Patricia Anne Harris was raised in Ohio, and attended a number of universities before deciding on a major. She has a BA in Management, but enough biology and nursing classes to have a PhD in something…at least her parents think so. They had the unfortunate position of paying her college tuition while she searched for the meaning of life. Often in Florida. Or at a peace rally. Or, at a bacchanal, sharing musings on the universe with her fellow cohorts.
She grew up to be the mother of three amazing kids, married to a man who still makes her laugh, and living a life that is blessed with a loving family, treasured friends, a great dog and a beautiful life beyond measure. Thank you, Father. For all of it.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a small, Norman Rockwell-esque town in Ohio. A place where kids played outside in the summer, often not returning home until the streetlights came on. You went to streams to catch crawdads, you hiked farmers fields to find abandoned apple orchards, you knew all the neighborhood kids and their parents knew you. It was an idyllic time, where neighbors were 'second' parents, and bad people only existed in scary movies.
When did you first start writing?
I first started writing poetry as a pre-teen. Angst with a large side of hope was my alter ego. I loved old movies…Madam X, African Queen, Casablanca, any movie that had a tragic circumstance that was overcome by grit and love. From there, two English teachers in high school were instrumental to my becoming a writer. Miss Margaret Welty and Mr. Donald Stefan. Loved them, and will be eternally grateful for their kind attention and encouragement.
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