Interview with Paty Jager

Jen: Our guest this week is Paty Jager. Paty, tell us about Bridled Hearts and where it’s available.
Paty: My January release Bridled Hearts is a contemporary western. The heroine is an ER nurse who was a child of incest and the hero is a bareback bronc rider. It’s the story of how Gina overcame her past, but in doing so cut herself off from people. Holt, coaxes her out from behind her shield. It is available in e-book and print from Wild Rose Press, http://www.thewildrosepress.com/, or from an e-book or print outlet.
Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Paty: As a child for entertainment I’d write plays and use the stuffed animals as the actors/puppets. Then in high school, I wrote a piece in Joan of Arc’s point of view as she was burning at the stake. When the teacher read it in class and not a person moved or said a word, I realized the power of words. The first thing I actually had published was a short children’s story in a magazine. From there I freelanced human interest stories for two local newspapers and five years ago my first romance novel was published. The call story isn’t too exciting as a story. A critique partner heard about a new publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and suggested I send a story she’d critiqued to them. It was one I’d shopped around to the big publishing houses. Wild Rose contracted it and that has led to my Halsey brother series, Marshal In Petticoats, Outlaw In Petticoats, Miner In Petticoats, and Doctor in Petticoats. Stories about brothers and how they find love in the gold country of NE Oregon.

Jen: Are there any other writers, published or not, in your family?
Paty: My youngest son is a good writer, but he’s yet to be published.

Jen: How do you approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow?
Paty: I’m what’s called a plantser. I do a bit of plotting–I use a conflict grid and character chart to define my characters and set up the plot points in the story, but then I sit down and write. I don’t do chapter by chapter or scene by scene plotting.

Jen: What kind of research did you do for this book?
Paty: For Bridled Hearts, I interviewed Champion bareback rider Bobby Mote and his wife Kate to understand what a rodeo athlete does to prepare for his sport, to learn about how life is during the rodeo season, and learn about the family life of a rodeo participant. I learned there are different rodeo regions and found the one that fit my character and discovered what rodeos he would participate in. National Finals rodeo is part of the book so I had to research that event. The heroine’s occupation I came upon while flying from Alaska when my daughter had her last child. The woman I sat next to told me about her career as a traveling ER nurse. I thought what a great occupation for someone who didn’t want to be in one place for very long or make friends.

Jen: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Paty: They don’t “live” with me or haunt my dreams. They are always foremost in my mind when I’m working on their book. And I use Pavlov’s theory to get myself entrenched in the story quicker. I listen to specific music when working on a project. I listen to the same cd’s or playlist when writing a book and that draws me into the story and the characters POV as soon as I hear the music.

Jen: Is there a genre that you’d like to write? Is there a genre you’ll probably stay away from and why?
Paty: I don’t think there’s a genre I’d like to write that I haven’t tried. I have historical westerns, paranormal historical, contemporary westerns, and I have an action adventure romance I’m trying to find a home for. I don’t like to read horror, dark paranormal, or psychological thrillers so it’s a given I won’t be writing one of those any time soon.

Jen: If Bridled Hearts was made into a movie, which actors would you choose to play the hero and heroine?
Paty: Well the hero, Holt, is modeled after Simon Baker. Gina, Stana Katic.

Jen: What has been your highlight of your career to this point?
Paty: Several- Having two dear older gentlemen friends tell me my books kept them up late reading, a woman flagging me down after she learned who I was and telling me how much she enjoyed my books, and receiving a Christmas card from a fan who said she enjoys reading my books. That’s why I write, to entertain others with stories.

Jen: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Paty: “I’m amazed by your imagination.”

Jen: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Paty: I like a lot of books and authors. Some favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Suzanne Enoch, Linda Lael Miller, Nicole McCaffrey, and Kathy Otten. Right now I’m reading six non-fiction books on the Nez Perce for research for the book I’m writing and Wanton in the West by Lisa Plumley.

Jen: What’s next for you?
Paty: The second book in my paranormal historical trilogy is out in May, and I’m writing the third one right now. The books are about sibling Native American spirits who watch over the Lake Nimiipuu, the Nez Perce band headed by Chief Joseph. The first book, Spirit of the Mountain, starts before the Nimiipuu encounter the Whiteman and shows how their love of the land was instilled in them by the merging of the spirit of the mountain and an Indian maiden. The second book, Spirit of the Lake, is when the Whiteman enters the Lake Nimiipuu country and tries to take it over. The spirit of the lake comes to the rescue of a Nimiipuu maiden who has become pregnant from a rape by a Whiteman who pretends to be the Nimiipuu’s friend. This story is how they work to prove the Whiteman’s deceit. And book three, Spirit of the Sky, is set when the Nimiipuu are fleeing from the soldiers to avoid being put on a reservation they didn’t agree to.

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?

Paty: my blog is http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/ my website is http://www.patyjager.net/ and I’m on Twitter @patyjag and facebook Paty Jager

Jen: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Paty: What is your favorite genre to read and why?

Jen: Readers, Paty is giving away one of her books to someone who leaves a comment. The winner must be over the age of eighteen. Due to shipping costs, if they don’t live in the U.S., the book a pdf rather than in print. So, to enter, you need to leave a question or comment for Paty and you must either leave your email address in your comment or send a message to admin.bookblog@gmail.com to complete your entry. The winner will be chosen on Sunday, January 30.