Interviews W/ Published Western Authors
A Rope and Wire Interview
With Western Author
Patricia Probert Gott
Rope and Wire would like to thank Patricia Gott for so graciously answering the following questions to this interview. We hope you will enjoy reading about this great western author.
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Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
I was raised in Strong, Maine by parents who didn't know one end of a horse from another--however, my grandfather was a South Dakota cowboy and my grandmother was a "horselady" (before having ten kids). My grandfather taught me how to rope and throw a lariat and I listened to his tales of cowboy yesteryear with focused fascination. Who knew that I'd someday be a writer of western tall tales in novels and short stories!
Horses have always been my passion. I wintered my first pony (Shetland) at age eight, and got an old (and I mean OLD) retired thoroughbred racehorse to ride at age 9. I traded and swapped until I ended up with a young two-year-old Morgan at age 14 that I trained and owned until I graduated from college. As a youth, I could be found riding throughout my county almost every day, and have owned a horse or two (or three) all my life--fifty years later I still trail ride 3-4 times a week. I've ridden English, Western and presently ride in an endurance trail saddle with a hackamore headstall on my Arab(s). I own two, both of whom I've owned and trained since they were yearlingsThus my love and knowledge of horses.
I combined my horse skills with the western way of life when I worked for four summers as a lady wrangler at a dude ranch outside Cody, Wyoming.--Thus my love and knowledge of the west, especially Wyoming/Montana.
Sounds like you've lived quite a diverse and interesting life so far. Your book "Metamorphosis: My Journey of Growth and Change” could be a very interesting read.
I've had a great and interesting life, although, as a single mom from the time my son was three, not an easy one. As with most people, my reaching emotional and spiritual maturity was a long journey.
Maine has been my home state for many years, however I've traveled in 47 States of the U.S and in twelve countries. Of particular interest to western readers and horse lovers, my autobiography contains episodes of the many horse trips I've taken through the US including Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota and Arizona. I have also ridden Internationally in Santa Domingo, a horse trek in Hungary, New South Wales, Australia, Egypt, Tanzania, and a fantastic 10-day horse safari in South Africa.
Has your Grandfather had much influence on your writing?
No, he died 35 years ago.
What about others? Who has had an influence on you and your writing?
I've always written during times of stress to clear my mind and organize my thoughts. I seem to be able to communicate and explain myself better with the written word vs. spoken.
My close friends encourage my writing novels and short stories, no mentors or influential person(s).
Are you an avid reader? What authors tend to inspire you?
I read about one book a week, mostly historic novels. However, I also like Grisham and Tanenbaum’s legal thrillers, David Baldacci’s governmental conspiracy theories, and I like all of Nelson DiVille’s books.
For westerns I read Elmer Kelton and Louis Lamour of course, But I’m especially inspired by all of Richard S. Wheeler’s tales of the west; I even liked his contemporary writing of “Buffalo Commons”.
How much research goes into one of your books?
More than one would think seeing as my earlier books were all based on my own experiences. But being a photographer, I have albums and albums of pictures to review, which are as good, or better, than journals for referencing. In my more recent writing of historic novels and short stories, I still write what I know, including geographic locations, horses and western lore, however I do have to spend much time internet and library searching for specific historical facts… I’m talking a few weeks of research and note taking before I start writing.
I see you have recently had your fifth book published, “Cowgirl Days”. Can you tell us a little about it? I understand it’s a sequel to one of your earlier books, “So You Wanna Be A Cowgirl”. Was this planned as a sequel or did it just seem like a natural progression to “Cowgirl Days”?
"So You Wanna be a Cowgirl" is a memoir of my adventures as a lady wrangler in Wyoming for four summers. "Cowgirl Days" is a fictional story about a lady wrangler training horses (including wild mustangs) and endurance racing in Montana, and wrangling packtrips into the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone Wilderness areas of Wyoming.
In writing the first story, I left the ending in a manner that would accommodate a sequel…thinking ahead!
There may yet be a third.
My newest book, my sixth, is a 30-page children's illustrated horse book "Horse Tails by Shasta". A precocious horse named Shasta tells his life’s story. His adventures include trying to befriend a porcupine, snowman, kid goat, neighborhood ponies and puppies. His antics of getting loose and wandering his neighborhood unrestrained made him a local legend. Shasta lived to be 30 years old. The story is true.
This is the first of a series of "Horse Tails" books I'm writing...the next, to be published next year, is "Horse Tails by Mookie the Mustang". A mustang born on a wild horse refuge in Wyoming/Montana tells the story of his adventures as a colt, growing into adulthood, and becoming adopted.
Did it take some time before you were picked up by a publisher?
About 6 months, I was anxious to get the book published so I went with a relatively new company, PublishAmerica out of Maryland, who has been in business since 1999.
How has that worked out for you?
Pretty good. PublishAmerica put out a fine product for me and I receive a royalty check every six months. They get my books onto the Internet outlets like Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, make them available to all wholesalers like Ingram and Baker and Taylor, and sell direct to customers from their web site.
However, that being said, I still do most of the marketing and selling because unless you are lucky enough to be picked up by a major, well-established publisher, you or your publicist still have to work hard to sell your product…and I do.
Are you currently writing full time?
Not currently as I've had two books released in 2008 and I've been extremely busy marketing and selling them to bookstores, libraries, and at craft fairs and art festivals where I sell photography as well as my books. I'll write again this winter and spring. I need to finish my anthology of short western stories and get that published as well as write another in the series of children’s horse stories.
It has been really great talking with you Pat. As is my custom with interviews, I'd like to ask you to leave us with a final word of advice for all of the aspiring writers out there who may read this.
Just do it!
Don't procrastinate. Do your homework on basic writing skills (available at any library or adult education classes) and bone up on your English grammar and punctuation so to present yourself and your story as best you can. Then write, write, write.
“They” say you are not a real writer until you’ve written a million wordsso start now.
And by all means, take time to search out and hire a good editor if you self publish or use a publishing service. Your finished product will be well worth the expense.
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Books written by Patricia Probert Gott can be purchased from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and Borders bookstores or from the official Patricia Probert Gott website
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