Isaac: Letters of Fate by Paty Jager

Today at The Write Way Café, award-winning author Paty Jager shares interesting facts about her Letters of Fate series.


Tell us a little about Isaac: Letters of Fate.
     This book was first issued as part of Debra Holland’s Montana Sky World, through Kindle Worlds. When I wrote the first version of this book, I loved it and was sorry I had put it in her world. But Kindle Worlds closed and I received my rights back. One of the stipulations of getting my rights back was taking out all of the elements from the Montana Sky World. Which also made me happy because the other two Letters of Fate books are set in Oregon and now so is Isaac. The new setting for it is actually one of the highest payout mining areas in Oregon. The Cornucopia mines.
     As with all of my Letters of Fate books, they start with the hero getting a letter that changes his life. In the case of Isaac, he receives a letter from the daughter of a miner who died. Isaac had taken care of the man until his death and had sent his pay and a letter to the family. But the daughter isn’t satisfied that all of her father’s belongings were returned and has come to get them. The two are like water and oil until they begin to trust one another and see the others true character.

If Isaac: Letters of Fate was made into a movie, who would play your main characters, and why?
     Since this is a western…a young Tom Selleck would be perfect for Isaac, but let me see if I can find a younger actor… Christian Bale. He has the look I picture for Isaac and is 6 ft. While most of his roles have been tough characters, to play Isaac, he’d have to have a more forgiving personality. My choice for Alamayda would be Anne Hathaway. She is physically tall and thin and could do an excellent job of showing not only Alamayda’s chip on her shoulder when Isaac first meets her but she could also show the child-like qualities Alamayda never had the chance to explore since she had to take care of her younger siblings.

How is this book related to your Letter of Fate series?
     This is book 2 in the Letters of Fate series, but these books don’t have to be read in order due to the only thing making them a series is the fact the heroes receive a letter that changes their lives. There are no reoccurring characters and all are in different settings.

Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?
     Anyone who enjoys reading about U.S. Western history, cowboys, outlaws, and romance would like these books. I make sure the stories are historically accurate, warts and all. There are gunfights, fist fights, and passion in my books.

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
     I came up with the Letters of Fate series because I wanted to put a twist on the Mail Order Bride theme. I wanted men to receive a letter that took them to the woman who would become their wife.

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?
      I love both Isaac and Alamayda. They are two of my favorite historical western characters. My favorite character in the book is a secondary character. White Hawk is an older warrior they come across. He has a wry sense of humor and deep sense of honor.

How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
     My least favorite character is Tulley, a new guard who tries to force himself on Alamayda more than once and falls in with two outlaws looking for the same thing Alamayda and Isaac are seeking.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?
     I’m proud of my cover. The background photo of the cave or actually old mine was taken by me. I saw it while driving to Bourne, Oregon an old mining area in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. I found the photo of the cowboy on one of the online photo depositories. My daughter is my cover designer. She is Covered by CLKeerins. Because the story deals with mining and they spend some time in a cave, I thought my photo made a good background for the book. My cover designer designed the Letters of Fate banner and did an awesome job with the ebook and print covers.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:
     In Brody: Letters of Fate, I have the hero and heroine stuck in a cave that is ten miles from where I live. It is a lava tube cave that has a lake in it. Davis: Letters of Fate is set at the base of the Steens Mountains which are about thirty miles as the crow flies from where I live. I incorporated a real person into the book. Peter French who ran one of the largest cattle enterprises in Oregon in the mid-to-late 1800s. And as I state above, I set the beginning of Isaac in a mining area that amassed $20 million worth of ores taken from that area in the years it was mined.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
     Hands down it would be Nicole McCaffrey. She was the first person to see my potential and help me hone my craft. We have been good friends since the day I received a contest entry back and she’d explained what I was doing wrong rather than just marking red everywhere and not explaining anything. She put her email on my entry and said she wrote historical western romance too. We became critique partners. I helped her with horse related questions and she helped me with craft. We’ve never met in person but I hope to see her this fall when I travel to the east coast with my daughter.

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
     Hmmm…. I can write backwards. I sent letters home from college written backward and would transcribe my class notes backwards. I like to sew and ride my horse.

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
     Readers: The best way to make sure an author you like continues to write what you like is to leave a review. While many don’t read every review, we do make note of how many reviews we have and the rating because that can be used to help us get ads to promote our books. We can’t write if we can’t show a profit from our writing. 
     Writers: If you love to write and want to pursue it as a career, then make sure you join writers groups and learn not only the craft of writing but also the business of writing. Whether you plan to self-publish or go the traditional route. Knowing what you need to know will help you with the self-publishing side and make an agent or editor like that you are knowledgeable about your career path.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
     The best way to say thank you to an author is to write a review and put it up at the ebook vendor where you bought the book, Goodreads, and Bookbub if you are a member. Also, tell others how much you enjoyed the book. If you are on social media put up the cover or talk about the book and why you enjoyed it.

What can we expect from you in the future?
     Lottie Mae: Silver Dollar Saloon another historical western romance just published. Coming up next are two more Shandra Higheagle mystery books to round out this year. Dangerous Dance and Honeymoon Cadaver. Then I start 2019 with a contemporary western novella from the Tumbling Creek Ranch series, Wrong Cowboy to Love and a book a month coming out January, February, and March of my new Gabriel Hawke series. The next Silver Dollar Saloon book, Freedom, will be out in June 2019.


Thank you for having me on The Write Way! I enjoy being a guest and answering your wonderful, thought provoking questions.


Isaac: Letters of Fate
Historical western filled with steamy romance and the rawness of a growing country.

Alamayda Wagner’s life has left her cynical, but also vigilant, and that’s what propels her to Cornucopia, Oregon to uncover the secrets her father took to his grave. She quickly discovers her only hope includes trusting Isaac Corum. That soon proves to be expensive, and not just financially.

The last thing Isaac Corum needs or wants is a snooty woman telling him he didn’t do enough to save her father, which is what her letter implied. He’d helped the man more than most people would have, and swears he won’t go out of his way like that again. He’ll meet her at the Baker City train station, deliver her father’s belongings, and send her back the way she came.

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Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 34 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous short stories and anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what readers have to say about the Letters of Fate series- “...filled with romance, adventure and twists and turns.” “What a refreshing and well written love story of fate and hope!”

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