Red Rock follows the journey of the Hunter family, and their daughter Rachel, a teenager struggling to take care of her ill mother. Her illness forces the family to sell everything and move to a new town where they can get help for her. Along the way, they stumble into fortune and decide to keep it a secret. But with every secret, comes a consequence and Rachel will soon find out that not everything or everyone is what they seem. Upon arrival in the new town, she meets several people who befriend her and the plan seems to be working, until one night when someone throws a rock through their window threatening to take back what is theirs. Lies, deceit and betrayal plague Rachel and the entire family as they struggle to keep their secret and find out who is behind the devious plan. When did you first start writing?
I started writing as a young girl mainly for creativity and because I was a bit shy. I loved to read and found myself inspired to create stories of my own that other readers could become lost in.
Do you see writing as a career?
Writing can definitely be a career. I strongly believe that if writing is something you feel passionate about that you should pursue it. The hardest part of writing a story is having an idea for it. If you have creative ideas, you can always find assistance to help with editing.
How did you come up with the title for Red Rock?
A place that I had always wanted to visit was an Indian Village in Arizona called Havasupai. It was the destination of our senior trip in high school. Havasupai is a beautiful place filled with turquoise water, water falls, and canyons filled with red rocks. I wanted the town in the book that would hold so much promise for Rachel and her family to mirror the beauty found in Havasupai.
How would you describe your writing style?
Erratic? It’s very seat of my pants. I don't usually storyboard my novels; I create them as I go along.
Was there anything you found particularly challenging in writing Red Rock?
So much was challenging in writing this book. Mainly because so much time had passed since I had started it at age 17. I love to share this part of the story. Truth is, at the time I began writing the story my computer crashed after completing the third chapter. I thought the story was lost. I had printed it out and given a copy to my grandmother but she misplaced it. Time passed, and I worked on other stories. Then, in 2003 my grandmother passed away. All of her belongings which were stored in boxes went to my mother’s home. The boxes sat there until November of 2009 when I decided to go visit my mom on her birthday and go through the old memories. In one of the boxes, folded at the very bottom was my initial copy of Red Rock. Although elated, I didn’t feel the desire to finish it. My mother encouraged me to finish it as she desperately wanted to know how the story would unfold. I finished it in the early spring of 2010 and gave the only copy I had published to my mother. She read it in two days and loved it. A week later, I lost my mother in a tragic house fire. Everything was destroyed. As we sifted through the ashes to find anything we could, I uncovered the burned copy of my book. It was near the area my mother was found, and although badly burned still had the cover with the inscription I had written in it. Needless to say, this book is very special to me.
Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?
I have a varied list of authors I like to read from mainstream to indie. I think they all have influenced me in a way.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?
Retired would be ideal. Sitting in the front row for the RED ROCK premiere on the big screen. Finished with school and helping others with my degree.
Who designs the covers for your books?
For this cover, a good friend who is a photographer captured this image during our taping for the trailer. I fell in love with the classic feel of the image. The cover for the second RED ROCK book in the series will be painted by a family member.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Horse-back riding, yoga, the outdoors, spending time with my family and dogs, working as a makeup artist on various assignments, making people laugh, and living life.
What book are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading the 2nd book in The Hunger Games Series, Catching Fire. I recently saw the movie and was hooked.
What three things do you feel you couldn't live without?
Sunscreen (it’s the Esthetician in me), my family and friends, and creativity.
Where can your fans find you?
Official Website: http://www.redrockbook.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/redrockbook
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Rock/154372267951126
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6414878-kimberley-patterson
Email – redrocknovel@yahoo.com
Official Short Trailer – http://youtu.be/ZsZJpPzb_00
My favorite scene from the trailer - http://youtu.be/OCTIKgEzU7k
Sunscreen for survival? hehehe Best of luck with your book.
ReplyDeleteGood interview. Good luck with your book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comments :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great interview. I recently won Red Rock in a Goodreads giveaway and I'm looking forward to reading it. :)
ReplyDelete