BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Exit Signs

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Patrice Locke to talk about Exit Signs (28 September 2016, Soul Mate Publishing, 304 pages), a Romantic Comedy.

"If you're looking for a fresh voice in fiction, look no further." ~ ChattyKathy, Amazon reviewer

"quirky, entertaining, and simply fun to read." "If you're not into romantic comedy novels, this one just might change your mind." ~ AvidReader

"Plant yourself in a comfortable chair with your favorite beverage and be transported to Albuquerque, New Mexico." "Exit Signs is a wonderful story with a few surprises. You will not be disappointed." ~ Karen G, Amazon reviewer

|| Synopsis || Trailer || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Patrice Locke; a very happy Christmas and thank you for joining us!

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Exit Signs, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"Yes, I do. I’m obsessed with music and I love to create soundtracks for my work. Below is my song list for Exit Signs."

I have added one item to the end of the playlist: a performance of the Beatles on the Morecambe and Wise show in 1963; it seemed too good to miss ;-)

What was the inspiration for Exit Signs?

"I usually start with some kind of an impossible situation and then challenge myself to figure a way out of it. For “Exit Signs” I saw a couple facing an insurmountable betrayal. Then I tried to resolve it while making the whole process amusing. That was the challenge and nobody was more surprised than I was to find that I met it and enjoyed every minute of it."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Tracy, the main character isn’t me, but she has some of my foibles. She gets obsessed with things and that is me. She has a writing background (I have a B.A. in journalism), and she is fascinated by Romania. But I gave her Romanian heritage to explain her interest. In my case, I just latched onto the culture because I started listening to Romanian pop music and I wanted to know what they were singing about."

Why should we read Exit Signs and what sets it apart from the rest?

"Tracy is a unique narrator. She’s so brutally honest that she frequently hurts her own feelings, and she's so determined that her misguided opinions are rooted in logic that she can’t see that she’s suffering from tunnel vision. Also, she’s funny and she loves the Beatles."

Can you tell us something quirky about Exit Signs, its story and characters?

"Quirky is probably the middle name of this story. Should have been titled “Exit Quirky Signs.”

Tracy Price, the main character, specializes in bizarre food combinations. That came from thin air. My editor asked what Tracy likes to eat and, it turned out, Tracy is an unrecognized genius at creating snacks. Her favorite? Rattlesnake meat wrapped in cotton candy. This was a relatively late addition to the story and it’s one of the most-mentioned topics by readers.

The main characters’ last names are blatantly stolen from Jane Austen. Tracy Price, the narrator of “Exit Signs” could be the long, long, lost multi-great granddaughter of Fanny Price, the fairly innocuous lead character of “Mansfield Park.” And Jesse Elliot has some of the inflated ego of Sir Walter Elliot in “Persuasion,” my favorite Austen story. I didn’t have the guts to steal Darcy’s name. It’s sacred to me, and so is Jane Austen."

Who would you recommend Exit Signs to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"The sex scenes (two) are so mild that my daughter couldn’t believe I struggled to write them.

In terms of language, I think there is one curse word, repeated twice throughout.

I think people who like Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Rachel Gibson would enjoy “Exit Signs.”"

If you could / wished to turn Exit Signs into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Martin Scorsese should direct because as far as I know he’s never done a romantic comedy and I’d love to see “Exit Signs” gangster version. Maybe not.

Actually, he did direct one romance... an adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, in 1993. Could be interesting... here's the trailer to give you an idea ;-)

The setting has to be Albuquerque so everyone can appreciate the gorgeous backdrop that is almost a character in the story.

For Tracy, I see Rooney Mara, Dakota Johnson, or Jennifer Lawrence tearing it up. As for Jesse, I get very possessive because, like Tracy, I love him. The problem is that most of the current actors are too ‘pretty.’ Jesse has to be dark, tall and a bit rugged looking. And he needs sexy dark eyes that are always kind of at half-mast. The best I can do for casting him is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He’s kind of sizzling, hot and a little threatening."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I love to write romance, but it has to have humor. Maybe it doesn’t have to, but it always ends up having humor. I mostly write realistic fiction, but I did write a fantasy story about two celestial sisters named Fate and Destiny who have to come to earth to correct an error they made in a human love story. I loved writing it, but the story just didn’t come together in the end.

I love to read memoirs, 19th Century novels, trailblazing women writers like Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and of course, Jane Austen. I also love to read about eras, such as the 1920s and 30s, both American and British settings. And I will read anything about the city of London or about Scotland. I like books about social history, whether it is manor houses in early 20th Century England, Speakeasies in Detroit, or the Great Depression in the Dust Bowl."

What is your writing process?

"Oh, if only I had one. It’s a mystery to me. My stories grow organically, usually starting with some kind of vivid scene that flashes into my head. For “Exit Signs” that scene was a re-creation of something I witnessed from afar in the Denver Airport. Just a couple conversing intensely. I imagined what they were saying, how they arrived at their current situation, and what would happen next. That was the first scene I wrote and everything else either led up to or resulted from that."

What is in store next?

"I kind of wish “Exit Signs” were part of a series because I really fell in love with those characters. But they have ridden off into the sunset and they’re not speaking to me anymore. Hope it wasn’t something I said, or wrote.

My new manuscript is called “Ghostsitter” and the main character is a bit of a scoundrel who is trying to reform and recover from her cheating ways. She may have a good heart, but there’s lots of dirt to dig through before she finds it and finds romance. I can’t help wanting everyone to have a happy ending, even if they have to work hard to eventually deserve it."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"It’s my purple pen, a gift from a group of dear friends when I signed the contract to publish “Exit Signs.” Also, it reminds me of my closest friend who died unexpectedly and always dressed and wrote in purple."