Author Interview with Pam Champagne

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Pam Champagne, author of Dead Heat, Missing in Action and Ribbon of Rain, sat down with Euro-Reviews’ Chantay W. in an interview. Read what Pam Champagne had to say about her upcoming projects and the books she has already published. Pam also speaks about what inspired her to write and some of her favorite things.

  1. Where are you from?

I was born in Maine.  For a huge chunk of my life, I lived in other parts of the country.  Ten years ago, I returned to Maine, remarried and have been living here in the woods ever since.

  1. Are you married and do you have any children or pets?

I have a son and a daughter from my first marriage.  My son’s married and has two daughters, so I'm a Nonny.  (Nonny is Italian.  We're not Italian, but my son and his wife were living in Italy when Alyssa was born and Nonny just stuck). My daughter and husband have no children.  My husband and I have two Siamese cats and a four month old black lab, who keeps us jumping. 

  1. What was the worst job you've ever had?

How about the one I have now?  *laughing* I’m a legal secretary and believe me when I tell you that working for a bunch of lawyers is no fun.

  1. Who are your favorite author (s) and why?

I love Stephen King.  The Stand is my all time favorite book.  Stephen's descriptions of people and places bring his stories to life for me in a way that few authors do.  I also like Suzanne Brockmann's books.  She writes in a down-to-earth style that I enjoy.  If I feel like crying, I'll read Catherine Anderson.  Her style tugs at my heartstrings.

  1. What inspired you to become an author?

I've always loved to write.  I've kept journals all my life.  And if I have something important to say, it is easier for me to express myself in a letter than in conversation.  My thoughts and emotions flow on paper.  In my teens, I devoured romance books and by the time I was twenty-five decided I could write one.  Boy was I wrong!!!

  1. What are you reading now?

At the moment, I'm reading absolutely nothing.  I have a pile of books beside my bed, but can't find the time to read any of them.

  1. What is your favorite genre to read?

I lean towards romantic suspense and thrillers. I also enjoy time travel, although not many people write that anymore.  If the story grabs me, the genre isn’t important.

  1. What is your favorite genre to write?

Romantic suspense is my favorite, although I find myself slipping a bit of paranormal into my stories.  I am writing a straight contemporary, but have put it aside for the time being.

  1. What was the first thing you ever wrote (professionally/non-professionally)?

In the late 70's I wrote two books and submitted one of them to Harlequin Presents.  At the time I had no idea what head hopping meant.  Knew nothing about the "show don't tell" rule.  Needless to say, I got a form rejection letter from Harlequin in record time.  I trashed the two manuscripts and didn't write again until about two and a half years ago. 

Second time around, I joined critique groups, took some on-line courses and read a bunch of how to write books.  Within a year, I wrote Ribbon of Rain, followed by Dead Heat and Missing in Action.

  1. When you write, what things do you have to have around you?

I have to have my computer, my notes, my charts, and my research materials.  Music, noise, conversation and the TV all distract me.  Just this morning, I was so engrossed in writing that I didn't pay attention to the puppy, and he chewed a hunk out of a piece of furniture.  I get very engrossed when I write.

  1. How does writing make you feel?

Excited!  I love getting involved in my stories.  It’s almost like directing a movie, but it's very frustrating when the characters don’t do what I have planned for them.

  1. When you wrote Dead Heat, how much research did you do on the subject of race horses?

I've been waiting for someone to ask this question.  The answer is absolutely none.  My first husband and I owned and trained a stable of thoroughbreds.  We raced on most of the East Coast race tracks for several years.  So I had "hands-on" experience with horses and the race track.  I loved that time of my life.  Horses are magnificent animals.

  1. Why did you decide that particular plot for Dead Heat (loved the thing with the anagrams!!)?

Thanks, Chantay.  I wanted suspense and the mob came to mind.  Although, I never had personal knowledge of the mob's presence on the race track, I knew they were there because in New Jersey we got called in front of the Racing Commission.  They wanted to know how we had built up our stable of horses.  Where did our money come from.  We had a hard time convincing them that we'd started with one horse and made enough money to build our stable to ten.  They thought we were backed by the mafia.  As for the anagrams, my mother loves to do word jumbles and anagrams just popped into my head. 

  1. Missing in Action was a wonderful read and quite cleverly written, what inspired you to create this story?

The 60's were turbulent times.  Unlike the apathy that much of society has today, during the Vietnam War, everybody took a stand, either for or against the war.  Several of my classmates died in Vietnam.  I never protested the war, because it would have sent such a bad message to our military fighting for their lives overseas, but my heart broke for the families of those who died or were prisoners of war or missing in action.  I still belong to groups who put pressure on our government to account for every last missing soldier.

  1. Did you base the characters in Missing in Action on any real life people?

During the 70's I wore a POW/MIA bracelet for a missing Air Force pilot.  Several years ago, I found it in a box I had packed away and tried to return it to his parents.  His father was a retired Colonel and his step mother is the head of one of those groups I mentioned above.  They told me their son had never been accounted for, no remains found, and asked me to continue wearing the bracelet.  So this bracelet did inspire me to write the story. 

  1. Where do you see your writing career in the next five to ten years?

I'd like to be able to write and sell enough stories to get rid of the lawyers and stay home to write full time.

  1. What are your next novels about and when will they be out?

This June, I have a story in a Triskelion anthology called Up Close and Personal.  This short novella is a bit racier than I usually write.

I am well into a romantic suspense about a sleepy coastal town in Downeast, Maine.  Readers will be surprised by what goes on in this quiet little fishing village.  There's an excerpt on my website, www.pamchampagne.net.  I have not signed a contract for this yet, so I don't know when it will be published.   

Faded Memories is a contemporary that is about half finished.  My inspiration for this story is Elvis Presley.  I broke my ankle last year and while recovering, I did a lot of internet research on Elvis and read a lot of books about him.  Actually, I became quite fixated.  Anyway, that's where Faded Memories came from.  Even though I'm not working on it right now, it always sits gently in the back of my mind.  One of these days, it'll start giving me a headache and then I'll have to finish it.

I plan to write sequels to Dead Heat and perhaps Ribbon of Rain.  The secondary characters in each of these books deserve their own stories.

Thanks Chantay for all your great questions.

~ End

Interviewer Chantay W. & Euro-Reviews would like to thank Pam Champagne for replying with her interview so promptly. She provided her fans and readers with some great information and knowledge about herself and her upcoming ventures. Thanks Pam!

To read Chantay’s book reviews for Pam Champagne, click the titles below.

Dead Heat | Missing in Action

Euro-Reviews

May 2006 Interview