OCT FEATURED AUTHOR: Patricia Sargeant

SORMAG: Please give the readers a brief bio on you the person and the writer.

Patricia Sargeant: I was born in the West Indies, grew up in New York and live in Ohio. I’m very happily married to a man I love and admire, and am blessed with a loving, supportive family.

I’ve wanted to be a writer most of my life. I started seriously pursuing a fiction-writing career in 1998, when I joined Romance Writers of America. My goal is to become a full-time fiction writer. Hopefully, I’m on my way. My first book, You Belong To Me, will be a November 2006 Kensington Dafina release.

SORMAG: Tell us about your current book?

SARGEANT: You Belong To Me is a romantic suspense. The external plot reunites a divorced couple in a race to unmask a serial killer. The heroine is a published author who sells the movie rights for her book to an independent film producer. The producer turns out to be her ex-husband. However, someone is willing to commit murder to ensure the movie is never made. If they want to survive, the hero and heroine have to resolve their past differences and work together. For the internal plot, the story’s theme is family. The hero and heroine are forced to ask themselves what are they willing to sacrifice to save their family? How far are they willing to go? How much are they willing to change?

SORMAG: What would you like your readers to take away from your book?

SARGEANT: I very much want readers to connect with my characters. I hope my characters make a strong, positive impression on readers, and that they remember these characters – and the book – in a positive way for a long time.

SORMAG: What led you to the idea of writing this book, and then to the actual writing of it?

SARGEANT: My favorite question is, “What if?” This story asks what if you found the right person at the wrong time. Then, years later, you were given another chance with your soul mate, but fate steps in again to try to keep you apart. What would you be willing to do, how would you be willing to change, to finally make it to your happily ever after?

SORMAG: Please describe your typical reader as you imagine her/him?

SARGEANT: I imagine the typical reader to be someone who has a busy schedule, and a lot of people and projects vying for her attention. When this typical reader finally has a few moments for herself, she wants to read a story that will take her away from these demands and transport her to another experience, whether it’s a sweet love story or an edge-of-your-seat suspense. She just wants to be carried away, wrapped up in the book.

SORMAG: How would you describe your novel in three words, it would be:

SARGEANT: Sensual, suspenseful and romantic.

SORMAG: How are you marketing your book and what are your thoughts about the importance of marketing for authors?

SARGEANT: Marketing is very, very important for authors who want to be successful. You have to show your publisher there’s an audience for your books. If you don’t have an audience, it will be harder to get another contract. My marketing plan involves reaching readers. I’m sending announcements to readers groups, primarily, and doing interviews such as this one. Thank you for this opportunity.

SORMAG: Name your top five favorite books of all time.

SARGEANT: Oh, very hard question! These books aren’t in a particular order, and are books I’ve read more than once. Night Song, by Beverly Jenkins. Smoke and Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz. Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann. Hidden Treasures by Nora Roberts. Say You Need Me by Kayla Perrin.

SORMAG: What was the last book to keep you up at night reading it?

SARGEANT: L.A. Banks’ Minion. It was so hard to put that book down.

SORMAG: What resources do you use on the net?

SARGEANT: I use search engines, such as Google, a lot for research to supplement library research and personal interviews.

SORMAG: How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)

SARGEANT: I welcome readers to my Web site, http://www.patriciasargeant.com/. On my Web site, there’s a link to my e-mail address, booksbypatricia@yahoo.com.Title: You Belong To Me
Author: Patricia Sargeant
ISBN: 075821876-1
Publisher: Kensington Dafina
Genre: Romantic suspense
Copyright: Patricia Sargeant-Matthews 2006
Published date: November 2006
Where it can be purchased: Barnes and Noble, Walden Books, Borders, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com
Web site: www.patriciasargeant.com
Blurb about the book: Patricia Sargeant’s You Belong To Me reunites a divorced couple in a race to unmask a serial killer.