Today I am speaking with Pam Champagne.

Hi Pam! Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is great to have you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions for us. The readers would love to hear something about Pam Champagne.

Thanks Linda.

I noticed that you have White Lady in progress on your website; would you like to tell us about it?

As with all my stories, I pick a location, then develop a plot and characters. For White Lady I chose Downeast Maine. Beautiful in a unique way, this coastal area offers few job opportunities. It is one of the few places in the country where the population decreases each year. It’s the Appalachia of Maine. Despite the poverty, drugs have become a deadly problem, so I’ve used that concept in my suspense story. The hero and heroine are star-crossed lovers, torn apart years ago through no fault of their own. To add to the conflict, the hero, Ace Bear, is half Cree. Bigotry still is strong in the hearts of my fictional village. I think the reader will be shocked by the secrets in the sleepy little coastal town.

Also, the covers on your books are beautiful.

Thanks, Linda. Triskelion Publishing does an excellent job with their cover art.

When did you decide to take "pen in hand" and write with the intent to publish?

I actually made an attempt back in the late 70’s. I submitted a typewritten manuscript to Harlequin Presents, which was promptly rejected. After that, I didn’t write a thing until about two years ago. Now I’m hooked and would love to do nothing else all day, every day.

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?

My main problem is to find the time to write. I work full time outside the home. With a super long commute, over fifty hours a week are taken. Then of course, there are the day to day chores that need to be done, so I squeeze in writing whenever I can. When I’m lucky enough to have a full day to write, I’ll take walks in the woods behind my home in between scenes. Walking helps me plan what I want to put on paper.

How do you know what to name your books or the characters?

Naming a book is hard for me. I change the name at least five times before it gets published. The only one title that stuck from the beginning was Ribbon of Rain. That book comes out in print in August and I think the title may change.

Do you have any bad writing habits?

I struggle with my writing. Some days I’ll write five thousand words and go to bed feeling like Nora Roberts. The next morning I reread the chapter and decide it’s the worst I’ve ever written. I tend to edit my writing to death. Even in the final stages of editing before publishing, I try to rewrite things – has the editor pulling out her hair! I always think I can make it better and sometimes end up making it worse.

Of all the individuals you have created, do you have a particular favorite? What appeals to you the most about this character?

Without question, Kat Tenney. I put a lot of myself into that character -- her love of the wilderness, her aloneness, the lack of friends, her insecurities, her independence. I could go on and on.

You find yourself stranded on a desert island, what things could you not survive without?

I’d need a gun, a knife, a shovel and BOOKS.

What was the first story you ever wrote?

At age nine I wrote an obituary for a pet mouse I had that died. I always wrote in diaries and journals.

Has being published changed you at all? If so, how?

This may sound weird, but being published decreased my writing time. Having a book published is not the end of the story. Even a good book doesn’t sell itself. Promotion is an ongoing, time-consuming ordeal.

What would we find on your bookshelf?

A lot of recipe books, a lot of wilderness survival books, a few old favorites – The Stand, Wind in the Willows, Swan Song, books on wildlife, hunting, and some poetry books. I keep all my photo albums there. And on the top shelf some ashes of my best friend who died a few years ago.

What do you do to relax?

Writing relaxes me.

What makes a great book to you?

I like a book that develops a story and characters with enough emotion that it makes me cry.

If you could go anywhere, be anyone, do anything for 24 hours, what would it be?

I’d like to spend twenty-four hours as myself back in the pioneer days. Be with the settlers who cleared land and built cabins. I’d like to experience their hardships, feel their fears. (And hopefully, there wouldn’t be any Indian attacks during the twenty-four hour period!)

Do you have any indulgent behaviors one might find surprising?

I’m an early Elvis fan and love listening to his old songs.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Potato chips. I refuse to have them in the house. Any guests have to leave their potato chips outside the door.

I've been seeing a number of discussions on the Yahoo groups about Happily-Ever-After. Do you feel that HEA is necessary to a romance novel?

Yes. Definitely, yes. I think there’s room to have a character experience an unhappy end to a relationship during the course of the story, but by the end of the book, the characters should find happiness. In my humble opinion, a book that doesn’t have a HEA ending should be classified as women’s fiction. There are readers who get more enjoyment from what they consider to be more real to life stories. I am not one of them. I have a secret to divulge. I always read the ending of a book first. If I don’t like it, I won’t read the book.

How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I spend as much time as I can. Once in a great while, it’ll be as much as eight or ten hours. On a bad day, I won’t write at all.

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?

My father always used to say “I’ll give you my advice, then you do what you want.” He also taught me to always take responsibility for my own actions. That has helped me be the person I am today.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

Reading, knitting, hunting, fishing and enjoying the wilderness.

Who is your favorite actor? Or favorite all time movie?

That’s a hard one because I haven’t watched movies in years. I like Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. I think they’re both extremely talented. The old movie Easy Rider has always stayed in the back of my mind.

Do you have a website other than www.pamchampagne.net that you would like to share with your readers?

No, sorry.

Thank you so much for sharing time with us today, Pam. Anyone interested in reading more about Pam and her enjoyable books, please visit her website to read more about her excellent works. It has been a delight Pam, and I wish you the best with your writing.

Thanks, Linda. Great interview. I loved your questions.

Interviewed by: Linda L