Readers Place

Patricia Wood interview/review

1. Aloha Pat! Are you on your sailboat right now?

Yes. I have just finished packing for my trip to the mainland for readings and signings.

1. I think it is so cool that you live on a sailboat. How long has it been since your residence was on land?

Four years It is amazing that you have access to technology even on a sailboat, but is there anything you miss about living on land? Not usually – I get a small twinge when I remember my beautiful gourmet kitchen and if I want a bath I go to a hotel.

1. So you have all the comforts of home, even pets on your boat. I understand your two cats are your muses, but they aren’t housecats, they are sailboat cats, right?

They didn’t use to be but they are now! They got acclimated quite well.

1. Do they ever leave the boat?

Not intentionally, only accidentally.

1. When they accidentally get off the boat, do they suffer from sea legs? No, but they get wet!

1. So we all know the weather is beautiful on Oahu but when you do get bad weather, how does it affect your routine as a writer living on a sailboat?

I close the hatches and am snug as a bug in a rug. It’s quite cozy.

1. You wrote Lottery in three months. But it was eight hours a day for seven days a week. How hard was it to commit to this schedule? How long was your editing process?

It was often 12 to 18 hours a day and it was a first draft – and quite a shitty one at that! I did a couple passes through to fix grammar and spelling and by the fourth pass the skeleton of the story was closer to what Dorian (my agent) saw.

1. Did you have a critique group or readers review Lottery for you and what do you feel is the value of a writer’s group?

I’ve never been one to join groups. I know people swear by them but it has to be the right group. I think readers are better than writers. I have a large pool of beta readers. My friend author Paul Theroux read an early draft and many cruisers from my harbor (marina) read various versions.

1. But you were part of a large online writing community. You were a regular over at Miss Snark’s popular blog where I first saw you as Orion. It was real neat to see you thank Miss Snark in your acknowledgements. When you got published, did Miss Snark ever get in touch with you?

Miss Snark ROCKS. She sent several very nice emails congratulating me and did call me when I went to New York. The number came up unknown. It was magic! I owe her so much for all the guidance in her blog and the support the blog has shown me. They were all there from the beginning.

1. She called you? So do you have any idea about her real identity?

No clue at all, but I suspect she has moved on. I read in People magazine recently that George Clooney hired a new maid with amazing literary taste. It could happen… He would be a lucky man, then! As fans of her blog, we all know what we got from her; great no-nonsense advice and a community of writers just like us.

1. Now that you are a published author, when you look back at Miss Snark’s blog, what do you think you gained from it the most?

The fact that this business is subjective. The fact that if more writers just sat down and finished their novels they would be more successful. You need to write, write and write some more. That hiring a book doctor or an outside editor is not necessary and that perseverance is the best quality to have.

1. One of the things that I’ve been so impressed with is how altruistic you have been to your fellow writers. You have a blog where you’ve given so much insight to the publishing process and you also are a vibrant presence on the Absolute Write forums where you provide a lot of great information and advice to newbies. I love that you have become like a Mentor figure now that you are a famous author, but what makes you do it?

HA! I’m a know-it-all? Actually I am a teacher. Have always been a teacher and love to teach. I will be going to the University of Hawaii next Friday to talk to creative writing students. It is pay-back for the help I have received from generous authors like Paul Theroux and Jackie Mitchard.

1. So are you working on a new book and is there any information you would care to share about it?

I am ALWAYS working on another book. I have three finished manuscripts and am outlining other projects. My agent and I are giving a great deal of thought as to what will follow Lottery. Of course there is the paperback of Lottery that will come out next summer (08).

1. Lastly, there is so much advice that is out there, sometimes contradictory, but I would love to know what would be the one piece of advice that you think is really important or overlooked that you would give to aspiring writers about fulfilling their dream?

WRITE. Finish your novel and start another. READ. Write. Read. And WRITE some more. Oh yeah… and make sure you write.

Thanks so much Pat for chatting with me about Lottery. You are awesome!