Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tens years ago, my family and I moved away from the city and moved to the west coast of Newfoundland. Since that time, I’ve written four novels which includes the fantasy Fallen Lands Trilogy.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Tru–a contemporary, YA title. I wanted to write something current and with two daughters late in their teens, I wanted to create something that spoke to them. Having worked for years with teens in treatment and emergency housing–as well as in classrooms with students struggling to cope–I had a lot of first hand experience to draw from. Most of all, I’ve never forgotten how scary and lonely that transition to adulthood can be.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think the most unusual thing about my writing process is that’s it’s never the same. And that I start every new project with clear plans and milestones in mind. By the end? All of it’s out the window. The book takes over and I’m just along for the ride.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I guess my tastes are a little bit all of the place. I love Walter Mosley, Elmore Leonard and Dennis Lehane. But I’m just as likely to grab some Clive Barker, Willliam Gibson or Terry Brooks. In the last few years, I’ve become a big fan of Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.
What are you working on now?
I’ve got a couple of things I’m working on but the focus is on a new paranormal series. It features a protagonist haunted by a tragic mistake forced to reckon with old monsters evolving in the New World.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best way for me to promote my books? Let someone else do it. Self-promotion is the worst.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
For years, I didn’t realize that the only difference between myself and published authors was that they actually wrote books. Write. That’s the key to everything. The more you write, the better you become, the greater your library you have to bring to the market.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Why not me?” We can be brilliant when it comes to making excuses, for throwing up obstacles in our own paths. And just as easily we can look to the success of others and tell ourselves we can never achieve the same. The only real guarantee of failure is never trying at all.
What are you reading now?
I’m eyeballs deep in the Preacher comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I’m going to keep exploring different forms and genres that I enjoy. When the stars align just right, I might tackle a screenplay or a graphic 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?
Stranded on a desert island? I’d want…Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, The Stand by Stephen King…and the SAS Survival Handbook.
Author Websites and Profiles
Patrick Park-Tighe Website
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