And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:
Patti O'Shea isn't new to writing. As a matter of fact, you might say she's an old hand at it, having begun her career at the ripe old age of fourteen. She's come a long way since that first novel experience, earning a degree along the way in advertising copyrighting from the University of Minnesota, and working in clerical support for an aeronautical engineering firm. Her job has allowed her many opportunities to travel around the world, including Australia, Mexico, Canada, Germany and Austria, just to name a few.
While fairly new to the romance scene, you can bet that with the success of her first two releases, RAVYN'S FLIGHT in 2002 and more recently, THE POWER OF TWO in November 2004, you'll be hearing a lot more from this gifted and talented romance author. Next up on her schedule will be CRIMSON CITY, another futuristic romance set in Los Angeles and scheduled for release in summer 2005.
Patti took a few minutes out of her very hectic schedule to share with us her thoughts on several different topics.
1. Your second book, THE POWER OF TWO, is part of the Love Spell 2176 series. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the other books and don't generally read a series that includes more than one author, so I'm kind of curious how they work. Are there certain guidelines the authors are given for the series? Time period, politics, etc? Do the authors for the series get in touch with each other?
There was a 2176 "bible" which gave us the basic world building and what had happened between now and 2176 to bring Earth to this state. Each book also had a brief description of what was happening in the world while that story was taking place and the goal that needed to be accomplished to move the series forward. But while we had the framework, it was up to each author to finish building the structure for their book. We had freedom with our characters and how we accomplished the goal of our stories, which is what made the series fun to work on!
It was critical for us to talk to each other. We had a loop for the series and we constantly worked to stay on the same page as far as technologies, weapons and so on. There were also times when we talked on the phone or had emails zinging back and forth to coordinate parts of the books. And often there was some small point that one of us needed a quick answer for as we wrote and the loop was very helpful with those kinds of details.
2. Your first book, RAVYN'S FLIGHT, won several awards and received fantastic reviews. What was it like having your first book do so well?
It was very exciting to see how many readers enjoyed Ravyn. I especially loved it when they sent me an email to let me know! Writing is such a solitary endeavor and positive feedback is what makes all those hours worthwhile. But the wonderful reception started to become scary after a while. I started wondering if my next book would measure up to the first. It's been a huge relief to have THE POWER OF TWO be well-received also.
3. What is different between the two books? Did you find one book easier to write than the other?
RAVYN'S FLIGHT takes place on another planet and Ravyn and Damon are completely alone. Everyone else has been murdered and the communications equipment has been wrecked, so they have no way to contact Earth. Before it was destroyed, the emergency beacon had been deployed, but help is at least three weeks away and they have to survive long enough to be rescued. They don't know who did the killing, but they have to assume they're being hunted.
THE POWER OF TWO, on the other hand, takes place on Earth and Jake's Special Forces team is nearby, ready to provide backup when the hero and heroine need it. The bad guy is known, and while the other characters are more ambiguous, Jake and Cai have a good idea what they're dealing with. Also, Jake and Cai have been connected for five years through neural implants. Ravyn and Damon don't meet until the start of the story when he pulls her out from her hiding place.
Every book presents its own challenges and THE POWER OF TWO had a few extra because of the series tie ins. However, RAVYN'S FLIGHT was my first "big" book, everything else I'd finished before this was only about half that size, so I was really learning while I wrote it. Overall, I'd have to say TPOT was the easier of the two just because I'd improved as a writer and my process was better by then.
4. I really enjoyed TPOT. Even though it was futuristic, it was so easy to read and realistic. How long did it take you to write it? What kind of research was involved, if any?
Thanks, Sue! I'm happy you enjoyed THE POWER OF TWO!
The book took four months to write, then another four weeks or so to revise. I'd already done a great deal of research on Special Forces, but there were a few fine points I needed to check on. I also did some reading on nanotechnology, specifically quantum brain nanotech, and I needed to learn more about the climate of the Maldives since the Raft Cities were located in that location. Most of the other research was on a small points, rather than large subjects.
5. You really have a great writing style for this type of novel. Did you grow up watching a lot of Sci-Fi movies? What influenced you to go in this direction with your books?
I did grow up watching reruns of Star Trek and the Star Wars movies, but I don't know if those influenced me to write futuristic romance or not. What appeals to me most about this subgenre is that anything I can imagine is possible. While my focus is mostly on my characters, I like being able to put them in unusual situations and see how it changes them.
For instance, Jake and Cai were connected via neural implants for five years. It gave them a chance to get to know each other intimately long before they ever met. It was so much fun writing the romance "backwards." In most romances, the hero and heroine meet, learn the outer persona, and gradually, develop the emotional intimacy. Jake and Cai had the emotional intimacy, but they had to learn to match the outer person with who they knew.
With RAVYN'S FLIGHT, the impact on the relationship between Ravyn and Damon wasn't quite as obvious, but it certainly played a role. Putting them on another planet, one not yet colonized by Earth, gave me a chance to isolate them absolutely. Help was three weeks away and couldn't get there any sooner. Ravyn and Damon had to rely on each other, trust each other, in order to survive. That pushed them both, not only on their relationship, but on their individual growth issues.
6. What do you like to do in your free time?
I'm afraid I don't have free time any more. I work full time and write when I'm not working, but when I do take a break, I like to read. I've gotten so behind on books in the last couple of years, that I have a huge number to catch up on. I also do some scrapbooking. It's a way to do something artistic and creative, but it's different from writing.
7. You've mentioned that you don't like living in Minnesota because of the harsh winters. If you could pick up and move anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Australia, although I'm not sure precisely where. I loved the country! The climate was wonderful and the people were so warm and friendly. I'd go back again in an instant.
8. You will be writing the third book in the CRIMSON CITY series, which will be out in 2005. Can you tell us a bit about it?
My story isn't titled yet, but right now, it's scheduled to be out in the fall of 2005. CRIMSON CITY is a futuristic Los Angeles and there are not only humans wandering around, but also vampires, werewolves, demons and mechs (kind of like cyborgs).
Mika and Conor, my hero and heroine, are both half demon and half human. Mika is sent by the demon leaders to recover something they believe Conor has, so she lies about needing protection and hires him. Only someone or something really is trying to kill Mika and an attempt is made on Conor's life as well. They end up protecting each other.
Mika is a lot different from the heroines who usually come in and talk to me, so she's been a bit of a challenge, but then every book has a few of those! The scene I'm looking forward to writing is when Conor discovers Mika has lied to him from the minute they met. But then I enjoy torturing my characters; I figure it's only fair since they torture me.
To learn more about Patti, her books, and what she's working on now, please visit her website at:
http://www.pattioshea.com/
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