Ask the Author: Patrick G. Cox
Answered Questions (6)
Patrick G. Cox
My apologies for the delay in answering you, I had a glitch with my computer which "lost" all my passwords ... Back to pen and paper!
I would suggest that the Harry Heron series is read in the order Harry Heron: Midshipman's Journey (gives you the background history of the three main protagonists), Harry Heron: Into the Unknown (The first of the "Science Fiction" stories), then Harry Heron: No Quarter which will soon be followed by Harry Heron: Savage Fugitive.
I hope you enjoy them. The other "live" books shown on my page are A Baltic Affair, Limehouse Boys, and Magnus Patricius. The others shown have all been withdrawn and are now out of print.
I would suggest that the Harry Heron series is read in the order Harry Heron: Midshipman's Journey (gives you the background history of the three main protagonists), Harry Heron: Into the Unknown (The first of the "Science Fiction" stories), then Harry Heron: No Quarter which will soon be followed by Harry Heron: Savage Fugitive.
I hope you enjoy them. The other "live" books shown on my page are A Baltic Affair, Limehouse Boys, and Magnus Patricius. The others shown have all been withdrawn and are now out of print.
Patrick G. Cox
Map out the outline, but leave yourself room for some adjustment. Don't be rigid, sometimes a story (or the characters) will insist on a different direction or a different outcome. Do your research! Nothing puts a reader off more quickly than a 'historical' setting where the author has got the details wrong, and that applies to a story set in a place, culture or a country you're not familiar with or haven't visited in person. You can bank on at least some of your readers having detailed knowledge of the place, culture or country.
Patrick G. Cox
You have to keep pushing, but I find putting that piece of work aside for the moment, and working on something else often gives me the chance to see a different solution to the blockage.
Patrick G. Cox
I think the late great Sir Terry Pratchett summed it up well. "It's the most fun you can have on your own."
Patrick G. Cox
It depends on what I am writing at the time. Sometimes it is the research, sometimes the inspiration arrives as a sudden insight, and sometimes I will have mapped out how I think the story will go only to find it is taking a different direction. The key is to prepare to write, then set aside the time and write!
Patrick G. Cox
This is a book that has been wanting to be written ever since I read "The Steadfast Man" by Paul Gallico. It contained copies of St Patrick's Confessio (Declaration) and the Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, the only authentic 'voice' from the 5th Century Ireland and Britain. A visit to Downpatrick in 2006, and the memorial slab that records the fact he is buried somewhere in that enclosure inspired me to make a start ...
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