Author Interview with Patricia Bradley

Welcome!

Introducing Patricia!

Patricia Bradley is a Romantic Suspense Selah winner, Carol and Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Three anthologies that included her stories debuted on the USA Today Best Seller List.

She and her two cats call Northeast Mississippi home–the South is also where she sets most of her books. Her romantic suspense novels include the Logan Point series, the Memphis Cold Case Novels, and the Natchez Trace Park Rangers. She now hard at work on the second book in her new Pearl River series set in the Cumberland Plateau area above Chattanooga.

Writing workshops include American Christian Fiction Writers, the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen and Scrivener retreats where she was the keynote, Memphis American Christian Fiction Writer group, and the Bartlett Christian Writers group. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

You can connect with her at:

Blog: http://www.patriciabradleyauthor.com/blog

Twitter: @ptbradley1

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptbradley1/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/

Interview with Patricia

What was your favorite book when you were a kid? Did it play any part in your writing style today?

My favorite book as a kid was The Black Stallion. I was one of those of girls who loved horses growing up, and since I didn’t have one, I read books about them, the Black Stallion series in particular. The series was also a suspense and started me on my life-long love of suspense.

Is writing your full-time career? Or would you like it to be?

For many years writing full-time and being published was my dream. I feel so blessed that I am now living that dream, even if it’s the hardest work I’ve ever done.

What is your favorite part of the publishing journey? 

That I can spend my time writing stories that bring others enjoyment and maybe let readers see how God works in our lives. And it gets those crazy people out of my head. That makes up for the slowness of the publishing journey! Lol.

What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

That’s almost like asking which comes first, the chicken or the egg. This is usually what happens—A character pops into my head along with a crime. Then I have to discover who this character is—and that includes what lie they believe and the fears that lie creates. For the crime, I have to know why it happens now—why didn’t it happen six months or 6 years ago? Or sometime in the future. Once I know those things, I can start writing and see where the story takes me. And yes, I am a panster.

What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?

Time constraints. Math was never my best subject in school. Last year was a really difficult time for me, and in my head I thought I had five months to write the book—January 1 – May 2. Even though May is the fifth month, there are not five months in that time span. I realized that on December 26 with 500 words written on the story. My editor was gracious enough to give me an extra two weeks, and I pulled it off.

What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Several authors have influenced me, but Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck literally taught me how to write. They poured themselves into teaching not just me, but many struggling writers how to be authors. And as I start my sixteenth book, I am still learning the craft from writers like James Scott Bell, Donald Maass, and K. M Weiland, to name three.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

I love to connect with my readers on my blogs—on Tuesdays I post a Mystery Question blog with four scenarios, three which are true and one I make up. My readers like to guess which is the one I made up. That link is: https://ptbradley.com/blog. And on Fridays I review a book I’ve read. And I give away something on each blog at the end of the month, usually a book from my library or a gift card.

Readers can also catch me on my social media sites:

Twitter: @ptbradley1

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptbradley1/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

My fourth book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers released August 2, 2022.

And I’m really excited to be working on the first and second book in the Pearl River series set in the Cumberland Plateau around Chattanooga.

About The Book

Title: Deception

Author: Patricia Bradley

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publication date: August 02, 2022

Back Cover Blurb:

After being forced to kill an FBI agent gone rogue in self-defense while working in the violent crimes unit for the Investigative Services Branch, ranger Madison Thorn is comfortable with her move to the fraud and cyber division. At least numbers don’t lie. So she’s less than thrilled when a white-collar crime investigation in Natchez, Mississippi, turns violent. She could also do without being forced to work with former-childhood-enemy-turned-infuriatingly-handsome park ranger Clayton Bradshaw.

When a woman who looks just like Madison is attacked on the same night Madison’s grandfather is shot, it becomes clear that there is something much bigger going on here and that Madison herself is in danger. Madison and Clayton will have to work together–and suppress their growing feelings for one another–if they are to discover the truth before it’s too late.

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Patricia Bradley closes out her popular Natchez Trace Park Rangers series with this complex story of family secrets, mixed motives, and learning to trust.

Giveaway

Patricia Bradley has graciously agreed to giveaway one (1) print copies (US only) of Deception. Comment below to enter.

Giveaway ends August 8, 2022