Interview - Pamela Jean Horter/Moore

– When did you start writing novels, what moved you to start writing?

I’ve been writing since I was six years old. It was something I was inspired to do from the moment I learned to read.

– In what genres do you write? Do you plan writing in other genres?

Brief Candles, written in 1983, is a historical novel. LoveQuest, my latest book, is a romantic fantasy. I write fiction and non-fiction. I want to write a history, and I toy with autobiographical novels, science fiction, and dystopias. I write short stories, as well. As a writer, I can’t be classified.

– Tell us about your books. Why should everyone buy them?

Brief Candles is a historical novel about Edward V, England’s 12-year old king who was most likely murdered with his 10-year old brother Richard in the Tower of London in 1483. His story is important because it demonstrates that power politics shows no partiality to innocence or age, and that no one, no matter who he or she is, is secure from the actions of power-hungry, ruthless people who intend to knock obstacles out of their way to achieve their ambitions.

My romantic fantasy LoveQuest describes the pitfalls of letting self-doubt and the influence of malicious people dictate one’s actions.

Both books, one based on fact and the other on mythology, have something to say about human nature.

– What is your all-time favorite historical fiction novel? What makes it special?

It’s hard to pick a favorite out of thousands of great books, but I would have to say The Bible. It’s an amazing anthology of history, ancient culture, stories, fables, inspiration, and poetry. Even if I didn’t read it for spiritual enlightenment, I’d still find it a fascinating read.

– Tell us a bit about your writing process.

It might seem obvious, but I believe that when you have an urge or inspiration to write, you must write. When the words come tumbling into your mind, that is when you will do your best work, but the energy of inspiration usually doesn’t last long. That is one reason why short stories are wonderful to write. A person’s great idea can be put into words before the creativity fades. This creative energy is harder to maintain in a book.

I think it is more important to get the story in draft than to try to produce a polished and finished product the first time through. Like a house, the story starts with a bare framework that you must build upon and embellish later.

Before you release your book to the world, you have to be pleased with it yourself. You must polish the grammar and sentence structure, clean up ambiguities so that people can’t punch holes in your story as if it were a Swiss cheese, and fact-check your information.

There is too much sloppiness in the world, and a writer must be prepared for critics who will make an issue of a careless imperfection for which the writer will have no defense. Perfection is impossible, but if the writer doesn’t strive for it, he or she will come up way short. His or her message and story become lost in the distractions of typographical errors, bad grammar, poor sentence structure, and inaccuracies. That is why a writer attempts to produce a finished product that is the best it can be. But, eventually, you must be prepared to release it to the world.

– What author would you love to have dinner with?

I’m guessing that most people would say “Mark Twain,” and so will I. He was a delightful storyteller with a gift for language and a great understanding of human nature. He was interested in everyone and everything, and had very keen moral sensibilities, exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of human behavior with humor, and sometimes with loathing. The only children’s book he ever wrote was arguably The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He was a fascinating man and a great writer.

– Tell us about your hobbies and passions other than writing.

Being a writer, I’m also a reader. I enjoy history and have a particular passion for the English Wars of the Roses. I am also partial to American presidential history, the English monarchy, the tragedy of the Titanic, and the last of the Romanovs.

I suppose it is no surprise to learn that genealogy is another of my passions. My own roots are German-American. It is very frustrating to hit brick walls in research, but exhilarating when there is a break-through. I’m not trying to discover that I’m related to royalty or to someone famous. I just want to know the truth. If life had been so good for my ancestors in Europe, they wouldn’t have immigrated to America. I suppose that they were just working-class folk, and that’s good enough for me.

I enjoy nature hikes and travel. I’m a loner by nature, but I like nice people, especially those who have a passion for life that they want to share with others.

– We have many followers who would like to start writing a book or are already writing their first novel, any advice for these brave people?

Do it. Don’t wait. Remember that writing is a gift that God wants you to share with others. A lot of people are good writers but not all good writers are good storytellers. A good writer can’t be trained to be a good storyteller, but a good storyteller most likely has the language skills to learn to be a good writer.

Don’t convince yourself that you’re not good enough. If you have a story to tell, put it down in writing. In the past, it might have been difficult to break into print, but the electronic age has made your book possible. There are many means available to you to get your book published, and many people who can help you polish it to a finished product. At a price.

The media makes everything sound easy and gives the impression that being a published writer will guarantee you wealth and fame. It isn’t, and it won’t. It won’t be fame and fortune that ultimately drives you, but the desire to write and the satisfaction of seeing your creation as a published work.

– How often do you write, daily, every other day or?

I’ve kept a diary for 50 years, so I write at least 30 lines each day. I usually have several writing projects going at once, and I’m at it almost every day. Handwritten if not typed.

– Do you keep a notebook with ideas for your novels? If so do you carry the notebook with you so you won’t forget any ideas?

I always carry a notebook. I have typed and handwritten drafts all over my office. Some of the ideas are decades old. I’ll have more to write than I’ll ever have years of life to finish.

– How important is it to have your facts right and are there any instances when you bend history to fit your story?

I would never intentionally bend facts to suit a story. If I get a point wrong, it’s because I didn’t know and not because I bent the truth.

If a historical figure appears as a character in a novel, it is understandable that the writer will have to invent dialogue and situations to make up for the omissions in the primary sources. In fiction in particular, the author has considerable latitude in presenting a historical perspective that doesn’t require annotation or citation. This latitude can be abused.

There is a lot of fiction masquerading as history. Lately I’ve seen histories – not historical fiction – that make the most outrageous assertions. Either the point they argue cannot be proved and is constructed on “what ifs,” or the writer presents as a given a viewpoint that is incompatible with the facts.

We might not agree on all points, and we might not have the same opinion of this person or that, but everyone, even the dead, deserve justice, and justice is only served by the truth. Our reason must always trump our emotions, otherwise we can’t really call ourselves rational beings. We have no right to intentionally mislead others in order to indoctrinate them to our point of view.

– What are you reading at the moment?

I am reading The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir. Next, I’ll be reading Wisdom from the Wounded Healer by JohnEgreek.

– How is it to be an author in your country? Do you have a good support from the local public?

I’ve had a lot of support from the local public. That would include friends and family, the media, my friends in retail, and local libraries.

Thanks to the electronic age, I can add Facebook friends, Twitter followers, my author groups, and readers from around the world.

This is an exciting time for writers who are published independently as well as for those who are published through traditional outlets. With so many books being published, with so many writers producing blogs, articles, and reviews, there is more competition for a reader’s attention than ever. We have gone from a world with limited information to one with a glut of information. Our potential readers have a plethora of choices available to them. Somehow a writer has to find a fanbase among these millions.

– Have you had any interesting episodes as an author, fans related or others, share one of them with us.

I’ve been blessed by many wonderful people through the publication of my books. When I participated in our local Beaver County Bookfest, a local vendor, Novel Breads, invited the authors to submit a quote from their books for inclusion in the homemade breads they would bake and sell at the event. My quote from LoveQuest was selected (“Love is the only thing I own that is of any value, and I give that freely.”), and I had a chance to see it tucked into their delicious chocolate sourdough loaves. I had a chance to meet Heather Sprague of Novel Breads, her mother Laurie, and their friend Teri of Vintage Finds who carries their bread in her store. They are wonderful people, and I would have never had an opportunity to know them or share my book with them except for that solicitation for the quote that made it possible.

– A final message for our circleofbooks.com readers.

Do what you’ve always dreamed of doing.

Thank you Pamela. We at circleofbooks.com wish you much success!