Years before, Wes Corbett vowed not to get romantically involved again, fearing anyone close to him might be harmed by his brother William, a born criminal. Now as he weathers the storm with Janet, their mutual attraction becomes clear.
Can he keep that vow—even though he knows William is on the loose and may be headed directly for them?
Wild
Women Authors is
pleased to welcome Patricia McAlexander as she celebrates the release
of her debut romantic suspense Stranger
in the Storm.
With Pat is Janet Mitchell, herself a romance author, and female
protagonist of the novel.
Hello,
Janet. Tell us a bit about yourself, like where are you from? I
grew up in Johnstown, New York, a city of about 11,000 in the
foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, an hour west of Albany, New
York.
Tell
us a bit about Stranger
in the Storm.
I’d
just run away from an abusive lover in New York City and was staying
at my parents’ isolated lake house on Great Sacandaga Lake to write
my second novel. While going for supplies during a hurricane, my car
became stuck on a country road, and a young man, Wes Corbett, pushed
it out of the mud. We ended up having to weather the hurricane
together at the cottage. I was glad not to be alone—not only
because of the storm, but because the news on the radio reported two
escaped convicts in the area.
What
did you think the first time you saw Wes? When
he knocked on my car window and asked if he could help get my car out
of the mud, I couldn’t see him very well through the rain. I was
just was so frightened and so relieved someone had come to help—that
was all I could think of.
What
was your second thought? Then…after
I lowered my window, I noticed how handsome he was.
Was
it love at first sight? No—I
was too scared of the storm. I think I began to fall in love with him
back at my parents’ cottage when he helped me rescue my father’s
boat that had come loose from the buoy.
What
do you like most about him?
His thoughtfulness.
Having
read the book, we agree totally. How would you describe Wes? Sexy
and nice.
How
would he describe you? I
hope the same way.
What
made you choose writing for a career? That
career chose me. I’ve always written stories. I majored in creative
writing in college, and had some short stories published. And so when
I graduated, I was excited about getting a masters of fine arts at
NYU.
What
is your biggest fear?
Finding out that someone I care for isn’t what he at first seems to
be. That happened to me in that relationship in New York City
mentioned earlier, and I knew it could happen again.
How
do you relax? I
sit on the patio of my parents’ cottage and drink a glass of wine
while I look at the lake.
Who
is your favorite fictional character?
That’s a hard one, but I’ll say Scarlet O’Hara in Gone
with the Wind.
She’s unusual in that, although she is selfish and manipulative, in
many ways she is admirable—strong, a good business woman, ready to
fight to save Tara and to be with the man she loves. And though Gone
with the Wind’s
ending is not HEA, Scarlet does learn something about herself and the
mistakes she’s made.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? My
friend Dot told me, “If you’re in a bad situation, get out of
it.” As I mentioned, a while back, I found myself in a very bad
relationship. I hoped it would get better, but when I realized it
wouldn’t, I walked. It’s not healthy to endure a situation that
hurts you mentally or physically, and it’s unrealistic to hang on,
thinking it will change. Hopefully you’ll learn something from the
experience and the next time find a better, healthier relationship,
one that lasts.
This
has been a real pleasure, Janet. We wish you well in your blossoming
career as a novelist and thank you for spending time with us. Now,
we'd like to chat with your creator, Pat McAlexander.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Anita
Shreve’s novels have had an impact on me. She is so good at
portraying the awakening of love amid dramatic settings and
circumstances. My favorite of her novels is Resistance,
set in Nazi-occupied Belgium during World War II. I was very happy
when one of the early reviewers of Stranger
in the Storm
compared me to her.
What
event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and
how do you feel it impacted the novel?
I brought several events in my private life to the novel. One was a
horrific storm on the Great Sacandaga Lake when I was a child. When
it was over, my parents drove to the nearby town of Mayfield—called
Mayfair in the story. My sister and I sat in the back seat looking
out of the windows. The devastation was amazing—roofs, trees, and
wires down everywhere. An ice cream store was serving up triple and
quadruple-decker ice cream cones because they knew otherwise their
ice cream would melt and be wasted. My sister and I loved that! But
the storm was one source of inspiration for the hurricane scenes.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what
influenced your decision to submit to them? Someone
in a writer’s group I’m a member of mentioned that the Wild Rose
Press was her publisher, and I thought, “Ah, maybe that would be a
place to submit Stranger
in the Storm.”
I read some books Wild Rose had published and was impressed. Their
website gave good directions on how to submit—they asked for the
entire manuscript. I took the plunge, sending it on November 18, 2019
to the “Crimson” line, the one for thriller-romances. Editor
Kaycee John read and annotated the first several pages and suggested
that I revise, recommending that I read Revision
and Self-Editing for Publication: Techniques for Transforming Your
First Draft into a Novel That Sells
by James Scott Bell. I found that
book so helpful, especially in suggesting how to work in back story
and ramp up drama. Wild Rose accepted the revision, and Kaycee was a
wonderful guide as we went through the complete editing process.
Stranger
will be released on June 29, 2020.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I
just finished Beautiful
Boy,
a
memoir by David
Sheff
describing how he and his family dealt with his young son Nic's drug
addiction. Next
on the pile is Tweak
by Nic Sheff himself, now an adult—his version of the story.
Lastly,
what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I’m
working on Shadows
of Doubt,
a novel about a girl who becomes romantically involved with a
disturbed young man. His parents are divorced, and, alienated from
his father, he’d begun dealing drugs in college. I read Beautiful
Boy as
background
for
this novel. I don’t know when (or if!) we can expect to see Shadows
on the shelves, but I am very much involved in the research and
writing process.
Pat
brought along an excerpt from Stranger in the Storm:
A
wave of horror passed over her. It was true. Wes was the escaped
convict. He had reunited with Richard Sturgess, the other convict.
How he had fooled her! He was as good a performer as Jack, acting so
convincingly to get what he wanted—in this case, shelter and food—
then her father’s tools to free his truck.
Richard
said to Wes, “Did you get the key?”
“Yes.”
Wes held it up, then unlocked the door and motioned them inside. He
looked at the pile of clothes and the wet mattress on the floor.
“What a mess.”
“I
need to get dressed,” she said.
“Sure,
you can get dressed. But you aren’t getting out of my sight.” Wes
noted her jeans, shirt, and underwear on the couch. “Here you go.”
He tossed the items one by one to her, dangling her bra for longer
than was necessary.
Anger
boiled up in her. Snatching each item, Janet saw the blanket he had
used on the couch the night before. She grabbed it and wrapped it
about her like a burka. Then she pulled off her bathing suit and,
rather awkwardly, dressed inside the blanket.
Wes
watched her with mocking amusement. Finished, she threw the blanket
aside. “Clever girl, aren’t you?” said Wes. “Now, how about
getting me some dry clothes and fixing us something to eat?”
To
purchase Stranger in the Storm, go to:
To
learn more about Patricia McAlexander and Stranger
in the Storm,
go to:
Facebook:
facebook.com/patriciamcalexanderwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatMcAlexWriter
Email:
mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com
Wonderful interview! All the best, Patricia!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! Wishing you much success! Your book sounds wonderful! I really enjoyed the interview and excerpt!
ReplyDeleteI love that excerpt! Scary!
ReplyDelete