Well-known Author, Dorothy Patent Debutes Another New Book, Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance

I was born in Rochester, MN, where my dad was a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. We lived on the edge of town, and I loved exploring the wild woods and fields nearby.  We later settled in Marin County, CA, which was also pretty wild back then, so I could continue to explore my love of nature.  It is no surprise I ended up with a Ph.D. in Zoology from U.C. Berkeley.  I had married and had two sons while in graduate school, and I decided to make a career of writing nature books for kids so I could work from home, and it has turned out to be the best possible career for me.  After lots of moving around, we settled in Missoula, MT, where we’ve lived for almost 40 years; we’re right on the edge of a national forest, so I share my home with a variety of wildlife.

Tell us about the genre of your work. 

My early books were all biologically related, but I have branched off into history as well, often combining the two fields as I did in my books Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark [ISBN0-395-91415-9] and Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark. [ISBN 978-0-618-06776-3]  One thing I love about my work is that I can write about the things that interest me and provoke my own passions.  I have always been fascinated by the relationships between animals and humans, and I am especially fond of dogs.  Hence my latest book, Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance, [ ISBN 978-0-8027-2272-0] is about one of the dogs rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting operation who has found his loving forever home.

Why did you choose this genre?

It is a natural for me, considering my own curiosity about and love of nature.  As a child, I read primarily nonfiction myself, as I wanted to learn about the natural world around me, and I want children to have well-written, accurate books that can excite and satisfy their curiosity.  I have a strong streak of ‘teacher’ in me as well and an urge to communicate my own excitement about the living world to others.

What are some of your books, stories that have been published?

I have been at this since 1972 and have had more than 130 books published.  Most recently, I have often focused on topics related to the West and to the relationships of people to nature.  For example, When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature’s Balance in Yellowstone, [ISBN 978-0802796868] tells a story of the healing of the ecological balance that is being brought about by the return of wolves to Yellowstone that started in 1995.  It shows how everything in nature is related and how taking away one important element can disturb the whole system but returning it can lead to healing.

The Buffalo and the Indians: A Shared Destiny [ISBN 978-0-618-48570-3] chronicles the story of how Native Americans on the plains and prairies have interacted with the American Bison on all levels—practical, spiritual, and artistic—for more than 5,000 years.   It chronicles the tragic decline of buffalo and Indians alike but also the recovery of the buffalo and the resurgence of the spiritual relationship with these powerful animals that has helped restore pride among Indian peoples.

What ages do you direct your books?

I have written for every age level from kindergarten to adults, but most of my books are directed towards readers ages 8 and up.  If I simply sit down to write about a topic, I end up writing at the level of about an intelligent 10 year old.  When I target a younger audience, I consciously shorten sentences and paragraphs and make sure to use a simpler vocabulary, but I also introduce new words in context that relate to the subject matter.

Could you tell us more about some of your books?

I really enjoyed the research for my latest book, Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance.  My photographer, Bill Muñoz and I flew to Oakland, CA, and met with Audie, his person, Linda, her husband, Bill, and their other beloved pit bull, Aldo.  It is a wonderful family, and we got to visit the dog training classes given by BAD RAP (Bay Area Dog Owners Responsible About Pit bulls) in Berkeley every Saturday morning.  BAD RAP was instrumental in the rescue efforts for the dogs from the Michael Vick dog-fighting ring, and these folks and their dogs are really great.

Do your books have a teaching objective?  If so, what is it?

My main objective in all my books is to give children the information they want to satisfy their curiosity about the world around them.  In the process, I hope they will develop a love of reading and learning.  I also want them to understand the ways people can both help and harm the health of Earth, their only home.  That is what books written by enthusiastic writers did for me when I was a child, and I want to pass on my own passion for the natural world, for domesticated animals, and for diverse human cultures.

A new career development is my association with a new company, Ink Think Tank, which connects the books of some award-winning nonfiction authors with national curriculum standards so that teachers and librarians can find nonfiction trade books that meet their classroom needs.  A group of us also offer videoconferences through a division called Author On Call to help schools find ways to inspire reading and learning in their students.  With videoconferencing, a group of authors scattered across the country can all provide input at the same time without having to leave their own homes.  It is awesome technology.

What is your favorite thing about your book/s?

That’s a hard question to answer, but I guess it would be the knowledge that I’m meeting curious children’s need for books they can count on to be interesting to read and accurate.  As for myself, I have to admit that I love the research part of my work best of all.  Sometimes the writing itself is almost anticlimactic, but it is what I need to do to get my experiences and ideas out there.

Is your book illustrated?  If so, would you tell us by whom, and if you worked with an illustrator, can you discuss that experience?

Most of my books are illustrated by photographer William Muñoz.  We have worked together for more than 25 years and have developed an excellent professional partnership.  Since children’s books are becoming more and more visual, with fewer words, Bill strives to create photos that convey as much information as possible so I can save the words for things that are harder to illustrate.  Sometimes the idea for a book comes from me, sometimes from him, and sometimes from a conversation we are having.  Once in awhile, an editor comes up with an idea she knows we would love to develop into a book.

I have also worked with artists, especially with fine artist Kendahl Jan Jubb on a number of nonfiction picture books, starting with “Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs.”[ISBN 978-0802775368] We also worked closely together, with Kendahl sending me her proposed layouts and me providing her with reference material when I could.  Kendahl is very flexible and willing to listen to suggestion, which made her a dream to work with.

How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?

Nonfiction trade books for children really are a genre of their own.  Authors like me strive to write more than just the basic facts about our subject matter.  We want our readers to be able to place our subjects in a context beyond just the information they might need to write a report.  For example, in The Bald Eagle Returns, [978-0395914168] Bill and I show how scientists study these magnificent birds so they can help protect the habitats the birds depend on.  In The Buffalo and the Indians: A Shared Destiny, [ISBN 978-0618485703] we link the wild animals with the humans who shared their habitat and who depended upon them.  The message in Saving Audie is about responsible pet ownership and the importance of love as a healer.

Are there any problems in getting children’s’ books published? 

I think it is getting more difficult every year to get any kind of book published because of the uncertainty of the future of physical books, but children’s nonfiction trade books are especially problematic because of decreased funding for book purchases by school libraries, which used to be the primary market.  In addition, some publishers focus on series books that cover a curriculum area, such as the Founding Fathers or wild ecosystems.  These books are written in a consistent format, with rules for what is covered in Chapter One, for Chapter Two, and so on.  There is little room for creativity and for that special quality of nonfiction trade books of going beyond the basic facts into a larger context.

What is your writing schedule?

When I am actually working on a manuscript, I try to get essential email out of the way first, and then work on writing, since morning is my best time for writing.  I do other tasks, such as other correspondence and household tasks in the afternoon.  Sometimes I edit manuscripts in the early morning while I am sipping coffee in bed!

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?

I always have more ideas than I can work on, but these days the first thing an author has to think about after getting an idea is whether or not a publisher might even consider it.  There needs to be some “platform” for the project—a connection to a major news story; or the author has to have a huge blog following; or the subject matter has to have a very large number of reachable people interested enough to buy the book.  At present, I have some ideas, but no more contracts.  My completed book with Bill Münoz, The Horse and the Plains Indians: A Powerful Partnership will come out in Spring, 2012.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write and get published?

I tell prospective writers that the first thing on their list needs to be to become acquainted with the business aspects of publishing.  You wouldn’t open a hardware store unless you knew just which screws, bolts, and garden equipment you needed to carry.  Writing is no different from any other business, yet people seem to think they can just sit down and write something and then sell it somehow.  These days you also need to think about the various self-publishing options, as well as traditional publishing.  I always recommend that children’s writers join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (http://www.scbwi.org/), which provides all sorts of helpful information on their website, in their bulletin, and at their conferences.

As for getting the work itself done, I tell people to go to the library and take out  and read a big stack of recently published books in their genre so they can get a feel both for what’s already out there and for what publishers expect in a book.  Then they need to set aside time to write, inviolable time, just as if they had to show up at the office of a company they work for at a particular time.  They should experiment with different times of day, too, to see when their brains work best in writer mode; it may turn out that their ‘writing day’ begins at 11pm!

What do you do when you are not writing? 

I love to travel and take photos, I garden and hike, and I like to paint with watercolors and Chinese paint.

 "I'm so lucky to live where I can see
 beautiful vistas like this from my own home."

Get to know more about Dorothy on these sites:

www.dorothyhinshawpatent.com

http://dorothypatent.blogspot.com/

www.SavingAudie.com

www.InkThinkTank.com

Chatting with John R. Lindermuth about His Book, Fallen from Grace

I have a soft spot for newspaper reporters because when I was nine-years-old, a newspaper reporter by the name of Mr. Roberts took me under his wing and encouraged me to write.  Thank you, John, for bringing back those memories it is a pleasure to have you as a guest.

John R Lindermuth grew up in a small city in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. He served in the United States Army and then worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for nearly 40 years. He says that he covered nearly every beat and doing so, he gained a variety of experience, which has proven of value in my fictional writing. Since retiring from the newspaper, He has been the librarian of his county’s historical society and helped patrons with genealogy and historical research.

Tell us about the genre of your work. 

I think of Fallen from Grace as a historical mystery. Publisher Billie Johnson and acquisition editor Sunny Frazier saw it as a Western in style. They selected it for Wild Oak, the new line in that genre for Oak Tree Press.

Why did you choose this genre?

Mysteries are my favorite read and I love history. It is natural for me to combine the two in my writing. As to Westerns, I grew up and now live again in a house said to have been built by a man who rode with Buffalo Bill. My mother said she read pulp Westerns while carrying me and some of the first books I read as a boy were in that genre, both providing additional influence I am sure.

What are some of your books, stories that have been published?

I have published nine novels to date, including four in my Sticks Hetrick mystery series. My short stories and articles have been published in a variety of magazines, both print and on line.

Fallen From Grace, 978-1610090117

Being Someone Else, book four in the Hetrick series, 978-1603138895

Corruption’s Child (Hetrick book three), 978-1593743918

Cruel Cuts (Hetrick book two), 978-1593749101

Something In Common (the first Hetrick book), 978-1593744991

Watch the Hour, 978-1-60313-476-7

The Accidental Spy (Kindle edition), B004E3XCNQ, http://www.amazon.com/The-Accidental-Spy-ebook/dp/B004E3XCNQ/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4

Schlussel’s Woman, 978-0595299294

St. Hubert’s Stag, 978-0595328697

Most of my books are available in both print and electronic form. Fallen is available from the publisher http://www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm

In addition, from Amazon, B&N, other major booksellers, or signed from me: http://jrlindermuth.com/

The Hetrick books and Watch the Hour are available from the publisher, Whiskey Creek Press, http://whiskeycreekpress.com/authors/JRLindermuth.shtml, and also on Amazon and from other booksellers.

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

Arahpot, Tilghman’s town, is a nod to a local Indian. I had used the town previously in Watch the Hour.  In my other life as a genealogist, I compile lists of personal names that strike me as interesting or unique.

My Hetrick mysteries take place in Swatara Creek, a fictional town near Harrisburg PA. I lived in that area for 20 years. There is a creek but no town of that name. My fictional creation is representative of many of the Susquehanna River towns that have become bedroom communities for the more metropolitan areas of the commonwealth.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

Tilghman was a character in two earlier short stories. He asserted himself, as characters sometimes do, and demanded a book. Since his father and grandfather had roles in earlier books, I guess he figured I owed him.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

Unless it is horror, I do not think a character should be entirely good or bad. We are all a mix of both and any character will be more believable if depicted with good qualities as well as flaws.

What is your favorite thing about your book?

That I was able to inject a bit more humor than exists in some of my other books. Tilghman likes to eat and he is not above cadging a free meal whenever the opportunity presents itself.

How is writing in the genre you write, different from other genre?

There are certain rules that apply to mysteries, such as playing fair with readers by making clues equally apparent to them and the protagonist. Since I am also dealing with history, it is necessary to strive for accuracy. If you do not, some reader will catch you out.

Why and when did you begin writing?

It was a natural progression. I was an early reader. My father had a good library and encouraged me to read what was available. My grandfather was a grand storyteller. Health problems forced him to early retirement. As the only grandson, I spent a lot of time in his company, listening to his tales. Eventually I began trying to create my own stories. I started sending short stories to magazines when I was in high school—though I received advice and even encouragement from a few kind editors, it was much longer until anything was accepted.  I had a talent for drawing early on and envisioned a career in the art field with writing on the side. When I was drafted, the Army decided I had the makings of a journalist and provided training. After my military service, I worked as a reporter and editor until retiring in 2000.  In the interim, I published articles and some short stories in a variety of magazines but novels were still mainly practice. My first published novel, “Schlussel’s Woman,” a historical mystery, was accepted by an e-publisher who went belly-up shortly after. Frustrated, I brought it out in 2003 with i-Universe.

What is your writing schedule?

I believe it is important to write on a regular basis. I do not think it is necessary to lock yourself into a particular quota. When I am into a project I like to get at least 1,000 words a day, but I do not fret if I miss that figure now and again. I know I will exceed it on some other days.

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?

I am always working on several projects at the same time. At the moment, the main focus is on the fifth Hetrick novel. I am also working on a story for an anthology scheduled for next year, some short stories and articles.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?

Read, a little of everything, but especially the type of story or book you want to write. As Dumas put it a long time ago: Writing cannot be taught; it can only be learned.  One learns, initially, by reading. Anything you read will influence your writing style, either consciously or subconsciously. That is why many novelists refrain from reading while working on a book. However, it has been found that reading good writing can provide the impetus for recharging the creative juices when you are stalled or suffering a block. Even junk can be beneficial, but if you want to do creative writing, then you should read the best writing available. You can improve your style, your language and rhythm by the subconscious influence of good literature.

Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?

Be persistent and have patience. It is a given you are going to get rejections. They are a fact of the writing life. But, do not be discouraged by them. Let them be an impetus to try again. And again.  As to patience, there will be delays in hearing the status of a submission. Deal with it. Use the time to advantage by writing and submitting more, rather than just sitting, chewing your fingernails while you wait for the good or bad news.

What do you do when you are not writing? 

I work three days a week as librarian for the historical society, which gets me out and about with people other than family. I spend time with my children and grandsons. I walk. I draw. I read. I have never been one to be bored. There is always more to do than hours in the day.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?

Publication of a first story, article and book were all memorable moments. But, I experience that joy anew whenever someone tells me they have enjoyed something I have written.