About RL Patterson:
About the Author
I was born and raised in Ohio and presently live in an old house in a small central Ohio town, famous for its giant gourds. I come from a family of avid gardeners. Now retired, I had the privilege to work with people with disabilities for over thirty years.
My tiny city garden is crammed with an assortment or a collection of plants. During the long cold Ohio winters I continue gardening in the house and in my small backyard greenhouse. I am passionate about plants and writing.
In my youth I traveled the world. The diversity of plants around the world is amazing! I especially enjoyed my time teaching in a bush school in Africa and spending a summer with the legendary Masai Tribe on the Serengeti Plain.
For years I have enjoyed the study of the ancient uses for plants and herbs. Many cultures today still believe in the magical qualities of plants. Grow a tomato, a tree, or plant some tulip bulbs, or grow some herbs in your kitchen window. It will make you feel good and you will be making our world a better place!
I am fond of Edgar Rice Burroughs and his Martian science fiction series, “John Carter of Mars.’ Most people remember him for Tarzan, which I also enjoyed reading. I liked his vivid detail. Sometimes I wonder if it was Burroughs’s writing of Tarzan that inspired me to live in Kenya and teach in a bush school!
Recently I read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It was a fascinating book that continues to haunt me!
R.L. Patterson
What inspires you to write?
I have enjoyed writing since I was very young. In the first grade a wrote a poem about Pilgrims and Native American Indians and it was published in the local paper. I have been a lifetime writer. I enjoy sharing my feelings and invoking feelings, emotions, and memories of my readers.
As an avid gardener I have been concerned the last few years about the destruction of plant habitats both in Ohio, United States, and all over the planet. My 415 Raspberry Picket Trilogy speaks to the destruction of plant life on the planet and the need to protect and save it. I have used fantasy and witchcraft and magical herbs to bring the seriousness of plant conservation to middle school children.
Tell us about your writing process.
The original characters in the 415 Raspberry Trilogy came to me in a dream. Rubus the retired Biology Professor and powerful witch known as the, ‘Wizard of the Green.’ His mother, Rosemary is a powerful psychic and communicates from far distances within a green misty bubble. Flo is a very eccentric housekeeper who is a hoarder in her own home, but works to keep Rubus’s house clean. Finally Darach, Rubus’s young nephew comes to live with his uncle to escape his abusive parents. He discovers his uncle, grandmother,and housekeeper are witches. In a short time the boy learns he too is a witch and has very special powers!
Usually I outline my characters in a tablet and come up with a rough outline. I like to write my novels in sections. I am not one to write chapter one and continue to the end of the novel. I have to admit sometimes it can be challenging for me to connect all the pieces together and insure I follow a correct timeline.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
This is so true! When I am writing about my characters I can see them around the house and can hear how they would respond to various subjects and events. The characters become so real in my mind. I live with them 24/7 while writing the books!
What advice would you give other writers?
Write about everything. Have an internet blog. Keep a journal. If you have the opportunity to write newsletters at your place of employment volunteer to do so. I guarantee the boss will love you for writing articles for the newsletters. Write for your church or club newsletters and blogs. Write editorials to the local paper. If you have an idea for a story write it down! Several years ago I debated if I should go after my master’s degree. But I decided nothing ever gets done unless you take the first step and work toward a dream or a goal.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I was lucky enough to have a published author give me advice. She is an English professor at a local college and a published author herself. She has self-published books and had books published the traditional way. She encouraged me to go the self-publishing route. She said in many circles the stigma of self-publishing is disappearing. I listened to several YouTube lectures and many authors, even successful ones are going more to self-publishing. They say you have more control of your work.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
From what I have read and been told authors, even the very successful ones are finding they have to promote their own novels because the publishing houses are not doing so much of it any more. I wonder and think this must be true when I see ads on TV from James Patterson promoting his new novels.
I find it very frustrating big box stores and grocery stores refuse to sell Indie books because they fear they will be stuck with books they can’t sale and loose money. Someone needs to work this out and find a process that allows self-published authors to have equal footing in stores like they do on Amazon. I am still trying to have success with the more traditional route too. I find promoting my books is a huge undertaking if not an obstacle. Very few people have thousands of dollars to promote their work. I sent out 1200 colored postcards to families of middle school age kids in my home town and I think it basically was a waste of my money. I speak to schools and garden clubs. That has been the best way to promote my books. I use Facebook, blogs, Pinterest , but wonder how successfully they work.
What do you use?: Co-writer
What genres do you write?: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, and non fiction
What formats are your books in?: Print
Website(s)
RL Patterson Home Page Link
Link To RL Patterson Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
