I'm delighted to welcome Paterson Loarn to readers. Her debut novel Samvida and the Purse of Gold is a compelling tale of family corruption and personal reinvention.
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Paterson: I write about communities, crime and the natural environment. I have an eclectic attitude to genres. The themes of my self-published debut novel Samvida and the Purse of Gold are very dark. In it financial corruption leads to murder and environmental destruction. On the other hand, my stories entitled Up the Community Centre are humorous and light.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Paterson: I begin by making a detailed plan. After that, anything can happen, because my characters tend to develop minds of their own.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Paterson: After the mysterious death of the founder of a family finance firm, his naive widowed bride is caught up in a web of corruption spanning two continents and three decades. One reviewer described Samvida and the Purse of Gold as ‘a story of love, betrayal, exposure, corruption, hope and reinvention’.
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Paterson: I write about communities, crime and the natural environment. I have an eclectic attitude to genres. The themes of my self-published debut novel Samvida and the Purse of Gold are very dark. In it financial corruption leads to murder and environmental destruction. On the other hand, my stories entitled Up the Community Centre are humorous and light.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Paterson: I begin by making a detailed plan. After that, anything can happen, because my characters tend to develop minds of their own.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Paterson: After the mysterious death of the founder of a family finance firm, his naive widowed bride is caught up in a web of corruption spanning two continents and three decades. One reviewer described Samvida and the Purse of Gold as ‘a story of love, betrayal, exposure, corruption, hope and reinvention’.
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Paterson: The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, a moral tale about a little chimney sweep called Tom who goes on an underwater adventure.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Paterson: So far, I’ve waited for information to come to me then turned it into a story.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Paterson: I base my characters on types rather than on individuals.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Paterson: Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen. The novel is set in 1994 in Northern Ireland, where I grew up. My heritage is Protestant whereas Gallen’s protagonist Maeve is a Catholic. I love that her teenage life is a mirror image of my own.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Paterson: I’m muddling through, picking up reviews along the way.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Paterson: I’m a keen reader and book blogger. Yoga sessions help me to unwind.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Paterson: I love Betty Macdonald’s humorous writing, although she has the attitudes of her time. Anybody Can Do Anything never fails to make me laugh out loud. On the dark side, one of the many modern writers I admire is barrister and crime writer Imran Mahmood.
Alex: Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Paterson. I'm going to check out Betty Macdonald.
Paterson: It's my pleasure, Alex.
Paterson: The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, a moral tale about a little chimney sweep called Tom who goes on an underwater adventure.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Paterson: So far, I’ve waited for information to come to me then turned it into a story.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Paterson: I base my characters on types rather than on individuals.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Paterson: Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen. The novel is set in 1994 in Northern Ireland, where I grew up. My heritage is Protestant whereas Gallen’s protagonist Maeve is a Catholic. I love that her teenage life is a mirror image of my own.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Paterson: I’m muddling through, picking up reviews along the way.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Paterson: I’m a keen reader and book blogger. Yoga sessions help me to unwind.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Paterson: I love Betty Macdonald’s humorous writing, although she has the attitudes of her time. Anybody Can Do Anything never fails to make me laugh out loud. On the dark side, one of the many modern writers I admire is barrister and crime writer Imran Mahmood.
Alex: Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Paterson. I'm going to check out Betty Macdonald.
Paterson: It's my pleasure, Alex.
