Interview with Patry Francis

                                                   Create-A-Connection Interview

With Patry Francis, writer

by C. Delia Scarpitti

            Patry Francis grew up in Massachusetts, an imaginative child who dreamed of “being a dancer, the first woman President of the United States, a girl singer with a rock band, a teacher, a contemplative nun, a police detective, a humanitarian doctor, and mother of twelve”.  Instead, she became a wife, the mother of four children, a waitress, a writer, and a blogger.  Her popular blog, “Simply Wait” is a mix of bookish commentary, personal musings, current events, the writing process, and her own creative kickstarts (including the Third Day Book Club).  Her first book, The Liar’s Diary is forthcoming from Dutton Books in February 2007 to widespread acclaim and praise.  In a recent interview with me, Patry discussed her motivations, her writing philosophies, blogging as a muse, and how she balances her very full life.  I hope all of you unique and innovative readers out there will find this CAC interview as enlightening and inspiring as I did. 

--Delia--      

            

            What drew you into your life as a writer?  What do you view as your creative roots or origins?

This is a question my family frequently asks. Why you? No one in the family wrote, but my father was a masterful oral storyteller, who always had a large, engrossed circle around him at every party. My mother, on the other hand, was an introvert, who came from a family that included several painters. I’m clearly a combination of those two impulses: my father’s desire to shape and share a story, and my mother’s more introspective nature.

            

     ·Describe a typical working day.

Now that my kids are older, I sleep till about ten, have coffee while checking my email and blog, then work for a couple of hours on my manuscript in progress. (That’s my most important work of the day, but it’s definitely not all of it.)

Later in the afternoon and in the evening, I attempt to polish the work I did and work on my blog. I also make it a point to do two things to market my work every day. What a life!

            

     ·Who are your major influences and inspirations in your writing craft?

Like most contemporary writers, I read widely, and I’m always discovering new writers to rave about. I love a strong voice like Lionel Shriver’s, or a character driven story like Sue Miller’s creates. I’ve also read nearly all of Joyce Carol Oates’ prodigious work. Her range and insight into both social problems and the darkness of the individual heart is amazing.

Since my novel is labeled “sophisticated psychological suspense,” I’ve recently read more in that genre, quickly working my way through the work of writers like Tess Gerritsen, and Dennis Lehane and going back to old favorites like Rebecca--both to study how they’re put together and to lose myself in their gripping plots.

            

     ·To you, what is the most difficult part of living a creative life?

Honestly? I love everything about the creative life.

            

     ·How do you seek to balance your roles as a wife, mother, and author—pursuits that many have argued over time are not necessarily compatible?

I think there’s nothing more creative than raising a child, getting to know who they are and what they need to develop their talents and strengths. I am in awe of young mothers who produce novels and paintings and plays with small children in the house. I wasn’t one of them. When my kids were little, they pretty much absorbed all my creative energies.  I filled notebooks with ideas for novels or stories, but rarely began them. That may be why I wrote so many poems in those years; they were short enough that I could write them during naptime.

Now that my kids are older, the balance has shifted, and I have more time to focus on work. One of the most gratifying aspects of selling my novel was telling my kids--each one separately, and then celebrating all together.

          

     ·What was the genesis of The Liars Diary?  How long did it take you to complete this novel?

Like a lot of novels that deal with a violent crime, The Liar’s Diary began with a story from the headlines that I just couldn’t forget. An adolescent universally considered a  “good boy” from a “good family” had committed a particularly heinous murder. The writer in me wanted to know who this family was beneath the veneer of respectability. How--and why--had they ignored the signs of trouble?

Once I began to write, my novel had no connection to the case from the newspaper.  But the questions remained the same.   As did the ingredients for disaster: a perfect family that's not so flawless when you scrape the surface, a deeply troubled adolescent who puts on a cheerful face to the world, and a beautiful, charismatic woman who becomes the object of the family's obsession.

It took me a year to write it; then my agent and I spent a couple of months revising and polishing it before it went to editors.

    

     ·What influence has the publication process had on you as a writer?

It’s changed my life in many ways, but as a writer--nothing really changes that. I still get up in the morning, with a pack of unruly characters demanding that I tell their story and to tell it right. I still face the blank screen and my own doubts. I still begin to type whether I feel like it or not, and sometime every day, I still feel myself soaring past the doubt and the fear to the truth my characters want me to tell.

            

     ·Do you experience periods of writer’s “block”?  If so, how do you navigate your way through these fallow times?

I’ve waited so long to be able to sit in my room and write all day that I must have stored up hundreds of stories. Thus, I rarely have writer’s block. The closest I come to being blocked is when I follow a story for miles down the wrong path before I realize I’m lost. Then I indulge in a day or two of despair. But I’ve learned to trust that while I’m lost in the dark, the sub-conscious is quietly guiding me out of the woods and back to the heart of the story. So far it’s never failed me.

            

     ·Why did you first start your blog last year?  How has blogging evolved for you since then?

I started the blog on a whim, having no idea how important it would become to me. Since then, it has changed me in countless ways that only another blogger would understand. It’s expanded my creativity in all directions; it’s connected me with my tribe; it’s literally made me look at the world and myself in a new and deeper way.

            

     ·With the Third Day Book Club, you have been fostering a creative community exchange about literature.  What do you make of connections like these arising via the blogging “medium”?

This is an amazing time to be a writer, because you no longer have to wait for someone else to publish your ideas; you can publish yourself and find your own readership. Similarly, traditional reviews, though still important, aren’t the only resource for those who are looking for something good to read or watch or see.

We can talk to each other, and more importantly, we can expand our vision of a book through dialogue.

When several bloggers tackle the same book on the same day like we do in Third Day, each seeing the story through the lens of their own experience, an amazing texture emerges.

            

     ·What advice do you have for other artists, writers, and creative souls out there?

A couple of years ago, I made a decision to give all I have every day, no matter what I’m doing. Whether I’m cooking soup, playing with a child, talking to a friend, or writing, I want to give myself away and I want to do it as Anne Sexton said “to the hilt!” For me, that’s the essence of the creative life. 

C. Delia Scarpitti is a freelance writer, educator, and the mother of three young children.  Her work has been published in a variety of publications including, Mothering Magazine, the We’Moon Anthology: Love: 2006, We’Moon on the Wall: 2006, Sagewoman Magazine, Literary Mama Magazine, and Natural Family Magazine where she serves as the Book and Product Reviews Editor.  She lives with her husband and family in the Mid-Atlantic region and is currently at work on a novel and an anthology project.  Catch more of her writing and musing on her blog, Left-handed Trees and Other Lies (www.cdeliascarpitti.blogspot.com).

Comments

[leah]

what an awesome interview! great questions and such inspiring answers! thank you!!

[Delia]

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments on the interview! I cannot wait to read the other ones coming up next week and beyond. Patry, good luck with your book...
Love,
Delia

[patry]

Every writer should have the opportunity to be interviewed by someone who asks the kind of perceptive thought-provoking questions Delia did! Many thanks to her, and to Melba for providing this wonderful, nurturing space for all of us.

I was so excited to come over and find some of my favorite people, as well as some new friends.

Thanks and love to all of you. To the hilt!

[Jessie]

Patry, I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed reading your responses to Delia's questions. The two of you make for an incredible pair when it comes to getting to the heart of the matter!

I have great respect for you, Patry. Not only for being a serious and dedicated writer--but for living your life so honestly and completely.

Congrats on the book! Goes to show that hard work really does pay off. ;)

[Amber]

Delia, this was a great read! She inspires me so much!! Sometimes I feel like SUCH a failure, because I can't find enough creative juice these days. It makes me feel good to know that she also had trouble with this, when her kids were little, and it might not be too late for me. ;) Wonderful job!

:)

[tinker]

I was so excited to see Patry was the 'interviewee' - I've been hooked on her blog since I first found it, last summer, and am now a confirmed fan of her writing (and her :). I've pre-ordered her book through Barnes & Noble, and can't wait till I can read it. This interview heightens my anticipation even more.

Great interview questions, Delia - thanks for a fun read.

[DebR]

Great interview and I must check out that book when it's published. It sounds like something I'd really like. Thanks Patry and Delia!

[Becca]

Great interview, Delia and Patry! I've been reading Patry's blog for a little while, and participating in Third Day Book Club, which is a wonderful way to share our interest in books. I'm looking forward to reading Patry's novel, too.

Patry, I love your advice about living life "to the hilt"! I think I'll make that my mantra for the year 2007 :)

[Melba]

Wow!
What a great interview.
Delia you ask such great questions!

This was so interesting to me. I just recently discovered Patry and now I am hooked. I love her blog and it is so exciting to hear about her process.

Yes! I too, want to give my all to everything I do!

XOXO,
Melba