AN INTERVIEW WITH PAT RITTER
Hi everyone,
This is author ANATH LEE WALES,
Here by at DADYMINDS, I represent you an interview with PAT RITTER, the world's greatest historical fiction writer.
He is going to tell us a little bit about who he really is, and tell us about his profession, his life and how he can to be who he is today.
Please keep reading, this is very important, if you are an author, PAT RITTER will also have time to inspire you to become the best you.
What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it.
‘The Bush Detective’. Book 6 in Outback Australia series. 1907 in Cunnamulla Catherine Smith, wife of Herbert Smith, a hawker residing at Tego Springs near Cunnamulla was murdered. Smith family were on friendly terms with a man named James Brokenborough who stayed with them when he was out of work. Smith noticed a coolness develop between his wife and Brokenborough.
On June 24 1907 at noon, James Brokenborough reported to Herbert Smith he shot Catherine accidently while out pigeon shooting.
Sergeant Gray, Officer-in-charge, Cunnamulla Police Station sought assistance of a detective to investigate the murder.
Tell us something about yourself. (Where are you from, what is your background, how long have you been writing or anything we might find interesting about you.)
I live at Brooloo. A small village near town of Imbil in Mary Valley hinterland. In 1988 I wrote my first book ‘Closing The Gap’. Presently writing book number 27. My background has been policing and alcohol and drug counselling. I love to write, in fact I write daily. For many years I failed to find a genre to suit my writing until I stumbled upon historical/fiction. This genre has been my lifesaver.
How did you know you wanted to be a writer? How did you get started?
Aged fourteen my English Teacher, Mr Imoff after reading a short story I wrote said these profound words to me, ‘you have a gift for writing. You write the way you speak which is unique’. Although at the time I failed to understand the words Mr Imoff spoke until twenty years later when Bob O’Sullivan, a lecturer from college told me exactly these same words. Neither person knew one another. At the time I studied a Management Course. Bob taught me in a subject named ‘Behaviour’. Together we wrote my first book ‘Closing The Gap’.
Are you a pantser or a plotter? (i.e., Do you outline and plan your story or do you just sit down and write?)
With my first few books I did plan the story by writing an outline. After writing a couple of books I found this method difficult. From then on I sit down and write. With my genre I need to do much research because of history.
Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired? How many words or pages do you complete in a typical day?
Yes. I write daily. I write and publish one novel per year. Daily I write between five to six hundred words. For me to complete a novel per year I need to write two chapters per month consisting of twenty-five hundred words. Normally my books contain twenty chapters.
Where do you get information or ideas for your books?
Presently I’m writing book number 7 in ‘Outback Australia’ series. Book 1 of the series ‘The Shearer’ commenced after a strange incident. My grandmother was born in Cunnamulla in 1903. Her father, Joe Ryan was the instigator of ‘The Great Shearers Strike in 1891’ in Cunnamulla. I wrote a short story of my grandmother’s life and posted it onto my website. Part of this story told about my grandmother who at ten years old lost her mother who gave birth to my grandmother’s youngest sister Nellie.
My great grandfather Joe Ryan couldn’t cope after his wife died. He gave his children away to townsfolk in Cunnamulla ‘like a litter of pups’. Nellie, being the baby went with a relative to live in Warwick. My grandmother never saw her sister Nellie again.
I received an e-mail from Janet Pearson who read my grandmother’s story. She told me she had been searching for her family for forty years. Janet was Nellie’s eldest daughter. To confirm our relationship she sent me documentation about the family showing certificates, photographs to be genuine. Ninety-nine years had passed since Nellie was taken by her relatives.
An idea popped into my head to write ‘The Shearer’. A story of Joe Ryan and his involvement in ‘The Great Shearers Strike of 1891’. From ‘The Shearer’ each year I wrote a continuing book in the series to now writing number 7 in the series. I’ve loved writing these books.
Do you read reviews? Or Do you hear from your readers much? What kind of thing do they say?
I used to read reviews. Some good others not so good. Daily I post a page from a book I’ve written on FB in my group ‘Keeping Up With My Writing’. I have over five thousand members. Daily after I post this page members ‘like’ the page and comment. This has been refreshing to do this task daily because I relate with my members daily answering their comments to read they understand my writing plus follow the story.
Like for instance: I don’t explain dress or descriptions in my stories. I want the reader to imagine their own images whilst reading. One reader wrote back to me to explain ‘The Shearer’ wore a checkered shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow. I never wrote any description of how the shearer dressed. This showed me my message of the story was understood by the reader.
What is the best advice you could give other writers or someone who want to become an author about writing or publishing?
NEVER GIVE UP! Toughest job in the world is writing because to become a writer you need to sit at the computer and write. If you don’t write then how can anyone read your work. Many things about writing have changed since I wrote my first book over thirty-two years ago. We didn’t have computers then. Today software used by writers is outstanding.
Publishing has changed. My first book took three years to write after which then to find a publisher to publish your work. A tough road to travel. Now with ebook publishing anyone can do their own publishing as I have done with all of my books.
If I can do it then anyone can.
When did you write your first book and how old where you? (tell us a little bit about your experience).
In 1985 I was Officer-in-charge of Petrie Juvenile Aid Bureau in Queensland Police Service, aged 37 years old. A major issue I discovered in this position ‘teenage children running away from home’. I had no skills on how to combat this problem.
I enrolled at our local TAFE to study Management. This is where I met Bob O’Sullivan, a lecturer who taught a subject ‘Behaviour’. I enrolled in Bob’s class. In those times very few police officers went to college.
Instead of attending college at night Bob wanted his students to attend a ‘Weekend Workshop’. During this period, I discovered ‘communication’; ‘conflict resolution’ plus more exciting terms to learn. Up until this time I never experienced anything like this in my life before this day.
After college during the day I worked afternoon shift at work. A lady telephoned me to speak about her daughter’s behaviour of ‘stealing’ money from home. We spoke for one and a half hours. I shared most of the information I learnt from Bob’s class that day.
Next day I attended Bob’s class afterwards return to work. This same lady telephoned me to tell me she and her daughter resolved their differences. My mind almost burst from my head discovering I found an answer to my problem.
After I shared this news with Bob his reply, ‘we’ll write a book. You write the case studies. I’ll write the theory.’ My first book began. For three years we wrote draft after draft to finally produce ‘Closing The Gap’.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Travel. Read. Relax.
What does your family think of your writing?
In 2003 I lost my wife to cancer. She became my eyes of ears to my writing. After she read a manuscript: if she didn’t lift her eyes from reading, I knew my story would be successful. Sadly, she passed. I now rely on my own self to do what my wife used to do for me. My children love my books even though I have no knowledge if they’ve read them. They each receive my latest book each year as a Christmas present.
What was the most surprising things you learnt from creating your own books?
Readers wanted to read them. I self-publish on two websites: Smashwords and Amazon. Daily I check sales on each site. For the past decade my sales have been constant, at times rising, other times dropping a little. Marketing is the key to selling books.
When sales increase my heart beats faster. When they drop, I try harder. NEVER GIVE UP!
How many books have you written?
Presently writing book number 27.
As a child, what did you want to become when you grew up?
Police Officer. Especially a detective. Which I accomplished.
What is your favorite book and author? How has that book changed you or what did you learn from the book?
Bryce Courtenay – Mathew Flinders Cat. I received this book from a friend to read. Bryce’s words flowed from the pages. After returning the book to my friend I purchased all of Bryce’s book to read. His writing style encouraged me to find my voice. Upon my desk I have displayed in a frame Bryce Courtenay words of wisdom on writing which I read constantly. One important statement Bryce states: Writing a book is never easy – it takes guts, patience and a huge amount of self-discipline to succeed. I agree with this statement.
What does being a successful author look like to you?
Confidence in what they do. Believe in themselves. Share their writing with the world.
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