A Visit from Author, Patricia Crandall

I'm excited to have a visit from author, Patricia Crandall, who has recently published her novel, The Dog Men. Welcome, Pat!



Patricia, please tell us about yourself and your book!

I was born Patricia Crandall in Bennington, Vermont.Presently, I live with my husband, Art, at Babcock Lake in the Grafton Mountains near Petersburgh, New York. My daughter and her family live nearby. Also living near us is our son. I have two granddaughters and one grandson. I devote time to my family, writing and community work. I enjoy reading, skiing, golfing, knitting, walking/hiking, swimming, exercising and traveling.
I have a vast number of poetry/haiku, numerous articles and short stories published in many small press magazines and a variety of newspapers. I have won many poetry awards and have two books in print, Melrose, Then and Now, a historical volume and I Passed This Way, containing poetry.

I am currently working on several mystery-crime stories, a series of contemporary and family short fiction and novels. I put aside whatever free time I have for writing.

My feelings as a poet have affected my role as a mother by allowing me to capture in poetry the formative years of my children. These poems are snapshots in words. Whenever I read them, I see my children as they were during that moment in time.

I like to write mysteries because I like to read mystery stories. It all began with the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene when I was a pre-teen in the 1950s. Each holiday, I would request the latest Nancy Drew title and upon receiving it, I would curl-up in an oversized chair and begin reading the fast-paced adventure. Prior to that time, I was hooked on the Bobbsey Twins.
My first effort at writing a mystery story detailed a long, frightening chase by a sinister man. A dark tunnel appeared, leading to (of course) a haunted mansion. The not-so-brilliant ending had me saved by the man of my life at the time - my father.



The Dog Men
Ten-year-old Wyatt and eleven-year-old Hannah uncover the dark world of illegal dogfights when they trespass at a Vermont farm and peep through a barn window. And when crotchety old Lester Cranshaw's dog, Paddy, turns up missing, there is no holding him back from investigating the situation and the kids join in. In the dead of night after the trio are captured and held hostage at the Inglis farm, Wyatt will need all of his wits and courage to escape In order to save the lives of his Friends. THE DOG MEN draws the reader into a tempest of animal abuse, lawlessness, and kidnapping within the confines of small-town happenings. A Chilling plot and a peerless relationship between kids, adults and pets.