Q&A with Patti Roberts

Patti Roberts, author of the young adult series Paradox, has been featured on my blog before. She is an author that my daughter really enjoys, so Patti and Shannon completed an interview for Patti's blog. I wanted to post it here as well. I hope you enjoy!

Shannon asks: Thank you Patti for answering my questions. Can I start with how long have you been writing? 

Patti: I have been writing since 2009.

Shannon: Do you write full-time now? If so, what did you do before you started writing?

Patti: I don't write full time yet but would very much like to.   That is my wish.  I have to sell a lot more books though before that happens :)

Shannon: I know what you mean! Where did you come up with the idea for the Paradox series? Were you inspired? 

Patti: I was inspired by what I didn't know.  By the questions we as humans have asked ourselves since the beginning of time.  Where did we come from, is there more after death?  Is there a heaven?  Do our souls live on?

Shannon: How long did it take you to write? 

Patti: Book 1 in the Paradox Series took me 2 years to write but at the same time I was also doing research for the entire series.

Shannon: Do you ever base your scenes on real-life? 

Patti: Some are loosely based on real-life.  For example Grace's experience during the storm when she felt like her body was being taken over.  The emotion Grace and her mother felt following the death of..... Should I say?

Shannon: Considering the use of angels, how did you prevent religion from getting too involved with the story? 

Patti: I actually really like religious stories.  I don't necessarily believe them.  I think a lot of the Bible and religious scriptures in general is the work of a number of excellent fictional storytellers.  I bet they wish they were around today to receive the royalties.

Shannon: Who is your favorite character? 

Patti: That is too hard to answer.  I love writing for them all.  Some characters though, like Abaddon and Theria, are more enjoyable to write for because they have such overinflated egos.

Shannon: Who is your least favorite character? Why? 

Patti: None - they all belong, all have their part to play.  Who is your least favorite or most favorite and which one would you like to know more about?

Shannon: I don't really have a least favorite character... My favorite was Angela. I loved how she acted around Grace. It made me laugh sometimes :). I would like to know more about Angela and where she came from, but also the characters from the beginning and how they fit in with the story.

Shannon: Are any of your characters based on real-life people? 

Patti: Not at all.  Some of the characters traits are though.

Shannon: I found the extent of your research incredible. Where did you look to come up with your ideas? 

Patti: Google, Wikipedia, Google...  Can I ask you which parts of the story you were thinking about when you asked this question?

Shannon says: I was thinking about Grace's visions and such. They all take place in different time periods and countries, but they were all factual and true.

Shannon: What is your writing process? How do you incorporate your research without making it sound like a textbook? 

Patti: That can be hard for me.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the facts.  I have to allow myself to step away from the facts at times and let myself bend them a little so they can become part of the fictional side of the story.  I am bent on using as much fact as I can.  Even down to the little things like making sure a character’s name in Grace's flashbacks are relevant to that period of time in history.  What the weather, clothing would have been like, what day of the week it would have been…  I think I do this because whenever I read a book, even a fiction book, I like to have learned something real that I didn’t know before.  For me it gives even the most diehard fantasy story more plausible.

Shannon: Do you plan to incorporate Abaddon, Siena, Theria, Pandora and Cerberus into the remaining series? 

Patti: Most certainly.  They are all main characters in the entire series along with a host of characters you are yet to meet.  A lot of book 2 (Progeny Of Innocence) is in Altair - where the Angels reside - including the surrounding areas and the ancient civilizations that reside there.  Lots of legend and myth in the following books.

Shannon: Thank you for letting me do this with you! I hope you don’t mind my questions. 

Patti: Thank you!  I LOVE your questions.  Especially the ones about the story.  It helps me focus on what is important to the reader.  I really like to know the readers thoughts on the characters - right down to what the reader thinks the various characters would look like.  If you check out my blog - http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com/readers-questions-answered/  (which is where I am going now to post your questions) you will see a few pics of the faces I had in mind when I was writing some of the characters.

One of my questions to the reader would have to be - which part of the story made you think/feel the most.  What one question would you like to know the answer to?

Shannon says: I definitely thought that right after Grace's dad died was the most emotional part of the story. I thought/felt about that part the most. I would like to know, though, how Wade is going to fit into the story :). I'm looking forward to reading your net book to find out more.

For more information and more Q&A with Patti, please see http://paradox-theangelsarehere.blogspot.com/p/interact-with-paradox-series-other.html