This blog post originally appeared on January 16, 2012 on http://collettescott.blogspot.com.

I am proud to feature one of the hardest working and helpful authors I have had the pleasure to meet. Patti Roberts is the author of the hugely popular and fantastic young adult fantasy/paranormal series, Paradox. Between researching her descriptive settings, writing her colorful and captivating stories and marketing her wonderful work, Patti is always very helpful, friendly and supportive. She is the true definition of gracious and caring, and I am so happy to have her appear on my blog again to discuss her new release, the second book in her Paradox Series, Progeny of Innocence. Thank you, Patti, for joining me today. It's great to have you back!

Collette: So let's start with the basics. Tell us a little about your background. When did you start writing? 
 
Patti: I started writing with the intent of publishing in 2009. I was feeling very down and misplaced after a failed relationship, and I wanted to do something positive…. I needed to do something positive. I wanted to herd up all my unresolved emotions and put them to good use. So I went out and bought a new laptop computer and started writing. Hence the reason Paradox – The Angels Are Here is a little bit EMO! Writing has been the best therapy and I have never been happier or more fulfilled! I highly recommend writing to anyone that finds themselves in a similar predicament. That is when I started writing and how the Paradox Series was born. Out of the ashes…

Collette: I agree completely! I often say that writing is cathartic. So where do you get your ideas? 
 
Patti: For every warp of life imaginable. Awake or asleep. And a creative and overworked imagination.

Collette: What is your writing process? 
 
Patti: I run different scenarios around for particular chapters in my head. I give the characters dialogue to see were it leads. It is one thing to have an idea for a story line but it isn’t until I bring in the characters to see how their personalities would react in particular circumstances that I really know how it has to be written.

Collette: Do you write full-time now? 
 
Patti: I do pretty much. However, much of that time is also spent planning marketing and promoting.

Collette: That's for sure. A full-time job in itself!

Collette: The Paradox Series is well under way with the recent release of the second installment. Can you tell us a little bit about Paradox, Progeny of Innocence? 
 
Patti: Two Worlds. One Ancient and One New. An immortal enemy still driven by the desire of being the One supreme power of an ancient kingdom. The prize he seeks to fulfill his desires - A young girl, Grace, trapped in the middle between Heaven and Hell. But who can Grace trust? There are those around her that live and die to protect and those that want only to destroy. Who could you trust when the enemy hides in plain sight and looks just like you. Were could you run when your enemy is faster, smarter, stronger…
 
Collette: How long did it take you to complete? 
 
Patti: Progeny took eleven months to research and write.

Collette: Your settings and descriptions were very detailed. Can you describe your research into your
subject this time around? 
 
Patti: Same as always. Hours of research into ancient civilizations, myths and legends. From the tiniest red shiny bead found in the blistering Utopia desert to the magical realm of ancient forest trees. And of course a vivid
imagination…
 
Colette: And you obviously have that! Okay, so can we talk a little bit about Grace? She's a young woman coming of age in this story, and she is certainly growing. Can you tell us about her inner motivation and how Juliette influences her? 
 
Patti: Grace knows she is different even though she isn't ready to accept that fact just yet. She senses a danger in knowing who she really is so she keeps most of those thoughts to herself by writing in a hidden journal. She has visions of a girl named Juliette. But she doesn't quite understand why or who this Juliette is. Through Grace, Juliette is also starting to come to terms with a past that she thought was long gone and buried. 
 
Collette: You have also introduced some new characters, most notably Damon….Hmmm. Is Grace developing a love interest for the future installments? 
 
Patti: Grace is certainly at an age where love is a priority of any "normal" teenage girl. And Grace so badly wants to be normal. So when Damon Draco comes along she is instantly drawn to his boyish good looks and mysterious charm. But is there more to it than just a teenage crush…

Collette: Another favorite is Keyla. Will she be playing a prominent role in the series? 
 
Patti: Most certainly. Keyla is everything precious and pure. Within her she holds powerful abilities pasted down from an almost extinct race of people that stretches back to the time before time. The ancient Bakhna Rakhna People from the southern mountains.

Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances? 
 
Patti: I name some of my characters after friends that have inspired me. Sometimes I will take a friend's personality and blend it with one of my characters to make them become more real. More dimensional. I give all of my characters birthdates, favorite colors, particular things they like or dislike. Imagine what their parents are like. Even if I never write about those things. It makes my characters more real.
 
Collette: Do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters? 
 
Patti: My thoughts and feelings most certainly.

Collette: Tell us about your cover. Did you design it yourself? 
 
Patti:  Yes, I chose three covers for Progeny and then I submitted them to the public to vote on. The cover that came in second (girl in purple mask) I made into a Special Edition that comprises of the first 2 books in the series. I source the cover art (Dreamstime) and then design the titles and fonts. I love cover art – I do judge a book by the cover!!!
 
Collette: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover? 
 
Patti: I can spend hours looking at pictures online. For my covers, locations and my characters. I have to have faces for my characters when I am writing dialogue for them. I search until I find a face that matches my character. Then I print it out and have it on a corkboard in front of me. I feel I can be more consistent with my characters traits and dialogue if I have a firm image of them to look at.

Collette: Are you still writing the series? If so, what will your future projects entail?

Patti: Next on the agenda is book 3.that is due to be released this year  (2012).I will know in the next few months about how I want the 4th book in the series to go.

Collette: Does your reading inspire you and your work? 
 
Patti:  Most certainly. It puts my head in the right place. When I wrote for the ancient world I read the Game of Thrones. So does artwork. Finding the right artwork for my ancient world is just as important to finding the right face for my characters. Let's face it. We are not talking about an everyday world here. 
  
Where can we find you online?
 
Blog: http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com/
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb_jTh7rj38
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Paradox-Series/150822348341990 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Patti-Roberts/e/B004RXY0OI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 
Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_mrr_2?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3APatti+Roberts%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A368165031&bbn=266239&sort=relevancerank&ie=UTF8&qid=1326647494&rnid=492562011
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=patti+roberts 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/980856.Patti_Roberts
 
What formats are your books available in? ebook and paperback
 
Where are your paperback books available for purchase?Amazon and Createspace.
 
Patti, as always, thank you for stopping by my blog. It's always a pleasure! I wish you all the continued
success with your imaginative and fantastic writing projects!

My teenage daughter is a huge fan of Patti's series Paradox. Eagerly awaiting Book Two of the series, she read it in just two sittings and  happily posted a review. Though brief, I think her words say it all: 
 
"This book was so hard to put down, it was SO good. It was even better than the first. I found that it explained some things that were left unanswered in the first, and I loved how it went more into detail in the past. I'm SO excited to read her next one!"

This post originally appeared on March 23, 2012 on http://collettescott.blogspot.com.
I have had the great pleasure in becoming friends with the multi-talented and extremely intelligent author, Ilil Arbel. In addition to writing in multiple genres, Ilil is also an expert in the field of mythology and folklore. She brings this expertise to life in a charming and exciting young adult fantasy novel, The Cinnabar Box, which my  daughter recently read and enjoyed tremendously. I was able to entice Ilil to make an appearance on my blog to talk about The Cinnabar Box as well as some of her other projects. Please join me in learning more about this fascinating author, Ilil Arbel! 
 
Hello Ilil! I’m so happy to have you join me today. Thank you for agreeing to appear on my blog. So let’s get started with a little bit about you:

A Bit About Ilil Arbel:

Collette: Tell us a little about your background. 
  
Ilil: I am all mixed up. Born and raised in Israel, I studied in Paris, and then moved to New York where I still live, fighting for survival in Manhattan. But that’s not all, I also have a shady past… I did not start writing until later, as a career change. I was a scientific illustrator for years! During those years, I studied mythology, folklore, history and literature, some formally and some on my own, so when I decided it was time to make a career change, I was ready for writing. I think I always wanted to write, though. My grandfather was an author so it felt good to follow in his footsteps. 
 
Collette: That’s so interesting! A scientific illustrator? So you’re quite the artist - well rounded.

Collette: How often do you do collaborations?
 
Ilil: I collaborated with only two Authors. The first was an expert on the field of extraterrestrials, and I wrote two biographies based on his notes. The other was editing Lord David Prosser’s delightful Barsetshire novels. I highly recommend Lord David’s books, by the way.
 
Collette: Oh, I do too! I love Lord David’s humor and his stories! He’s one of my daughter’s favorites as
well.

Collette: So, tell me, where do you get your ideas?

Ilil: I walk in the street, and suddenly the ideas leap out of my bizarre subconscious mind and demand attention. We do a lot of walking in New York, so the ideas keep coming to harass me. I am sure books also trigger thoughts, but it is less obvious. 
 
Collette: And I’m sure there’s plenty in Manhattan to trigger a story, hee hee... So were you inspired by someone/something to write the genres you’re writing in?
 
Ilil:The Lemon Tree was inspired my mother’s stories about her life in Siberia and her family’s year-long journey to Tel Aviv. She was a superb storyteller. For general fiction, I would say that W. Somerset Maugham made a strong impact on me and I learned a lot from his short stories and autobiographical material. For biography, I was inspired by the style of Andre Maurois. For fantasy and magic, I learned mostly from the great Lord Dunsany; he invented mythologies! 
 
Collette: What is your writing process?
 
Ilil: I write the story mentally, telling it to myself. Then I sit and type it on the computer. I rarely write by hand since I like to write fast, keeping up with the thoughts. If I get stuck and don’t know what the next scene is, I let my thoughts drift and suddenly it feels as if a door is opened and I step into the solution. From the technical point of view, I read yesterday’s writing before I start on today’s writing, so it will be a smooth transition. When the story is done, I rewrite, edit, and proofread several times. Then every book goes to a proofreader to make sure it’s professional and clean. 
 
Collette: Do you write full-time now?

Ilil: No… I wish I could, but life is expensive these days! I need a day job.

Collette: What is your current day job?
 
Ilil: I work as an indexer. Believe it or not, it’s a lot of fun, like playing with a puzzle. I index both databases and books. 

A Bit About Ilil's Writing:

Collette: You have written quite a bit so far and in different genres. You have somewhat of a memoir, The Lemon Tree, that’s on my Kindle eagerly waiting for me to start. How about a bit of a teaser into that amazing real-life story? 
  
Ilil: Here is a segment, about an incident that took place as the family was traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Siberia to Tel Aviv, and reached Manchuria under very dangerous conditions. 

…Then
another unbearable thing happened. A policeman motioned Papa to follow him to the men’s department. Papa looked back at us, his blue eyes full of pain. “It's
all right, girls,” said Mama quietly. “You will follow me to the women's department, and soon we will meet Papa in the hall again. Don't worry.”At that moment, however, I wasn't worrying about myself, but about Papa. I couldn't bear the thought that he was alone; at least the three of us were together. If only Sasha were here to be with him, I thought, it's so unfair, so unfair, poor Papa, all alone . . . “Don't cry, Ida,” said Mama firmly and put her arm around me. “You will attract attention.” Somehow I managed. Mama's immeasurable inner strength never failed me.

We were received by a very tall woman, dressed entirely in black. She even wore a black fur hat, like the hats of the Cossacks. Over her forehead peeked a few gray hairs and her face was wrinkled, not with friendly laugh lines around the eyes, but with vicious lines, pointing down around her mouth. She smelled of mildew, and reminded me of Baba Yaga, the horrible witch that ate little children in the Russian fairy tales. 

This looming apparition went straight to Feera and mumbled: “undo your braids and then take off your clothes.” Feera stood naked and shivering from the cold, with only her loose hair reaching her ankles and covering her back. The witch raised her eyebrows with surprise at the magnificent hair, but did not utter even one soft word or try a little smile to relax the terrified child. After Feera was searched I repeated the procedure. When Mama's turn came my heart stopped beating. I observed the speed with which she took off her coat, with the buttons loaded with gold coins, and her stockings' garters which also had some coins in them. The witch took the belt filled with all our paper money immediately. She didn't even bother to check what was in it. She knew. Wordlessly she waited for us to dress and led us to another room.

At least Papa waited there already. It was the office of an official who took care of “criminals” like us, those who dared to smuggle some necessities of life. The official methodically recorded the list of our offenses. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked sharply at us as we stood there, pale and desperate. His eyes rested on the lemon tree in Mama's hand and he asked: “And what's that?”  

Mama's fingers went white as she clutched the pot to her heart. We all had the same thought: he will never believe us. He will dig the pot, searching for valuables, and the lemon tree will die of shock. 

“That's all I have left from my eldest son, who sowed this lemon tree with his own hands. He died recently,” said Mama.

The official's eyes softened. He continued to stare at the little, upright lemon tree. On a chair, next to his desk, the witch left all her loot, including Mama's belt. The official, with a sudden gleam in his eyes, looked at the belt, and then at us again. He seemed to hesitate. Suddenly, he extended his hand to the belt, shoved it at Mama and said: “Take care of the lemon tree and of your daughters.” He hastily handed our papers back to Papa, poked his head out of the door and called: “Next traveler!” motioning us to hurry and leave so that no one would witness his act of kindness. He, too, was afraid.

Collette: Thank you, that's wonderful. You are even currently writing a book on your blog in installments. Tell us a little bit about “A Book in Progress”?

Ilil: It’s called The Golden Rule. This is the strangest book I have ever done. I wanted to write the life story of Hillel the Elder, a prominent Jewish scholar, lawmaker, and leader who lived two thousand years ago. I adore him; he was a lovely human being. The Encyclopedia Britannica claimed it can’t be done, reflecting the view of almost everyone that Hillel’s life was too shrouded in legend. This was a challenge, so naturally I decided to write it anyway. I figured if you take the legends and lay them out against the exciting, violent history of the time, as faithfully recorded by contemporaries, and then add a lot of material from other Jewish sources, it can be done. Since it would take years to write, I figured the way to get it out to the public right away is to write it online, as a blog. So every Sunday I place a new segment. I was surprised and delighted by the showof interest by readers. The book is of course free of charge and available to everyone on my website.
 
Collette:  I have been following this story, and it’s fascinating stuff! The amount of research into Biblical times is staggering and well-written. Anyone who enjoys that time period is bound to learn something new, Ilil. You are to be commended.

Collette: And your “Personal Histories”, would you like to share a bit about that interesting journey?

Ilil: My personal histories were never done professionally. I did it as a hobby since I think everyone in the world has a story that should be told, and I had an opportunity to interview several elderly people who were extraordinarily interesting. A few samples are available on my website; I would love to come back to it someday, either as a blog or as a book. 
 
Collette: With your background in mythology and folklore, do you plan to continue in that vein or with more historical/memoir stories?

Ilil: I will probably come back to it eventually. For the moment, they will be used
for the sequel to The Cinnabar Box. 
  
Collette: Okay, so we’re back to the story that my daughter read and loved! Let’s talk a little bit more about your YA novel, The Cinnabar Box. My daughter recently finished that novel and truly enjoyed it. She had a few questions she’d like to ask you about your adventurous story:

Collette: How long did that story take you to complete?

Ilil: It took about six months. 

Collette: Can you describe your research into your subject?

Ilil: I did not need much research, to be honest, since this is the type of mythology I know well. I checked for accuracy against my mythological dictionaries. 
 
Collette: She found it very informative the way Donna traveled to alternative worlds. Did you draw on your background in history, mythology and folklore to describe them so accurately? 

Ilil: Yes, all the characters and locations are based on accurate mythological or historical figures and situations, even the vegetable lamb, the balalaika-playing toad, and the Devil’s School. Except for one thing– the flood scene is based on a horribly realistic dream I had when I was about twelve years old. 

Collette: Are there going to be more stories about Donna and Yolanda?

Ilil: Yes, I am hoping to start a sequel soon. 
 
Collette: Now that’s what she wanted to hear! 
  
Collette: Her favorite character was Bartholomew. Did you have a favorite character in the story? 

Ilil: I liked him too. It’s a toss up this irresistible donkey, and Camellia, the elegant camel who wears pearls and a flower behind her ear. 
  
Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances? 
  
Ilil: No, never. I make them all up. I don’t want to upset my friends…
 
Collette: Haha, I know what you mean! So do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters?

Ilil: Not deliberately, but I am sure some weirdness must seep into them. 
 
Collette: Are you still writing? If so, what will your future projects entail?

Ilil: Yes, why stop? Writing is great fun. The Golden Rule will take years to research and write. But in the meantime, I am also trying my hand at my first detective story. I can’t give details since the publisher wants to wait on that for a while and swore me to secrecy. But soon all shall be revealed!!!

Collette: Considering how well rounded you write, do you have a favorite genre to write or do you write what stories come to mind?

Ilil: I like to try many different things, but I think my favorite is biography of historical figures.

Collette: How often do you read?
 
Ilil: I read every single day since I have learned how to do it. I think the only day I missed was the day my son was born. It would have been awkward to ask for a book under the circumstances. 
 
Collette: That's true. Besides, I'm sure you were busy! So what is your favorite genre to read?

Ilil: For entertainment, I prefer late 18th and 19th century British classics. For nonfiction, including research, I love ancient Jewish history and folklore. 

Collette: Does your reading inspire you?

Ilil: Reading is not an option for me, it’s a necessity, so it’s hard to decide if it is an inspiration or a horrible addiction… 
  
Where can we find you online?
Blog: The Golden Rule (blog/a book in progress): http://ililarbel.weebly.com/a-book-in-progress.html
Website: http://ililarbel.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1092849415
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ilil+arbel
Amazon.uk:http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ilil+arbel
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/254172812
Angela Thirkell Society of North America: http://www.angelathirkell.org/
Encyclopedia Mythica:http://www.pantheon.org/areas/featured/witchcraft/

Collette: Where are your books available for purchase?
 
Ilil: Most convenient are Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. The books are also on a bunch of independent sellers but I can’t keep track. I am sure some are pirated… 
  
Collette: What formats are your books available in?
 
Ilil: The books that are available for sale exist in paperback and/or on Kindle. The free books on the Angela Thirkell Society and Encyclopedia Mythica can be downloaded and saved on your computer as PDF or Word. 
 
Collette: Thank you so much, Ilil! It was fascinating to learn more about your work and your writing. I wish you all the best success and we can’t wait for you to release The Cinnabar Box’s sequel!
 
As I mentioned, my daughter enjoyed this book so much that she wanted to write a review. Once she started it, she was unable to put it down until the end. She reported that she was totally engaged with the characters, feeling their fear, excitement, sadness and stress. By the end, she was so caught up in the story that she did not want it to end and is thrilled with the news that there will be a sequel. Here is her review:

Though somewhat slow at first, don't let that deceive you. Once you get into this book it's hard to put it down. It was a great story, well written and so descriptive you could almost feel like you were in the book. I loved the travels that Donna and Yolanda took, and the adventures they participated in were at times breathtaking. I would definitely recommend this book and hope she writes more!
 5+ Stars