Our guest today is Patty  Wiseman. She made her way from Seattle to east Texas.  Our good fortune.  She writes historical romance and romantic comedy books.

Jim:  Tell us how you happened to start writing, Patty.

Patty:  Thank you for having me, Jim. It’s a pleasure to be here. Always an avid reader, the transition to writer came naturally. My first grade teacher unlocked the love of the written word for me. She was magical in her presentation, and I was hooked. I wrote some poems in school and realized I really enjoyed putting pen to paper. I wasn’t able to capitalize on that ability until much later in life. After all the kids and grandkids were gone, I got to work in earnest. I was fortunate to get a short story published on an online magazine, and the flood gates opened. I was on my way.

Jim: A good teacher can change our lives. I noticed that you participated in the 2007 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) program and actually finished a novel during the month. Tell us a little about that experience. And what happened to that novel?

Patty:  NaNoWriMo was a challenging but wonderful experience. It’s daunting to realize you must write at least 1,666 words a day in order to finish in a month. Fortunately, I had a good outline prepared. I did miss a few days of writing, though, and that’s when I got a little panicky. I knew my story very well, however, and was able to finish with a few late nights. That novel is my first book, An Unlikely Arrangement. Naturally, you see I did that in 2007 and it wasn’t published until 2011. When I got serious about publication, I quickly discovered there was more to learn. I joined a few local groups, online classes and seminars, and dove in.

Jim:  And again in 2011 you achieved that goal. Was that An Unlikely Beginning?

Patty:  I did attempt it again and finished, but no, An Unlikely Beginning was not the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo. An Unlikely Beginning was almost finished by that time. The novel I chose to write for 2011 was a romantic comedy and is still being polished. Writing comedy is a lot different from what I usually write and more difficult. I hope to have it out within a year.

Jim:  You have set your Velvet Shoe Collection in the 1920’s. How did you pick that time period? What made it special to you?

Patty:  This time period has fascinated me since childhood. I remember the whispered stories about my grandmother’s rather rebellious life back in the day. Once, I even hid in a closet to hear more. She was quite a character. Visions of ‘flapper girls’, ‘Model T’s’, and the marriage arranged for her only served to fuel my imagination. The fascination never left me. I had to write the story.

Jim:  Tell us the story behind the name, Velvet Shoe Collection.

Patty:  My grandmother was a very stout woman, gray haired, plain, and severe. I used to open her closet in the spare room when I spent the night there. Imagine my surprise finding fancy dresses, jewelry, and expensive shoes lined up just waiting for the light of day. One particular pair stood out to me. They were deep blue velvet. When I began the branding process with my novels, I decided on The Velvet Shoe Collection as the format because of that memory. I use red velvet shoes in the logo because my favorite color is red. I think the name fits the era, and I’ve always wanted a pair of red velvet shoes!

Jim:  How interesting. I love it. Give us a little preview of An Unlikely Beginning.

Patty:  It’s book two in the series and begins where the first one left off. Despite her rebellion, Ruth Squire agrees to marry Peter Kirby. Unfortunately, the mob has a different idea. They believe Peter is part of a rival gang and actually kidnap him on their wedding day. Ruth knows she is the only one that can possibly save his life. She disguises herself as a jazz singer and enters the sordid world of gangsters and guns.

Jim:  Arranged marriages and gangsters. Sounds pretty interesting. I’ll have to grab a copy. You are working on the third in that series. Can you give us the working title? And does it take the same young woman just a little farther down the road?

Patty:  The working title right now is An Unlikely Conclusion. That may change. Because it’s a series, I wanted to stay with the ‘Unlikely’ theme. It does take Ruth down the road a bit farther, but also settles an old score of twenty years. I love twists and turns…the unexpected, and I feel I’ve accomplished that in the first two books. I really want this one to take you on a fast paced adventure and leave you breathless at the end.

Jim:  Breathless at the end is always good. You’ve won an award in the Rough Draft Short Story Contest. What differences do you find between writing short stories and writing a novel, other than length?

Patty:  You must be much tighter in your thought process with a short story. Short stories are an excellent way to hone your writing skill, learn to say something succinctly, and still get your point across. I find that harder than writing a novel. I need elbow room! I’ve also been named a finalist in The Author Show.com ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’ contest. I’m pretty excited about that.

Jim:  I would imagine so. I’d be excited. And did I hear you’re working on a romantic comedy? Want to share anything about that?

Patty:  Yes, it’s a contemporary piece. It, too, is based on a true life story of a single mom raising two teenage boys while trying to maintain her femininity. A bizarre incident in a super market launches a raucous adventure for the heroine and sets her on a crazy path.

Jim:  Sounds good. Lastly, give our readers one tip on how to market their books.

Patty:  While online media is essential now, a good old fashion book signing is priceless. I’ve learned that if you stand to greet your customer, actually hand them the book to look at, they will usually purchase it. Don’t tell them what you write. Ask them what they read.

Jim:  Excellent advice.  Thank you, Patty, for visiting and sharing a little about you and your writing.  It’s been a pleasure.

You can find Patty’s books on Amazon at:  http://amzn.to/PXJm14

Her website is:  www.pattywiseman.com

And of course, you can leave her a comment here.  Thanks for visiting.