Interview Irene Pascoe
by
Evanell
1. Irene, How long have you been writing?
A long time. I started my career back in the late seventies.
2. How many books have you written/published?
Gothic romances have always been my love. My first gothic, The Velvet Shadows of Justin Wood, was published by Zebra Books in 1982. Later, Harlequin Books published Lord of High Cliff Manor and Shadow Over Bright Star. When Harlequin dropped their gothic line, I moved to Berkley Publishing Group and my next two gothic romances, The Curse of Belle Haven and Dark Tides, were published. In time, Berkley also dropped gothic romance novels. That’s when I discovered e-books, Starlight Writers Publication, and my wonderful editor Lorraine Stephens. She accepted Shadows, my sixth gothic romance.
3. Tell us a little about your story--Kathleen and what prompted it, if anything did. Also, where is your story set and why?
For some reason, I’ll probably never really understand, I’ve always had a love and fascination for Ireland. I had to set a story there. Kathleen is about a young girl born and reared in the abject poverty of the Belfast countryside in the late 1850s. When tragedy strikes, she relocates to the glittering high society of Philadelphia and the home of her wealthy and lascivious step uncle and his pampered daughter. Despite those two obstacles, Kathleen finds love in Philadelphia, but the road to true happiness leads her across country to San Francisco.
4. Do you have a mentor or a muse? If so, tell us why this person is helpful to your writing career.
I would never have become published without the advice and support of the critique group I belonged to for over twenty years. They were tough critics, but their comments always came with love and the deep desire to see me succeed in this business. I will be forever grateful to this talented group of writers.
5. Please tell us where you get your inspiration/ideas. Do other people affect your writing? Do you get ideas from observing others?
I love to observe people, but I’ve never gained any ideas for a story by observing. Generally my ideas come from location and history. To date, my books are all historical and the majority of my stories are set in places I have visited. The places I love, I research, then I create characters to fit into those places.
6. When do you write, and how do you write--do you start at the beginning and write to the end of the story, or do you write in pieces and then insert the scenes where they belong?
I am a morning person, though I don’t start writing super early, generally around 9:30. By two in the afternoon, my brain screams, “Enough.” I can revise after that time, but that’s all. I always start my stories at the beginning and I fuss over every word, every paragraph. I cannot move from one paragraph to another until I know the one I’m working on is as perfect as I can make it. This method is often slow and tedious. On the other hand, I’ve never written more than one draft of any book. In writing for Harlequin and Berkley, I was able to sell on three chapters and outline. I learned the value of outlining. I dread doing it. However, my outlines are very detailed. That makes writing the story so easy, just like filling in the spaces.
7. Do you write more than one genre?
Kathleen is my first venture from gothic to historical romance. I plan to continue writing in both categories.
8. Do you have a favorite author or authors? If so, who are they (or he or she)?
I had the great pleasure of visiting Prince Edward Island this past spring, the land of Anne of Green Gables. In my youth, L.M. Montgomery, the Anne author, was my favorite. I am currently re-reading the Anne books and rediscovering this wonderful author. Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart will also always top my favorite author list.
9. What kind of stories do you prefer to read? Please give us some examples.
My reading over the past six years has been a bit out of the norm for me. During this time I was home schooling my grandson. He and I read the same books so that we could discuss them. I truly enjoyed reading all the Gary Paulsen books, geared to young adults, Harry Potter books, C.S. Lewis, and H.G. Wells. I home schooled my grandson through his high school graduation this year and now I’m back to my own reading list. Of course I love to read gothic romances the most. History books also top my list.
10. How did you discover Wings ePress?
When Shadows came out from Starlight Writers Publication, it was only in e-book format and languishing. Gothic romance seemed dead. I was ready to quit writing, but a dear writer friend would not let me quit. She sent me a list of e-book publishers and nagged me to look it over. As a means of showing her that I appreciated her thoughtfulness, I went through the list. When I came upon Wings ePress, I was delighted to see Lorraine Stephens listed as Executive Editor. She was such a joy to work with at SWP, which later became RFI, that I immediately emailed her. I told her that I’d retrieved my rights to Shadows, which she’d edited, and asked if Wings would be interested in re-issuing the book. It came out from Wings in July 2003. Since then, I have retrieved the rights to my Harlequin and Berkley books and have signed contracts with Wings to re-issue them. I couldn’t be more delighted.
11. Do you belong to any writer's groups? If so, are they helpful?
Besides the critique group I’d belonged to for so many years, I was an active member of Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America. Both organizations provided me with more insight into this business. Most of all, I met many wonderful people. I gained from their friendships and guidance. Currently, I don’t belong to any groups. However, I still exchange manuscripts with a couple of writer friends. Even though I have become a confident writer, I would never submit my work without another opinion or two. I believe, no matter how good the writer, there is always room for improvement.
12. What advice would you give to new writers?
Find yourself a good critique group and keep an open mind to criticism.