Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Patti Callahan Henry gives off a great vibe...plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

**Giveaway is now closed**

At the end of a workshop I attended in mid-February, we were asked to write down on an index card three words that described the energy that each person in our group gave off.

When I look at a picture of Patti Callahan Henry, I pick up a strong vibe from her.  If I had to pick three words to describe her just by looking at her picture, I'd pick - relaxed, laid back, confident. (Yes, I picked up all that from a picture!)

The daughter of an Irish minister, Patti grew up in Philadelphia and moved south when she was 12 years old.  Though she dreamed of becoming a novelist, she took a more "realistic" path and got her degree in nursing from Auburn University and a Master's degree in Child Health from Georgia State University.  After having her third child, she finally decided to put down on paper the stories that had been in her head. Fast forward to the present, and she's now celebrating the publication of her NINTH novel, And Then I Found You (reviewed here).

Today, we welcome Patti to Chick Lit Central where she tells us more about her experiences with writing and give us a greater insight to what makes her....her.

Thanks to Wunderkind PR, we have a copy of Patti's newest novel, And Then I Found You for a lucky reader located in the US!

You can visit Patti at her website, Facebook and Twitter. You can also purchase (for 99 cents) Friend Request, the short, non-fiction story that inspired And Then I Found You.


Name the top three life experiences that have had a great influence on your writing:
This is a great question as I’ve never once thought about it, and it seems important to know about myself! I think the first thing that happened is that I grew up in a house where books were everywhere: on shelves, at bedsides, on the floor and the coffee table. My dad is a preacher and he was an avid reader with a large library. I think I read The Screwtape Letters before I was into double-digit age. The second thing that happened is that when I was twelve years old, we moved from Pennsylvania to South Florida. Can you say culture shock? I disappeared into novels, books, libraries and letters. I joined the Latin Club and became enthralled with mythology and story. And the third significant thing that happened was that after I had three kids, my then five-year-old daughter told me she wanted to write a book. Her very wish reminded me of my own and I took off on a brand new journey I’d always meant to do.

Which of your novels would you most like to see turned into a movie?
It’s a tie between Losing the Moon (because I love Nick Lowry and want to see him come alive on screen) and this new book, And Then I Found You. This new novel was inspired by a true story and I think that it would translate beautifully to the screen!

What does writing do for you that no other art form or profession could do?
Writing is possibly the only thing I can do and not think about doing anything else. Writing is the one thing I do that takes me to the places I can’t go any other time. Mostly I don’t even know exactly what I think or believe until I write it down.

At what point did you realize that you could turn writing into a full-time career?
When I acquired my agent, Kim Whalen, I knew that writing would be a career. I didn’t of course know the ups and downs, the ins and outs, the wonder and agony, but I did know that it was a career.

Dancing With The Stars calls to see if you'd like to be on their upcoming season, do you participate or not?
I want to say “yes” because I want to say “yes” to every adventure in life, but I’d hesitate for sure. I’m a terrible dancer, an uncoordinated bookworm and I have stage fright. I’m agonizingly self-conscious and I think it would be torture for me. And yet – I’d say “yes” for the adventure of it all.

Do you believe in miracles? If so, tell us about the greatest miracle you've experienced in your life.
I completely believe in miracles, the unseen and the synchronicities in life that make it magical. If I chose a miracle, it would be the morning that my then ten-month-old son was standing behind the tire of a minivan driven by a woman picking up my daughter for carpool. She ran over him and the tire miraculously ran over the exact right area of his hip so as not to crush his stomach or his legs, but his flexible hips. It was the scariest moment of my life. The ER didn’t believe he’d been “run over” until they saw the tire marks.

What words would others use to describe you?
This is incredibly difficult to answer. I want to choose all the lovely things one would say about another and yet how would I know? I just turned and asked my fourteen-year-old son and he rolled his eyes without an answer. So I texted my twenty year old daughter and asked her. She said “Electric” and “Wordy”, which I love, although I’m not sure exactly what she means. She then added “funny and all things good”, which I’ll take. But friends would probably say energetic or fun. I’d like to think I’m thoughtful and kind, but you’d have to ask them!

What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear would involve something terrible happening to my children, something that couldn’t be undone. I try very hard not to think about it….

A huge thanks for Patti for such a fantastic interview and to Wunderkind PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win And Then I Found You:
Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your Facebook page or blog if  you can receive messages there.) 

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Do you believe in miracles, and why?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

5. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.


US only. Giveaway ends April 15th at midnight EST.

32 comments:

Book Mama said...

Such a wonderful interview!!!

I most definitely believe in miracles because there are some things in life that can't be explained.

I follow this blog ... it's my favorite

I posted this contest to my FB

I'm a member of CLC on FB

I follow CLC on Pinterest


mengel2@nycap.rr.com

Jackie Bouchard said...

1. I believe in miracles because I love stories where the truth is better/stranger than fiction
2. I follow the blog
4. I'm a member of the Fbk group
5. I follow on Twitter.

jackiebouchard AT hotmail DOT com

pascale said...

I follow blog and am a member on face book.
pascale.poitras@verizon.net

Miracles..... dont believe in them really but I am still always HOPEFUL

BCT said...

bridgett_gx@yahoo.com

I want to believe in miracles, but sometimes it's hard when they don't come when you most need them. But then they happen when you least expect them. :)

Member on FB.

Sara said...

coversaralea@yahoo.com

I do believe in miracles, 100%

Linda Kish said...

I don't believe in miracles because I've never seen any occur.

I am a GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Nova said...

Love this interview.
sparkle40175(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow this blog by email.
I am a follower of CLC blog by GFC.
I am a follower of CLC on facebook.
I am a follower of CLC on pinterest.
I do believe in miracles :)

Bonnie K. said...

I've read about miracles. So, yes, at times I would believe it. I would say I've experienced miracles when I've been hit by a car twice in my life. I was told that someone was watching out for me. :)

bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

I follow the blog.

I shared on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bonnie.karoly/activity/10151371376850233 and twitter:https://twitter.com/grobiemum/status/321699062460071936

I'm a member of Chick Lit Central.

I follow on twitter. @grobiemum

Unknown said...

Ooh, I would like to read this one!

opesopinioins@gmail.com

Kritters Ramblings said...

Yes, I believe in miracles, but everyone needs a little hope.

i follow via gfc
i am a fan on facebook
i follow via twitter

kdurham2@gmail.com

Jeannine B. Everett said...

I follow the blog, the FB page and the twitter feed. I believe in miracles, but I don't believe we can ask for them. I think small ones happen every day, but we don't always pay attention enough to notice.

mobyjoecafe(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Yes, I do believe in miracles. I have had a couple of incidents were I was left wondering...very thankful.

I follow your blog.

I follow on twitter.

Mary Jo Burke said...

I believe in miracles!

maryjo(at)maryjoburke(dot)com

EFC Chrissy said...

Sounds like a great book. I loved her answers, too. I could not imagine what she went through with her son! And I'm with her about trying not to think of something bad happening to my kids.

Do I believe in miracles? Absolutely! Why? I just do. And my three kids prove that daily.

I follow the blog in all possible ways! You rock!!

everyfreechance@gmail.com

Read Baby Read said...

Everyone has been telling me this is a must-read, so of course I'm overjoyed you all are doing a giveaway. I believe in miracles, I truly do. I cannot believe what happened to Patti's son (terrifying), but a friend's husband had a massive tumor and stage 4 cancer. He believed it was mostly mental whether he chose to live or die. The doctors gave him 6 months. No lie, they did a scan, and he had no tumor. It was completely gone. Miracle? Yes! How else do you explain that?

I follow CLC ON Twitter @lilmommareader
I follow CLC ON FB, and shared this post with all my people. :)
Mellsimons@gmail.com
www.lilmommareader.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I believe in miracles.

melinda.garza15@yahoo.com

TinaB said...

Yes, I believe in miracles!!!!!
I follow u on fb and pinterest.
Brannanflooring@aol.com

JROSEN60 said...

jrosen60@gmail.com

karenk said...

I believe in miracles!

thanks for the chance to read this heartwarming story

i'm a follower, too

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Rita Wray said...

I do believe in miracles, I have a lot of faith.

email follower

Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

Hailey Fish said...

I absolutely do believe in miracles.

I follow CLC.

fishiegirl22@yahoo.com

bn100 said...

Yes, because some things happen for no reason

I follow the blog

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Jilleen said...

First - great interview and I would love to read this book. Yes I believe in miracles, I have witness too many in my life to believe to believe otherwise.

I am a follower via
Email
FB
Twitter
Pinterest

Thanks so much
Jill at Seaside Book Nook
seasidebooknook at yahoo

Maureen said...

After having my children I do believe in miracles.
I follow on GFC
I follow on twitter and pinterest.
tweet:
https://twitter.com/MaureenCE/status/322461271486242817
mce1011 AT aol DOT com

Jaime @ Twisting the Lens said...

I believe in miracles in the sense that not everything can be explained, and the mystery is part of what makes them so memorable and intriguing.

I follow by e-mail & GFC.
I am a member of the FB group.
I follow Pinterest.

twistingthelens@gmail.com

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I believe in miracles! I think all miracles is, is faith.
I follow thru GFC, Twitte and FB!

Missamberljohnson at gmail dot com

DD said...

I believe in miracles. It explains the unexplainable for me.

dawndennis66611 at yahoo dot com

Tiffany Drew said...

I don't, but I wish I could!

GFC follower Tiffany Drew

Facebook member Tiffany Drew

Twitter follower @enterthedrew

Pinterest follower Tiffany Drew

Tweet: https://twitter.com/enterthedrew/status/324202644396724224

jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

I definitely do believe, otherwise how would something be explained?

I am a GFC follower.

Posted to Twitter.

Belong to the Facebook group.

Follow on Twitter @susanthebookbag

suzebomb(at)gmail.com

Thanks so much!!

Jeryl M. said...

I believe in miracles. They happen all the time. Just not to me.

I am a follower.

I am a Facebook fan.

I am a twitter follower and a pinterest follower.

jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

Just a Girl In the World said...

Thanks to Random.org we have a winner!

Congratulations to:

1 - Marlene Engel

You will receive an e-mail soon regarding how to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Book Mama said...

Woooohooooo!!! I'm so excited to have won!!! Thank you!!!