Ask the Author: Paddy Eger
Answered Questions (12)
Paddy Eger
As a matter of fact we are. How did you know? We have never been that far north and thought it was about time we explored a corner of the largest state.
Paddy Eger
Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons, Non-fic books on Alaska, and idesa gathered fro Indie Press notices.
Paddy Eger
My adoption as a 20-day-old baby. Out of respect for my adoptive family and the fact that records in my state were sealed until 2014, I did not investigate my birth parents. Now I will look around, but it will not become a plot for a book.
Paddy Eger
My favorite fictional character couple is my two young people, Marta and Steve. I invented them for my ballet-themed trilogy (84 Ribbons, When theMusic Stops-Dance On, Letters to Follow- A Dancer's Adventure). The reason I selected them is because I follow them from when they first met until they become a couple. I explored their ups and downs like real couples face, making them as real as possible.
Paddy Eger
In my third book, Letters to Follow- A Dancer's Adventure, I have a glossary of terms in the back. Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets has the stories of many ballets as well as a Glossary of terms. You may also search Google by typing in 'ballet terminology'.
As far as dancer biographies, I suggest you put dancer names into an Amazon search: Misty Copeland , Maria Tallchief, Anna Pavlova, Alicia Markova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Vaslav Nijinsky. Or, you may type in 'famous ballet dancers'.
I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have further questions.
As far as dancer biographies, I suggest you put dancer names into an Amazon search: Misty Copeland , Maria Tallchief, Anna Pavlova, Alicia Markova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Vaslav Nijinsky. Or, you may type in 'famous ballet dancers'.
I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have further questions.
Paddy Eger
Claire, I'm glad you enjoyed 84 Ribbons!
My decision to set it in 1957 was selfish. I made Marta slightly older than myself so I could use some of my life experiences and remembrances as details in the story. I also saw the decades of distance from 2014 as a way to share the things that have changed (boarding houses, phones in alcoves, fashion) as well as the things that remain constant across generations (teen insecurity, dealing with body image, and first loves).
Initially I expected Marta would spend more of her storytime in Bremerton, but she tricked me! Since I grew up in Bremerton during that time period, I'm using those years to jumpstart book two: When the Music Stops. She'll spend the next year, the entire book, in Bremerton.
Paddy
My decision to set it in 1957 was selfish. I made Marta slightly older than myself so I could use some of my life experiences and remembrances as details in the story. I also saw the decades of distance from 2014 as a way to share the things that have changed (boarding houses, phones in alcoves, fashion) as well as the things that remain constant across generations (teen insecurity, dealing with body image, and first loves).
Initially I expected Marta would spend more of her storytime in Bremerton, but she tricked me! Since I grew up in Bremerton during that time period, I'm using those years to jumpstart book two: When the Music Stops. She'll spend the next year, the entire book, in Bremerton.
Paddy
Paddy Eger
BIC. Backside In Chair. I sit down and write. I may change from my saved chapters on my computer to writing long-hand or working on background details or doing research, but I keep writing. Soon the inspiration arrives and I return to my main focus.
Paddy Eger
Writing is a great way to express myself. I no longer dance, but I remember how it made me feel. I remember how the pointe shoes, the costumes and the music affected me; I relive those times through my fiction.
Writing also provides a way to save adventures or travel highlights. My adventure novel, Tasman, arose from my vacation stop at the 1830-1850's prison in Port Arthur, Tasmania. I felt compelled to write about one convict I learned about during a walk through the museum. That story in in edit mode. I'm anxious to share my impressions through that story.
Writing also provides a way to save adventures or travel highlights. My adventure novel, Tasman, arose from my vacation stop at the 1830-1850's prison in Port Arthur, Tasmania. I felt compelled to write about one convict I learned about during a walk through the museum. That story in in edit mode. I'm anxious to share my impressions through that story.
Paddy Eger
BIC. Backside In Chair. You must spend your time writing, working through the messy, out-of-focus or incomplete ideas that jump out of your stories. Just remember to SAVE those messy ideas. You may find a way to explore them and use them in other writing activities.
Paddy Eger
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Paddy Eger
Inspiration begins after perspiration begins. I sit down with my cloud outline, make a movie of the actions I see in my story then I write what I 'see': the setting, the location, the characters who are present, etc.
Paddy Eger
I danced from the time I was 3 until I was 20. I loved the idea of writing about how I envisioned the first year of a professional ballet career might 'look'.
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