#Interview With Eva Pasco

Hey Everyone! :-)

Today Eva Pasco is joining us to talk about herself and her writing. Eva, will you tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?

Eva: At the age of twelve, I pounded the keys on my girly-pink Tom Thumb typewriter to compose several mysteries and serial spy thrillers. In high school, I wrote a romance novella which earned its place on a library shelf. A Jill-of-all-Trades in the progression of life—a factory fatale gluing eyes on pairs of lion slippers at Capitol Heel Lining; collating booklets at Sidney-Higgins Bookbinding; contending with all the sordid details at H & H Screw Products; teaching in the third-grade classroom trenches. Midlife restlessness revived my flair for writing. A lifelong Rhode Islander, I incorporate geographic entities, historic references, and regional culture in my novels.  I’ve written two books in the genre of Contemporary Women’s Fiction. My debut novel, UNDERLYING NOTES (2008) was autobiographically motivated by my ongoing fragrance obsession and knowledge of perfume, as attested by the opening line in its synopsis: Carla Matteo copes with life by "taking to the bottle"— glass goddesses funneling perfume! During a mid-life renaissance the juice provides incentive for Carla to find her own niche.

Me: Sounds like you've been busy! :-)  What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Eva: My second novel and latest launch is AN ENLIGHTENING QUICHE (September 20, 2016). Set in the fictitious, French-Canadian mill town of Beauchemins, the book was autobiographically inspired by the beloved, close-knit community of Manville in the town of Lincoln, Rhode Island, where I taught elementary school for 29 years. Another inspiration behind the storytelling stemmed from wanting to preserve my own history by resurrecting the antiquated, labor-intensive jobs I performed working at Sidney-Higgins Bookbinding Co. for two summers during college vacation: collating, hole-punching, feeding the saddle-stitcher, and combing.

Me: It's aways a great feeling when we can put a little of ourselves in our stories. :-)  What are you working on now?

Eva: While my primary focus is that of marketing and promoting my second novel, I continue adding to my repertoire of 115 Memoirs published at Authors Den. I also write a weekly Blog which reflects my musings as an Indie author, having composed 88 thus far.

Me: I agree, promotion and marketing take a lot of time. But blogging is a blast and indie author blogs are awesome. ;-)  What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Eva:  One of my favorite authors who has influenced me is Anne Lamott. In her own words, “I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness—and that can make me laugh.”  Consequently, I compose fiction that taps into significant issues affecting the lives of ordinary/ extraordinary, flawed women who grapple with, confront, and overcome their personal dilemmas to become empowered in making profound life changes for the better. Secrets, idiosyncrasies, and sardonic humor abound in my writing.

Me: Sounds like you've found your niche. :-)  What are you reading now?

Eva:  I’m just about finished reading THE RAINBOW SERPENT by Lyra Shanti, a kindred Indie author and dear friend.

Me: I love indie books! :-)  For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?

Eva:  For those who consider reading my book, I hope you will take that leap of faith to journey alongside unpretentious French-Canadians in northern Rhode Island’s fictitious mill town of Beauhemins. You can expect the unexpected through plot twists and turns. As one reviewer put it, “The revelation of personal burdens and family crosses that have been borne—ranging from alcoholism to common theft to adultery to hidden birth defects—rents apart the very fabric of Beauchemins, but speaks volumes about the author’s ability to completely disarm her reader with the pleasures and comforts of home just before the bomb planted underfoot explodes!”

Me:  Sounds awesome! :-)  What is your favorite part of being an author?

Eva:  My favorite part of being an author is the freedom to say and do as I please through character dialogue and action. And—getting away with murder, should I feel so inclined!

Me:  Amen! :-)  What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?

Eva:  For me, there is nothing easy about being a writer! The art of storytelling is blissful anguish throughout the struggle of nailing every story element with precision and style to penetrate the reader’s psyche. Joel R. Dennstedt, a reviewer for ‘Readers' Favorite,’ eloquently summarized my painful writing process at the forefront of his review—“AN ENLIGHTENING QUICHE by Eva Pasco is, to shamelessly promote a theme, superbly rich and delicious. One cannot know if such writing comes naturally to the author, or if she suffers from the agony of meticulousness required to produce such an exquisite work. The end result hearkens to the classics for its resemblance to such deeply thoughtful plotting, characterization, and the gorgeous prose used in its exposition.”

Me: Wow! Congratulations on earning such high praise! :-)  Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

Eva:  Since I officially launched AN ENLIGHTENING QUICHE in late September, I’m proud to share my novel’s recent achievements:

Recipient of Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Seal

Underground Book Reviews “Perfect Pitch Pick” (October, 2016)

1st out of 70 books in the category “Books Set in Rhode Island” (Goodreads)

1st out of 14 books in the category “Must Reads by New Authors” (Goodreads)

Me: Congratulations again! :-)  And so these wonderful readers can find your amazing work, are there any links you'd like me to post?

Eva: All literary works (Memoirs, Retro 60s Flashbacks, Rhode Reads, Blogs) may be accessed from my web page at AUTHORS DEN where a signed copy of the Paperback may be acquired for $19.95 + $3.50 s/h: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/evapasco

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/EvaPasco

Me:  Perfect! Thank you so much for joining me here today, Eva. And thank you to everyone else who stopped by to see what we found to chat about. Happy reading, everyone! :-)