Pam Logan has kindly allowed herself to be interviewed for today’s post.
Tell us about your latest project.
“How Do You Say Goodbye?” is a 130,000 word General Fiction Drama.
With a death sentence of an inoperable brain tumor, Samantha Collins tries to come to terms with the meaning of life, her belief in God, her battle with sobriety and her hope of it all ending on the beach.
As Sam’s life dwindles away, memories of abuse, mistakes and bad choices haunt her by way of terrifying nightmares. She relives her tumultuous childhood, remembering the beatings her brother received and the sexual abuse her sister endured so that she wouldn’t have to. Sam’s escape at an early age led her to a life of alcohol dependency as she partied her way into her adulthood.
Now, almost forty years later, she rides her Honda Goldwing across the country with her passenger and trusty companion, MyLo, a wolf-like dog, on the back as she says goodbye to the people she loves. Laugh with her as her best friend and confidant, Johnny Styles, jumps into characters of his favorite movies. Cry with her as she meets up with her old friends, Cody, Leeny, and Mac and reminisces about the past.
While she can’t decide if she should make new friends, her good-natured banter with the fearsome, domineering, Judge Styles, Johnny’s father, opens up a whole new world for her. In an incredibly short time, she becomes part of a family she could never have imagined.
Learn how one life can touch so many and have such a drastic impact on those around her.
Sam’s life sounds like it’s been a very full life, did you make everything that happened to her up entirely or is some of her life inspired by either other things you’ve read or watched or perhaps even the lives of other people?
Sam’s life is not based on anyone in particular, but I suppose her actions and reactions are inspired by things I have seen or heard. She just took on a life of her own as I wrote, but after the book was done and a friend of my sister’s read it, she thought Sam had a lot of the same qualities as my sister. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back now, I can see the resemblance, even though her life was nothing like Sam’s.
What book do you wish you had written?
I don’t know if you mean a particular book that was already written by someone else that I could take credit for, or possibly a subject that I could have written about. There is nothing already written that I wish was mine, but I do hope to someday be one of those authors that a new writer looks up to. If you mean a topic that I could have written about, not yet. I have a lot of ideas in mind and hope to accomplish all of them before it is my time to say “goodbye.”
You say you have a lot of ideas in your mind, do you write your ideas down somewhere or rely on your mind to pull them to the surface when you want to start the next book?
I don’t write them down. I keep telling myself I should, but for some reason or other, it doesn’t happen. I hope I can remember them when the time comes.
What’s your favourite genre to write and what’s your favourite genre to read?
This was my first book and I guess it would be considered Drama as it is very emotional. I enjoyed writing it; I laughed and cried right along with the characters. I do like books like that, but my favorite is mystery, thriller type. Dean Koontz books dominate my book shelf.
What started you writing if you remember, and why do you write now?
When I was young, I kept a notebook with poems, some copied and some I wrote. It also contained just random thoughts and short stories. Life got in the way and the notebook got lost. Recently I tried to write a song and failed at that. I began thinking of my Mom and a few family members that passed away and wondered how they must have felt, knowing the end was coming soon. With those thoughts in mind, my character, Sam, came to life and completely took over; I enjoyed spending time with her and her friends. When the book was done, I missed her and her friends so much, I had to start another book.
You imply that Sam and all the people in her life are real enough to spend time with, do you see them as characters you’ve created or in another way?
I don’t think I created them; I think it’s more like I discovered them. As I delved into Sam’s life, they were just there, waiting patiently for me to get to know them.
What are you planning on doing next/What else are you up to?
My next book, “Life Goes On” is a continuation of the first, but is more of a mystery, thriller. Johnny finds himself in more trouble than he can handle.
You can find out more about Pam and her first book as well as read samples and reviews at her website.