him away. This was Kelly Jo’s husband, for crying out loud. She shouldn’t be kissing the man, or thinking about doing it again. She was pond scum… Worse, she was a bottom feeding algae eater! Rather than doing what her brain told her was the wiser and nobler choice, though, one look at his desperate gaze and she allowed his lips to slant over hers again. Her knees weakened as their tongues touched. She had no right feeling the butterflies or the desire rising in her.

Jaycen groaned, and their breath mingled as Sara fought to stay on her feet. He backed her against the cold brick wall, damp from the midnight dew. His thighs cradled hers like a lover’s, holding her flush against his growing arousal. Cars flew past and a couple of horns blasted, as they stood in plain sight of the busy street. Sara should have cared, should have thought about their little exhibition, but instead she focused on the foreign feelings Jaycen invoked with a simple kiss. Okay, not true—there was nothing simple about his kiss. She was going to hell for this one.

Jaycen suddenly released her and stumbled backward, wiping a hand down his mouth. His chest rose and fell with exertion. His masked gaze held hers, unwavering. Sara wanted to go to him, tell him what a mistake the kiss had been, nothing more than a result of the scene unfolding in the basement of Spanky’s. Both their emotions were running high. The kiss didn’t mean a thing…except Sara couldn’t really admit as much. Likely because that other voice in her said that it did mean something, that the kiss stirred something deep inside of her. Sara let out a shaky breath. This was not a path she meant to travel. She stayed her position against the cold brick wall, waiting for Jaycen to say something.

“I think maybe we should go.”

Sara held back the tears. She would not do this, not allow him to see that his kiss had affected her, so she repeated her earlier, unanswered question. “You want to tell me what this is about?”

He jammed a hand through his hair again and started pacing. “This shouldn’t have happened.”