Q&A with the Author of The Stafford Falls Series:
1. How much of The Kitchen Sink Sutra and The Date Square Dharma is autobiographical?
The difference between fiction and memoir is that those of us who write fiction sometimes cannibalize experiences and memories and pieces of our lives for material, but then combine it with other experiences and memories and turn it into something very different.
For example, Stafford Falls is sort of an amalgam of the small town I grew up in, frozen in about 1972, combined with a healthy dose of Frank Capra movies. It’s how I wish my home town felt.
As for cold hard facts, I had a wonderful grandmother to whom I was very close. Late in her life, she had a stroke and I lived with her for about a year to care for her while she recovered. It was a wonderful, difficult and ultimately incredibly meaningful year. Sadly, there was no Second Chance Café. Or dogs.
Also, I once taught in a fire-trap, subterranean classroom like the one Olivia is assigned to. I wish I’d had the guts to paint it.
NB: I also write high-magic, Tolkienesque fantasy stories…but nobody ever asks me if my half-elven wizard is autobiographical.
2. Where do you get your ideas?
Usually in the shower. Sometimes while driving.
Initial ideas tend to fall out of the sky – there is an urgent feeling to the good ones – sometimes it’s just a particular scene, other times it’s a feeling that you want to try to capture or a ‘what if’ question you are trying to answer.
After the initial rush of inspiration, it’s a lot of scribbling down notes, thinking out loud, going for long walks and staring at the blinking cursor waiting for the next bit to be revealed.
(But seriously…if you find yourself stuck on a plot point, take a really long shower. Works every time.)
3. Are you an expert on Buddhism? Are you Buddhist?
Buddhism is a 2500 year old religion that encompasses a vast array of traditions, beliefs and practices. I am absolutely not an expert on Buddhism. I am, however, a longtime student of Buddhism. I’ve read a lot of books and listened to a lot of dharma talks; I’ve meditated for years and the Dalai Lama is my greatest hero. I would probably describe myself, as Julia does, as being “Buddhish.”
4. Did you always want to be a writer?
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a hockey player, then a veterinarian, then a doctor, then ultimately a teacher. Now I realize that what I’ve always wanted is to be independently wealthy and have a staff, which is what comes from watching too much Downton Abbey.
If a writer is someone who writes, then I think I’ve pretty much just been a writer since I learned to hold a pencil. Even as a kid, I would spend hours in my room with a pad of paper purloined from my dad’s office, scribbling out fantastic adventures for me and my friends to star in. University and a professional life sort of took up all my time for a while and it was only when I started writing again in my thirties that I realized how miserable I had been without it. Now it’s a job, but a job that I absolutely love.
5. Will there be a third book in the Stafford Falls Series?
There will! It will be called The Spaghetti Supper Sangha and I am currently cooking up ideas for it.
6. What is the hardest part of writing?
The hardest part of writing is consistently making the time for it. There are always so many other bits of life that need your energy and attention, including all the peripheral jobs that come with being an independent author: publishing and marketing and just trying to get your books in front of people so they can read them. I’m always so grateful to be able to just get back to writing more words.
7. What is your favourite part of writing?
Dorothy Parker once said, “I hate writing. I love having written.” I am in partial agreement with this. The best days are the days that I hit my word count by noon – I walk around for the rest of the day with a contented grin, thinking, “I can’t wait to do that again tomorrow.”
My other favourite part, which technically is not actually writing but which does make my heart sing, is hearing people’s reactions to something I’ve written. I love it when readers tell me the parts they liked best, or which characters they were really attached to.
8. Just how much coffee do you drink? What’s your favourite espresso drink?
Ah, Sweet Nectar of Life. I love coffee in almost all its forms but do limit myself to a couple espressos or cappuccinos a day. I don’t know how I would get through life without my Nespresso coffee machine, but if you’re headed to Starbucks, I’ll take a short lactose-free no whip café mocha for a treat.
(But remember to tip the barista. They work hard for you.)
9. Which characters are named for dogs?
Miss Penny Clarke is named for an elderly cocker spaniel I once knew. Bea Wiseman and Murray were a pair of fantastic greyhounds whose adventures I enjoyed on the Internet. The Reverend Archie Lewis is named for a handsome and sweet Golden Retriever who worked part-time as a canine greeter at a veterinary clinic and Norman Maltinsky was a charismatic little Shih Tzu who always looked like he should be wearing a tweed blazer.
They were all very good dogs.
10. Has anyone ever told you about the song “The Night Paddy Murphy Died?”
Yes.
Yes, they have.
Usually right after I tell them that yes, my name really is Patti Murphy.
And also quite often on St. Patrick’s Day.
11. Will you speak to my book club?
I would love, love, love to speak to your book club! Send me an email at patti@pattiwritesbooks.com and invite me!
12. Any advice for aspiring writers?
Do it. Sit your butt down in a chair right now and just write. Then tomorrow, do it again. You will never regret a minute that you spent writing.