Author Visit: Donna Alice Patton

The Book

First off, I will take (a little) credit for helping Donna get her first book in the Rancho Cameron Adventures series for middle-grade readers (I enjoyed it, and I’m an adult). She’s had this book “in the oven” for too many years to count. I finally said, “Let’s get this book out there for kids to read!” It’s just an all-around fun story, set on a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierras. Sound familiar? LOL Anyway, I created this cover for Donna. This is book one. Read on for my interview. Then don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win the book and the plush horse!

Oh, wait. You can buy the book too, on Amazon in print ($10.99) or Kindle ($2.99) editions. PRINT ➡️ KINDLE ➡️

The Background

Before Ms. Patton answers my interview questions, let me take you on a journey back to 2011. The Circle C Adventures novels had been out for six years. I was working on my computer when I got an email from a stranger–Donna Patton. This didn’t bother me, as fans often emailed, so I opened it. Come to find out, this lady was just about my age (a little younger), and loved to write fan fiction for The Big Valley TV series from the 60s. O…K… So what? Well, a friend of hers had just read Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home and told Donna, “You have to read this book. It’s just like The Big Valley.”

At this point, I felt a little sweaty and uncomfortable. I was not as open about where I got my Circle C ideas way back then as I am now. Where was this stranger going with this information she was sharing? What did she want? Long story short. Donna had read Long Ride Home, loved it, and decided to reach out to me and ask the million-dollar question. Did the origins of my series have anything to do with that old TV series? The answer: Yes, it did. And then I started laughing so hard that I called my daughter-in-law into my little office to share the joke. We both had a good laugh.

When I replied, I confessed all, and she confessed that she also wrote Big Valley fan fiction with younger characters in the storylines. She told me that all Big Valley fan fiction writers (the ones that post on fan fiction sites, which I never did) longed to “make it into the publishing world” for real, and I was one of those lucky ones who had made it. Well, I pointed out, I did not “make it” with the fan fiction. I had to change everything so much that it really wasn’t fan fiction any longer. Then I realized that if Donna, clear on the other side of the country, could figure out the behind-the-scenes “BV” stuff in my books, then well, yeah, I guess she’s right!

Jenny Cameron’s Cattle Rustling Catastrophe started out as Big Valley fan fiction years and years ago, just like mine. She too has changed many things and turned the story into her own creation. I applaud her for this. I love her writing and her creativity. And I’m so happy she is finally getting it published.

We became “best internet friends” after that initial email, calling ourselves “SSS” (secret sister Susan) and “SSD” (secret sister Donna). Then I was blessed a few years later to be able to meet Donna in person and have lunch with her during the time when we were in Cincinnati at the Great Homeschool Convention. Every time we traveled there, Donna and I would get together. I learned other things that nearly blew me away. Our imaginations and love for fan fiction is so close! Come to find out, she also loves Star Trek (original series) and wrote Star Trek fan fiction. Yikes! So did I! Not only did she have the same scenario–Captain Kirk’s young daughter ends up on the Enterprise due to a traumatic experience where she has no other place to go–but she even named her young character the same name I used: Jamie. Unbelievable! So, we have had great fun exchanging our Star Trek fan fiction back and forth.

Donna is–as Anne Shirley would say–a truly “kindred spirit.” And that is why I’m excited to share this book with you. Now, a little more about Donna, this time in her own words.

The Interview

Enjoy this short interview with Donna Alice Patton. Read an excerpt of Jenny Cameron’s Cattle Rustling Catastrophe ➡️

✔️It’s so great to have you here, Donna. Thanks for visiting. First question. How old were you when you wrote your first story for fun? What was the story about?

I’m not sure how old I was when I actually WROTE any of my stories down. I still have a very old “book” I made before I started school – it’s just a few things I cut from a catalog, but I told my mom a whole story about what was happening to the people on the pages. Also, I remember my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Springer, passed out a sheet of paper with a photo glued on top. Mine had Lassie. We were told to write a story about the picture. I was SO excited! In my mind, I crafted a long-involved story about what happened to the dog. But I think I wrote: This is Lassie. She is a dog. I like Lassie. It was the first time I remember thinking, “Wow, I can write a whole story myself!” After that I scribbled stories whenever I could, and I’ve never stopped.

✔️You work as a professional ghostwriter for a couple of small publishers. What would you say is the best thing about work for hire? What is the worst thing? And last but not least . . . How do you balance writing for someone else using their ideas and wanting to create your own stories?  

Working as a ghostwriter has good and bad points. The best thing is I get paid, and I don’t have to market anything or sell books myself. Another good thing is that most ghostwriting jobs come “ready-to-go.” I receive a character list and an outline. While sometimes the outlines are so twisted that I have a hard time following them, I tell myself at least I didn’t have to figure out the whole story on my own.

The worst thing is writing for a deadline. Sometimes I have no life other than writing to meet a deadline. I feel guilty if I get up to wash dishes or go outside to plant flowers. Sometimes my deadlines overlap and I find myself writing two books at the same time! That is hard. Once, I mixed up the characters and my editor had to say, “Um, that’s not in this book.” BIG OOPS!

Balancing my own writing is difficult too. Right now, I am working on the third book in one ghostwriting series, the second book in another, an e-book (non-fiction), and working on more Rancho Cameron Adventures. I also write for a blog (for hire), creating western-related stories. Sometimes, I write articles or short stories for fun. I try to make goals to work on my own writing, but if I’m busy that’s usually the first thing to get cut out of my time. 😥

✔️You are one busy author, my friend! Since our interview revolves around the Rancho Cameron Adventures, tell us how many books you hope to have in this series. We’d love to see titles and a short summary for each.

At present, there are two completed Rancho Cameron Adventures. Book One is finished, Book Two is being edited and rewritten. I have ideas for Books 3 and 4.

1. Jenny Cameron’s Cattle Rustling Catastrophe (published and up for sale!) Read the summary right here➡️
2. Jenny Cameron’s Hooky Playing Fiasco Tigers and elephants and trouble, oh my! What happens when Jenny and her friend Brose play hooky from school to see the circus train? Plenty! Instead of seeing exotic animals, they witness a bank robbery!
3. Jenny Cameron’s Giant Pumpkin Disaster Jenny and her three brothers, who are home for a vacation between school terms, decide to try their hand at growing and exhibiting giant pumpkins. (I’m just in the brainstorming stage.)
4. Jenny Cameron’s Bee Calamity What happens when Jenny, a runaway piglet, and her future stepmother’s quilting bee meet? A calamity in more ways than one! (In the brainstorming stage)

✔️You’d better get busy, Donna. Okay, last question. You have also created another horse book for a real-life camp in California titled Saddle Up! that has just been republished. What is Saddle Up! about? Will there be any more books in the Rawhide Ranch Adventures series?

The Giveaway