Hey there everyone.

We have a very prolific guest in the series today. I’d like to introduce you all to the extremely talented multiple genre author Patti Larsen, as she celebrates a milestone in her publishing career, tells us more about her wonderfully diverse and engaging books and goes into detail regarding her own philosophies/techniques regarding the craft of writing.

It’s time to send some shivers down your spine, both in awe and terror as we begin a colourful journey through contemporary urban fantasy, Western, horror, thriller, mystery & Sci-Fi, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

 

Hi there Patti, thank you for being here as a guest today, it is an absolute pleasure and honour to have you here.

The pleasure is mine! I love talking about my favorite subjects–writing and the voices that inspire it.

Let’s start with your books. There are a lot of them. My jaw fell to the floor when I looked at your published list when preparing this interview! How about you tell us more about the overarching series that each collection covers as a whole, rather than focusing on individual books, along with the genres that they span and also give us a broad idea of the themes and challenges your protagonists face across each different series. Go into as much detail as you like!

Sometimes I peek at the list myself and have a bit of a moment–it’s been five years since I started publishing on my own and I still can’t believe I’ve released 76 titles in that short time!

The most popular world I write in is the Hayle Coven universe, spanning 40 volumes and touching on several different characters. It all started with the initial book, Family Magic, winner of the 2014 World’s Best Story. Told by a teen girl whose mom is a witch, dad is a demon while she just wants to be ordinary, one story turned into 20 novels encompassing five years of her life. What followed were two trilogies from the points of view of her sister and one of her closest friends, a family history by the resident demon cat and a single book from a new character that then led into a second series from the original main character’s voice…not to mention a prequel trilogy from her great-great-great grandmother’s Victorian times. It’s been fantastic and emotional to write Sydlynn Hayle’s story and I already know there are many more books to be told in that world.

The first series I published, however, was the Hunted series, a thriller/action/adventure quadrilogy about a teen boy kidnapped and dumped in the forest, forced to run for his life while other kids were being hunted down and killed around him. It’s still one of my favorites and though Ried’s story is over, I still think about him from time to time. RUN (book one) was my first award-winning book, taking the 2012 PEI Book Award for Fiction.

The Clone Chronicles was my first post-apocalyptic series, following the quest of Clone Three who must find her sisters and save humanity though she has no memory of why she’s been sent to do so or how she’s supposed to accomplish her mission.

Didi and the Gunslinger I like to classify as Wild West sci-fi. When Didi Duke’s father is kidnapped by the evil Underlord who rules her home, Trash Heaven, she resurrects a decommissioned cyborg gunslinger to help with her dad’s rescue, setting the stage for an action packed and endearing trilogy.

The Eternal Daughter series is my most recent, the first of which was picked up by Kindle Press after a successful Kindle Scout campaign. Eve, the title character, is the daughter of Life and Death, but unlike her angel siblings she has no idea where she fits, what her fate is supposed to be. Her attempts to be like her sisters and brothers end in disaster and it’s not until she accidentally touches the Loom of Creation that Eve sets herself on the path to the truth. I’m right now wrapping up the final three books in her first trilogy, with six more books planned for 2017.

As for the rest of my books, I write across multiple genres, from science fiction to adult paranormal murder mystery to straight up horror and contemporary urban fantasy. The voices in my head like to surprise me with their stories and as long as they keep telling them in whatever circumstance, I’ll write about them.

What do you find the most difficult thing about writing? And what do you find the easiest?

I honestly look forward to writing every single day and when I can’t I find I can get a little cranky…or, at least, I need to be creative in some way every day. It’s a part of me now, and I can’t seem to shake it (not that I’d want to!) But, if I had to pick one thing, it would be the final pass of editing–the last run through I do after both of my editors have done their jobs. Typo tracking is the bane of any writer’s existence. I use a text to speech program that reads my books to me and it’s one of the most mind-numbing processes ever. And yet, it’s amazing for catching typos!

As for the easiest, that would have to be listening to the voices. The more I pay attention, the louder they become and the faster I write. So, as long as I remember to get out of the way and not interfere with what they are telling me, the better my work is.

Who are some of the authors in general that inspire you?

JK Rowling, for one. Not only is she an amazing writer, she’s a brilliant business woman and a humanitarian. Everything I’ve seen or heard about her and from her makes me adore her more.

Stephen King has always inspired me, partly because of his lack of concern for the opinions of others. He writes what he wants to write and that makes him happy. Not to mention his deep and frightening understanding of character, of human nature. I aspire to be so connected.

What sort of research do you do to write your books?

Tons–and then I twist it to my own use. For example, when I wrote Eve, I dove deeply into various mythologies, especially that of the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. Eve’s universe is comprised of realms, all connected by the Crosspath, created by humans in the mortal realm. And so, as a fan of history and mythology, I refreshed myself on the details of who and what made up each belief system and then drew out what I wanted of them, recreated them as Eve saw fit, and came up with a fun and interesting twist on how we see those mythologies. I love repurposing about as much as I love creating from scratch.

Why do you write? What inspired you to become a writer?

My husband hates this question because it makes me sound like a crackpot, but the truth is the voices won’t leave me alone. I heard the first ones at the age of twelve and have been writing ever since. And while I’ve dabbled in all kinds of writing–from journalism to screenwriting to songwriting and more–novels have become my absolute favorite form of sharing the voices in my head.

What keeps you motivated during creative slumps? How do you deal with Writers Block?

I have a fantastic writing friend who will run word wars with me. We’ll inspire each other with a few half hour sprints to keep things motivated. I can tackle about 3,200 words an hour, so a couple of timed bouts gives me a real boost. Other than that, I don’t really struggle with writing. Sometimes I take a few days off or even a week, if I’ve been working particularly hard, but I don’t see those times as slumps as much as brief breaks to let myself recoup and regenerate. I love to push through projects and tend to write very quickly, so short rest periods are pretty normal for me.

How do you spend your free time when you are not writing?

I have a beautiful Gypsy Vanner gelding named Fynn who I do my best to ride at least three-five times per week. And I teach improv to an all-woman troupe called WITTY (Women Improv Thrown Together, Yo). I’m the co-creator of a new webseries called the Lovely Witches Club which we just finished filming and will be releasing in the new year. I also love to teach, public speak and sing. There’s rarely a dull moment.

Not to mention reading. That first passion which led to this passion will never leave me.

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

I’m tackling a new series in October, the first book of which I’ve already started because the main character’s voice is so loud and insistent. An Ordinary Mage, book one of the Monstrous Magic Chronology, should be out in early November. There are a minimum of 20 books in that series, so Cricket will keep me busy for a while, I’m thinking. I’m also writing companion novellas to the Lovely Witches Club webseries, one per episode, so those will be coming out when the series launches in the new year. Otherwise, I’m always working on something…

Finally, are there any nuggets of wisdom that you can impart to other aspiring writers?

I love this question and struggle with it at the same time–there’s so much to say!

First, be professional. In social media, in your communications with others. Yes, things happen that hurt. Yes, bad reviews, negative life experiences and other horrible things come up in our lives. But, to me, being positive and only sharing that which uplifts my readers is part of my job. They come to me for entertainment, to leave their lives behind them for a short time. I owe it to them to buoy them not draw them into the things that make me unhappy.

Second, do your own research, don’t trust what you hear or what others have done. Everyone’s path is different, unique. Just because it worked for someone else doesn’t mean it’s the be all and end all. Find what fits you and use that, whether it’s marketing or writing or editing or any other of a myriad of things we deal with on a daily basis.

Third, have fun! Otherwise, why are you doing it?

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you! 🙂

Bio:-

Patti Larsen is an award-winning writer with a passion for the paranormal. Now with over 75 books in happy publication, she lives in beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada, with her patient husband and multitude of pets.

You can connect with her on the following Social Media channels:-

Facebook: Patti Larsen, Author (FB)
Twitter: Patti Larsen (Twitter)
Website: The Website of Patti Larsen – Purely Paranormal

You can buy all of her books here:-

Canada:- Buy Patti Larsen’s books in Canada

UK/Europe:- Buy Patti Larsen’s books in UK/Europe

US/Rest of the World:- Buy Patti Larsen’s books in US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, since Patti has reached a celebratory publishing milestone, I therefore think that the WordPress Daily Prompt of ‘Cake’ seems appropriate. For more blog post articles on this particular theme then click on the links below:-

1. “Cake.” – Nomadic Adventurer
2. Summertime – Bolognese’s Blog
3. Pre-deployment Communication? A Piece of Cake… – lovingthemomlifeblog
4. Piece of cake! – Melolontha by the River
5. Eden of Knowledge – A piece of cake
6. The Hidden Chalkboard (The HC) – Piece of Cake – NOT!
7. Take the Cake – Mac’s World
8. For the Love of Cake – Martha’s Daily Writing
9. 365 Days of Thank You – Cake, A Love Story
10. trappedamazingness – Having Your Cake and Eating It Too
11. Cake: Put Your Face in it… – Shelby’s Starlit Crossing
12. Golden Syrup Cake – The Inkwell
13. Him? (Short Story) – stephentotheplate
14. Buhay Nanay – A No-Bake Cake on His 4th Month
15. Conor Sweetman – Nana
16. Can you have your Cake and Eat it too?.. – Uma’s life and thoughts
17. Reblog, guest post & special guest – Wie is Theo Herbots ? // Who is Theo Herbots?
18. Cake-Like – The Chaos Within
19. Cake(100wordstory) – LAW OF THE LETTER
20. Let’s Discover A New Frontier with Our Friend Napoleon Hill! – Success in Spry
21. The mythology of cake – citySonnet
22. Havandra – Don’t Tell Anyone It’s A Cake!
23. Cakes that will Amaze and Inspire You – Crystallized
24. Trying to be positive – I love cake
25. Close Up Toothpaste Survey – This Is Brayoh
26. somawrites – treasure within
27. The Place You Need To Stop At – Tales & Trails
28. tuckedintoacorner – cake + beach + time
29. Online Bible Studies Theo Herbots – Wie is Theo Herbots ? // Who is Theo Herbots?
30. logicaldreams – Drabble: Love Rival
31. To Wear A Rainbow – a cake…haiku
32. Writing and Works – The Way Home
33. Learning new skills with CakeyBake – becks bakes
34. Sure Scribbles – Sand Cakes.
35. Cake… – CrossGear
36. You eat too much – Healing Scars
37. MY ENDURING BONES – Devil’s Food Cake
38. Pedals and pixels – Daily Prompt:Cake
39. Queensland Orchid International – Orchid Flower as Cake Ornament
40. helen meikle’s scribblefest – Daily prompt: While you eat cake
41. what we didn’t take (20160905) – Words and Feathers
42. The Aftermath – Leigha Robbins
43. copdtravails – Let them eat Cake
44. a cooking pot and twistedtales – Eat Cake…
45. An Open Letter to all the Girls: You’re not just a pretty icing on the cake – Cynthia Goes Online
46. Cake (or Three Cakes at 19) – WORDS from SONOBE
47. manvsloneliness – Day 62 Supplemental: The Man and the Lie
48. Cake – Nit Bits of life
49. Samantha Linda – More fun than dishes…
50. Nattydread2009’s Blog – Cake
51. A Cheesecake for Every Season – TAwrites
52. Beef cake….less calories… – Serendipitous Web Life
53. kindergartenknowledge.com – Wedding Cakes. Such a Decision.
54. Chris Thilk – Daily Post – Cake
55. juantetcts – The Daily Post
56. Success Inspirers’ World – Bake a cake for me
57. My Journey – Cake
58. Can You Buy Me A Cake? – Karuchan
59. inspiration in progress – Cake
60. Is it possible to have your Cake and eat it? – Cooking with the DeGroffs
61. Cake Mix – Asleep At The Wheel
62. Ideas for Teaching Ag – Cake
63. eladybug52 – Eat Lots of Cake for Me
64. BAKE ME A CAKE! – Wanderlust
65. 83 Unsung Heroes – The Beauty And Confusion Of Cake
66. Giggles & Tales – The Daily Prompt – Cake!
67. Thendral Vanthu Theendum Pothu – ARJUN SHIVARAM
68. Christine’s Collection – Cake & Quake
69. A Glimpse into My Journey – A piece of cake
70. Eden of Knowledge – Of cakes and desserts
71. The Poetry Channel – 7 Layer Dark Chocolate
72. manvsloneliness – Day 62: The Man and the Daily Prompt; ‘Cake’
73. Celebrating Huntington, WV – April’s Perspective
74. Daily Post Prompt: Cake – The Happy Wordcrafter
75. Waiting For The Cake In Riverbank Park – Inner Whispers
76. The Showers of Blessing – Coffee, Cake
77. Write Now – Let Them Eat Whipped Cream!
78. Brown Rice and Cheese Cake with Roasted Red Peppers, Mushrooms and Spinach – Sneakers on Pavement
79. Chase’s Thoughts And Viewpoints – Life Can Be Like A Cake
80. Piece of Cake – litebeing chronicles
81. Journalist’s Creed – findingbreathless
82. Let Them Eat Cake – Romanticism and Its Link to the French Revolution – Jacki Kellum
83. Speak Now Storyteller – A Thousand Years
84. James Complains About Healthy Eating – James Proclaims!
85. The Last Act – A Mile In My Shoes
86. Sober words – Mr.Brb_blog
87. The Fiction Cafe – Daily Prompt – Cake
88. Jackie’s Forget Me Nots – A piece of cake
89. Shell Games – The Ace of Cakes
90. Acid Attack Victim Models at NY Fashion Week – ONE MORE SHOT PLEASE
91. Standisms: life through my eyes – have your cake and eat it too?
92. Cake!! – MistryLand
93. Cake – Allison’s Written Words
94. Zombie Flamingos – Coincidence
95. sparksfromacombustiblemind – Cake and eat it..too.
96. B_ up to date – No thanks!
97. The 21st Century Indian – Cake
98. Cake – Occasional Dreams
99. Writer Sanctuary – Writing Content When You’re Unbelievably Sick
100. Nanotale #17 – maybeiamsure
101. Giving In To a Daily Prompt – The Outpost Creative
102. Jackie’s Forget Me Nots – Bake Your Makeup Cake
103. Temptation (Revised) – The Inkwell
104. Caked on – La Petit Muse
105. Life in a Few Words – Half-Baked
106. Flowers and Breezes – Cake
107. Willow’s Corner – Coincidentally
108. It’s All in Finding the Right Words – CAKE
109. Cake ~ Unhappy Birthday – Word Adventures
110. Shail’s Nest – Microblog Mondays: No more cakes
111. Timeandreflections – A New Her
112. Cake – disue
113. The Universal Cake of Dreams – saraissanctum
114. Making Sense of Complications
115. Cupcake O.D., Magnolia Bakery & Me: Immediate Intervention Needed – Selling Dead People’s Things
116. C.A.K.E – Change Our Thinking
117. Laurel Grove loves… – After the wedding…
118. Lemontress – Careless words
119. Cake – Covert Novelist
120. wordsareallihavesite – Cake
121. One Year Older – Through Mirrored Lens
122. Insach – Cakey Reflections
123. A Birthday without Cake – passiondesignerblog
124. Making it write – Savoury cake
125. Caked: The Stress to De-Stress – SUCCESS STRATEGIES
126. Universe – The ink drop
127. Cake – Mrs Reckless Writes
128. quiet time journal – Labor Day
129. kStan(ly) kSays – naomi thinks she’s ready
130. pastel – apserranoblog
131. Life is like a cake: one slice at a time works better – Machina Verborum
132. Your Nibbled News (c) 2016 YNN – Laying down sod is no piece of cake
133. Our Random View – Cake
134. Free for all – aYoKa
135. Chris Writes – Cake Sucks
136. Think About It – Celebrating Cake
137. rhymeagination – ILLUSIONS
138. Crossing Colorado – 80 Pounds in 4 Months Challenge
139. Peaceful Journey – Life is More Than a Cakewalk
140. Cake – Jk109
141. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi ! – miraclegirlblog
142. Takes The Cake – “Live Free & Love On Purpose!!”
143. Cake – Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored
144. “Live Free & Love On Purpose!!”
145. //Cake: Daily Prompt – //Moments
146. Jibber Jabber with Sue – Rutabagas, Wine, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn and a Jelly Roll
147. A cake of what? soap? SOAP???? ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
148. Smores and Sundresses – Let Them Eat Cake, And Lots Of It!
149. Piece of cake – LOVE WHAT YOU DO
150. Cake – I’m a Writer, Yes, I Am!
151. American Dream circa 2016 – The Mono-Economy of the New Millennium
152. SERENDIPITY – LET THEM EAT …
153. Cake – Create Care Share
154. A Cake or a Miracle ! – mySestina
155. My bi-reality – Visitation No 4 – Afterlife Love Story
156. Freedom – as she saw it! – The Cliffhanger Chronicle
157. I wrote a book. Now what? – Shut your cake hole
158. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: Feline Cake
159. Light Motifs – Cake
160. Another year, another cake – Franky tells it like it is
161. Easy cake recipe – citySonnet
162. The Gad About Town – A Surprise
163. The Eaten Cake – Postcard from a Pigeon
164. Celebration – Some More Fiction
165. Cake – Skyzcandies
166. Martha L Shaw – LET THEM EAT . . . BREAD!
167. Perfect Recipe – Emotional Spaces
168. WHAT A CAKE IS ALL ABOUT – breathingpark
169. Memories in The Cake – eddaz
170. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Last Request
171. If life was a piece of cake. – PsychPerspectives
172. Was it a cake walk? – Scribbled by M
173. Cake & Love. Same Same – escapingperfection
174. Cake – iamdeltapositivenegative
175. Relax – Decorating for two..
176. Can’t Forget You – writemebad
177. Blogging Mysteriously – Cake and happiness 😀
178. Take Selfies, Eat Cake – LIVING AND LEARNING
179. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – The Sugar Paradise: Cake
180. The Cat Chronicles – The Sugar Paradise – Cake
181. Cake – Random Thoughts and Musings
182. Cake Is For Fat People – psychedelicwizard
183. Let’s Eat Cake – My Second Act, Scene One
184. Salts of the earth – zorazebic
185. Salad – indisputably inconclusive
186. The Asian Cake – Oh, border!
187. HarlemATL Inner City Blues – The Black Files: A Slither of Truth
188. Koke Re-booted – A perfect prompt
189. Voyeur – indisputably inconclusive
190. kristinakoti – I turn 73!
191. Lost Property Repository – Caked
192. Madeline Scribes – Never Eat the Set Dressing
193. There Are More Poets than Stars in the Firmament – falling into nature
194. Happy Birthday! – Insidious Temptation
195. If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’da Baked a Cake – Roaming Urban Gypsy
196. Emmadoodle – A lot from Lydia
197. thelonerose – Celebrations
198. ….on pets and prisoners….. – daily prompt: cake
199. Southern By Design – We Go Together Like…
200. Let the celebrations begin – mum’s going nuts
201. Do U.S. Politicians Think “Let Them Eat Cake?” – Writings from the Heart
202. Gays in the Life – Cake: A Haiku
203. The Cake : Donnie’s Birthday – Word Shamble
204. Hawk’s Happenings – Cakes I Have Baked
205. Sweet Treats – My Degrees of Separation
206. Cakes – Daily Prompt – ladyleemanila
207. deetravelssite.wordpress.com – Cake
208. Hot White Snow – Holiday Snickerdoodle Flight
209. flirting with minimalism – Trimming the Fat – Spending Fast Day 7
210. Passion through Poetry – Wedding Cake Fail
211. Haiku- Who You Really Are – jotabouts
212. the15thday – yeah, chances are? ze-roooooooo!!!!!
213. CAKE – My QuotesVilla
214. Travel Much? – The world’s Longest Cream Puffs Recipe
215. Cake fail – Asleep At The Wheel
216. Travel Much? – Rhubarb Meringue Pie (and a Margarita)
217. Travel Much? – Happy Birthday, Karate Kid!
218. Travel Much? – Birthday cupcakes recipe
219. sixty, single and surviving – Racks of Cakes
220. Self-control – Bits of Poems
221. Travel Much? – Sandwich-cake (Smørgåstårta)
222. Designer Sophisticate – The more chocolate, the better.
223. The Ruckus – Accidents
224. The Daily Post – Progressing into Solitude – Collecting Cake
225. A Vibrant Palette – A Cake
226. Let’s Eat Cake! – Just Writing!
227. Angel cake – Jane Dougherty Writes
228. Piece of Cake:Passionate about Dancing! – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
229. Frank Prem – just wood in a year
230. Two wonderful things about Portugal – Don’t hold your breath
231. Devil Doll Musings – Never, Never Gonna Give You Up
232. Which Will You Choose? – Pete Gardner Psalms
233. Lost Property Repository – Murder Club T………
234. domestic diva – Preparing the child for Early Schooling
235. Frank Prem – a tricky place (the annual fete)
236. The Wandering Poet – Did someone say cake?
237. Lantern Words – Removes The Cake