Where's Patrick Clark?

Written by Patrick Clark:

The book signing has come and gone, so we've asked a few of our authors what they've been up to since.  


Where is Patrick Clark (and what has he been doing this summer)?

First and foremost, Patrick has been working closely with the editors and graphic artists at Koehlerbooks Publishing in advance of the release of his debut novel, The Monroe Decision.  If you’re interested, you can check out Patrick’s web site at www.patrick-clark.com for more information about the book, including the release date and how to purchase a copy.

But, Patrick did take some time out to travel and make a trek that, in his words, “pushed me harder, physically, than anything I have ever done before.”

See if you can guess where Patrick was. (Don’t cheat by looking ahead.)

Author Interview: Patrick Clark

Have you met our author Patrick Clark?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with him as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Pat's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

My favorite movie genre is thrillers and in that category, my favorite movies are the Bourne series.  I've enjoyed these thrillers since Ludlam wrote the Bourne Identity a long time ago.  And yes, this is definitely the genre that I like to read the most.

Dead Drop

Today we have an excerpt from "Dead Drop" by Patrick Clark.

But first let's read his blurb. 

East Beach’s Private Investigator, Cole Draper is back at it.  There has been unusual drone activity in the neighborhood so he and his attractive new roommate investigate their suspicion that something illegal is happening.  What they discover needs to be stopped and Cole is determined to do that…whatever it takes.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

East Beach Sand Replenishment

Written by Patrick Clark

After many years of beach erosion due to hurricanes and nor’easters, East Beach is finally getting beach replenishment. Last summer (2015), East Beach had weathered to less than twenty feet at high tide. Thanks to federal funds that were freed due to Hurricane Sandy which decimated many beaches along the East Coast, seven miles of Chesapeake Bay beaches will be widened by sixty feet. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 2016. The East Beach portion is basically complete as of March 6^th.

A total of 1.2 million cubic yards of sand will come from the bottom of the nearby Thimble Shoal shipping channel. More good news is the agreement between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the city of Norfolk to replenish the beach every nine years for the next half century.

So, there will be plenty of sandy beach for Norfolk residents and visitors to stick their toes in the sand and read a good book. Might I suggest one of the two By the Bay; East Beach Stories anthologies?

About the author: Patrick Clark is the author of “Boneyard” and "The Town Hall Incident" in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  His story “Dead Drop” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017.  For more information on Patrick and his other writings, please visit his website: www.patrick-clark.com.

Favorite Books of 2016 - Patrick Clark

Writers read!  And here is one of our By the Bay 2 authors’ favorite books of 2016.

Written by Patrick Clark

Book Title:  The One Man

Author:  Andrew Gross

Genre: Thriller

Setting:  World War II

Format:  e-book

Pages:  432

Publication date:  August 23, 2016

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Opening Line: (From the Prologue) The private room is on the fourth floor of the geriatric wing at the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital outside Chicago, bent, old men shuffling down the hall in hospital gowns with nurses guiding them and portable IV's in their arms.

Review: Parachute into Nazi occupied Poland, sneak inside the Auschwitz camp, pose as a camp prisoner and find a brilliant physicist with vital knowledge that could change the outcome of the war or, perhaps the course of human history, then sneak him out of the camp and escape back to the United States.  That was the incredible task assigned to Lieutenant Nathan Blum.  More incredible is the fact that much of this fictional story is loosely based on real events.

Andrew Gross's new novel, The One Man, is an exceptional story that I could not put down.  It is a dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of World War II and the horror of the Nazi concentration camp.  It's the story of a physicist with technical knowledge critical in the development of the first atomic bomb and the Allies desperate effort to rescue him from the camp.  Gross weaves the fictional story largely from true events and many of the characters are drawn from stories handed down from Holocaust survivors.

The book is emotional, the characters are vivid and the story pits good versus evil from page one to the end. It's suspenseful, riveting and it will make you think about those dark days

About the author: Patrick Clark is the author of “Boneyard” and "The Town Hall Incident" in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  His story “Dead Drop” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017.  For more information on Patrick and his other writings, please visit his website: www.patrick-clark.com.

Chesapeake Bay Living: Slover Library

Did you know thate we had a talk on June 28th at Slover Library?  We did!

We were also fortunate enough to get a tour of the library from our very own Will Hopkins.  We really appreciated the time he took to tell us the history and show us around.  It was fantastic!

I know what you're thinking.  What's so great about a dark, cramped library?  Well for one it isn't dark.  Two, it isn't cramped.  This place is huge!  I could honestly get lost in it.  It's very open and bright.  

Karen Harris, Gina Warren Buzby,
Will Hopkins & Jayne Ormerod

And it quite modern.  I was blown away when I found out you can look up books at the special kiosks.  I'm from a time when you had to search through card catalogs.  I may have just dated myself there, but that's okay.

Plus it's not just books.  They have computers and offer different classes.  I won't tell all, you'll just have to go check it out for yourself.  This place is fabulous and offers a lot!

And I absolutely love that they incorporated the old building with the new structure.  There's so much beautiful architecture downtown that I was glad they blended instead of just tearing a building down.

So if you are in the downtown Norfolk Area, I highly recommend stopping by.  And if you haven't already, get yourself a library card.

Book Signing

February 27th was your opportunity to get an autographed copy of our book.  Did you miss your opportunity?  

Jenny Sparks, Mike Owens, Jayne Ormerod, Mary-Jac O'Daniel,
Karen Harris, Michelle Davenport, Patrick Clark & Gina Warren Buzby

Not to worry!  We will have another book signing on April 30th, so mark your calendars!  More information to come on that event.

Origins Part Two

Did you read Origins Part One?

No?

Well go ahead and read it, we'll wait.

So you're back for more right?  You would like to know where more of the stories from in By The Bay came from right?  Did it stem from something that happened to them or was it just a creative idea?

Well wonder no more!  Our wonderful author, Jenny Sparks, came up with a great idea.  Why not share how we came up with our stories.  

So, over the course of the month we will share our authors thoughts with you.

I hope you enjoy installment number two!

Big Screen Dreams: Boneyard

So once again we get to peek inside our author's head to see who they would cast as their characters if their story was made into a movie.  Be it big screen or a made for TV movie.  That's right we dream big here.

Everyone envisions a character differently, but wouldn't it be interesting to see what our authors were seeing in their mind's eye when they wrote their story?  So here's our chance!

And please feel free to comment below on who you 'saw' this character as.  Does your idea of who the character looks like go with who the author envisions?

Patrick Clark envisions Bradley Cooper as Cole Draper.

Cole Draper

What do you think?

Big Dreams: The Town Hall Incident

So once again we get to peek inside our author's head to see who they would cast as their characters if their story was made into a movie.  Be it big screen or a made for TV movie.  That's right we dream big here.

Everyone envisions a character differently, but wouldn't it be interesting to see what our authors were seeing in their mind's eye when they wrote their story?  So here's our chance!

And please feel free to comment below on who you 'saw' this character as.  Does your idea of who the character looks like go with who the author envisions?

Patrick Clark says he envisions Agent Dandridge as David Duchovny and Agent Estefan as Penelope Cruz.

Agent Estefan

Agent Dandridge

What do you think?

Books For The Holiday

On November 20th the East Beach Writers Guild got together for their monthly meeting.  This month we brought children's books to donate to Toys For Tots.  Books can be a fantastic gift.  From toddlers to teenagers we donated books that we thought someone else would love.

Back Row: Gina Warren Buzby, Jayne Ormerod, Jenny Sparks & Patrick Clark
Front Row: Mike Owens, Skip McLamb, Mary-Jac O'Daniel, Karen Harris, Michelle Davenport & Will Hopkins

The Town Hall Incident Excerpt

Today we have an excerpt from "The Town Hall Incident" by Patrick Clark.

But first why don't you read the blurb?

Agents Dandridge and Estefan of the U.S. Secret Service meticulously plan every aspect for the protective detail of presidential candidate Scott Paige’s town hall meeting at the East Beach Bayfront Club.  Both personally and professionally, they will learn that you can’t prepare for everything.

Wow!

Now read the excerpt!

Author Interview: Patrick Clark

Have you met our author Patrick Clark?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview we did with him.  Along with a few candid photos.

Each contributing author submitted a question for the interview.  It's proving to be quite interesting.

So stop by and check out Patrick's interview.

Did you know that Patrick's favorite sport is football?  Yes, we have another football lover in the group.  His favorite teams are the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturdays and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Boneyard Excerpt

Today we are releasing an excerpt of "Boneyard" by Patrick Clark.

But first why not read the blurb?

Heather Kroft has an unfortunate discovery during the landscaping of her new East Beach home so she hires freshly licensed P.I. Cole Draper to unearth the story behind her discovery.  Clues from the past lead Draper to a surprising answer in NYC’s elite entertainment community.

Wow!

Now check out the excerpt!