Central English professor Lynn Patarini took to the CCSU Bookstore to read two chapters of her newest novel and discuss the writing process.

The spring semester’s first taping of Central Authors took place last Wednesday with Patarini (who writes under the name LM Pampuro) sharing “Harlot’s Grace,” the story of an undercover woman attempting to put a stop to a new deadly drug.

“Alia Price isn’t who she pretends to be… Only her close family and employer know the truth, at least that’s what she believes,” the preview on the back cover of the book says. “In the news, there is a new high on the streets… Alia and her team must find and destroy the lab to stop the death and insanity. The source is closer than she thinks.”

Pampuro originally began writing as a romance novelist, but later realized she liked to write suspenseful and thrilling stories, which is what “Harlot’s Grace” is.

“I had a hard time sticking to romance,” Pampuro explained, saying that when she reread her romance stories, she found them boring. “I started getting a little bit darker and a little bit darker.”

“Harlot’s Grace” pays homage to several places around Connecticut, mentioning cities such as New Britain and Lyme and places such as Nehantic State Forest and Mozzicato.

“I used to spend a lot of time at Mozzicato’s, I’ve hiked in Nehantic State Forest. I like using local places,” Pampuro explained. “I was always told to write about what you know.”

When one person asked what inspires Pampuro to write, she responded, “This is gonna sound crazy, and I apologize if I sound like a wackadoodle, but the stories just come to me.”

She then went on to share the story of how the idea for the upcoming sequel to “Harlot’s Grace” came to her.

“‘Harlot’s Fall’ started at a music festival,” Pampuro recalled. “I had had writer’s block for maybe a month or so, and we were in the middle of Rich Robinson’s set. I can’t forget it because he was up on stage playing guitar, and I turned to my husband and said, ‘I gotta go back to the hotel.’ And he’s like, ‘You’re writing now?’ And I go, ‘I have to write now.’”

Since Pampuro is a professor as well as a fiction writer, an audience member asked if she had ever left a concert to write an academic paper, causing the crowd to laugh.

“Yeah, no, that hasn’t happened,” Pampuro said. “I have read academic articles though that I’ve printed out at concerts if the concert has been boring.”

Pampuro started writing when she was younger and even submitted lyrics to a band when she was in high school.

“One of my great aunts passed away recently and they were cleaning out her house and they found my reject letter from the band Foghat from Warner Brothers back in the late 70’s,” Pampuro shared. “I sent them lyrics and they sent back a nice reject letter. So that was pretty funny.”

Pampuro now aims to release one full length novel per year, but cited that the littlest distractions will take her away from her concentration.

“If my husband breathes on the other side of the house, I can’t write,” Pampuro said. “But I can go to a Starbucks, I can go to Sweet Harmony Cafe in Middletown, and be amongst people and noises and stuff and I don’t hear a thing. And I don’t know why.”

Despite the distractions, Pampuro expressed that writing the first draft of a story is the most enjoyable part.

“Writing the initial story is wicked fun to me. I totally enjoy that, I’m totally into the process and everything,” she disclosed. “Editing is sheer hell.”

Pampuro is currently in the process of writing the sequel to “Harlot’s Grace” which is expected to be released in May 2020. However, the first book in the series is available now. Visit pampuro.com to figure out where to buy the book or to learn more about Pampuro’s writing.