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Interviewing Author Patricia Miller

 



Tell me about yourself:

I live in a very small town in Northeast Ohio where I have spent 30+ years of marriage (and counting) and raised 2 children. I have worked as a mental health clinical counselor for nearly 30 years, many of which were spent also providing clinical supervision for new counselors just starting out. I fell in love with literature in my high school British Literature class and that remains my favorite literature yet today. All of my aspirations as a writer came from British Literature, specifically Agatha Christie and classic Sherlock Holmes stories.

What are your favorite books to read?

Mysteries will always be my favorite books to read. Anything that exercises my mind and has me trying to figure something out always keeps my attention. I have written in the genres of mystery, YA, sci-fi, romance, and magic realism. I have an outline for a paranormal set in a local castle I plan to write but I am leaning more in the direction of mysteries and am planning to try my hand at cozy mysteries. Every night I either go to sleep listening to an Agatha Christie audiobook or a relaxation meditation. I watch Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murder or classic Sherlock Holmes shows nearly every day and am reading at least 2 books at a time, mostly mysteries.

When did you decide you were going to write a book?

Somewhere around 2005, I found myself reading books and asking questions like “why didn’t they take that in this direction?” I also started saying “That would have been so cool if the story went like this.” So. I decided that maybe I should give my ideas a try. I started by writing short stories, then went to a novella, and finally, in 2009, I started writing my first full-length novel.

How did you come up with the name of your book?

I pounder for a long time before settling on a name as it has to be absolutely right for the story. But, my first book “Joshua: Life After Theos” was inspired by a dream and I woke up knowing that the main characters were from another planet named Theos and that the lead’s name was Joshua. After I wrote the book I realized that it was all about the life he created after leaving Theos so “Joshua: Life After Theos” seemed appropriate. I just finished the third and final book in the trilogy and it’s with my editor in California and I still have yet to come up with a title. It will come to me by the time I approve the final edits and pass them on to my publisher.

What are you working on for 2021?

Volume 1 of Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained needs a volume 2. These are collections of short story mysteries and I have 3 ideas to be included in Volume 2. I have also decided to try my hand at a cozy mystery series. Since I have had such positive responses to my Kelsie Raymond character in Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained Volume 1 (favorably describing her as a modern-day/slightly older Nancy Drew) I am thinking of using her as my sleuth for that series.

The third and final installment for the Joshua Trilogy will be out in November/December 2020.

How long have you been writing?


I began to jot down my first writing ideas around 2005 but I didn’t officially set out to formally write until 2009. I have been writing ever since.

What advice would you give other authors?

Don’t write for others. Write for yourself and if others like it, it’s a plus. If you like what you’re writing it will show up in the finished product.

Where can people find you online?

My FB page is 

My website is pmwritescom.wordpress.com

instagram@patriciamillerauthor

https://twitter.com/pmwrites2007



What is your favorite coffee drink?

None. I don’t drink coffee of any kind. Never have. Never will. My doctor recommended many years ago that I don’t start and since I don’t like the taste of it, I haven’t seen a reason to do so. 

What is your favorite coffee shop?

Since I don’t drink coffee I don’t really have a favorite one.

Do you plan on writing a new book in the future?

I just finished book 3 in the Joshua Trilogy which is a YA/Coming of Age, Sci-Fi, Romance and it will be released in November/December 2020. I have an outline for a paranormal I plan to write, 3 ideas for short story mysteries which will be used in my mystery collection Volume 2 of Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained and I have decided to try my hand at a cozy mystery series. So, I guess that would be a yes. 

How many books have you written?

A total of 4. All 3 installments in the YA Sci-Fi Romance Joshua Trilogy and Volume 1 Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained which is a mystery collection with scene sketches illustrations by very talented high school artists. I want to give a shout out to these talented young adult artists. I had a call for submissions involving 4 local high schools and the New Philadelphia High School art classes embraced this challenge and offered 34 submissions, their art teacher Heather Agar collaborating with me on this event. The sketches I chose are perfect depictions of the stories and are very worth checking out.

Did you go to college to be a writer?

No. I went to college to be a mental health clinical counselor which is my full-time job. I fell in love with British Literature in high school.

End.



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