I am thrilled to be hosting Robin Patchen today for coffee with Paula Marie! She is a new to me author, and I was wowed by her Beauty series! Thank you for joining us today, Robin!

PM: If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be, and why?

RP: Besides Jesus, the obvious answer… Hmm, right at this moment, I think it would be wonderful to have dinner with Queen Victoria. Then, I could meet a famous historical figure and enjoy a royal meal in an amazing place.

PM: If you couldn’t be a writer, what career path do you think you’d choose to be on?

RP: I always thought it would be fun to be a college professor. I love to teach, but I don’t think I’d enjoy the “classroom management” aspect of teaching children—nor do I think I’d be very good at it. I’m not the best disciplinarian.

PM: Do you write stories more from your own experiences, or do you spend a lot time doing research on the type of characters your creating?

RP: I know authors who’ll spend a lot of time figuring out their characters’ Myers-Briggs personalities and Enneagram scores. Not me. My characters evolve as I write. I’m not a huge fan of research, so I try to write stories that require as little as possible. For instance, for the story I’m writing right now, I was going to have the heroine living in a halfway house (a bridge between prison and freedom), but since I know nothing about halfway houses, I changed it and have her living in a sober living house. Having walked with a loved one through addiction, I have some experience with those.

PM: I see you have a love of traveling, can you tell us a few of the favorite places you have had the pleasure of visiting?

RP: Traveling—my favorite subject. I haven’t done as much as I’d like to have. I’ve been to Europe, Canada, Mexico, a few places in Central America, and many parts of the US. I’ve found something I loved about everywhere I’ve visited. As to favorites, my husband and I went to Paris for our twentieth anniversary. It’s my favorite city in the world. It’s weird that a place where I don’t speak the language could feel so much like home.

A few years back I went to Mt. Hermon, a writers conference near San Jose, California. I loved those giant redwoods. It was as if my soul had found its home.

Another favorite I discovered when I was in high school. Our family went to Switzerland one year to ski, then Austria another year. Both were absolutely gorgeous. I’d love to see them in the summertime—or go back skiing again. The mountains were magnificent.

PM: Do you have any family pets that currently own you?

RP: Dixie is an eleven-year-old light-haired 40-pound mutt. We don’t know exactly what breeds she comes from, but she has a face like a German shepherd and the bull legs of a pit bull. She’s beautiful and sweet as can be.

In contrast to Dixie, we have a fifteen-year-old cat that’ll let you pet him if he’s in a good mood and attack you if he’s not. Everybody, including the dog that outweighs him by 30 pounds, is mildly afraid of Tiger.

PM: Tell us what you enjoy doing the most when you are not writing or reading?

RP: Traveling is my favorite pastime. I also love hiking and skiing. I don’t get to do any of them as much as I would like.

PM: I see on your website you do speaking engagements – I am terrified to speak in front of people, how do that? LOL, I find it amazing!

RP: I love speaking and teaching! When I was a kid, like most kids, I was afraid of it. I worried people were judging me and finding me lacking. But as I’ve grown more mature and more confident in my faith, I’ve gotten past a lot of those fears. The Lord has blessed me with a gift for public speaking and given me the courage to pursue it. Now, I truly love being able to share the lessons I’ve learned about life and writing. God’s given me a true passion for it.

PM: What was the last movie you went to see/favorite movie/favorite song?

RP: Last movie I went to see… This is really sad, but it’s been so long, I don’t remember. Apparently, it wasn’t very memorable. Favorite movie? Depends on the genre. Romantic comedy, When Harry Met Sally. Suspense, I loved The Fugitive. Favorite song… Right now, Defender by Francesca Battistelli.

PM: How can readers keep up with you and your new releases?

RP: Join my newsletter list! And when you do, you’ll get a free copy of Beauty in Flight, book 1 in a three-book serial story. Visit my website at http://robinpatchen.com or click here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/e3pxzvsrz6

PM: Finally, coffee or tea? Cream, sugar?

RP: I start my day with coffee. Often, in the midafternoon when I’m starting to fade and need a caffeine boost, I’ll have a cup of tea. I drink both with sweetener.

Robin’s first book in the Beauty series is free on Amazon! Get yours here:

About Beauty in Flight:

Her beauty once opened doors, but the felony conviction slams them shut.

Harper Cloud used to love the gilded glamour of Las Vegas, but on the far side of prison, she sees the cracks in the veneer. These days, she keeps her head down and focuses on the elderly patients in her care. Even her new wealthy east-coast boyfriend, Derrick, can’t entice her away. She’s trusted men before, and look where that got her.

She tries to brush off the feeling that she’s being watched. But when she’s followed home one night and her pursuer gets within a hair’s breadth of grabbing her, she knows it’s time to get away from Las Vegas.

Maybe Derrick can be trusted. Maybe his job offer—to care for his aging grandfather in Maryland—will be the second chance she needs.

But Derrick has secrets of his own, secrets that could take him down–and take Harper with him.

Can there be a second chance for someone like her?

About Robin Patchen

Aside from her family and her Savior, Robin Patchen has two loves—writing and traveling. If she could combine them, she’d spend a lot of time sitting in front of her laptop at sidewalk cafes and ski lodges and beachside burger joints. She’d visit every place in the entire world—twice, if possible—and craft stories and tell people about her Savior. Alas, time is too short and money is too scarce for Robin to traipse all over the globe, even if her husband and kids wanted to go with her. So she stays in Oklahoma, shares the Good News when she can, and writes to illustrate the unending grace of God through the power and magic of story.