Patricia Gligor's Mixed Messages

My guest today is Patricia Gligor. Patrica lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. She enjoys reading mystery/suspense novels, touring and photographing old houses and traveling, especially to the ocean to see lighthouses. She has worked as an administrative assistant, the sole proprietor of a resume writing service and the manager of a sporting goods department for a local retail chain but her passion has always been writing fiction. Mixed Messages is the first novel in her Malone Mystery Series.

Welcome, Patricia, I’m so glad you could drop by. Tell us about your most recent release.

Patricia - Anne, thanks for inviting me to be here today. Here’s the blurb from the back cover of Mixed Messages.

It is estimated there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States at any given time. There’s one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati.

It’s the week of Halloween and Ann Kern struggles with several issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute, he’s the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he’s cold and cruel.

Ann dismisses a psychic’s warning that she is in danger. But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband.

As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge. Will she be the Westwood Strangler’s next victim?

Anne – I’m already shaking, wondering what will happen. What a super blurb! Is there a message in Mixed Messages you want readers to grasp?

Patricia - That’s funny: a message in Mixed Messages, but yes, actually there is. In a word: hope. As we all know, the world we live in can be quite challenging at times and it’s very easy to get discouraged, frustrated and even depressed. The same thing applies to the fictional world in which my characters live. Not only do they have problems and obstacles to overcome, but they frequently find themselves in dangerous, even deadly, situations. Hope gives them (and us) a reason to persevere in even the worst of circumstances.

Anne - How long did your journey from wannabe writer to published author take?

Patricia - That depends on how far back we choose to go. I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was ten years old and saw my byline under the title of a poem I’d written for my Sunday school magazine. The idea for Mixed Messages came to me back in 1995 but I didn’t actually start to write the book until 2002. The reason it took me ten years from chapter one to published novel is that I didn’t make my career as a writer a priority. I let job, family, etc. get in the way of my dream. 

Anne - If you could just snap your fingers and go, where would you visit, return to, or move? Why?

Patrica - Mexico. I love the Latin American language, the culture, the people, the food, the music. In 2006, a friend and I went to Los Cabos on vacation. We stayed in Cabo San Lucas and visited San Jose, taking in all the sights of the two cities. I had so much fun practicing my Spanish when speaking with the locals. One day, we took a bus trip to Todos Santos and I fell in love with the picturesque town. It was the first time in my life that, when I came back from vacation, I felt homesick for the place I’d just left.

Anne – I love it when that happens. It’s a rare gift and says so much about the place you long to be. Are you a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person?

Patricia - I would say I’m a half-full kind of person. I think of myself as an optimistic realist. Having said that, I strive to be optimistic, but I don’t wear rose-colored glasses. In other words, I try to see things as they really are, but I’m always hopeful that everything will work out for the best. I have a deep faith and I draw strength from that.

Anne - What makes you cry? Laugh? Lose your temper?

Patricia - I lost my father last May and I miss him more than words can say. I’m not normally a crier but, when I hear certain songs or other things that remind me that he’s gone, I cry. Also, I get teary eyed when I see the commercials on TV for abused or abandoned animals. In fact, I can’t watch them; I flip the channel.

Laugh? So many things! I find humor all around me every day. I deliberately watch an upbeat, funny sitcom while I eat my dinner because I find it aids digestion a lot more than watching the news!

Me? Lose my temper? Actually, I find that I don’t lose my temper nearly as much as I used to. I think part of the reason is that, as I get older (not that I’m old!), I don’t react as strongly to slights or inconveniences as I once did. I realize that most people are doing about the best they can and, if they say or do something to upset me or make me angry, it’s usually a reflection on their state of mind, not on me. Of course, there are times when I get angry enough to lose my temper. For example, when I’m driving and someone comes close to slamming into my car because they’re talking on their cell phone and not paying attention, I have a few choice words for them!

Anne - Quick. Your five favorites – author, actor, movie, song, quote.

Patricia - Mary Higgins Clark, Harrison Ford, The Godfather, Hotel California by the Eagles, “Live the life you love. Love the life you live.” (Bob Marley)

Anne - Where can readers reach you online?

Patricia - I’m a member on several sites including Face Book, Booktown and She Writes and I have a blog, which I post to weekly. http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

Readers can order a copy of Mixed Messages on my publisher’s website or at Amazon.com. 

Anne – Thank you so much for visiting today, Patricia.

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