Patty Campbell Advocates for Veterans

The Write Way Café welcomes Patty Campbell, a writer, world-traveler, and advocate for veterans.

Patty is donating 100% of her proceeds from Wounded Warrior series book sales to The Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. 

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
A friend who was multi-published with Harlequin told me one day to quit giving my good ideas to her and write my own book. So, I did, and that’s when I learned I had no clue about the actual craft of writing.

What was your path to getting your Wounded Warrior series written and published? What type of research did you do?
Nine-Eleven was such a stunning event that I had the urge to change my path in life. I sold my home and my business in California and moved to Jackson, Wyoming. A peaceful paradise. I joined a writer’s group there and started to write for real. After another move, this time to Florida, I finally got published. Three standalone novels before I hit on the idea of doing something for our wounded veterans returning from the Middle East.

Where did the idea for the Wounded Warrior series come from? Why did you focus on Marines?
I was invited to a Wounded Warriors event. I asked the director if it was possible for me to interview a few veterans. I was deeply moved by the veterans I interviewed. That’s when I decided I’d not only write about their stories, but I’d also donate 100% of my royalties to the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund.

My characters are Marines because a distant ancestor of mine, Presley Neville O’Bannon, was the Marine Lt. who spearheaded the successful rescue of Americans in Libya that prompted the Marine Hymn to include the lyrics: To the Shores of Tripoli. Congress presented him with the first Mamaluke sword that became a permanent accessory to Marine officer dress uniforms.

Why did you pick the setting you did for Always a Marine?
Write what you know, they say. I was born in Pasadena, California. I consider Simi Valley my home town. All the principle characters in the WW series have a connection to Simi Valley and my fictional suburb, Spring Grove.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
My characters are completely fictional, but loosely based on my late husband who served in the U.S. Army, and the veterans I interviewed. The only aspect of myself in the books is my writing style.

Did you face any blocks while writing Always a Marine, book four in the series, and if so, how did you handle them?
I’m one of those seat-of-the-pants writers. I have my characters formed in my mind. I know the beginning and the end. My problem is: How do I get there? That can slow me down now and then, and cause me to delete and go in another direction.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing Always a Marine and after?
I have the same surprise in all my books. My characters often do and say something that completely surprises me.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about retired Marines, alcoholism, and reenlisting?
Learning the writing craft is essential to get a book published by a royalty paying publisher. I never seriously considered self-publishing. I have nothing against it, in fact I know some very successful self-published writers. The writing world is a small world. How we conduct ourselves is essential.

I only actually knew two retired Marines. One was a WWII veteran named Ray, who is now deceased. The other, Milt, is married to one of my dear friends.

My father was an alcoholic. I know what that can do to the individual and their family and friends.

During my interviews I learned that some service members reenlist because they find themselves changed after combat and transition to civilian life too daunting.

You are donating your royalties for this series. Can you tell us more about what you are doing, and why?
I write for the love of it. The term starving artist, is there for a reason. I don’t need my small royalties and wanted to put them toward a worthy cause. Wounded Veterans Relief Fund helps many men and women who served with emergency cash relief to help them get past an existential crisis. What could be more worthy?

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
I tend to fall in love with my characters and find it difficult to give them any flaws.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
I have a nice setup against one wall of my bedroom. It’s well lighted and quiet. I can have music on in another room to set the mood, if I choose.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
That’s like asking a mother to name her favorite child. I’m a voracious reader of fiction, non-fiction, and history. I love them all. My favorite romance and women’s fiction writer, is Kristan Higgins. My favorite historical author is David McCullough. My favorite thriller writer was the late Vince Flynn. His legacy is carried on today by Kyle Mills. I’ve read dozens of first-person books by service members. Everything from the sweet; Craig and Fred, to intense stories like Lone Survivor and American Sniper.

What are you working on now?
I'm just about to finish another standalone romance novel. The man and woman in the story are the adult children of the characters featured in Book One and Book Two of the WW series.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre? Which one and why?
I have been featured in women’s fiction/romance in a couple of anthologies published by the Southwest Florida Romance Writers. Both stories are about old characters. People over a certain age are rarely published in romance. I think they should be.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
I gave up my dream job of thirty years to become an author. I was the owner of a travel service. I got to meet so many interesting people, and see so much of this interesting world. I went to places my grandmother only dreamed about. I stood on the Great Wall right after China opened up to Western tourists, with tears in my eyes, thinking about her smiling down on me in such an exotic location.

Joe Hamilton has spent years conquering his demons, his war wounds. Some the medics could fix, and some were up to him. Now he’s retired from the Marines and on track to a satisfying future as a civilian. A husband. A father.

Sandy Cassidy is the woman Joe only dreamed about meeting. Miraculously she’s attracted to him. What is she hiding? Something that can prevent them from having a future together?

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About Patty:  I had two careers before I published my first novel. First, I worked for many years in the offices of hospitals and physicians. My second career was in the travel business.
     My late husband was my true soulmate and best friend. A big empty hole was left when he unexpectedly died while we were vacationing in Switzerland. That’s when I started pouring out my thoughts and emotions to my computer screen. A true interest in writing publishable fiction soon followed. I write romance because I love to create happy endings.
     I’m back in Simi Valley again. This time to stay. I have one adult son living nearby. He’s worked at the local community college for many years. My other son lives and works on the Greek Island of Corfu.

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