I knew I would like Paty Jager’s protagonist when I discovered he spends most of his time outdoors on his horse and with his dog. Read Paty’s interview and find out how and why she created Gabriel Hawke, and learn about her writing journey.

Welcome, Paty Jager!

  1. It’s time to get your protagonist out of their comfort zone. You want to present him with a challenge, and you’ve given him the following choices: climb Mount Everest; run a Marathon; trek across the Sierra Desert with a tribe of nomads; or sail around the world alone. Which would he choose?

My character, Gabriel Hawke, is an Oregon State Trooper with the Fish and Wildlife Division. He’s Nez Perce and Umatilla. His job takes him out in the wilderness with his horse, mule, and dog. He enjoys being alone and would appreciate sailing around the world alone since he hikes the Wallowa Mountains in his day job.

  1. What do you and your protagonist have in common?

Hawke and I have the need to bring justice, the love of the outdoors, horses, and dogs, and while he is slowly incorporating more of his culture into his life, I am learning about that culture.

  1. If you had an argument, who would win and why?

I don’t argue. I’ll state my case once and walk away. I don’t sit there and argue. I grew up with a Marine father who insisted he was always right and to contradict him resulted in punishment.

  1. How long have you been writing? What was the motivating factor that got you started?

Writing to become a published author, since the early 1990’s. But writing in general, since I could form words into sentences. When my kids started school, I took college and community ed writing classes. I wrote stories of outings my kids’ classes took and shared them with the teachers and classes. I also wrote freelance human-interest stories for the two local newspapers. Then, I started writing a mystery novel after reading Sue Grafton’s A is for Alibi. In fact, I wrote two mystery books. When I couldn’t get any help from mystery writers to hone my mystery writing skills, I ventured into romance writing. My first romance book was published in 2006. That was after writing 7 books. Then in 2011 I asked for my rights back from the publishing company and started self-publishing. I published my first mystery book in 2019 and have been writing and publishing all mystery books ever since.

  1. What do you want most for your readers to come away with after they read your books?

I want readers to be entertained but also to have learned something about Hawke’s culture, a topic that might be current, or even maybe a little bit more about themselves, having perhaps touched on a subject that they have gone through.

  1. Tell us about your perfect writing day.

A perfect writing day would be getting out of bed around 6:30. Waking up and having breakfast, then going out to feed the horses and cats. Then I walk at least 2 miles. Back from my walk, I make a cup of green tea with honey and sit down to my computer to write until noon. I like to write at least 3000 words a day. More if there is time and they are coming. After lunch I deal with emails and promotions. If there is time, I write some more until 4 pm. And that would be my writing day if I am home all day and don’t have to help my hubby with anything.

  1. What is the last book you’ve read purely for pleasure?

The last book I listened to for pleasure was Nev March’s Murder in Old Bombay. The book I read for pleasure was The Beadworkers Stories by Beth Piatote.

  1. Name three authors you would recommend and tell us what you like about their writing.

Sujata Massey – I enjoy her books set in Bombay in the 1920’s with the first female lawyer in that country. The stories are full of culture, mystery, and storytelling.

Louise Penny – Again, I seem to enjoy reading books that are set in another culture. Her books set in Canada with Native American secondary characters appeal to me.

Alexia Gordon – Her stories set in Ireland with a female music conductor and a ghost are entertaining and enlightening to a culture and country I don’t know.

  1. What themes do you regularly employ in your writing?

Nearly all of my books have the theme of justice or injustice, even the romance books I wrote. I have a deep need for justice to be served. It comes from several things that have happened in my life. All of my mystery series have Native American elements. Some as main characters, some as secondary characters. I feel they are people who have been unjustly treated and have shown great resilience, forethought, and aptitude at keeping up and, in some things, surpassing their oppressors.

  1. How did you develop the idea for your most recent work?

The idea for the book I’m sharing with you today came from two different comments made by my parents. My mother was a nurse at the local clinic in our small community. She made the comment to me that there were more teenage pregnancies in this county than anywhere else. When I was an adult, my dad alluded to an alderman who had various “girlfriends.” I used these two statements to come up with my own version of how there were so many pregnancies and how it was kept hidden.

Bio:

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 55 novels, 8 novellas, and short stories of murder mystery, western romance, and action-adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them, along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what Books a Plenty Book Reviews has to say about the Gabriel Hawke series: “The blend of nature tracking, clues, and the animals makes for a fascinating mystery that is hard to put down.”

Website: https://www.patyjager.net

Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/

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Blurb:

Damning Firefly

Book 11 in the Gabriel Hawke Series

A church fire.

An unconscious woman on Starvation Ridge.

Gabriel Hawke, fish and wildlife officer with the Oregon State Police, helps with a fire at the Lighted Path church before heading out to check turkey hunters. He discovers a car wedged between two trees and a woman with a head injury reeking of smoke. Is she the arsonist?

Hawke encounters the county midwife gloating over the burnt church and learns she and the victim in the car know one another.

Two seemingly separate events lead Hawke to a serial rapist and a county full of secrets.

https://books2read.com/u/bQeBDZ