Writer Gail Pallotta On Reading

Gail, welcome to Writers on Reading! With award-winning YA books to your credit, I’m dying to know what you read. Do you find one theme more repeatedly snags your attention as a read? Is there something special you seek when selecting your next reading adventure?

 

I enjoy well-written books of all genres. I discovered quite a few interesting reads in a book club where we delved into different members’ suggestions. They ranged from I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven to Fannie Flagg’s Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven. When left to my own devices, I will often migrate to a good mystery or suspense.

Sounds fun. Makes me wonder what was the most out-of-character book you’ve recently read, and what led to your choice?

I read it quite some time ago, but it’s Princess Sultana’s Circle. I heard the author, Jean Sasson, speak about her experiences in Saudi Arabia. She and the princess conferred to write the Princess Sultana books and shed light on life behind the veil.

Oooh, that’s gotta be a good book! Do you find time to read during the months you spend writing a book or with deadlines ahead is it either/ or for you?

If I have an impending deadline, I’ll wait to read a book. I’m always writing something. It’s just a part of what I do, kinda’ like eating, so I read while I’m writing.

If so, what did you read while working on Mountain of Love and Danger:  Jack’s Beanstalk Rescue?

One would think I was reading a fairy tale, or at least, fantasy, but I was actually reading The Last Detail by Lisa Lickel. It’s one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read, not a formula romance.

 

Oh, that’s fun to know! Thanks, Gail. So, what was the last book you absolutely couldn’t put down? Why?

Glimpses of Paradise by James Scott Bell. I was fascinated by 1920s Los Angeles with all of the glitz and glitter of the movies, life in the speakeasies and the desperate situations of hobos and an unwed Mother. The characters were so real they jumped off the page, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to them next.

There's a good recommendation. Did a book recently make you laugh/ cry/ sigh/ shiver?

Sarah and Three Times a Charm by Gay Lewis made me laugh. A bumbling, little angel, Sarah, is such a fun character. Legacy and Love by Paula Mowery brought out the “Ahhh” factor kind of sigh because of the warmth Ms. Mowery created and the faith that spilled out in her book. The mystery in Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl made me shiver.

(Psst. Folks, we recently interviewed Paula Mowery.) Okay, back to focus, Gail, were you the kind of kid/teen who loved reading? Which novel do you first remember reading?

Oh yes, I loved to read as a kid and teen. It’s difficult to remember the first, but I read Jane Eyre, Nancy Drew mysteries, and Zane Grey books my grandmother sent me as a kid.

When did you know you wanted to write? Did any or multiple books influence this desire?

I’ve loved to write for as long as I can remember. I published my first piece in grammar school when a friend and I put out a class newspaper. However, I didn’t take writing seriously until I enrolled in a course in college taught by William Paulk, an award-winning poet and short-story writer. He influenced me tremendously with his work and in the classroom. At the same time some of the classics, such as Of Human Bondage and An American Tragedy inspired me to write.

With a cozy fall coming up, what is on your to-read list? And what is your ideal autumn reading experience?

I love to snuggle up on the sofa in our great room with a cup of tea and read. I have quite a few books on my wish list. Among them, Sweet Mountain Rancher by Loree Lough; Rising Darkness, an upcoming mystery by Nancy Mehl; and Romeo’s Rules, a new thriller by James Scott Bell. When I have my nose in a good book, either paperback, or on my kindle, my husband can turn on the television and watch it. I never know he or the TV are in the same room with me.

That's the sign of a true reader; I think we all know what you're talking about! So, one last question, if Margaret were to pick a book from today’s shelves, what do you think it would be?

Since she’s busy trying to solve a mystery in Stopped Cold, she probably would read a Lois Duncan novel.

Thanks so much for visiting and letting us get to know you better as a reader, Gail!

Thanks for having me.

Folks, you can continue to connect with Gail—and find out more about her books—at the links below.

Bio: Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. She’s been a Sunday school teacher, a swim-team coordinator and an after-school literary instructor. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian Writers Association, she won Clash of the Titles in 2010. Her teen novel, Stopped Cold was a 2013 Grace Awards finalist. Gail's novella, Mountain of Love and Danger , has been a best-seller in amazon's paid kindle store. She's published two hundred articles, several poems and two short stories. Her flash fiction story, “Lifeline,” will appear in the upcoming Splickety Anthology. Some of her articles are in anthologies while two are in museums. Coming soon, Barely above Water with Prism Book Group.
Purchase Links:

Stopped Cold is available on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KK5C0NK

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Stopped-Cold-by-gail-pallotta?store=book&keyword=Stopped+Cold+by+gail+pallotta

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/441547

Mountain of Love and Danger is available on Smashwords -

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/476357

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NKV31LG

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mountain-of-love-and-danger-gail-pallotta/1120360103?ean=2940046169652

Connect with Gail

on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore

her web site at http://www.gailpallotta.com

and blog at http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com