Pat Spencer
Dr. Pat Spencer is back with a new historical novel, Golden Boxty in the Frypan! This story is inspired by her Irish heritage and true life stories passed down by family members about experiences during the early 1900s.
Several issues came together to inspire me to write Golden Boxty in the Frypan. I wanted to learn more about my Irish heritage, including how and why so many Irish immigrated to the United States. Additionally, current news reports of what was being learned about acts committed against children in some orphanages during the early 1900s motivated me to learn more, beyond what my mother had told me about her experiences in a Catholic orphanage during the 1930s. Since my mother and her siblings had all passed, I contacted my cousins. They freely shared photos, remembrances, and documents. Then, as family secrets were revealed, I was hooked. I couldn’t stop investigating. And now, even though this novel is complete, new questions keep popping into my mind, driving me to find out more.
I self-published my first novel, Story of a Stolen Girl. My husband created the cover, did most of the formatting, and proofread many times. Not being an artist or a techie, he said once was enough. So, I queried literary agents. During this process, I stumbled upon small presses that did not require agent representation. One third of those I queried requested full manuscripts, and Pen It Publications offered me a contract.
My book is inspired by true-life, so after checking with the cousins I could locate to see if they objected, I used the real names of characters I felt I knew well. To be fair to the two for whom I had less firsthand knowledge, I renamed them Maggie and Joe.
For me, editing is the most difficult part. I am fortunate to belong to the California Writers Circle and The Cornwall Writers Circle. Both groups are worth their weight in gold when it comes to the development and finishing of my writing.
I spent a year writing Golden Boxty in the Frypan. The publishing process took another year.
My book is inspired by true-life, so after checking with the cousins I could locate to see if they objected, I used the real names of characters I felt I knew well. To be fair to the two for whom I had less firsthand knowledge, I renamed them Maggie and Joe.
For me, editing is the most difficult part. I am fortunate to belong to the California Writers Circle and The Cornwall Writers Circle. Both groups are worth their weight in gold when it comes to the development and finishing of my writing.
The cover art was a challenge. The designer could not find art that reflected my original ideas. We went through quite a few renditions before coming up with a final cover. But when I created the image of Katie, I instantly knew it was so much better than our previous attempts to convey the heart and soul of Golden Boxty in the Frypan.
Most difficult to write were the scenes surrounding the death of my grandmother who died of an illegal abortion before I was born and the infant who would have been my Aunt Theresa if she had lived. I cried while I first wrote their stories. I cried each time I rewrote and then proofread. I have tears in my eyes now, as I feel the loss of these two people, I never had the chance to love.
Katie is my favorite because she was my mother and writing this did wonders to help me resolve issues from my childhood. Mary and Ed are tied as second favorites. I think of Mary fondly because when I was a child and the Air Force sent my father overseas for extended periods, she would take my mother, brother, and me in until he returned. Also, she let me take bubble baths in her incredibly large lion-footed tub. Such a luxury for a kid! Ed is a favorite because he treated me more like a friend than a child. I loved his lopsided smile when he answered my dopey childhood questions as if each had merit.
I used family tales, interviews, old photos, personal notes, genealogy, records of the Pueblo Historical Museum, and other historical records. I spent a couple of months researching as I developed a rough outline. Then, I continued digging during the entire writing and editing processes.
Golden Boxty in the Frypan was inspired by my mother’s childhood, yet I blended her experiences with those of the Irish of the early 1900s. A multitude of Irish immigrated in search of the American Dream only to be met by the Great Depression and treated with discrimination. I discovered that their stories were often more similar to those who immigrate today than I had realized.
Dr. Pat Spencer is the author of the historical novel, Golden Boxty in the Frypan (Pen It Publications) and the indie-published international thriller, Story of a Stolen Girl. Pat’s historical/literary fiction trilogy, Sticks in a Bundle, is signed for a three-book contract with Scarsdale Publishing. Her writings appeared in The Press-Enterprise newspaper, National Beauty School Journal, Almost an Author, and literary publications such as Literary Yard, Potato Soup Journal, and Scarlet Leaf Review. She wrote human interest stories and served as a columnist and contributing editor for Inland Empire Magazine. A Healing Place won the short story category of Oceanside’s 2019 Literary Festival.
Pat has lived in three countries, and seven states. She loves to travel and spent time in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Spain, France, Croatia, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Greece, Mexico, the Galapagos, and the Bahamas, as well as Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands and road-tripping across the continental United States several times. She enjoys getting to know people and learning about their culture.
Pat, a retired professor and California community college president, lives in Southern California, is married, and has a son and granddaughter. She speaks to community organizations on human trafficking and writing processes. When not writing, Pat golfs, reads, walks the beach, hangs out with family and friends, or frequents book clubs.
