PAT MCDERMOTT

Today I've had the great pleasure of interviewing author Pat McDermott. Hello Pat and welcome!

1. Please start off by telling us about yourself? Where you were born, where you are now?

 I grew up section of Boston called Mission Hill, a mostly Irish neighborhood at the time. My six younger siblings and I spent our earliest years on the top floor of a triple-decker house owned by our grandparents, who occupied the first floor along with my mother’s two sisters. Another aunt and two cousins lived a few doors away. Having everyone nearby was great, but sadly it’s not the way things are for most families these days. I now live on the New Hampshire seacoast with my husband and three lap-hogging Tonkinese cats. My son and daughter, both independent young adults, visit often.

2. Is there anything about your life that would surprise most people? 

That I really hate green beans? Seriously, most folks are surprised when they learn that before the kids came along I spent a few years singing and playing guitar in an Irish folk band with three talented guys. Oh and there was my extremely short stint working in a casket factory.

3. Please tell us a about the stories you write. 

A Band of Roses is the first in a trilogy recounting the adventures of modern day Irish Princess Talty Boru and her devoted champion, Neil Boru. We meet Talty longing to be anyone but the heir to her father’s throne, and we commiserate with her as she learns to be careful what she wishes for. The sequel, Fiery Roses, is coming soon, and Salty Roses is nearly finished. In my humble opinion, a story should offer readers a chance to escape for a while. Both readers and reviewers seem to agree that the “Roses” blend of alternate Irish history, romance, adventure, and sci-fi does the trick.

4. What are some of the ups and downs you have encountered on this journey to becoming published?   

Some of the “Ups,” in no particular order, are: Meeting new friends in writing classes and online, having my kids think I’m smart, holding my published novel in my hands for the first time, doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble, getting great reviews, and landing a contract for a second book. Unfortunately,“Downs” are part of the writing package. There’s the teacher who insists you can’t combine genres, the rejection letters, and the shock of a publisher going out of business three months after releasing your book. But the “Ups” easily win out. To borrow a great Irish phrase, the “Ups” go through the “Downs” for a shortcut.

5. What do you think is the key to a memorable romantic story?

Overcoming impossible odds.

6. Where do you get your story ideas?

Current events drive my plots, though I tailor the facts to fit the story. I know my characters well and enjoy placing them in real life situations, which are often more incredible than any writer could ever invent. A Band of Roses opens with English commandos claiming a tiny uninhabited island hundreds of miles off the Irish coast. Sounds ridiculous, but it happened. How would Talty and the gang react to a pushy oil company trying to take over northwest Ireland? That’s going on right now. What would she do if she met President Obama? Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that one. A good news story can trigger daydreams that have made me miss my exit on the highway more than once.

7. Which of your books has been your most favorite to write?  

Whichever I’m working on. Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley inspired Salty Roses, my current WIP and the third book in the “Roses” trilogy. The story is set beneath the seas of Ireland and Brittany and features a priceless cast of pirates. Arrrrr. . .

8. Which character have you had the most fun creating? 

Besides the pirates, I’d have to say Colonel Nathaniel “Creek” Martin, the eccentric Research and Development genius who lives on pizza and root beer and engineered the top-secret project that sends Talty and her friends to parallel worlds.


9. Which character have you had the hardest time creating? 

My hero (er, I mean Talty’s hero), Neil Boru, endured several incarnations before I got his character right. Too handsome, too brave, too meek, too perfect, too flawed, too insecure, too brash. Poor Neil has put up with a lot.

10. How many hours a week do you spend writing? 

I try to write every day, usually early in the morning when it’s quiet and I have no interruptions but a cat or two in need of a hug. On Monday evenings I host a writers’ group, which gives me a deadline to get at least a few pages spruced up. For most of the year, I attend a writing class on Tuesday nights to give some extra polish to those pages. If I include fantasizing about what will appear on the computer screen next, I’d guess I spend a minimum of fifteen hours a week writing and that doesn’t count promoting.

11. What challenges do you face in your writing endeavors? 

Branching into genres that are new for me, and keeping up with new technology and promotional projects. In July I’m doing a virtual blog tour, something I’d never heard of a few months ago.

12. What goals do you have regarding your writing? 

My new publisher has re-released A Band of Roses as an e-book. I’d like to see it in print again, and I’d like to display the sequels beside it on my bookshelf.

 
13. If you were to write an Anthology, who would you choose to team up with?

I’d go back in time and try to persuade a real live shanachie to tell a tale or two. I’d beg Alexandre Dumas and Baroness Orczy to contribute something, and then I’d return to the present, track down Rosemary Rogers, Clive Cussler, and Roddy Doyle, and beg some more.

14. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

First and most important, educate yourself. Take classes or workshops. Meet other writers who’ll understand and support you. Join a critique group. Never stop reading, and read a wide variety of books. Whether you read for pleasure or research, you’ll not only learn what makes good writing, you’ll also find new ideas that will lead to dozens of other new ideas.

Second, exercise those writing muscles! The more you write, the easier you can transfer your vision to a printed page. Set goals and deadlines for yourself, and meet them. Even small accomplishments will encourage you to keep at it.

Third, don’t become discouraged by armchair writers and critics. You’re the only one with the grand vision of the story you’re trying to tell. Persevere in your quest to become a published author, and enjoy the ride!

 

Pat thanks so much for your time today. It's been a pleasure, and we wish you every success in your career.