Good morning, all! My “Chatting with the Authors” interview today is with my pal Patsy Collins, author of the new mystery “Paint Me a Picture”…:)

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon USA

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon UK

TR: Hi Patsy, and welcome.

PC: Hi Thomas, and thanks very much for having me here.

TR: So, how old were you when you wrote your first piece?

PC: When I was about 10, a friend and I produced a magazine. We wrote it all by hand and coloured it with felt pens. We sold out – all three copies. 

 I didn’t write again until I was 35.

TR: What was it, and in what genre?

PC: A short romance, probably. I started writing stories that I hoped would appeal to women’s magazines.

TR: What made you write it?

PC: I’d joined a creative writing evening class as something to do whilst my partner (now husband) was at sea. We were advised to try writing the kind of thing we liked to read.

TR: What have you written since then?

PC: 400 short stories (about half of which have been published in womens’ magazines) a few poems and three novels.

TR: What was the inspiration for your current book?

PC: Paint Me a Picture started as a short story set in Portsmouth and the character interested me so much I couldn’t stop writing about her.

TR: Tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.

 PC: It’s all about Mavis! She’s been rather suffocated and repressed by her mother. When Mother dies, Mavis is free to live life however she wishes. At first she feels that’s impossible, but gradually she makes friends, discovers painting and learns to be happy.

There are pictures, pretty flowers, suicidal inclinations, birds, grisly deaths, cakes, views from The Round Tower and a few laughs.

TR: Is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?

PC: I live on England‘s south coast and much of my writing is set there. (Escape to the Country is set in Kent). Walks along the beach often inspire me to write.

TR: What made you choose either traditional or independent publishing?

PC: Actually I didn’t choose (I’m very indecisive!) so have one book published by a publisher and one I’ve self published.

TR: If you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?

PC: For me it’s my blog. http://patsy-collins.blogspot.co.uk/

TR: What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

PC: Not taking enough advantage of marketing opportunities and not promoting myself enough. I’m still very new to the promotion side of things and learning all the time. I got interviewed here so that’s a step in the right direction!

TR: Do you have an idea for your next book?

PC: I’m currently working on a romance about a photographer. My husband is a photographer, which helps with the research, but the story is entirely fictitious. I also have (what I think is) a great idea for another one which will be a crime/romance (my first published book combined those genres)

TR: Thanks very much, Patsy. It’s been a pleasure.

PC: Thank you, Thomas. It’s been fun.

There you are, folks. A bit of a glimpse into Patsy Collins. That wraps it up for this week. Monday, I have as my guest author Tina Traverse. Have a great weekend!