INTERVIEW: Robin Patchen

I’m so happy to welcome Robin Patchen to the Suspense Sisters today! I’ve so enjoyed the books of her Coventry Saga that I’ve been blessed to read! Can’t wait to read them all.

So welcome, Robin, and tell us, what is it about Coventry that makes it so special?

Coventry is a fictional town set near Holderness, New Hampshire, nestled between the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. I chose that location because, when I was considering this series, because my kids and I hiked West Rattlesnake Mountain. The view from the top was gorgeous, and I knew as I gazed out over Squam Lake that I wanted to set a story there. My little town of Coventry is on the fictional Lake Ayasha with a charming downtown area and a growing tourism industry. It’s exactly the kind of place I wish I could visit a few of times a year—in the summer to swim, in the fall to “leaf-peep,” and in the winter to ski. Alas, it’s a heckuva drive from our home in central Texas.

LOL! I’m a Texas gal, too, but I LOVE me some snow and leaf-peeping! And I’m glad I get to “visit” Coventry again. I have fallen in love with that little town. What’s going on in this new book?

I’m so excited about my new release, Wreathed in Disgrace. In the first book in the Coventry Saga, Glimmer in the Darkness, a little girl was kidnapped. Her dad, Reid, wasn’t the hero of that book, but we learned that his ex-wife didn’t come home despite the fact that her daughter was missing. Reid was the hero of the third book of the series, Betrayal of Genius, and in that story we met his ex, Denise, and discovered she was a bigtime movie star. Ever since I wrote that book, I’ve been dying to tell Denise’s story. She’s the heroine of Wreathed in Disgrace, home from Beverly Hills to try to repair her relationship with her now eight-year-old daughter and her ex-husband. Reid believes Denise abandoned him and their baby because she wanted to pursue her acting career, but we learn in this story that there was much, much more to the story. Wreathed in Disgrace is a bodyguard romance mixed with a you can go home again story set against the backdrop of Christmas. Tree-trimming and cookie-making and carol-singing fun—and of course a killer or two on the loose. What more could you want for your holiday season? 

In real life, I could do without the killer or two on the loose, but that just makes it more fun in a book! And I know, from my own reading of your stories, that you write your books with a strong thread of faith throughout. What is your core reason for that?

In a novel, the characters are going through the most challenging events of their fictional lives. If I were those characters, I would naturally lean into my relationship with God. Back when I wasn’t walking with Him, difficult seasons would often remind me that He was there, that He cared, even if I wasn’t quite sure what to do about that. I can’t imagine trying to write a story without pulling God into it. I’m not even sure I could. There’s a verse, Psalm 126:3, that says, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Though I’ve face many heart-wrenching trials, through Christ, I’ve triumphed over them all. My life overflows with joy because of the great things He’s done, and I want my characters’ lives to overflow as well. I want my little stories to reflect His great truth.

I’m with you on that. So why did you choose mystery/suspense as your genre for sharing that?

I once heard a writing coach say that we all gravitate toward certain kinds of stories. Some people see a car parked outside a gas station late at night and imagine a romance (the hero wants to drive the heroine home). Others might see a woman hurrying to the bedside of an ailing family member—classic woman’s fiction. Me, I see a robbery in progress. Briefcase left on a park bench? Obviously, it’s got a bomb inside. Woman turns up unexpectedly with an infant? Obviously, she’s running for an abusive ex. That’s just how my brain works. I don't know what that says about me as a human being, but hopefully it makes my stories good.  

Oh my gosh, we think alike! I’m always telling commenting, wouldn’t that be a great place to hide a body? LOL! Creepy thought, unless you’re a suspense and mystery writer, right? So What’s on your “bucket list” for your writing?

Oh, this is a hard one. I guess I’d say I’d love to have a book hit the New York Times bestseller list. But since I have little control over that, I’m not sure it’s so much a “bucket list” item as a dream.

Oh, but it’s a good dream. How long have you been writing, and how did your career begin?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I majored in journalism in college and then worked in marketing and PR, writing press releases and ad copy. It wasn’t until I turned forty that I tried my hand at fiction. Once I did, I never looked back. Even though that first book was dreadful, I knew as I wrote it that I’d discovered what I was born to do.

I would agree with that, as well. I’ve sure enjoyed your writing, but let’s switch gears a bit to life in general. I don’t know about you, but for me, this summer has been one unexpected “interruption” after another – most of them fun or exciting. What’s exciting that’s happening or has recently happened in your life/family?

In the fall of 2020, my son Nick called to tell us he’d met a girl. It’d been years since he’d mentioned dating anybody, and I had a very strong suspicion that this girl was going to matter in his life. My husband and I flew to Hawaii the following April to visit him—and meet Savannah—and fell instantly in love with her. A good thing because he married her in November. They still live in Hawaii, but they visited last month. She’s a delightful woman who loves the Lord with her whole heart, and loves my son so well. I couldn’t be happier about having a new daughter in my life.

Yayayayay! That is so fun! And what a great place to get to visit family! Speaking of family or friends, how do you spend your Friday nights, or just free time in general?

Ha. Friday nights usually find us sprawled out on the couch watching TV after a long week of work. But on Saturday nights, Eddie and I usually go out to dinner together. When the temperature isn’t stifling (meaning, for about six weeks every year), we’ll go somewhere outside and enjoy the fresh air. But most Saturdays find us in climate-controlled dining rooms. I have stacks of questions to get us chatting about things besides work and the kids. After twenty-nine years of marriage, it’s fun to hear answers we wouldn’t have predicted or stories we’ve never shared.

I love that idea of having a stack of questions! Brilliant. And I feel you with the heat. This was a rough season, and I’m so glad we’ve reached the end of it. It’s downright chilly tonight up here in North Texas. Yea! What’s your favorite thing about autumn? What is your favorite thing to do during this season?

Fall is my favorite season.

Ooo! Mine, too!

When I still lived in New Hampshire, I would answer this question with the obvious—I love to see the changing leaves. It’s so gorgeous up there this time of year, I can just stare at the trees in wonder and feel the presence of God. And…Texas is fine too. Here in Austin, my favorite thing is seeing temperatures dip at nights into the fifties and sixties. (I think my life is pretty boring. But I’ve had enough excitement in the previous few years to revel in the predictable for a while.)

Hahahahaha! I wouldn’t consider Austin boring by any means, but it does tend to have rather predictable temperatures. Let’s wrap up with some quick answers. Which do you prefer?

·         Beaches or Mountains?

o   Mountains, hands down!

·         Summer or Winter?

o   Winter. Give me a crackling fire and a cup of cocoa any day of the week. Bonus points if I an enjoy those things after a long day on the slopes!

·         Dogs or Cats?

o   Cats. I like low-maintenance pets.·

Sports or Movies?

o    Movies, though there’s nothing like a good golf tournament. I mean, for napping, that is.

·         Sweet or Salty snacks?

o   Um…yes, please?

Oh, you are fun! Thanks for joining us today!

 

Readers, Robin is donating one free paperback copy of Lineage of Corruption, book 7 of the Coventry Saga – and I LOVED it! Please share your favorite thing about autumn in the comments and be sure to include your email address to be entered in this giveaway! And feel free to send Robin a note or ask her questions! I’ll make sure she gets them.