Author Pam Logan writes by the seat of her pants. She just sits down at her computer, thinks about the situation her character is in and just starts typing. “From there, my characters just take over. I don’t know where it is going or where it will end up. My main character was facing death from the opening line, ‘How do you tell the only people you ever cared about that you are going to die?’ and I didn’t know if she would pull through until the very end. To be honest, it could have gone either way,” Pam says.
Her book, How Do You Say Goodbye? was inspired by the loss of her Mom, her brother-in-law and some cousins, all of whom died of cancer. “I wondered how they must have felt, knowing the end was coming soon, even though I had never asked any of them when I had the chance.”
Though her characters are not deliberately based on anyone in particular, Pam says she sees similarities between her characters and people she knows and has known now that it is done.
She says that sometimes when more than one person (character) is involved in the story, each wants to take charge of the situation and she can’t type fast enough to get all angles/viewpoints down. “Usually the strongest wins, but sometimes I go back and change things a little later to get the weaker or shyer character to emerge.”
Marketing her work is the part Pam says is no fun, but she has come up with an interesting strategy. “In my real job, I work at The Button Factory, making campaign and advertising buttons. Because of that, I was able to swap buttons for airtime at a couple radio stations in the area. Now, again because of the buttons, a lead popped up and I will be able to stock books at a local Sam’s Club with the intention of it spreading to other stores.” She adds, “So far, costs have been minimal and it is very slow going, but I am ahead of the game, and now that I am being interviewed for Indies Unlimited, I expect sales to go through the roof!” One of the things I love about Pam is her sense of Humor.
Though Pam’s first book might be called a tear-jerker, she plans to avoid being anchored to a single genre. She wants to do something totally different with each book she writes. Her next book is more along the lines of a mystery/thriller but it involves the Styles family, a major part of the first book. She plans to use different members of the same family, but wants to write a comedy, a romance, and possibly a children’s book.
Her advice to aspiring writers? “Probably like everyone else, I will say, don’t give up. If you don’t like where your story is going, try something else, but don’t quit!”
Pam’s current title is How Do You Say Goodbye?
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.
How Do You Say Goodbye? is available in print through CreateSpace, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. The e-book is available from the Apple iStore- ISBN#978-1-4523-7786-5, BarnesandNoble.com, Smashwords, Goodreads, Sony, Kobo, and Diesel.
You can see some of the great reviews of Pam’s book along with some links to interviews (doubtlessly by lesser-known celebrities than me) right here. After you read some of those, your appetite will of course be whet for at least a taste of the book, so Pam also kindly provides a sneak-peek at chapter one.
Learn more about author Pam Logan and her writing at her website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook.
Steve,
Thank you so much I really appreciate it!
Thanks for a great interview, Pam. 🙂
Very nice! I love hearing other writers' insights into process.