PATRICIA CURREN is the author of the Young Adult Kendra Morgan mystery trilogy, Clipped!, Cornered! and Crushed!. She has also written a traditional mystery set in Seattle, Wrongful Death, and a fictionalized biography of her mother’s younger life, Erickson Tough. She is currently working on a sequel to Wrongful Death. Working full-time and raising three children kept her from publishing books until she retired. In the meantime, journaling, articles, short stories and poems filled her spare moments. She loves felines and many of her cat stories have been published. When her daughter became an ultra-marathoner, Patricia penned fitness stories for the Arizona Republic newspaper. The articles were not only about her daughter, but other remarkable athletes. Her favorite assignment was meeting and interviewing Lisa Smith-Batchen, who ran 50 miles in 50 states in two months to raise money for orphans here and abroad. She did this to celebrate her 50th birthday. Patricia attributes much of her writing success to her membership in the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime. She facilitates the Scottsdale Scribes critique group in Scottsdale, Arizona. Follow Patricia at https://facebook.com/trishcurren.
My Constant Companion
by Patricia Curren
I realized I loved to write in the fifth grade when my class was given a creative writing assignment, and the process was effortless and fun. From that point on, writing became my constant companion. I spent my early years in Nebraska with a large extended family and enjoyed the summers on the farms of my grandparents, aunts and uncles. The beauty of the prairie and a family that loved to read poured the foundation for my own creativity.
A move from Nebraska to Washington when I was 12 was necessary. My father had returned from WWII a full-blown alcoholic. Over the years, my mother suffered many brutal attacks from him. She escaped with my two younger sisters and me when I was 8. She tried to keep our location in Grand Island and Lincoln a secret, but somehow, he would find us. At last, she realized a move across country was the only solution. Growing up in a home where domestic violence was common has influenced my writing. Many of my books and short stories feature this theme.
I still remember the unpredictability of my father’s behavior, and how it was never talked about in our family unit even though everyone in our small town knew of his drunken binges and abuse. I lived in constant fear of him, and it required intensive counseling as an adult before I overcame my past. We later learned my father had bi-polar disease. In those days, it wasn’t commonly diagnosed. That explained so much about his behavior.
The move to Washington was a shock, but a pleasant one. The wind-swept plains of the Nebraskan prairie were in sharp contrast to the majesty of the Pacific Northwest’s green forests and breathtaking mountains. And I found the diversity and tolerance of Seattleites a refreshing change from the bucolic beliefs where I was born.
I married shortly after high school and soon found myself with three beautiful daughters. When the youngest was two, a friend encouraged me to apply for a full-time position as a classroom assistant at the local elementary school. For thirteen years, I worked for school districts in Seattle and Everett. The next two decades were spent in the private sector as a purchasing manager at a high-end construction firm. During this time, I realized I had made a mistake marrying so young. My husband and I proved to be a huge mismatch, and we divorced after 23 years.
With my girls and a demanding job, it was difficult to find time for writing, but when I could eke out a few minutes, I honed my writing skills through journaling, articles, short stories, and poetry. In 2000, I was thrilled to be included in the Favorite Poem Project launched by Robert Pinsky, Poet Laureate of the United States. I submitted one of my favorite poems by Willa Cather, Grandmother, Think Not I Forget. It was a joy to see my rationale in print for why Cather’s poem should be included in Americans’ Favorite Poems.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators met down the street from my workplace, and at the first meeting I attended, the seed was planted to write a Young Adult Mystery novel. The idea for a protagonist came to me while I was in the shower, and the first scene of the book was inspired by something odd that appeared on my lunchtime walk. On a small rise beneath the Fremont Bridge, a loaf of bread, an ear of corn, some old French fries, and a box of Ding Dongs were lined up in a precise row. Who had done this, and why? I never found out, but that scene was the impetus for another important character in my story.
While I’d gone to school to acquire my purchasing certification, the only formal training I had for writing was a community college creative writing class. The instructor was highly complementary of my efforts and encouraged me to keep going. I dove into the story and was pleased to find a critique group that welcomed me with open arms. I can’t stress enough how much that group and future ones have helped me improve my craft. I learned in time to ask for specific feedback, i.e. plot points, dialogue, character development, etcetera.
Eventually I retired and relocated to Arizona to care for my mother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The time now presented itself to finish the first novel I had begun so long ago.
Clipped!, the first in the Young Adult Kendra Morgan trilogy was published in 2014. The sequels, Cornered! and Crushed! soon followed. Next, I released a traditional mystery, entitled Wrongful Death. My latest work is a fictional biography of my mother’s younger life: Erickson Tough. It was cathartic to write about my childhood trauma. More importantly, it was a way to honor my mother’s life and how she overcame the violence she was subjected to. Currently, a sequel to Wrongful Death keeps my fingers on the keyboard.
In Arizona, I joined the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime, which offers many excellent workshops and classes. But as I mentioned before, critique groups have provided the most tangible results in my writing process. That is why facilitating a small group of published authors, The Scottsdale Scribes, brings me great joy.
Even though finding fame through my writing efforts is unlikely, it will always remain my passion.
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