Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a creator all my life and I have been a practicing engineer, managing and running a region for a big corporation. I have been writing all of my life on and off. I have also been taking photographs as an amateur all my life, documenting scenes from my travels. This is my very first book, Psalms of Life Vol I, Pollyanna. It is inspired by my mother Marion and my journey through life since my divorce.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I suffered a divorce in recent years and in my recovery for some reason, I drew new inspiration from life and that resulted in an outflow of poetry from my heart. I didn’t plan on it and I didn’t consciously every just say to myself, “I’m going to start writing poetry now”. But it’s never felt so right and so opposed to my daily life. I give credit to my creative mother who recently became diagnosed with Alzheimers. She’s taken to calling me “Pollyanna” in that I always see the positive in all around me. My book is a result of all I’ve been through and the new man I’ve become. I wanted to combine two of my passions, photography and poetry.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose what is unusual in my habit is that I never sit down to write a poem. The words simply start coming to me in the middle of a moment. I can be sitting outside, in an airplane, driving my car or even mid-sleep. I then start jotting in my journal. I make edits and editions sure at times but I like to go with the flow of my mind and my heart and rarely change them completely.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am inspired from many directions, including poets and philosophers, mystics and musicians. Some examples of my inspirations are Julian of Norwich, Kahlil Gibran, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi, Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Teilhard De Chardin, Rabi Abraham Herchel, St. Catherine of Genoa, Mechthild of Magdeburg as well as Keats and Yates. Of course, I’m also inspired by the words of Martin Luther King , Sinead O’Connor, Sting Bono and Tim Booth. 🙂
What are you working on now?
I have so many poems and I just keep creating. The hardest part is organizing them and creating a theme and a sequence. I am working on my next book of poems which will be called Psalms of Life Vol II, The Dandy…. more on that soon. In addition, creativity dawns creativity so I have many other projects I’ve been inspired to try.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a new writer and book marketer so I am just learning. My advice would be to start marketing your book much earlier than I did and with everyone you know and all social media platforms. Begin planning giveaways and contacting magazines to post and review your work. I should have planned to do so when I started writing my book and not when I finished. But I never really knew if I would actually complete it!!! And I’m just happy I did.
🙂 You can find me @perfectpatrickpieces on instagram and my website www.perfectpatrickpieces.com.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself, I sure can try to advise my fellow new authors! My first bit of advice is keep writing. Don’t force it. Just do it as it comes and appreciate that there is value in it and keep going! Don’t let others impact your thoughts of yourself or voices in your head tell you that you are not a writer. You are!!! Also, get an editor that is experienced with poetry to help you. This was also key to my success. Also, as I mentioned, I would definitely have started marketing my work sooner than I did. You can start spreading the word as soon as you have an idea and your connections will keep you motivated.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never ever give up and never ever stop creating. Also, Don’t do anything if it isn’t fun!
What are you reading now?
Ascent to Love by Ruth Burrows
and World Poetry by Katherine Washburn and John S Major
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. I’ll just keep my mind open. I think that’s another good piece of advice. If you force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy and you are not motivated to do, it won’t be worthwhile. Right now, I’m just trying to complete my second book and also market myself and my current book. I’m also looking for magazines to interview me and present my work and possibly looking for some other collaborators for…. who knows!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Revelations by Julian of Norwich
Poems by Alfred Tennyson
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Ghosts of Mississippi by Maryanne Vollers
…oops, that’s five!
Author Websites and Profiles
J Patrick Website
J Patrick Amazon Profile
J Patrick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile