Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing in 2009 and have written 5 books: four are women’s fiction and one is contemporary fiction. Moon Over Alcatraz was published in 2012 and Taken Away comes out on June 1, 2015. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and live in Alameda, California, with my husband and two children, ages 21 and 16. My house is filled with animals: two chocolate labs, Annabella and her son Jack, along with tiny dog, Shay, a terrier mix. My big black Friesian horse, Maximus, lives about fifteen minutes from my home in the Oakland hills.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Taken Away is about veterinarian, Jessee Bradford, who comes home to find his wife and young child missing. I was inspired by the too-frequent Amber Alerts I’ve heard and read about in California and across the nation. As a parent, I can’t imagine the worry and anger and horror of losing a child. Taken Away tells about Jessee’s emotional path from the day he finds his wife and daughter missing through his life changes that lead to the truth of their disappearance.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write a sketchy outline of how the story begins to its end then let my fingers do the walking on my MacBook. I edit a bit along the way, otherwise every day brings new chapters and after I write “The End” I begin the editing process. Edits take up the majority of my time. That’s when the book gains weight, so to speak, and gets meatier and deeper by adding better dialogue and back story. I write either in the family room with my three dogs or on the deck if the weather is nice. And I write until it’s done, every day, most of the day. It may take less than a month to write a novel but three or more months to edit. All my books are professionally edited before they’re ready to be put “out there” for readers.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been reading books for pleasure since I was about 7-years old when my mom enrolled me in a Book-of-the-Month Club. Since then I have several authors who are my favorites: Jodi Picoult, Joy Fielding, Danielle Steel, Mary Higgins Clark, Richard Paul Evans, Nicholas Sparks, Robin Cook, Maeve Binchy, Susan Wiggs, Susan Mallery, Barbara Freethy. And the list goes on.
What are you working on now?
I have the theme for my sixth book inside my head and written on my computer but I haven’t started writing it yet. I was inspired by the number of babies found in dumpsters throughout the U.S. I wanted to write about the journey of finding a baby – through the eyes of a woman who finds a child after she suffers a miscarriage.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I participate in Virtual Book Tours on the internet which seem to be the best way to reach readers these days. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we’ve lost most of our book stores. Borders and Barnes and Noble closed their doors, leaving us with a very small book store and several used books stores. Personally, my son gave me a Kindle for Christmas 2012, and I purchase all my books on Amazon.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
After I wrote my first book I entered many, many contests where I found out that I wasn’t writing romance but rather women’s fiction with romantic elements. There’s a big difference in the two genres and the judges taught me that. I began taking classes on the internet and still take classes. I’ve learned a lot from some and not much from others but, in doing so, I found the teachers who I learn the most from. I also continue being an avid reader and mostly read romance and women’s fiction and contemporary fiction novels. The best thing I ever did to learn to write well was to hire a professional editor. She was the person who taught me how to how to write and since then I have had great experiences with two additional editors who continue to help me write better books.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard was to hire a professional editor. After I did that, I learned what it was like to truly edit my books and edit them correctly, for both content as well as character building and dialogue.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Escape” by Barbara Delinsky. I love her books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting my book Taken Away which comes out June 1st – in just a few weeks. After that, I will begin writing my next novel.
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?
I would bring Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes”, “Lost” by Joy Fielding, and “Message in A Bottle” by Nicholas Sparks.
Author Websites and Profiles
Patricia Yager Delagrange Website
Patricia Yager Delagrange Amazon Profile
Patricia Yager Delagrange Author Profile on Smashwords
Patricia Yager Delagrange’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile