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Like her characters, Lisa Patton oozes southern charm. The creator of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’Easter and Yankee Doodle Dixie, Patton’s books are as addictive as a tall glass of sweet tea and as decadent as fresh, out-of-the-oven, buttermilk biscuits. Hilarious, heartfelt and honest, Patton delivers stories that are perfect for a sunny beach, a rainy day, or an afternoon celebrating with girlfriends. Just expect her main character, sweet and sassy Leelee Satterfield, to stay with you long after the echoes of laughter wisp away.
Patton shares how important conflict is in the writing craft, what it means to be southern, and offers a peek at her main source of inspiration.
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“Needless to say, Mama fueled my acting aspirations.”
—PATTON
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AUTHORLINK: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
PATTON: A movie star. HA! Acting was my first love. I remember feeling like I had come alive when I was up on the stage. It was a great confidence booster during those awkward teenage years. My mother was from California and worked as an extra in movies during the Golden Age of Cinema. My sisters and I loved watching her on the TV when the reruns would return year after year. Now that I own the videos I can hit pause and watch her over and over again, no matter how small her role. Needless to say, Mama fueled my acting aspirations.
AUTHORLINK: You’ve been playing with words for a long time, and your first novel spent a good deal of time in a drawer. What is it about the love of the craft, of writing and building a written world, that inspired you to persevere – to never give up?
PATTON: My literary high comes from writing comedy. When I can craft a scene and get the punch line just right, I am flying on top of the moon. That's what keeps me in the chair. And need I mention those rare gold-nugget moments when words fly from my fingers and onto the computer screen with a life of their own? The ones where the inspiration gets ahead of the speed of my fingers? Albeit, they don't happen all that often but when they do it's pure magic. My sons are my real inspiration though, the real reason I don't give up. I want to show them an example of perseverance, tenacity and determination. They are both creative kids and it's important for them to know that succeeding in the arts is possible, as long as they understand it's 90 percent perspiration! |
“My biggest challenge while writing is the amount of time I have to spend alone.”
—PATTON
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AUTHORLINK: What is the most difficult aspect of writing for you (plotting, outlining, keeping the characters’ manners in tact)?
PATTON: How do you conquer the stalls and hiccups that occur when taking on the (sometimes) daunting task of writing a novel?
My biggest challenge while writing is the amount of time I have to spend alone. I'm a straight-up extrovert - I get my charge from being around people. One doesn't have to think too hard to imagine how being alone all day, every day, gets to someone like me after a while. But thank goodness the love of the craft and the joy of those two little words always triumphs . . . the end!
AUTHORLINK: What does southern mean to you? Is it a verb, a noun, a spirit of being?
PATTON: My daddy used to say that he was born an American but southern by the grace of God. I know it's an old standard but I wouldn't doubt it if he coined the phrase. He would be in his 90s if he were still alive today. Daddy thought being southern was his birthright. For me southern is a lucky charm. I consider it a blessing to have been born here. I love our manners, our gentility, and especially our quirkiness. I suppose that makes it a spirit of being.
AUTHORLINK: What do you believe makes a great story? Is there an element that you believe must be present?
PATTON: Conflict, conflict, conflict. I think of it as the tree Cs of storytelling. It's the ingredient that keeps the pages turning. Not only was I taught that in school but it's what resonates most with me when I'm reading a great book.
AUTHORLINK: Will you share one of the most poignant discoveries that came from researching for Whistlin’ or Yankee Doodle?
PATTON: I'm ashamed to say that I didn't have to do much research for either novel. I really was an innkeeper in Vermont so that was all the research I needed for Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter. Yankee Doodle Dixie is set in a radio station and I know that world, too. I was a promotion director for FM 100 in Memphis for several years. I don't know that I'd call it poignant but I was humbled a week or two ago when I met a lady who had moved here from Vermont. She told me that she knew I must have lived in her home state at some time in my life as I had the lifestyle down to a tee. But, she said, I had made one mistake. She reminded me of a line in my first book about being able to make out the black and white colors of the cows during a full moon, after a fresh-fallen snow. "No self-respecting farmer would ever leave his cows out at night in the snow," she lovingly quipped. That shows you how easily something can slip by not only the author but all the editors and fact-checkers employed by the publisher.
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“My characters are my friends; especially while I'm writing.”
—PATTON
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AUTHORLINK: Are your characters as real to you as they are to us? And how do you get to know them when you’re writing? Do the muses spirit them to you, or do you sit down and grill them to figure out who they are?
PATTON: My characters are my friends; especially while I'm writing. I HAVE to connect with them if I'm going to make it through the day. It's the introvert/extrovert thing; my characters keep me company. They are very real to me. I don't grill them I just imagine them and marinate on their personalities most of my waking moments!
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“As a novelist I believe my future lies with a publisher as my partner.”
—PATTON
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AUTHORLINK: Writers all over are struggling with the future of publishing – to publish the traditional route or to go it alone. Readers will always read, but do you believe one route is more beneficial than the other?
PATTON: I think non-fiction writers have more of a future in the world of self-publishing due to their own credentials and how that relates to their subject matter. As a novelist I believe my future lies with a publisher as my partner. They have contacts and resources I'll never have and since my first name is not Danielle and my last name isn't Evanovich, I'm pretty sure I'll need my publisher for the long haul.
AUTHORLINK: Finally, if you weren’t a writer, what would you be (besides a kick-booty Mama)?
PATTON: Thank you, Paige. That's a nice thing to say. I'd be a theatre manager. I love the theatre; it gives me another kind of high. I did that once before in my life and it was very rewarding. Plus I'd never be at a loss for real, audible conversation.
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About Lisa Patton: |
Lisa Patton is a Memphis, Tennessee native who spent three years as a Vermont innkeeper—until three sub-zero winters forced her back to the South. A former promotion director for both FM 100 radio and WMC TV in Memphis, Lisa also worked as a manager at the Orpheum Theatre. She has over 20 years’ experience working in the music and entertainment business, including nearly ten years with five-time Grammy Award winner, Michael McDonald. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Lisa is also an alumna of Kappa Delta sorority. She is currently a special events director for the Historic Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee where she resides with her two sons. Visit Lisa Patton and her wonderful written worlds at: http://www.lisapatton.com/ |
About Regular Contributor
Paige Crutcher |
Paige Crutcher is a wordie, writer, book addict, blogger, National Authors Examiner and columnist for authorlink.com. Visit her articles at:
http://www.examiner.com/authors-in-national/paige-crutcher, her blog: http://paigesprose.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Twitter: @PCrutcher.
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