Author Pat Daily is a best selling author. Here is an Interview with Author Pat Daily.
Pat Daily! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Happy to. I’m an engineer and former Air Force Test pilot. I’m married with two wonderful daughters. We also have two dogs and two cats. We call Houston home.
How many hours a day do you write?
I average three hours per day. If the words are really flowing, that can stretch to six or seven hours. I was stuck in Alaska over a weekend a few winters ago and managed to write for around ten hours both of those days. That’s rare for me.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Great question! I have one at the publisher now. It should be coming out late this year or early next, so I’ll count that one as unpublished. Then I have two others that I’ve started but haven’t finished yet. Then there’s the pile of abandonment: three books that had a few great ideas in them, but very little else. They’ll never see the light of day.
From the first word on the page to the publisher’s hands is averaging about a year.
Where did you get the idea for your recent book?
Playing Pokémon Go. Seriously. Both of my daughters were into the game, so I loaded the app and started playing. I found the idea of a virtual characters superimposed over a real background fascinating. Seeing Pidgeys along the road as I walked my dogs gave me the kernel of the idea. It grew from there.
How did you develop your plots?
I create an outline and think about the ending. Then I go back and introduce some conflict and any specific situations or technology that I want to include. After that, I start writing and see where the story takes me. Sometimes characters can get out of hand. They start introducing aspects that you don’t want to develop, or maybe you just don’t have room in the book for their shenanigans. Then it’s time to prune them back.
How do you select the names of your characters?
People that I like get a secret shout-out when I include their names as character names. To avoid getting too close to reality, I’ll just use their first names, or blend names. In my current book, I took two of my friends and swapped their last names. They became characters. Sadly one of them dies.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
If I couldn’t be an astronaut, or the front man for a rock band, then I’d probably make a living as a pilot.
How did you get inspired to write your recent book?
Once I had the initial idea, the pressure to write the book built inside of me. I kept thinking about the characters and plotlines. I knew that the only way to ease my internal stress was to get the words written down.
What is your favorite childhood book?
Glory Road by Robert Heinlein. I devoured anything written by Asimov, Heinlein, or Clarke. Dune by Frank Herbert was another favorite.
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig. Erin Morgenstern gave him a shoutout on her blog and in one of her books. That was recommendation enough for me. I read it and it changed the way I think about storytelling.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve just started writing the third (and final?) book of the Spark series. When I’m stuck on something there, I work on another near-future sci-fi book with a dystopian feel to it plus a little spirituality.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Yep, I read them. I think I can learn something from them all: what worked, what didn’t, and what offended. Maybe most important is the things I get wrong.
I’m friends with Mack Little (Progenie, Daughter of Hades), Fern Brady (United Vidden), and Alex Perry (Pighearted). These three have the ability critique my work and offer constructive suggestions. That’s priceless to a writer.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Start writing. Accept rejections with poise. Listen to your critics – don’t argue – accept what they say and move on. Join a writing group. Enter a few writing contests. Don’t give up!
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
The dues I paid to join the Houston Writers Guild. Next would be the money I spent buying Chuck Wendig’s Damn Fine Story.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Finding out that what you have written is good. I keep my very first fan letter tacked on the wall next to my desk. It helps remind me that people I’ve never met loved my work.
Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Yes! Book 2 in the Spark series, Fire, should be coming out early next year, maybe even late this year.
What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
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Best way to get in touch is via my blog or through Goodreads.
Blog: https://feraldaughters.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patdailyauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patdailypics/
Twitter: @patdailyauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21521042.Pat_Daily
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