Writers4Higher: Writers4Higher features author Pat Stanford

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Writers4Higher features author Pat Stanford

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Pat Stanford

Hi, Pat. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

1. Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

While I was born in Philadelphia, my farming family moved to Delray Beach, Florida when I was one, looking for year-round growing seasons. I lived there until a brief stint in the Air Force took me to California.

I graduated Florida State University with a B.S.in Secondary Education, which was never used for its intended purpose. I have been writing poetry for as long as I could hold a pencil, and have poems published in several anthologies. I won second place in the 2004 Seven Hills Contest with my short story, Divorce Sale, and am working on other short stories for publication this year.

Fixing Boo Boo, is my first novel length work, and is a creative non-fiction account of what happens when a brain-injured sibling comes to live with a sister who doesn’t know what that means.

After being introduced to growing roses by my father, I created my own rose garden and frequently photograph them to share in social media. I served as President of the Tallahassee Area Rose Society and am a bronze medal recipient with the national organization, the American Rose Society.

I live in Tallahassee, Florida with my husband and two cats and am currently working on an adventure novel set in Mongolia, as well as ghostwriting a book of non-fiction.

2. Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?

I began the book I am working on now over ten years ago, but got bogged down in research, so I put it in a drawer. After publishing one book, I think I have better tools to complete it. The characters began talking to me again and I hope it will see its own publishing date in the near future.

The things I learned in the research were interesting enough, but the real challenge is making the story I want to tell seem real and the characters living, breathing people you care about. Of course, having a critique group who are unafraid of ripping the story to shreds and having to look at what you are doing a second and third time, also helps!

3. How do you use your talents/time to help others?

With the publishing of Fixing Boo Boo, I begin a whole new chapter of helping people who are not disabled understand what they don’t understand. I have partnered with the Brain Injury Association of Florida and the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association in order to help them in their annual public awareness events and have information at my signing events to help people with questions on disability.

In my role as Tallahassee Writers Association Critique Group Coordinator, I try to find a group for members needing one. This will help them take their writing further than would be possible on their own.

I volunteer at the Goodwood Museum Gardens, propagating new roses for use both on their grounds as well as making roses available to the public. Although lately I have only been chief weed-puller.