Jaguar by Pamela Poole Book Spotlight and Q&A

About the Book

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Can the man who once left Caroline behind now be trusted to rescue her?
Caroline and Chad Gregory are happy on their island home at Painter Place. But an old vendetta against them puts Caroline in terrible danger. Her enemies are closing in, and the future of Painter Place is at stake. Her only hope of escape is a man known as the Jaguar, a legendary international operative – and the ex-boyfriend who once left Caroline behind. Even if he and a miracle can save her, Caroline will never be the same sheltered woman who has been groomed from childhood to inherit the island.

About the Author

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Inspiring Southern Ambiance
Pamela Poole’s love for the South inspires all her books and paintings. The setting for her novels and short stories in the Painter Place Saga is a fictional island between Charleston, SC and Myrtle Beach. Pamela lives life loving Jesus and her family as a wife, mother, and GiGi, and she is blessed with true friends. She and her husband Mark currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina, but she considers the Lowcounty of South Carolina “home.” Pamela is a member of various author and artist organizations.

“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20,21

Q&A with Pamela Poole

1. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

To Israel, and it changed how I read the Bible! Settings spring to life now with my memories and visual connections.

2. How do you select the names of your characters?

I use 3 methods:

1) The first is used for my main characters. I consider their roles and look up appropriate name meanings from baby name lists online.

2) I name characters after friends, family, and beta readers

 3) I create a Face Book post about a certain role or time period and ask friends to suggest names of beloved family members they may wish to see in the novel.

3. What was your hardest scene to write in Jaguar?

This would have to be the attack on Caroline in the pitch-black Amazon jungle. I needed to infuse the scene with the reality of desperation and panic, but I could not be graphic. To understand how to write the scene, I had to imagine myself in her disturbing situation.

4. What is your favorite childhood book?

Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans, a painter, illustrator, and writer. I loved little Madeline’s adventures with Miss Clavel, Pepito, and the heroic dog Genevieve! When I had a daughter, I shared the stories with her in a collected volume of 6 of those stories, which still sits on the bookcase.

5. What comes first, the plot or characters?

The PLOT. Though it’s true, the Painter Place Saga is based on a dream, the main character and her artist uncle did not have names or much personality at that point, and I had only a sketchy waking memory of the historic mansion on the beach. I made sure there was a story to be told before spending time on those elements. In the rest of the saga, the plot determines who the new characters will be.

I use the Mind-Mapping method of Leonardo da Vinci to get all the main plot elements in place, separating them into 3 segments – beginning, middle, and end. I keep things simple and don’t waste time over-thinking.

6. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Paint and travel! One of my dreams is to go out West with my hubby, rent an Airstream, and visit the National Parks. I want to set up my easel and paint plein air, keep a blog journal of the experience, and perhaps do live demonstrations for video with an inspirational scripture devotion about the view.

7. If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?

I love this question! I would invite the undisputed genius of all history, Leonardo da Vinci, and I’d make Da Vinci Soup, his favorite meal (Minestrone, made of whatever vegetables were available in the market the day he shopped). The recipe is on my art website blog at https://pamelapoole.com/blog/40003/da-vincis-soup

Thank you Pamela for your time in letting us get to know you better!