Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.
My name is Patti Fiala, but I write as PJ Fiala. It’s not much of a stretch, I know. My husband and I have been married for 36 years and have been blessed. My careers have been varied, from waitressing, to factory work, to hair stylist, to business owner then to paralegal. After many years working in the legal field, I decided to finally sit down and write my first book in 2014. That started my final career – writing/publishing. I’ve written 28 books to date and have more coming. I have story ideas that will outlive me so I just keep writing to get as many of them out of my head as I can. When not writing, my husband and I ride our motorcycles around and visit as many inspiring places as we can. We really do live in a beautiful country.
When you are writing a book, which is harder? The first book in the series or the others after it?
The others after it for me. I normally know how a series will start and end, but fitting all the pieces in the middle can be a challenge.
When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I try to add different tropes to each book in a series, which then changes up the stories. I know if I’m bored writing a story, readers will be bored reading it, so keeping it fresh is not only important, but a necessity.
Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
You need to know this is a long game. Don’t take on all the social media to find readers – you’ll find that all it does is take up valuable writing time. Do do all the things – you’ll find tons of time wasted when you could have finished a book. Basically, pace yourself and put out the best product you can put out. Find a great team to work with you – editors, cover designers, beta readers. Over the long run, those will be the most important people in your career.
On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing?
Likely only a couple of hours. The business part of this business is time consuming. The writing part of this business is draining. So, I start the day with business. If I have a book to format and upload, that gets done first. Otherwise, I can’t focus on my book. I keep thinking, “Gosh I need to get XXX done.” So, I get my business stuff done, then focus for a couple of hours on the writing. It works for me.
Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
I hate to pick, I love them all. They’re like my children. But, I do have one that is special, and she’s that way for a reason. Jax Masters Sager, is a character I hold dear to my heart. She speaks her mind. She’s strong without being bitchy. She’s tough as nails and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. She doesn’t sit in the corner and wait to be saved, she runs in and saves others. She never second guesses herself because she’s confident as hell. She’s special, because I want to be her. Just like her.
If any of your books were to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it? What book and who?
Moving to Love’s Jeremiah Sheppard could be played by Brad Pitt. Think Brad in Legends of the Fall with the long hair and rugged look. Ford: Finding his Fire’s Ford Montgomery would be played by Liev Schreiber as he is in Ray Donovan. Doesn’t small talk, doesn’t suffer fools, and isn’t interested in gossip. Strong and silent. Saving Shelby’s Diego Josephs would be played by Bradley Cooper.
What is your definition of success?
Success for me is completing a book and hearing that readers love it. That doesn’t mean I need only praise, it just means so much goes into creating a new world, characters and situations for readers to enjoy is part of the reason I do it. The other part is that I enjoy it. To have both, is a blessing.
What are your social links?
Website: www.pjfiala.com/
PJ Fiala’s Road Queens: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PJFialasRoadQueens/
Newsletter: http://www.pjfiala.com/ReadersClub
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pj-fiala
Amazon Author Page: www.pjfiala.com/PJFialaAmazon
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pjfiala1
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/pjfiala
Bingebooks: https://bingebooks.com/author/pj-fiala
MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/pjfiala
Gab: https://gab.com/PjFiala
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/pattifiala
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pjfiala/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7866768.P_J_Fiala
What are your buy links?
Amazon Author Page: www.pjfiala.com/PJFialaAmazon
Apple Books: https://www.pjfiala.com/PJFiala-Apple
Kobo: https://www.pjfiala.com/PJFiala-Kobo
Barnes & Noble: https://www.pjfiala.com/PJFiala-B&N
Bingebooks: https://bingebooks.com/author/pj-fiala
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7866768.P_J_Fiala
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