Interview with Patricia Sargeant/Regina Hart
Check out the contest at the end of the interview
Patricia, Welcome to Deb's Book Nook! We are so happy you could find time in your busy schedule to visit with us!
I had the good fortune to meet Patricia in 2008 at the Lori Foster Reader/Author Conference. I am honored to call her a friend as well as one of my favorite auto buy authors.
Deb, it’s a pleasure and an honor to be here. Thank you so much for the invitation and thank you for your patience with me as I responded to your questions. You’re very kind. I really appreciate this opportunity and your understanding. You’re one of my very favorite people. Very favorite! You bring the sunshine with you wherever you go.
Please tell our readers a bit about yourself and the genre of books you write.
I would be happy to. Thank you for asking. I write romantic suspense as Patricia Sargeant and contemporary romance as Regina Hart. My romantic suspense stories put ordinary people in extraordinary situations. With my contemporary romances, my characters must face and conquer their inner demons. And I’m addicted to Diet Mountain Dew.
I know your most current releases (FAST BREAK-June 2011 release and SMOOTH PLAY-Jan 2012) have been under the pseudonym of Regina Hart.
Tell us about this series and what inspired you to write it.
Oh, Deb, you do know how to touch an author’s heart. I love talking about this trilogy. Fast Break is the first title of my contemporary romance trilogy featuring the Brooklyn Monarchs, a fictitious professional men’s basketball team set in Brooklyn, New York. Fast Break is Jackie and Marc’s story. Jackie is the franchise’s assertive, larger-than-life owner. Marc is the stubborn, strong-willed rookie head coach. I like to build my stories around themes and the theme for Fast Break is sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your goal?
The trilogy continues with Smooth Play, featuring Troy and Andrea. Troy is the debonair media executive and Andrea is the passionate sports reporter. Their story’s theme is forgiveness.
The final book in the trilogy is Keeping Score, which is a July 2012 release. In this story, Rick, a veteran team member, sets out to woo his wife, Mary, a media shy doctor.
As for my inspiration, I love basketball, Deb. I love the game, the strategy. I’m fascinated by the people – the players, coaches and sports reporters. I’m not as enthralled with the front office, though. LOL! Reading about the antics of general managers and owners makes my head hurt. It took me years and years and years to recover from the hurt of the New York Knicks trading Patrick Ewing. Even today, thinking about it, I’m blinking back tears.
Even though I am not a huge sports fan, I adore your new series. Mainly because of the style of your writing and your affinity with the characters. You brought the game to life for me and that's really saying something!
Oh, Deb! Thank you so much! Because you’re a voracious reader, your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you!
Will there be more in this series or do you have something new in the works? Can you give us a sneak peek into your next book? Do you have a release date yet?
For you, Deb, anything! Keeping Score is the third book in the Brooklyn Monarchs trilogy. It’s a July 2012 release. (I always get so nervous before a book’s release date – and this one isn’t for another five months. It’s going to be a long spring and summer. LOL!) We met the hero, Warrick “Rick” Evans, the veteran Brooklyn Monarchs’ shooting guard, and his wife, Marilyn “Mary” Devry-Evans, in Fast Break. In Smooth Play, we learn that the media attention has put a strain on Rick and Mary’s marriage. In Keeping Score, Rick and Mary are front and center as Rick tries to save his marriage. The question Rick and Mary have to answer is whether love is enough to keep them together through the really tough times. And the times are tough, Deb. Seriously. The media is vicious and brutal in Keeping Score. As I was reviewing the manuscript, at one point I turned to my husband, Michael, and I said, “I feel so bad for what I put my characters through.” I don’t know whether I’ll be able to write more books after Keeping Score. I hope so. Fingers crossed.
Tell us a bit about your journey to publication. Have you always wanted to write and how did you get started? What was your first published work and when did it come out?
Ah, my journey to publication. Do you have a tissue? LOL! I’ve known I wanted to be a storyteller since I was 9 years old. I fell in love with storytelling after reading Blackhearts in Battersea by Jane Aiken. I wanted to write a story that would transport readers the same way her story transported me. My sister recommended that book to me. That’s why, in my dedication to my dream team, which I include in every book, I’ve written, “To my sister, Bernadette, for giving me the dream.”
I became serious about getting published in 1991. But it wasn’t until I joined Romance Writers of America in 1999 that I understood the business as well as the craft of writing. Finally, in 2006, Kensington Publishing offered me a two-book contract for the romantic suspense stories that would become You Belong to Me (2006) and On Fire (2007).
Let’s do the math. All told, it took me 15 years to become published. The moral of this story? Don’t ever, ever, ever give up your dreams.
Approximately how long does it take to get one of your books published? Do you work on a single project or several at once?
I’m a very slow writer, Deb. It takes me about a month to plot my stories. Isn’t that sad??? In fairness, I prefer to start with a detailed outline and character sketches. I usually have a lot of “ahha” moments with those characters sketches. Then about six months for writing and revisions. And I like to pad my writing schedule for those nights that the characters give me the silent treatment, which happens more often than I’d like. Sadness.
Because I’m such a slow writer, I prefer to work on only one project at a time. I need to be really in tune with the characters I’m developing at the time. However, if other ideas come to me, I jot them down in a separate computer file.
I know many authors have a huge cast of characters in their books and I am always amazed at how they keep everything straight from one book to the other. How do you keep up with all your character info and background information?
Great question! I have a character chart for each of my books with just the basic description of each character – height, build, hair color/type, eye color, what kind of car they drive, where they live, their job and their purpose in the story. But sometimes I have to reread a story to remember how that character is supposed to speak.
You write romantic suspense under the name of Patricia Sargeant and contemporary romance with a sports theme under the Regina Hart name. Is there any other type of book you would like to write, such as urban fantasy, mystery, etc? If so, what would it be and why would that type of books appeal to you?
Oh, my word! This is one of my favorite questions that you’ve asked. Oh, Deb! I have a proposal for an epic fantasy trilogy that takes place in another galaxy. The trilogy includes space battles, reincarnations, political intrigue. I’m so excited by this project. I’m vibrating with excitement as we speak! But the manuscript is extremely rough. It will take a lot of work. But I’m not giving up on this story. I’m also revising – off and on - a proposal for a five-part romantic suspense series that takes place on a fictitious Caribbean island. Loving it! And I’m also very excited about my time travel trilogy idea, which I’ll develop one of these days ... Thank you for asking, Deb.
Give us an insight into the life of Patricia Sargeant/Regina Hart and tell us what a typical day would be.
OK, but you’d better pour yourself a cup of coffee first. Don’t want you falling asleep on me. LOL!
My day job is usually from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Like most people, there’s usually some overtime. I work in the Public Relations Department of a small, private university. Lots of promotional writing – press releases, brochures, feature articles. There are five people in my department, but we could use about 10 more. LOL! On a good day, I get home around 6 p.m. Spend some quality time with my husband. Force myself to exercise, then spend the rest of the evening writing.
When writing, what kind of atmosphere do you prefer? Do you need background noise or complete silence? Do you have a certain area in your home you prefer to write in or can you write anywhere?
These are great questions, Deb. Really great questions. Frankly, for most of the writing process, I can be anywhere. Because of my day job and other commitments, I have to write and edit whenever and wherever I can. I’ve written chapters while at the hair salon or waiting for my car repairs. For the final revision process, though, I need my Fortress of Solitude. Absolute silence.
Has anything in your career as a writer been different than you expected? What is your favorite thing about being an author and is there any aspect of your career you wish you could spend less time doing?
My favorite thing about being an author is sharing my stories. That’s my favorite thing of all. But as far as what’s been different than I’d anticipated and what I wish I could spend a little less time on, the answer to those questions is the same – marketing. I hadn’t realized quite how muchvself-promotion/marketing/publicity I’d have to do as a publishedvauthor. It’s an inescapable evil. I love talking about books – my books, other people’s books, it doesn’t matter. I love finding out what people liked about an author’s work, who could they recommend and why. That part is like going to a really great party. But I don’t understand Facebook. I don’t have anything to say on Twitter. And walking into a room full of people staring at me makes me have to use the bathroom.
Do you have a favorite genre to read or favorite author? Do you read while you are writing your books and if so, do you read the same genre as you write?
I have a lot of favorite genres, actually. Fiction and non-fiction. I love suspense, romantic suspense, historical romance, thrillers. And I’m afraid I have too many favorite authors to name.
Would you do anything different in your writing career if you had to start all over again?
Overall, no. I don’t think so. Perhaps I could have joined Romance Writers of America sooner. But then, who knows how that change might have affected my journey. I’m one of those people who believes everything happens when it’s supposed to happen and everything transpires for a reason. The lessons I’ve learned on my journey are lessons I needed to learn when and how I learned them. So overall, I don’t think I would change anything.
What's the best piece of advice you have received as an author and what would you tell a beginning writer?
That’s a toughie, Deb. Hold on a moment. Let me think. Well, without a doubt, the best advice I’ve ever received was from my brother, Gideon. It was before I was offered my first contract. I was really down about my publishing prospects and my day job. (Really, really down about the day job.) I told my brother I was going to give up my writing. He was horrified. I still remember his words, “Don’t give up your dream. Don’t ever give up your dream. Even if you only write a page a day, don’t give up your dream.” Less than two years later, I got my first contract. And in my dedication to my dream team, which I include in all of my books, I’ve written, “To my brother Gideon for encouraging the dream.”
I would give beginning writers the same advice. And I’d add, follow your heart, not the market. If your heart and the market lead you in the same direction – bonus! But above all be true to yourself and your storytelling voice.
Patricia, thanks so much for sharing your time and fabulous books with
us. I know we will be looking forward to even more new releases from
you!
Deb, thank you very, very much for inviting me over and for being so patient as I answered your great questions. This was a true pleasure. Thank you for this opportunity! I can’t wait to see you at the June Get Together. Love and hugs!
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