Patricia McAlexander is from upstate New York, the setting of Stranger in the Storm, but she’s also
lived in Colorado, Texas, and Wisconsin. She has a bachelor’s degree from the
University of New York at Albany, a master’s from Columbia University, and a
doctorate from The University of Wisconsin, Madison, all in English. Patricia
now lives in Athens, Georgia, with her Southerner husband, whom she met when
they were graduate students in Wisconsin. After retiring from teaching at
the University of Georgia, she’s had had more time to garden and travel while
renewing her interests in photography, history, and, most of all, writing
fiction.
Patricia: I like to write romance. Why? Because love is something most of us need
and hope for in our lives—look at the themes of songs, movies, literature. Also, romance can involve personal growth,
something I’m interested in as a teacher. In my fiction, I portray individuals
further developing their own values and identities as they discover love. But
genres can be hybrids. Stranger in the
Storm, my first published novel (actually a novella), combines romance with
the thriller genre. There is often romance in historical fiction, which I also
write. Research on my nineteenth-century immigrant ancestors brought their
times, their courage, and their loves to life for me. I want to tell their
story.
Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?
Patricia: I think being a writer was in my genes, but family, friends, and
teachers all influenced me. My father let me type on his typewriter when I was
five years old. He never got it back. My sister and I co-authored stories as children, and she
has always eagerly read and critiqued what I’ve written. My high school friends
discussed my stories as they were in progress; I sometimes asked them to vote
on alternate endings. When I was an English major at SUNY Albany, my creative
writing teacher Shields McIlwaine suggested I “send off” stories, and I still
remember a friend coming into my dorm room and saying, “Your story made me
cry.” I had no time to write fiction during my academic career, but when I
retired from teaching, these people and these memories were important in my
decision to turn back to fiction.
Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?
Patricia: I wish I knew—I wish I could turn those juices on like a faucet. For me,
inspiration is magic. It just comes—from reading a novel, watching an ancient
magnolia being taken down, finding an old story that I wrote decades ago,
looking at family photo albums.
Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?
Patricia: I’d have to say Walt Disney’s Cinderella in the film of that name. As a
child, I loved that story of a fairy godmother and Prince Charming rescuing a
beautiful young girl from her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. I guess that
reveals my life-long love of romance.
Beverley: Who would you love most to meet 'in person' and why?
Patricia: After doing research on my ancestors, I would love to meet Rosa Jackle,
the mysterious woman who came to America in 1850 with my
great-great-grandfather, a widower, and his seven children. Census records show
he married her, and they settled on a farm near Boonville, New York, where she
raised his children and together they had three more. She fascinates me, and
I’d love to learn the romance behind their marriage and how the real Rosa
corresponds with my imagined version.
Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day, what would you do with it?
Patricia: Since I’m now a retiree “sheltering in place,” every day is in a sense
free. So I’ll answer by imagining a
day where I could be magically transported to my sister’s lake house in
Pennsylvania and spend a day with her swimming, kayaking, and hiking—and
talking about books. Her lake house is
our adult version of the cottage my parents had on Great Sacandaga Lake in
upstate New York—the setting of my novel Stranger
in the Storm.
Beverley: What are you working on now?
Patricia: I’ve almost completed another contemporary romance, this one set in
Athens, Georgia. As you may have guessed, I’m also hoping to publish a novel
based on my great-great-grandfather and his second wife, Rosa. I have visited
the graveyard in Boonville where they are buried. It was quite an experience to
see their gravestones, his at least amazingly well-preserved. Now there was an
inspiration for writing!
Blurb for Stranger in the Storm:
After she discovers the abusive side of his
personality, Janet Mitchell leaves the professor who has swept her off her
feet. Is she about to discover the same darkness in Wes, the handsome young man
who rescues her during a hurricane?
Wes Corbett has vowed not
to get romantically involved again, fearing anyone close to him might be harmed
by his brother, now an escaped felon. But when he finds himself riding out the
hurricane with Janet and their mutual attraction becomes clear, will he be able
to keep that vow?
Short Excerpt for Stranger in the Storm:
Wes was patted
down, then handcuffed with his hands behind his back. The covering deputy
lowered his gun and walked to the truck. Reaching in, he turned off the
ignition and took out the keys. He picked up Wes’s wallet and phone and
returned to the sheriff.
Janet jumped
out of her car and ran up to her side of the fallen tree. “Stop!” she cried
out. “There must be some mistake!”
“No mistake,
miss,” the sheriff said, sounding grim. “You’d best get away from here. This is
one of the escaped convicts.”
Buy links for Stranger in the
Storm:
Social Media for Patricia:
Website: https://patriciamcalexander.weebly.com
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