Carson City employee pens first book

Carson City Support Services Specialist Elizabeth "Liz" Ann Patterson can now add author to her resume.
Patterson's first book "Bonners Ferry" an all-ages story about about the discovering a hidden portal where true meaning is found, is now available in paperback and hardcover. A book signing is scheduled for July 30, noon to 2 p.m. at Borders Books, 911 Topsy Lane in Carson City. The book is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, iUniverse.com, and if you just go on the internet and type in Bonners Fairy by Elizabeth A. Patterson, it will give you a list of all the different places you can get it.

The book is about a young couple in the 1800's who go West to seek adventure. The wife and two daughters disappear in the Kootenai River and the father disappears. Every year after, a wailing sound occurs during the fall festival, suggesting to the locals that the Father's ghost has returned. His homestead is rumored to be haunted and totally avoided by the towns folk. Nearly two hundred years later, Twins Henry and Haley Miles and their family move onto the old homestead and the twins discover a hidden portal into another time and world. The princess and guardian of this world appeals to them to help fight the evil one in their realm and save the life of someone very dear to them. The twins embark on a journey that changes their outlook from childish to what's important in life.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Patterson works as a Public Services Specialist for Carson City. She lives outside Carson City with her husband and three children. "Bonners Fairy" is the first book in a series and she has already begun the second book which is a continuation of the first, and quite possibly a third book after that. Patterson answered the following questions for Carson Now.

Carson Now: When did you know you were a writer?
Liz Patterson: I never really knew that I was a writer. I wrote a story when I was a sophomore in high school about a talking cat that I thought was really funny, but never wrote anything after that. I never went to college and I didn't graduate high school. I was what you would call a wild child and quit school, but later realized what a mistake I had made when applying for jobs. I went back to school, took night courses, and got my GED.

CN: What inspired you to write the story? What inspired you to give it the title: Bonners Fairy?
LP: After I read the first two Harry Potter books, I realized that I had a story that could be just as great an adventure. It started out as just something to do during a slow time at work, and graduated into something much more. After I began the book, I traveled through Northern Idaho and fell in love with the beauty of the countryside. After looking at the map of Idaho some weeks later I saw the name Bonners Ferry on the map and felt an immediate connection. That is when I decided to name it Bonners Fairy. (Here's a link to a review done in the Bonners Ferry Herald.)

CN: What's the hardest part about writing that most people don't know? What's the easiest?
LP: The hardest part about writing is actually finding the time to sit down and just do it. The easiest for me was putting it down on paper.

CN: What was and is your writing routine?
LP:  I find the best time for me to write is when it is dark and rainy. When it thunders. When all hell is breaking loose outside. Especially in the autumn when it has started to get chilly outside and the leaves are turning. I write everything down on paper before it goes on the computer.

CN: What age range is your story suited for?
LP: The best way to tell you the age group is this. I think that the baby boomers will love it. I bring to life things that they did as they grew up. The simplicity of life during their young years. As far as how young, if parents have no problem letting their children read Harry Potter and watch the movies, they will have no trouble letting them read my book. It is not as nearly as dark as some of Rowling's books. At least not yet. There are only a couple of scary parts and I worded them as such so not to scare young children.

CN: Why is it important for kids to maintain an active imagination through fiction?
LP: It is important for kids to maintain an active imagination through fiction because it causes children to dream. To day dream. To create a wonderful world possibly full of danger and adventure but also a world of hope. To realize it doesn't necessarily mean they have to live in a dream world, but to know that through persistence and courage, and a little imagination they can put a smile on someone's face. That through the struggles of everyday life, a little fun and adventure can lift a persons spirit and make them realize that there is always hope for the future.

CN: What was it like, after nearly 9 years, seeing your first copy of the book?
LP:  I waited anxiously for a long time to finally see my book in print. I was told by my publisher what day it would arrive. I went home from work during my lunch, hoping that UPS had delivered it although I seriously doubted it would be there. I have three small dogs at home whom I did not want to know I was there, causing barking and anxiety at my not coming in, so I pulled up slowly in front of my house, looking at the porch for any kind of delivery. I saw a package there and my heart pounded. I was so excited. I got out of my vehicle without shutting the door and ran up to the porch, grabbed the box and snuck back to my vehicle. I did not open it right away, but drove back toward work, savoring the moment when I would actually open the box. At a stop light I finally could not control my excitement and tore the box open. I read the first couple of sentences and just giggled with delight.

CN: Any final thoughts?
LP: If you purchase my book, I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I had about five people read the manuscript before I ever began the editing process. Every one of them said that I had to get it published. When they read it, they all felt that they were there, experiencing the journey.