Patricia A. Saunders

Patricia A. Saunders was born and raised in Connecticut before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area nearly twenty-five years ago. She received her Master of Management from the University of Phoenix in 2011. After the passing of her mother who had Alzheimer’s, Patricia decided that all the words she’d kept to herself were to be released.

Saunders released her latest book titled There Is Sunshine After The Rain: Making It Through Life’s Struggles (2018), a biography that is infused with poetry. It captivates the reader into the life of the author from growing up in Connecticut and the decisions that shaped her life.  She is a faithful blogger on her own blog, Blessed & Curvy, which covers today’s hot topics at http://www.blessedpoetpat.blogspot.com

Patricia A. Saunders released her first self-published book Through the Fire (March 2012) that covered situations, circumstances, and life lessons that have influenced her over her lifetime.

On a mission to complete a book a year, she released her second book Loving Me (2013) and third Let It Rain (2014) which is also self-published and covers various topics from love, grief, self-image, self-esteem, bullying, and discovery of self-love.

Her fourth book (2016) This Too Shall Pass is a reader’s choice;  readers frequently give it a five-star rating.

Explore books by Patricia A. Saunders: https://www.amazon.com/author/patriciaasaunders

 

 

BPM: What made you want to become a writer?
As a kid I was always writing poetry to express myself and stopped. Once my mother passed from Alzheimer’s, I thought about what my legacy would be if I inherited the disease. How would my words be kept? I started writing and the rest is history. I published my first book in 2012, but I have poems from when I was a child that was printed in newspapers and yearbooks.

 

BPM: How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
I would write for different blogs and submit for different projects to hone my skills. I had to learn by trial and error. Taking webinars to challenge my creativity helped so much. I was always afraid to write nonfiction, but I had a story to share, so I took a leap of faith and here it is.

 

BPM: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
I feel like it’s therapeutic. It helped me through the grieving process.

 

BPM: How has writing and poetry impacted your life?
While writing on various subjects from being molested, raped and doubting my faith, I became free enough to take different styles of poetry and share my stories with the world. My drive to create was enhanced by the different editors who challenged me to use my words to touch someone’s life.

 

BPM: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That someone else has experienced what I went through; men and women reach out to me and let me know they felt each emotion with me.

 

BPM: How do you find or make time to write?
I jot down story ideas on the memo app on my cell phone, so that when I have quiet time I can write. Also, if something impacts me like seeing a shooting on the news I must write about it.

 

BPM: How did you choose the genre you write in?
I was afraid to write nonfiction and I was comfortable with poetry. It came to me like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers.

 

BPM: Have you considered writing in another genre?
I have written a chapter in a book of non-fiction on bullying. So, when a reader suggested that I expand my writing to let the reader know the behind scene it was like God said don’t be afraid. I signed up in November to write 50,000 words and I made an outline. The words came along with the tears.

 

BPM: Tell us about your most recent work, There is Sunshine After the Rain.
There is Sunshine After the Rain  is an autobiography with poetry infused in it. I have chapters titled The Beginning, The Journey, The Test and The Testimony. After each chapter are interludes that have poetry. I feel it is my best work! The readers follow my life, the struggles I experienced and the triumph of making it through life’s struggles.  Yes, it’s available on Nook and Kindle.

 

BPM: What was your hardest scene to write?
Writing about leaving for college and experiencing date rape was traumatizing at first. The bond between my parents to protect me came flooding back to me. I wrote about it and it was like I relived the whole experience. By writing about something that happened over 30 years ago, I shared with readers how it shaped the woman that I am today and the choices I have made about relationships.

 

BPM: Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey.
I also wrote about working in a hostile work environment and how my upbringing was instilled in me that you never quit. The stress of the job was making me sick. I had to seek help to know it was okay to walk away and that God and my family had my back.

 

BPM: Is there a specific place/space that you find inspiration in?
I love being by the water. Looking at the wonders of God inspires me to pick up my journal and let the words flow. I also write majority of my books at my kitchen table with soft music playing, candles burnings and a nice glass of wine.

 

BPM: Are there certain themes or ideas you’d love to work with?
I find that majority of my books are about overcoming challenges and the victory found in remembering faith will bring you through.

 

BPM: Does writing energize you?
Writing gives me an inner peace. I find that when I write and go through some hard circumstances that I am faced with that I must remember that God is always there.

 

BPM: Do you believe in writer’s block?
Oh yes! I had it last year I couldn’t finish the book. I booked a flight back to Connecticut and it was the first time in ten years that I wanted to visit my mother’s grave. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, but the people who stepped into my life at that time to encourage me, love on me, and make me laugh had me finishing the book on the flight back to California.

 

BPM: Do you try to deliver to readers what they want or let the characters guide your writing?
I write and hope that the vision I had when I wrote the book resonates with the reader. When the reviews come in that they got it I am overwhelmed with joy!

 

BPM: Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
I touch on everything. In this last book, I put it all out there.

BPM: Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?
Love. The desire to be loved and not taken advantage of. The fear of dying alone. It’s real not imaginary so it’s more difficult.

BPM: What projects are you working on at the present?
Right now, I am promoting my latest book. Writing titles of poems that I want to write about. I haven’t put the sixth book in the works yet, but the year isn’t over.

 

BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Website: http://www.patriciaAsaunders.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blessedpoetpat
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/blessedpoetpat
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/blessedpoetpat
Blog: http://www.blessedpoetpat.blogspot.com

 

Purchase There Is Sunshine After The Rain: Making It Through Life’s Struggle by Patricia A. Saunders
https://www.amazon.com/There-Sunshine-After-Rain-Struggles-ebook/dp/B078J836Q3

 

 

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