Patience Griffin: Second Chances Are Possible

Patience Griffin is the award-winning author of the Kilts and Quilts series of contemporary romances. She grew up in a small town along the Mississippi River, enjoying life in a close-knit community. She loves to quilt and has gained national recognition with her September 11 Story Quilt, which has toured the country as the property of the Pentagon, and her extensive collection of commercially available quilting fabrics. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In this post, Patience discusses writing her new romance novel, Happily Ever Alaska, her advice for writers, and more!

Name: Patience Griffin
Literary agent: Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Book title: Happily Ever Alaska
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin Random House
Release date: December 26, 2023
Genre/category: Clean and Wholesome Romance
Previous titles: Sweet Home, Alaska series: One Snowy Night; Once Upon a Cabin; Happily Ever Alaska; Kilts and Quilts® series: To Scotland with Love; Meet Me in Scotland; Some Like It Scottish; The Accidental Scot; The Trouble with Scotland; It Happened in Scotland; The Laird and I; Blame It on Scotland; Kilt in Scotland
Elevator pitch: Lolly Crocker certainly knows how to bake up warm desserts in her chilly Alaskan town, but she has no idea how to handle the reigniting of an old flame, when her ex comes back to town.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

My love for the Great British Baking Show inspired me to write this book about a woman who loves to bake. I also wanted to explore what would happen if an old boyfriend reappeared in my wannabe-baker’s life, especially since she had been the one to break his heart in the first place.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

Life happens. I never thought it would take me 16 months to write this book. My contract allows me a year between books; however, I never could’ve known that I would get COVID over and over again. Then I got Long COVID. I did the right thing by keeping my editor in the loop the whole way. The good news is that I’m feeling much better now, more like myself.

One of the things I love about writing are the times when unanticipated events/dialogue/plot points show up in the story. These are the kinds of surprises that I like. So, yes, my original idea always morphs into something unexpected. For me, that’s where and when the magic happens.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

My writing process is a “try everything” approach. I keep a list of things to try, and I refer to it when I feel stuck or when I feel like I need to tackle the story from a different angle. With that said … while writing Happily Ever Alaska, I stumbled upon the MICE Quotient, an approach that really resonates with me. I look forward to using this more in the future, and I’m thrilled to add another technique to my “try everything” bag of tricks.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

That second chances are possible, and, of course, that baked goods are magic when it comes to making life better.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Achieving balance between the writing life and real life is important, but on most days it seems unattainable. Writing, at least for me, is an alpha and demands all my attention. My advice is to strive for balance by 1.) Doing self-care, 2.) maintaining relationships, and 3) doing those darned dishes or whatever chore that you might be putting off, but it keeps taking up space in your brain anyway. I believe I’m more productive when I’m attempting to stay balanced and not letting writing take over every aspect of my life. My motto is a balanced writer is a happy writer.