Interview with Paul Meredith

What genre do you write and why?

I write in two genres, romance and mystery/thrillers. My romance stories are not just geared to female readers, but also to male readers. I am a man writing romance, which is somewhat rare, so I hope men know I have a different perspective than female romance writers.

I started writing romance a few years ago and gradually started being interested in thrillers when several good ideas started forming in my mind as I wrote. I would often start writing a romance novel and suddenly feel the urge to jump to writing a thriller, so it sort of became a natural thing for me to write in both genres simultaneously.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is a romance novel, My Scottish Connection. I travelled to Scotland a few times for the company I worked for prior to retiring. I was able to see a lot of the small country and I loved what I saw, plus the people treated me so great while I was there. Then later I was in New York on personal business with my wife after her brother suddenly passed away. For whatever reason, I got the idea of writing a love story that spanned our two countries while there. The story is one that deals with a ladies fashion designer, Sylvia Blackwell, and what happened after a New Years Eve party in New York when she was kissed by a stranger. Sylvia was shocked at first, but then she found she started having erotic dreams of the man and eventually fell in love with him, a total stranger who walked away that night without saying a word to her. She thought she might never know who he was.

The man, Peter McNamara, eventually contacted Sylvia and revealed himself to her. After a rocky starting conversation they began dating. After a short time Peter asked Sylvia to accompany him on a trip to Scotland to see his beautiful country and where she would meet his parents. His parents are the principle owners of a large scotch distillery. Sylvia and Peter’s American-born mother hit it off right away, but the Scottish father Ian was a bit more difficult to get to know. Later when a terrible tragedy struck, the mother turned against Sylvia with a vengeance. The way it happened is an integral part of the story I want the reader to uncover.

My Scottish Connection is not just a brilliant love story, but also a story of fashion, business, travel, death, and so much more than one would expect.

The story is full of peaks and valleys of raw emotion. The story ends in a place I want to keep as a surprise, because it will definitely shock and surprise the reader.

What marketing methods are you using to promote your book?

I am not the greatest marketer of my books, simply because I am short on marketing know how, but also because I have certain obligations for my time. I am married and want to make as much of my time as possible for sharing with my wife who suffers from multiple sclerosis. 

What formats is the book available in?

My Scottish Connection is available only as an e-book at the current time. Several others of my books are available as soft covers.

What advice do you have for other writers?

I am not great at giving advice. I only know what works for me. Everybody is different and eventually discover their own methodologies for telling their stories. But if anyone would ask my advice in certain areas, I would be glad to tell them how do what I do.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
My bio and most and other interesting details of my writing are available on my blog at:
            http://dynamiclifestories.blogspot.com/      

Who is you favorite character in your book and why?

My favorite character is Tom Littleton because he is a great guy who gets badly hurt emotionally in the beginning of the story, but then he bounces back to become a hero of sorts. I loved writing his character traits into the story.

Paul Meredith
Why do you think readers are going to enjoy your book?

I believe they will enjoy the story because it is very unpredictable, plus it has so much more emotional content than traditional romance novels have. This is not just a female reader’s book. Men who read it will be greatly surprised at the male content in it. The book has much more than just hugs and kisses. It contains the basic elements of life that we all have to deal with. Men should not pass up the opportunity to read this story.

How long did it take you to write your book?

Since I can only write when I have the opportunity, and because I write two novels simultaneously, it takes me about three to four months to write the two stories. I never suffer from writer’s block.

Who designed the cover?

The cover is by Vila Design.

Where can a reader purchase your book?

Most of my books can be purchased at the following Internet book sites:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00DS736E4
https://www.smashwords.com/dashboard
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Paul-R-Meredith?store=book&keyword=Paul+R.+Meredith
                                                     
How do you research your books?

All of my stories are set in locations where I have either lived or travelled to for business or pleasure. In addition, I search for facts on the Internet or by reading travel books.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

My senior daughter Kris passed away from breast cancer October 27, 2013. Kris was an English professor who urged me to start writing many years ago.

When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?

I love to play golf. I belong to a regular foursome of guys I know from church and we play twice each week at local golf courses. I also love movies and have Netflix on the television a lot of my spare time when I am not writing.

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