Welcome to FAR Ms. Crossley. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us.

How did you meet your husband?

We met first when we were eighteen and at university. It was at a party and he was the friend of a friend. At the time I had another boyfriend. A year later I left for six months at university in France and we met up again when I returned. Wow! The rest is history.

Of all the places you've been, which is the closest to your heart and why?

You know, we've lived in six different countries and visited many others. Each one of them holds a special corner of my heart. England where I was born and grew up; France where I spent many teenage years; Canada where I have lived for many years; Germany where we spent five years when I was seconded to the Canadian National Defence when we still had bases in Europe with NATO. And, of course, Kenya where we now spend a good part of each year.

Why did you choose Kenya? What makes you keep going back? Is it the people or the land? Perhaps both?

I first came to Kenya as a tourist and always wanted to return because of the beauty of the land and the rich culture of the people. In 2001 I served as a field agent for the Canadian Harambee Education Society which provides scholarships for bright, needy girls to go to High School. In 2003 I returned as Education Secretary for the Anglican Diocese of Maseno North in Western province and my husband runs a computer school. I work in schools with teachers and Head teachers.

Although by local standards we live well in Kenya, it remains that in rural Africa the things we take for granted in Canada (water, power, communications, transport) are minimal, unreliable or non-existent. Sometimes the needs of people in health, education and bare survival seem overwhelming. It has become apparent to us that merely throwing money at such great needs is not always the most efficient or the most beneficial to people. Corruption is immense and the infrastructure inadequate. Projects targeted at improving education and those directed at women seem the most worthwhile. It is important that undertakings build on the initiatives and skills of local people. Small and steady is often the best way.

Providing education for the 'girl child' is paramount since girls in many communities are subject to FGM, HIV infection, early marriage and a life of poverty. Women in Western Province cannot inherit property, so the system of micro loans is especially needed. However, with the deteriorating economic situation we find now that fewer boys are attending secondary school, adding to the problems of criminality, homelessness and hunger.

We work on projects to improve schools, to sponsor bright students in school or college and to support women's initiatives. In addition I am a Rotarian and we have just dug three wells in local communities so that the women do not have to walk hours every day to carry water from small, muddy pools. We have four more wells pending and a dam planned for a women's cooperative that is raising goats.

Anyone who visits Africa is impressed by the indomitable spirit of the people. Their optimism, courage, friendliness and strong family ties are inspirational. We hope that our small contribution will bear fruit in one corner of the continent. The motto of the Canadian Harambee Education Society is 'We can't do everything, but we can do something.' We remember that almost every day.

What would we find on your bookshelf?

A very eclectic mix. I like mysteries, in fact almost anything with strong plot and good characterization. Most of the books we have in Kenya have been brought by visitors and they often tend to be prize winners (Giller, Booker etc) They are often thick books, probably because of the many hours people know they will spend in airports and on the plane:-) So I read and enjoy some things I might not otherwise select. I have just finished "The in between world of Vikkram Lal" by Vissanji. It won the Giller a couple of years ago and we loved it because it is set in Kenya and in Canada. My son gave me another of his books (The Gunnysack) and I'm looking forward to it.

What do you do to relax?

Mostly my writing is my relaxation. Plus reading. At home in Canada we have a sail boat and we also like to walk, and spend time with friends. We are privileged to live in a beautiful part of the world on the West Coast. Our time in the Third World has made us look critically at the many ways there are to spend money in the Western world and we are very selective about our entertainment. I must say, however, that our older son gave us a pile of DVDs, so in Kenya in the evening we often fire up the laptop after supper and watch a movie. We have no radio or TV and there is no movie theatre in town, so this makes a nice change of pace.

What makes a book a great book to you?

I must be engaged by the characters and I must be captivated by the plot. I love good writing and I can find it in popular fiction as well as in literary works. I love history, so I do enjoy books that teach me something about our past. I also like to learn. I have always enjoyed Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker books because of the wonderful way she tells about orthodox Judaism without lecturing or preaching. I learned a lot as well as being entertained by a good suspense. The same with Anne Perry's Victorian detective series. A book must also challenge me to reflect on situations and possibilities that I might not have considered otherwise.

Why Time Travel?

I think I may have partly answered this. I grew up in the UK, in London, and history was a part of life. I used to imagine what it would be like to have lived in past centuries. The plot of Journey's End came to me full blown and I enjoyed every minute of writing it.

I am writing this interview on Halloween, so I am going to ask you. What's your favorite scary movie and who's your favorite Hollywood monster? Personally I'm a Young Frankenstein fan, so Eye-gor holds a special place in my heart. LOL

I see so few movies that I'm hard pressed to answer this. All my movie data is well out of date, so may I pass on this one?

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

Most often the opening. I love it when it flows. I'm not a detailed plotter so sometimes I have to do some very hard work when I'm into the book in order to tie up all the ends.

How did you find out you were going to become a published author? How did you celebrate?

I first published with a small press that produced only e books at the time. I sent in two books, after numerous rejections elsewhere. I received a response saying they wanted to publish both of them! I had to send back asking them to repeat it, because I couldn't quite believe it. I think we went out to dinner to celebrate.

I just looked at the excerpt for Journey's End. I was caught! I'm going to have to go and get it after I finish writing this. Can you please tell our readers a little bit about it?

With pleasure. My heroine, Kari, is rather straight laced but nonetheless adventurous. She is idealistic, a doctor who is planning to work in the Third World. My hero is one I love. Aidan is a historian four hundred years in the future and a maverick. Because time travel has recently become possible, he 'collects' artworks from the past just before they are due to be stolen or destroyed. He has built himself a fine, if illegal, collection. So when he's told that a particularly fine Impressionist work is 'available' he can't resist.

The problem is that he bumps into Kari, who's walking her Irish wolfhound, Ben, for the last time, just as Aidan is about to return to the future with his prize painting. He is furious when he realizes that he has sent the woman and her dog four hundred years into the past, to Elizabethan England. But he is optimistic that he can go back for her, collect her like a wrongly delivered parcel, and pop her back into her own time.

He doesn't reckon with Kari's idealistic nature, her strong will and her determination to make her own decisions. Neither of them expects to fall in love with someone so far removed from their own time.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

I have a paranormal romance in edits at the moment with Cerridwen Press. The tile is Beloved Stranger and it's the story of a couple whose ancestors were connected in the past through a tragic love affair and who find each other at last. There's a mysterious evil entity and a ghostly presence that leads the hero and heroine to solve a past murder.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

Just that I hope you enjoy Journey's End as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you visit my web site you will finds stories from Africa as well as pictures in addition to information about my books. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get on line while I'm in Africa, so I'm not able to update as much as I would like, but I do have a newsletter patriciacrossleynewsletter@yahoogroups.com. which usually carries my latest monthly letter from Africa. If anyone is interested, just send to patriciacrossleynewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

If you'd like to learn more about this talented lady you can check out her website. Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions.

Interviewed by: Serena