Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Patricia attended St. Mary’s College, studied her junior year at the University of Madrid, received a B.A. in Spanish at UC Santa Barbara then went on to get a Master’s degree in Education at Oregon State University. She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, along with two very large chocolate labs, Annabella and Jack. Her Friesian horse Maximus lives in the Oakland hills in a stall with a million dollar view.
Her latest book is the romantic women’s fiction, Moon Over Alcatraz.
For More Information
- Visit Patricia Yager Delagrange’s website.
- Connect with Patricia on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Patricia’s books at Goodreads.
About the Book:
Title: Moon Over Alcatraz
Author: Patricia Yager Delagrange
Publisher: Ravenswood Publishing/Black Hawk
Pages: 308
Genre: Romantic Women’s Fiction
Brandy Chambers was looking forward to the birth of her first child. She and Weston move from San Francisco to the small town of Alameda to start a family, she’s writing her second book, and Weston has a fantastic job working on the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge project. Having this baby would make her already-wonderful life perfect.
But when the baby dies after a difficult birth, Brandy’s perfect life blows up in her face. Stricken with grief, she and Weston pull apart. This new distance leads them both to disaster. Not until a chance encounter with her high school friend, Edward Barnes, does Brandy pull herself together. Brandy and Weston agree to recommit to each other, striving to forgive infidelity and recreate their previous existence.
Everything is once again going according to plan—until Brandy discovers she’s pregnant. While she struggles to cope with this new obstacle, Edward Barnes returns to town and discovers she’s having a baby, while Weston is torn between his love for his wife and his anger at her betrayal. Can Brandy manage to keep her marriage to Weston together? Will Edward be a part of Brandy’s life if she and Weston separate?
For More Information
- Moon Over Alcatraz is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Would you call yourself a born writer?
That’s an interesting question I’ve never thought about. One thing is certain. I loved reading books at an early age. I was perhaps seven or eight years old when my mother enrolled me in the Book of the Month Club. I looked forward to receiving a new book every month and devoured each and every one. That love of reading has never stopped. In 2009 I decided to write a book that I’d love to read. So I went out and bought myself a MacBook, came home and wrote my first novel.
What was your inspiration for Moon Over Alcatraz?
I have two children, a biological son and an adopted daughter. I have never known what it’s like to lose a child and hope I never do. However couples deal with the death of their children every single day. I wanted to take that experience and dig deep and discover how I would feel if it happened to me. That’s how I write all my books. I ask myself “what if” and go from there. I want the reader to feel an emotion when reading my novels. I believe that’s why people read books.
What themes do you like to explore in your writing?
I like to explore problems in a family. I’ve written about adoption, child abduction, death in childbirth, death of a spouse, infidelity, and more. I love to put myself in the place of these people and ask myself what I would do and how I would feel if it were me.
How long did it take you to complete the novel?
It takes me about a month to write a novel and perhaps five or six months of editing then I send it to my editor and we go back and forth for another month or so until the book is ready to be published.
Are you disciplined? Describe a typical writing day.
I start writing after I’ve answered e-mails and completed some social media like reading people’s blog posts and Facebook notifications. I’ll write for a couple of hours, stop for lunch, take a rest then continue to write again until my husband gets home for dinner. I might write for another hour in the evening while sort of watching t.v.
What did you find most challenging about writing this book?
The most difficult was writing about infidelity which I haven’t experienced and writing about losing a child which I also haven’t experienced. But that’s why I write. I ask myself “what if” and go from there. It’s all about the emotions.
What do you love most about being an author?
I love starting a book and creating a character’s personality then putting her in a situation and watching how she deals with it. I don’t write with a strict outline and chapter summaries. My stories unfold based on a theme that runs through the novel on a natural timeline. I write as I see things happen to the characters in their lives – from a certain point until I reach the end of the story.
Did you go with a traditional publisher, small press, or did you self publish? What was the process like and are you happy with your decision?
I stopped searching for an agent because I found that if you don’t already have a book published that’s done really well it’s almost impossible to find someone to take you on. However I’ve found small publishers who are interested in my work. When I sent in my novel to Kitty Bullard at Ravenswood Publishing, she liked what I’d written and has published two of my books and will publish a third one in 2016. I receive very personalized attention from Kitty and I think that’s important. An author has a lot of questions while writing and editing and getting ready for publication of a book and Kitty is always right there for me.
Where can we find you on the web?
My website is:
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