Patricia Crisafulli
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli
Author of The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm
A hike through pristine wilderness suddenly enters much darker territory…
The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm opens with the discovery of two people on the beach of a secluded lake—one dead, one dying. Gabriela Domenici runs back up the trail for help and returns to find the bodies are gone. Soon, from suspected poisoning deaths to a nefarious development that threatens to destroy the chasm, Gabriela is caught in a web of danger.
Gabriela becomes enveloped by a community that is both curious and suspicious, including Lucinda Nanz, an herbalist with encyclopedic knowledge of plants for help and harm, and Wendy Haughton, a young woman who desperately wants to sell an old drawing of unknown origin so she can escape her abusive husband. Despite the state police's warnings to stay out of its investigation and her boyfriend Daniel's urging to not get involved, Gabriela cannot stay away from Still Waters Chasm—which puts her on a collision course with yet another murder and people who will stop at nothing to prevent her from getting too close to the truth.
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli
Author I draw inspiration from:
Louise Penny, especially her wonderful novel A Great Reckoning. This novel inspired me to combine local history and historical world events, in a smalltown setting.
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
On the sofa, propped up in bed, even in the bathtub
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'd love to be stuck with my own protagonist Gabriela Domenici of the Ohnita Harbor Mystery series. She is created by me and a bit from me, though our personal stories are very different. Gabriela and I could spend the time plotting out the next few books while we waited. Only drawback: her short temper and mine would flash and clash, and we'd need to be rescued before we finished our conversation.
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When I was seven years old I wrote down the "epic" swirling in my head -- all four sentences of it. I discovered I liked the magic of putting imagination into words ... though there clearly had to be more to this writing thing than a short paragraph in pencil. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be an author--a journey that took me through journalism, nonfiction books, essays, short stories, and finally novels.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback - impressive, weighty and a treasure
Paperback - trusty companion for travel or a long bathtub soak
Audiobook - huge fan because I'm a long-distance runner
Ebook - never took hold for me because I need to get my eyes off a screen
The last book I read:
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - read it, listened to it on audio (3 times). Absolutely mesmerized by this story within a story: a mother's reminisces of her life and the truth she shares (and details she hides) from her adult daughters
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer, from first idea to final edit. My handwriting is abysmal and the messiness of it becomes a distraction. At the keyboard, I feel the flow from my brain to my fingertips to the page. I find that the computer also gives me more freedom to experiment -- put this sentence first, try it last; insert a description, take it out, restore it ... For years, I printed drafts for editing (and still do for page proofs). More recently though the "read aloud" function in Word has become my new best friend.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I recently listened to The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan and was completely taken by her protagonist, Carmen. She's feisty, complains endlessly about her family, is miserable in relationships ... and also brave, creative, and works in a bookshop. I think we could be friends because I'd give Carmen such good advice from my life experience (and she'd ignore me) and then we'd talk books all day. Oh, and her bookshop is in Edinburgh, a city I adore. So perhaps it's the bookshop I want to befriend and Carmen is my way in the door ...
Author Interview - Patricia Crisafulli | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
A professor of creative writing and literature. While pursuing my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing I taught a practicum for adults and loved it. Today, I teach workshops and the occasional class. Being a professor would have been a very good alternate path for me.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 1940s: padded shoulders, belted waists, peplums and pleats. I see the photos of my mother from that era and think, "I could wear those clothes!"
Place I’d most like to travel:
British Isles. No matter how many times we visit, there are so many more sites and small towns to explore. A favorite wandering was in Sterling last January. My husband and I got off the train and started walking up the hill, and soon found ourselves at the gates of an historic castle.
My signature drink:
Chai tea - extra hot, extra spicy
Favorite artist:
While on a trip to Florence a few years ago, my husband I visited the Uffizi Gallery. Amid all the wonders of Renaissance art was DaVinci's Annunciation displayed in a small gallery by itself. The light and shadows, the dimensionality that made us want to touch it (of course, we didn't). Everything about that early masterpiece captivated us. And so, DaVinci went to the top of my list.
Number one on my bucket list:
More wandering! I hike and run every day, but mostly along the same paths and trails. I need more wandering, near and far, to incite my curiosity and my creativity.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I write to inspire and entertain, starting with myself. Whether I'm working on a new novel or composing an essay, inevitably I'm writing about something that I need to learn. For example, in writing an essay about the importance of marketing (a task most authors detest), I discovered a way to make it more palatable for myself: it's all about building a community.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/triciacrisafulli/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-crisafulli-930230/
About Patricia Crisafulli:
Author Interview with Patricia Crisafulli
Patricia Crisafulli is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author. She earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Northwestern University where she received the Distinguished Thesis Award in Creative Writing. In 2019, Patricia was awarded the grand prize for fiction from the TallGrass Writers Guild/Outrider Press, was published in its anthology Loon Magic and Other Night Sounds, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is the founder of www.FaithHopeandFiction.com, a popular e-literary magazine that features original fiction, essays, and poetry.
