Parker J. Cole
Detroit, MI
USA
Good morning, Parker, and welcome to Vision and Verse. What
have you written?
I primarily write in historical romance and have about 40+
published works out there. (I know, I know. I have no life.)
What is your favorite genre to write?
Historical fiction but I do dabble in other things.
Marshmallows!
Tea or coffee?
There is no such thing as coffee.
There is only tea.
Pizza or ice cream?
I’d like a slice of ice cream pizza
please.
Wine or beer or soda or what?
I am a recovering off and on
Mountain Dew and marshmallow
addict.
Where would you like to visit?
Alaska, England, and Greece
Do you listen to music when you write?
I don't usually listen to music, but I listen to old movies or TV shows I've watched a thousand. I may have the TV on behind and then a show on my computer. I don't like silence. The more noise I have, the easier I can tune it out. Recently, I watched Columbo on repeat for a while working on one my manuscripts. I love Columbo.
Me, too. Where do you get your inspiration? Honestly, and this is going to sound weird, I get my inspiration when I'm in the bathroom. I don't have to be, you know, using it, but some reason, my mind clears when I enter the bathroom. It's been that way since I was a kid.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I usually go and times act out the scenes in the bathroom. When I was a kid, I used to go into the bathroom and act out scenes in my head. I'd stand in the mirror and the characters would play themselves out in my mind. I still do that now when I can't think of something.
Who is your favorite author?
Too many to name.
Best book you ever read.
That's like trying to pick out your
favorite children.
Well, recently, I read an old Harlequin
romance called "The Passionate
Sinner" from the 70s by Violet Winspear that I absolutely loved.
She had such a command of the English language and her
prose was so lyrical. I loved her descriptions and the way she
was able to evoke so much emotion in her words. I read that
book twice.
See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Last book you read.
For research for my book I released last month called "A
Respite for Christmas", I read about the Civil War from the
Confederacy point of view called The Illustrated Confederate
Reader. It gave me a unique perspective of the Civil War and
from that book, I learned a lot about how the Union soldiers
were viewed, President Lincoln's views, and more. It was
fascinating to say the least.
What makes you laugh?
People.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
The Arnolfini Portrait and Virgin
and Child Surrounded by
Angels, right wing of the Medun
Diptych. I absolutely love these
two paintings. I hope one day to
write a book in this era and will
use both as inspiration.
How old were you when you started writing?
I can’t remember. I always had a book in my hand and I was
already writing. But if I were to find the one moment, it was
when I was sixth grade and my teacher gave us spelling words
and told us to write a story.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards?
Or just write?
Just write. I hate outlines.
Describe your perfect evening.
Sitting in a room with the windows open on a cool night with the
wind blowing through the house and not a bug in sight.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I would be the host of a cooking show. I love to cook, especially
for my family. But I am an awful baker. Baking is precise, and
that is the antithesis of me.
Cooking is an art. Baking
is like Chemistry
class.
Who is the one
person who has
influenced your personal
life the most and why?
My grandmother. She’d
passed away in 2021 just a month shy
of her 91st birthday. She taught me how to read and write.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE
person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Granny. I miss her.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a
writer?
You can’t edit a blank page.
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