I had the privilege of meeting Patt Mihailoff, the author of romance and fantasy fiction, quite a while ago through the Romance Writers of America. She’s been an inspiration, a mentor, a role model, and a friend.

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

First, I would like to thank you for interviewing me. I was a teen and reading was a passion for me, and I thought “maybe I can do that!” Of course, back then I knew nothing of publishing and only wrote stories my mother listened to.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Everywhere! A true writer can find inspiration in the smallest things. For instance, years ago I was on the F train and I was seated opposite a young man who had tattoos that covered his face as well as piercings in his ears that were symmetrical from largest to smallest. I thought, hmmm! There’s a story there someplace. Years later I incorporated that visual into a speculative fiction novella I currently have waiting in the wings.

How many books have you written? Do you have any favorites? If so, why are they your favorites?

I have written eight novels, ten including two I wrote as P.K. Eden with my writing partner Kathye Quick. The closest novel to my heart is Avenue Girls Boulevard Girls, because it comes from my childhood although not a memoir. I have an attraction to historical westerns and I always try to incorporate one real characterization into the two wrote, ie. Kit Carson and Domenico Ghiradelli in The Love Lesson.

What makes a good story?

Plot, and characters that readers can easily identify with or at least love to hate.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I am unabashedly a pantser. My brain goes way too fast to think about things, and that has been a dilemma for me at times, because I am forced at some time to think about the plot. I just don’t do it first.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Why?

I love this question because I always thought of my spirit totem as being a she-wolf. The strength of it, cunning, and the absolute reign when needed.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

It depends on the idea. For me as I write the story and I come across something I must be absolutely clear about or that I don’t know or am not sure of, is when I go into a deep research mode to get it right. I do this because readers out there are a lot smarter than I am and they will catch you on things that you missed.

How many hours a day do you write?

I write everyday even if it is only for an hour. When I am really inspired or the ideas just keep coming, I can sit and write for a good four to five hours.

How do you select the names of your characters?

This will be my one and only boast. I am pretty good at it. I love creating names for any character no matter what it is. I also interchange names that I know or heard. It’s easy, ie. Taylor Swift = Tyler Swit; Jack Nicholson = Nix Jackson. Or, you can also go to the internet and look for names and change the spelling to something more creative.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

The dreaded middles. I usually always know the beginning and the end, which I can change, but filling in the middle without boring my readers sometimes is a challenge for me. That is when I really have to sit and think about what I should write and how.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I believe you can get stuck. The ideas are always out there. I just think that you can get sidelined by not knowing which way to go.

What is your favorite or easiest part of writing?

Telling a story, especially short ones. I started out writing shorts for various magazines and the one thing it taught me was tight writing and how to get your story told in the amount of space allowed. I also learned this from watching the old black-and-white Gunsmoke series. Remember them? If you notice whatever the story was, it had to have a beginning, a middle, and a believable and usually satisfying ending all in thirty minutes. A whole story with a bad guy, a good guy, and a solution. (not to mention Matt Dillon always got his man.)

How do you stay in touch with your readers?

Blogging, Facebook, writer’s Tik-Tok, and Instagram. I also query them and allow them to query me because I am interested in what they felt worked or didn’t in my novel(s). I alway include my contact information at the back of all my novels.

Why did you choose to write in the genres you write?

To tell you the truth, I am all over the place, because I like almost everything. Mythology and sci-fi is great because I can use my sometimes warped imagination and build a world the way I want. Westerns are cool (although no longer popular) because who doesn’t like a cowboy, even scruffy ones with style like Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duval’s Augustus McCrea character in the movie. His empathy and protectiveness made for an engaging and appreciated character.

If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?

I loved my time in the law enforcement world, but I might be happiest somewhere I can help people. I like motivating people and helping them to be what they think they can’t. I think I have fulfilled that role when people who asked for my help before they were authors and then became authors. You might say that I am the quintessential pain in the butt when it comes to annoying people to do what they want to do. A few authors who got book deals have come back to thank me for pushing them to get their book out. I told them to just get it out there. If they get a “NO”, then send it out again. I told them it was their talent, their greatest story that got them published, I just nudged them to get it out because, nothing is more gratifying than receiving notification from a publisher that begins with, “We are pleased to accept your manuscript for ….”

Any final thoughts on writing?

I would like to end this interview with, writing to me is easy, it’s getting published traditionally that is the hard part. There have been many arguments and reasons about the causes, and that would be an excellent interview for another time.

     I had the pleasure of meeting Ted Delgrosso, when I joined the fiction writing critique group of the Write Group of Montclair.

Ted Delgrosso is a published author of short fiction and an active member

of the Write Group.

Why did you become a writer?

I responded to storytelling as a child growing up. My grandfather would entertain us with stories. As a member of the Boy Scouts of America, I was one of the storytellers in my troop. Growing up, when I met people, I would ask them to tell me their stories. After my service in the United States Navy in the Seventies, I got more interested in writing down my short stories.

Why do you write science fiction?

Science fiction allows me to stretch my imagination in ways no other genre can. Speculations on where the human race is headed, what technologies could evolve or be discovered, and what the future conflicts may be are just a part of it. Sci-fi can take you anywhere.

What inspired you to write your books?

The reaction that I received when telling my stories inspired me. I noticed the eyes of the audience when I told my stories, and that helped me later when writing my stories.

My desire is to entertain my readers. Ideas inspire me. Some of my stories are based on events in my life, and I add a twist to them.

How did you first get published?

My wife had suggested that I polish up my stories and send them out. So, I had a number of ideas for a manuscript. My first book is a collection of 25 short stories. Thirteen of them are contemporary fiction and twelve of them are science fiction. Page Publishing published my first book, Ted’s Tales. It’s available as an e-book, print book, and audio book on Amazon, and is in paperback and e-book with Barnes & Noble. Amazon Publishing On-line is my partner in publishing my second book, Ted’s Tales Two, which will be available as an e-book, hard cover, and paperback book.

What are you working on now?

I’m focusing on short stories, and they’re at various stages of development. I’m looking to delve into the marketing of my books by interviews, social media, and book fairs.

Can you describe your writing process?

I keep a pen and pad next to my bed. I may wake up during the night and write down my ideas. It could be a dream. When I get an idea, I write it down, put it together, and put it in my “idea” notebook. If it is an idea that I can use, I then work on it later.

As a short story writer, there is diversity in terms of storytelling. I’m not locked into a few main characters, as is the case of a novel.

Once I write the first draft, it becomes a project. The hard work of revision and fact checking begins.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Writing is rewriting. Once you write the rough draft, you need to go back, look at it again, substitute words to make it better, and be open to advice from other writers.

It’s also important to make a budget ahead of time. Create a separate bank account for your writing, and set limits on how much you will spend on your writing. Manage your money to invest in your writing.

What writing organizations do you belong to?

I belong to the Montclair Write Group and through that group, I belong to several subgroups. I am in the fiction writing critique group and the free write group. The free write group uses writing prompts which forces you to write something under time pressure. After so much time, you’re asked to share what you wrote with the group.

I also subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine. I like to watch movies, and I pay attention to how things are structured in their stories.

Have any well-known authors inspired you?

Along with some of the classic authors, I have been inspired by the writings of Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clark, Stephen King, J.R. Tolkien, Michael Crichton, and Stephen Hunter.

What books have inspired you?

Books which have inspired me include 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, Ben Bova’s series on colonizing the planets, Ray Bradbury’s short story collections, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and more recently, anything written by Steven King and Stephen Hunter.

Do you have a favorite genre? If so, what is it and why?

Yes, my favorite genre is science fiction. I also like good drama fiction. I enjoy The Twilight Zone stories and The Outer Limits which have something with a twist.

Where are your books available?

Ted Tales,Book 1, is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback, Kindle, and audio book. Ted Tales Two is available on Kindle, as well as, in hardcover and paperback on Amazon. It will soon be available at Barnes and Noble.