Meet Author Patricia Sargeant/Regina Hart

No, I haven’t made a mistake and I’m not interviewing two authors in one post. Turns out Patricia Sargeant is Regina Hart. Go figure. LOL. Guess I’m not the only one with an alter ego. Let’s get this party started!

What genre(s) do you write? Hi, Deatri! Thank you so much for inviting me to chat with your community. I’m thrilled and honored to be here.

Regarding in which genres I write, I write romantic suspense as Patricia Sargeant and contemporary romance as Regina Hart. My previous titles include You Belong to Me (November 2006) and On Fire (September 2007) as Patricia Sargeant. I’ve also written Sweet Deception (June 2009) and Heated Rivalry (April 2010) – two contemporary romances – as Patricia Sargeant before switching to Regina Hart for my contemporaries. My first Regina Hart book was Fast Break (June 2011). My second Regina Hart title, Smooth Play, is a January 2012, release.

Tell us about your latest book. Thank you for asking, Deatri.

Smooth Play is the second book in my Regina Hart Brooklyn Monarchs contemporary romance trilogy. The Brooklyn Monarchs is a fictional National Basketball Association team based in – you’ve guessed it! – Brooklyn, New York. (Brooklyn’s in the house!) The trilogy – Fast Break, Smooth Play and the soon-to-be-released Keeping Score – follows the Monarchs’ Cinderella season. Readers are introduced to the team in Fast Break, the first book of the trilogy. Fast Break features the team’s fearless owner and former Women’s National Basketball Association superstar, Jaclyn Jones, and the team’s rookie head coach and future NBA Hall of Famer DeMarcus Guinn.

In Smooth Play, the once-basement-dweller Monarchs have made it into the playoffs. Now the franchise’s marketing executive, Troy Marshall, must ensure the media coverage doesn’t overwhelm the suddenly successful ballers. But that goal puts him at odds with sports reporter Andrea Benson, who needs a big story to revive her career.

Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel, or do you discover it as you write?

This is a great question, Deatri. Thank you for asking it. I’m very aware of my story’s plot before I type, “Chapter One.” I’m an obsessive compulsive plotter. I outline my characters, the plot, the subplots and turning points before starting the story. For me, plotting is a defense mechanism. I’m afraid that if I don’t plot in that much detail, it will turn out that I don’t have a story. Wouldn’t that be a shame?

The Romance Slam Jam organizers were kind enough to allow me to present my workshop, Fun with Plotting, during the 17^th Romance Slam Jam in Little Rock, Arkansas, Romance in the Rock. Has everyone signed up for the Romance Slam Jam? If not, run – don’t walk – to the Romance Slam Jam website and register now. It’s going to be another wonderful event!

Where can readers purchase your latest book? Smooth Play, my January 2012 release, is available in book stores. It also can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie bound and Powells. Links to these online sites are on my Regina Hart website at www.AuthorReginaHart.com. If you do get a copy of Smooth Play, I’d love to know what you think of the story. You can email me at BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors? The most important advice I could give aspiring authors is to never, ever give up your dream of becoming a published author. But the fact is this is not an easy career, is it, Dee? Aspiring authors have to make the decision with their eyes wide open as to whether they’re suited to a publishing career.

Continue to study the craft of writing. But equally important is keeping abreast of changes in the publishing industry. What changes are trending in publishing contracts? How’s technology impacting the industry? What’s the buzz on specific publishers and their relationships with their authors? Knowledge is power.

How can readers reach you? I love to hear from readers and I always respond. My email address is BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com. My Regina Hart website is www.AuthorReginaHart.com. My Patricia Sargeant website is www.PatriciaSargeant.com. Readers can sign up for my e-newsletter via either website. I’m also on Twitter at @BooksByPatricia.

Before saying goodbye, I’d like to thank all of my readers very sincerely for their interest in and support of my stories. You’ve helped my dream come true.

I’d also like to offer two readers one copy of Fast Break each, the first book in my Regina Hart Brooklyn Monarchs trilogy. For the chance to get a copy of Fast Break, be the first to correctly answer this trivia question, what is the name of the Brooklyn Monarchs’ arena? The answer’s on my Regina Hart website, www.AuthorReginaHart.com. Please send your answer to BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com and put “Brooklyn Monarchs arena” in the subject heading. Thanks in advance!

And, Deatri, thank you again for inviting me to visit. I’ve had a great time!

Dee here: Everyone, Patricia is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet and her books are FANTASTIC! We’ll be discussion her Regina Hart titles Fast Break and Smooth Play in the Black Romance Online Bookclub the last Saturday in January (Jan 28, 2012) and you are invited. It’s on Shelfari, so if you don’t have an account, you’ll need to set up a free one. It’s an all day event. Just pop in when you can. http://www.shelfari.com/groups/12038/discussions  Patricia, thanks for taking time out of your busy day to hang with us. Come on back and let us know about future books.