P.D. Platt Interview Published on: 17, Nov 2020

Let's just say my childhood was hard. The best memories involved my own imagination and the stories in the adventure books I read.

The positive impact of an introduction to reading in the young child cannot be overstated. A talented, encouraging teacher or an enthusiastic parent early on can make all the difference. My fourth-grade teacher kept a small personal library in her classroom and she let students borrow any of them they wished. I had a particular fondness for her "Hardy Boys" collection and I read through them in an excited pace.

I believe the reader should connect with the story and it should deliver real human emotions.

The "Hardy Boys" series.

It's hard. I'm not able to devote the hours and attention necessary to do this single handily. I have a full-time job and family commitments like everyone else so I rely on those readers who are willing to give my work a read and then leave a review.

Like many of my ideas, they are all based loosely on observations and events that happen in my own life, from settings and experiences that usually happen when I'm riding my motorcycle. A story can grow out of the both the mundane and the extraordinary things we encounter in life.

aymond was a combination character--based on more of a set of dark, swarming emotions rather than an actual person. We can all feel overwhelmed sometimes and if you have too many setbacks all at once, it can seem hopeless. The message or point of the story was suicide prevention.

The Mill Trap was inspired by an old steel mill, I encountered on one of my rides. I attempted to capture the vastness and sudden loneliness of the factory. I am fascinated by abandoned places and the setting was too intriguing not to put into a suspenseful thriller.

I would have told myself not to stop writing. I wrote my first story when I was in second grade. I was intrigued with the quotation marks surrounding dialogue in the books I read and I just had to try it out myself. Because life often gets in the way, I didn't find writing again for many years. Lost time can never be recovered.

Even though I have kept working as normal, my children have been learning from home. It's been a positive experience overall because everyone is together and safe. It has been more of a challenge for them because of the social interaction experiences have been reduced.

It is the exhilaration, the freedom, and the connection with the world that cannot be experienced in any other form. An hour-long ride can be the best therapy for me to decompress and I have some of my best thoughts and ideas. It is a great headspace clearing mechanism. My decades of riding experience are invaluable with managing the risk and my caution that comes with age keeps me focused.

I always revert to riding or writing.

An abundance of online reviews rule the world today.

I'm currently working on four different stories right now (It's normal for me and other writers to capture ideas as they come so they won't' be forgotten. The full stories develop later). All are in various stages but the one more than halfway complete is a thriller centered around a mysterious kidnapping.

I first heard about AllAuthor earlier this year through social media. It sounded like something that would benefit me as a struggling, independent author. Many thanks to the work that you do for the indies!