Welcome, Pam. Tell us
how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Well, I am almost 5’8”, so I tend to make my heroines tall.
I don’t know what it’s like to be short, although I always wanted to be, so it
is easier for me to think of my heroine as tall. Some of my values creep in,
but I am trying to get away from writing myself into fiction. Instead, my
characters are usually a compilation of people I know and pure fiction.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Wow, this is tough. What’s normal to me might be quirky to
someone else. I asked my husband, and I guess I seem pretty normal to him, too,
because he couldn’t think of anything (or he just said that!). How about the
most unusual thing that ever happened to me? When I was fifteen, my parents and
I flew to California
to see my brother and his family at Christmas. After being in the air for
fifteen minutes, the pilot announced that they had received a bomb threat
targeted to our plane. We had to make an emergency landing and to quote the
pilot, “go to the nearest emergency exit, and run, don’t walk, away from the
plane.” It was night, and we went out the rear exit. It was like a scene from Die Hard, with fire trucks, ambulances,
bomb squad, and more. Two hours later, we boarded the plane and resumed our
flight. We never found out if they found anything.
Wow, that sounds
scary. When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I first thought I wanted to be a writer when I was seven,
and for years I wrote numerous short stories and “books” that I illustrated. I
wrote for two newspapers as part-time jobs, but I never wrote a full book until
2011.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love books that are biographical or autobiographical in
nature, like The Glass Castle and Unbroken. I am a loyal John Grisham
reader, and Jeffery Archer’s The Prodigal
Daughter is one of my favorites. I also love historical fiction set in the
south, and I love just about anything set in the west. I especially enjoy
Christian fiction because of its lack of profanity and sexual content. My sons
often say I’d be happy living in a Little
House on the Prairie kind of world. Oh, I love those books too!
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I teach and usually arrive at school around 7:00 A.M. I have
learned that getting up fifteen minutes earlier to have my quiet devotional
time while drinking my coffee clears my mind and prepares me for my day. At
night, I like to unwind by reading in bed, but I usually can’t manage more than
ten minutes before I’m falling asleep.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Sometimes there is a personal connection. Aimee,
for instance, is named after my niece Amy. Sometimes I just think the name fits
the character. Sometimes I choose names with a particular meaning related to
the story or occupation.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Finishing and having published my first book, a mystery
targeted to girls ages eight to twelve. When I was growing up, I loved Nancy
Drew and Trixie Belden, and as an adult, I wanted to write a similar book for
modern-day girls.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
A dog. What other animal is loved so well and treated like a
member of the family?
What is your favorite
food?
Chips and authentic Mexican salsa, not the stuff from a jar.
And salads, except Caesar salad.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I am assuming you are talking about the process. If not, the
greatest roadblock was finding an agent or publisher. However, if you mean the
process, I would have to say that the greatest roadblock was looking at my work
objectively and learning how to say what I wanted to say most effectively for
the reader’s benefit. I can’t say I have completely overcome that, and I’m not
sure I ever will, but it is an ongoing process. Whenever I edit my work, I
always make changes. The editing could go on forever, but you have to stop
somewhere.
The trick is learning
how to recognize when you should stop the process. Tell us about the featured
book.
It is 1895, a time when women on their own had few choices.
Aimee Winters’ mother has passed away, and she has no husband, no job, and no
home. Shocked to learn that the father she has always believed to be dead is
actually alive and well in the Arizona
territory, she accepts his invitation to leave Memphis and live with him in Strawberry and
to teach at the local school for a year. Life in the wilderness brings
challenges she never could have imagined, but the biggest challenge of all is
what to do about her relationship with Levi Raines, the handsome yet
unconventional rancher who eventually steals her heart. Will she stay in the
territory to be with him, or will he choose to go back to Memphis with her? Or will they be forced to
go their separate ways?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“Flagstaff ,
Arizona
The porter’s bark barely rose above the squeal of the
train’s wheels as it slowed its approach.
Aimee Winters clutched the handbag in her lap with one
trembling hand as she bent forward to retrieve her valise from the floor with
the other. The floral pattern swirled before her, and she took a deep breath.
She couldn’t faint. Not here. Not now.
“I hope you like the territory.”
She raised her eyes to meet Mr. Donovan’s probing gaze.
“I do too.” She forced a smile and placed the valise on the
seat between them. “Thank you.”
He adjusted his black bowler hat and brushed a piece of lint
from the lapel of his pinstriped suit. “I will miss your company during the
remainder of my trip. The hours until I reach San Francisco will crawl.”
“You flatter me. I am sure there are many interesting people
to talk to on this train.” She shifted and glanced out of the window. Nothing
but pine trees and distant mountains. No town in sight.
“None as genteel and as educated as you.” She turned back to
face him, and he leaned toward her, dropping his voice almost to a whisper. “I
would dare say most on board don’t know how to read. It has been refreshing to
talk with someone of intelligence and beauty.”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
www.authorpamwattsharris.com
and “like” Pam Harris, author on Facebook
Readers,
here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this
blog.
Aimee
- PaperbackAimee - Kindle
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