Pat Spencer
Interview for Authors’ Lounge—Readers’ Magnet
Story of a Stolen Girl by Pat Spencer is an international thriller in which ordinary women do extraordinary things, including risking their own lives to help each other.
UCLA freshman Darby Richards remembers sitting at the tables of a private LA gambling club, but not how she ended up in Ankara, Turkey. Her life is in danger. Everyone searches for her, yet authorities are baffled. Her mother is desperate.
Darby tries to escape at each twist and turn. Her widowed mother, a successful architect, does something no other mom has ever done. If she fails, her daughter will be lost forever.
Story of a Stolen Girl is about a mother’s love and how far she will go to rescue her only daughter. As a fast-paced read for ages 14 through 100, this novel contains no sex or violence. It focuses on the intricacies of human trafficking, facts unknown to most Americans, and the relationships between the characters, including how their roles evolve under the greatest of stressors—the potential loss of a child.
What inspired you to write Story of a Stolen Girl?
My goal was to raise awareness of human trafficking in the United States because most people mistakenly believe it happens only in poor, underdeveloped countries by scummy-looking drug dealers. However, this is so untrue. Human trafficking happens in every country in the world and in every state in the U.S. This crime is committed by doctors, lawyers, business people, hairstyling salon owners, mechanics, and folks from most any other profession you can think of as well as recognized criminals.
Some of the secondary characters are based on true-life survivors, and I wanted to tell their stories without putting them at risk of further harm. I also had a burning desire to write a novel in which the women took charge when official channels failed to resolve the problem. The heroes are all female.
What genres do you write?
I began my writing career as a nonfiction writer. I wrote for a major newspaper, a tabletop magazine, and a trade magazine. Now I write thrillers, historical and literary fiction, and short stories. Golden Boxty in the Frypan (Historical Fiction) is scheduled for a fall release. My trilogy, Sticks in a Bundle (Literary and Historical Fiction) will be released later in the year.
Are there problems associated with writing in multiple genres?
For me, the story that needs telling dictates the genre. I read across the three genres from which I write, so I’m no stranger to the personality and characteristics, or you might say, the rules of writing in these genres. Still, before I begin writing, I review the nuances of each genre by reading articles and watching online craft videos.
I also consider my protagonist’s personality. How would she like her story presented to the world? What genre provides the best framework on which to build an understanding of the challenges she faces, her thoughts and fears, hopes and dreams?
About the Author, Pat Spencer.
I love traveling and getting to know people and their cultures. When not writing or traveling, I golf, read, walk the beach, hang out with family and friends or frequent book clubs and writing groups. Besides six states in the U.S., I have resided in Canada and Germany.
If you would like to learn more about me and my writing, please visit my website at Book. If you would like to receive the traditional recipes loved and cooked by the characters in my upcoming books, log on to my website and scroll down to “Drop me a line by clicking here!”
I thank Readers Lounge for inviting me to share with you. Writing can be an isolating endeavor, so I appreciate opportunities to connect with other readers and authors. It has been fun chatting with you! Please visit me on Facebook.
Excellent book, one that stays with you long after you’re finished reading.
Thank you so much for your support.
This page-turner is an important story that allows the reader to approach the overwhelming reality–the universality–of human trafficking through the unique story of one determined mother and the women she turns to to recover her daughter. It makes the unthinkable ponderable, and so enlightens us about this widespread evil in a way that increases awareness and concern for the children and families facing these horrors in real life. Exactly what good novels should do. Kudos to Pat Spencer.
Thank you so much for your support. It takes a village to combat this horrible crime against our young women and children.
“Story of a Stolen Girl” exposes the horrifying reality that abduction for purposes of human trafficking can happen even in seemingly safe environments like a college campus or a social gathering. The novel takes us into a dark and secret world where escape seems hopeless for the drugged and abused captives. When a young woman disappears from the college campus, her mother takes unusual and dangerous steps to rescue her. Author Spencer writes with sensitivity and includes some of the tragic experiences of real trafficking survivors. The novel will haunt readers long after they finish reading.
Thank you for your support, Sandy. As you know, my goal is to raise awareness.
Human trafficking is not only in the United States but also a big problem worldwide. Pat Spencer is doing an amazing job of bringing awareness through this book. Human trafficking is one of the most shameful crimes. While the best-known form of human trafficking is for the purpose of sexual exploitation, they trafficked hundreds of thousands of victims for the purposes of forced labor, domestic services, child begging, or the removal of their organs. Everybody should read this book to learn the seriousness of this heinous crime.
Thank you so much! It is a long, hard fight.
Story of a Stolen Girl is a well written, thrilling international story about a young woman who is a victim of human trafficking and her devoted mother who is determined to save her daughter. This fascinating story is a must read. – Clive Aaron Gill, author of The Great Betrayal.
Thank you, Clive!
An important and timely novel: well-written fiction about real-life horrors around the world.
Thank you for your support! Happy Writing. pat
Great thriller demonstrating the danger of human trafficking even in the suburbs of Southern California. I especially loved the twist at the end that involved the mom and grandmom. The book entertains while informing readers about this real peril for girls and women.
Thank you for this comment and your support. This crime against women and children happens in every corner of the world.