Wednesday, October 13, 2010

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Patricia Haley discusses 'Destined'

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY -
PATRICIA HALEY DISCUSSES 'DESTINED' -

Patricia Haley is the award-winning, #1 Essence bestselling author of Nobody’s Perfect, Blind Faith, Still Waters, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, No Regrets, and Chosen. Originally from Rockford, IL, Patricia now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Jeffrey and their daughter. With an engineering degree from Stanford Univ. and an M.B.A. in marketing and finance from the Univ. of Chicago, readers are often surprised to hear that Patricia is writing novels, given her technical and business background.  She welcomes readers to visit her online at http://www.patriciahaley.com/ or join her Facebook fan page.

Urban Reviews:  Can you tell us about Destined?
Patricia Haley:  Destined picks up where Chosen left off, in the lobby of the family’s business which baby boy, Joel, has pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. The oldest brother, Don, returns from his exile in South Africa at the pleading of his mother and former love interest, Abigail who happens to still be in love with Joel. Although Don has gotten past his anger towards God and his father for giving Joel the best of everything, he is torn about coming back and wholeheartedly battling his out of control half brother for the ministry. Is he truly willing to give up a thriving new company, a budding relationship, and his peace in South Africa just to jump back into the pit of drama gripping his family in Detroit? Abigail’s plea and his mother’s broken heart draw him into the Mitchell feud. Ultimately he comes to realize that certain wars are inevitable if one is to fulfill their God appointed destiny.

Urban Reviews:  What initially drew you to write a story based on the biblical kings David and Solomon?
Patricia Haley:  Inspiration for the Chosen series came from one of my all time favorite characters in the Bible, King David. He is an imperfect man plagued with family tragedy, personal failures, and constant battles. Yet, he is remembered as someone highly favored by God. I’m equally intrigued by King David’s son Solomon who managed to squander away his noteworthy position of power, wealth, and godly favor after succumbing to his weakness for women. Joel plays the role of Solomon in Chosen and Destined as the son of Dave Mitchell. At the conclusion of Chosen, readers weren’t satisfied with only an epilogue ending. They wanted more. So, Destined was born.

Urban Reviews:  What has been the initial reaction to Destined by your readership?
Patricia Haley:  Feedback from readers and literary reviewers has been AWESOME. I am honored, thrilled, and relieved. One reader said, “I thought Chosen was a good book but it got better in Destined and I can't wait to read Broken.” Now the pressure is on to deliver another good story in the series for my readers who are anxiously waiting.

Urban Reviews:  Did you draw on personal experience or someone else's real struggles for the storyline in Destined?
Patricia Haley:  The character struggles in Destined are real world such as family strife, sibling rivalry, infidelity, impact of divorce on everyone, difficulty in forgiving transgressions, etc. Although I can’t point directly to any live person and say this is their story, I believe that the experiences are universal and relatable to many. I often say that my characters are everybody I know and nobody that I know. That’s what allows readers to relate and get engaged in the story – there’s enough truth to make the fiction feel real.

Urban Reviews:  Will we be seeing these characters in the future? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Patricia Haley:  The third book in my Chosen series is Broken scheduled for 2011. The family battle takes a twist when the estranged daughter, Tamara, returns to stake her claim, disrupting any short lived peace the family has managed to find. She spends much of her time challenging the Mitchell women to assume their rightful places in the family.

Website:  http://www.patriciahaley.com/
Facebook Page:  Click Here
Trailer for Destined:  http://www.patriciahaley.com/novels/destined.php

Read our review for Destined by clicking here
 
Order your copy of Destined by clicking here 
 
 

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