I had the opportunity to talk with P. M. Terrell about her latest novel Ricochet. This book is a wild adventure novel. Smuggling, terrorism, and illegal immigration all play important parts in the plot.

You are the second author this month that I have reviewed who uses initials rather than their actual name, what is the reason for the somewhat mysterious P.M.?

When my first suspense/thriller was published (Kickback), I was living in Richmond where Patricia Cornwell was a famous resident. My publisher was concerned about comparisons being made between us, particularly since we share the same first name, and she suggested that I use my initials. She also instructed the graphics artist to place my name in all lower-case letters. When the book was released, the publisher hated the lower-case but I loved it – and I’ve found it helps to set me apart from other authors.

I know my readers want to know this, so what does the P. M. stand for?

Patricia McClelland (first and middle names).

I am firmly convinced that writing is addictive. Ricochet is your third book, and obviously you are hooked. What made you become a writer? A long-time urge, or some pivotal event?

My father was an FBI Agent and in 1967, he was transferred to the Mississippi Delta. One of his major tasks was solving civil rights murders and violations, which involved some high-profile citizens. As a result, we were discouraged from having friends in school. The principal of my school observed how lonely I was, and encouraged me to write a story. She later encouraged me to enter a poetry contest, which I won. When I received my award on the school stage, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to become a writer. However, it would be almost 40 more years before I could devote the time to becoming a full-time novelist.

Your heroine Sheila is a computer whiz, and my experience with authors is that they base bits of their characters on themselves. Are you a computer whiz? And what did you do before becoming a writer?

Although my first love was writing, I became involved in computers when the original Apple computer was invented in the late 1970s. By 1984, I had started one of the first computer companies devoted to personal computer training, called McClelland Enterprises. Twelve years later, I started a second computer company devoted to programming and application development (Continental Software Development Corporation). My clients have included the U.S. Secret Service, CIA, and Department of Defense, and the knowledge has found its way into my writing.