Patricia Bradley
https://ptbradley.com/
Author of On the Edge of Trust
T4JYM: Can you tell us about your latest book and what readers can expect from it?
PB: When decorated FBI undercover agent Scott Sinclair suffers a gunshot wound in his right arm, the injury threatens his future career in the field. He is determined to regain his former job by training himself to use his left hand and failure is not an option—especially when he’s unofficially pulled into an investigation.
Tori Alexander is a passionate crime reporter and podcaster who has dedicated her life to seeking justice. Her relentless pursuit of the truth has freed two men from prison who were falsely convicted, and when her nephew is accused of murder, nothing can stop her from getting involved and clearing his name.
Sparks ignite when Tori reconnects with Scott on the case, but she’s doubtful if she can extend grace and trust. As the investigation intensifies, they find threats targeted at themselves. They’ll have to combine their skills and rely on their growing relationship to outsmart the killer.
T4JYM: What is next for you? Are you working on something new? Anything different?
PB: Right now I’m working on Deadly Connections, a book that will release in March of 2027. It’s set at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. I had no idea there was an elephant sanctuary less than fifty miles from me until my editor mentioned it. I thought it would be so neat to set a book there.
It will involve a Natchez Trace Park Ranger stationed in the Northern District who discovers a murder victim at the Meriwether Lewis monument that marks the famed explorer’s burial site. The victim is wearing an Elephant Sanctuary employee badge. When the park ranger arrives at the sanctuary, he finds the heroine, a forensic anthropologist, exhuming a body and the two become entangled in both crimes.
T4JYM: Where do you get ideas for your books?
PB: Deadly Connections came from a comment from my editor. Most ideas just pop into my head, maybe from something I’ve read or heard on the news…and sometimes a random thought will become a story.
T4JYM: Please describe your writing process for our readers – from idea through draft to editing and finally publishing.
PB: Every book is different. Some I plot out, some I pants—meaning I start at the beginning with a crime, two characters and see where it goes. Once l write the suspense layer of the story, I go back and weave in the romance. I’ll go through it at least two more times, then turn it into my acquisitions editor.
She will read it and send me any changes she wants done and I’ll make those. Then she will send it on to the copy/line editor who will read it and make suggestions. Once I make those changes, the manuscript will go to beta readers, and if they have questions, I’ll answer those. I’ll have one last opportunity to make changes before it goes to the printer. It takes a year to go through all the changes.
T4JYM: How do your writing courses happen? If one of our readers is interested in booking you to teach a writing workshop, what can they expect?
PB: I mostly teach at conferences. Using PowerPoint slides, I’ve taught everything from 50-minute classes to 3-hour classes on different aspects of writing. November 13-16, I will teach a class on The Nuts and Bolts of Writing Fiction at Scrivcon in Hot Springs, Arkansas. And I’m teaching He Said, She Said, a class on dialogue, on March 21 at the MidSouth Christian Writers Conference in Collierville, TN, just outside of Memphis.
T4JYM: Please share with our readers a little about Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc. What is it and what is your role there?
PB: In 2002 my friend Carolyn Gowen and I formed the nonprofit to provide classes for teens on how to have healthy relationships and the importance of not engaging in sexual relationships before marriage. In the beginning, I taught the programs, but writing took over my life and now we presently employ 15 teachers who teach them in schools, churches, Boys & Girls Clubs, etc. I am still the secretary/treasurer of the nonprofit. I truly believe we’re making a difference in the lives of teens in our area.
T4JYM: Let’s do some favorites. What is your favorite: Food? Drink? Color? TV show? Musician/Band? Hobby? Movie?
PB: Favorite food: bread. 🙂
Drink: coffee and lots of it
TV show: At present I haven’t turned my TV on in 4 months—not since Matlock with Kathy Bates ended its first season. I’ve always thought if I have time to watch TV, I have time to read.
Music: anything Gaithers
Hobby: I’m a potter, so sometimes I’ll throw clay on the wheel and see what happens.
Movie: Phantom Of the Opera.
T4JYM: What do you like to do in your down time? Do you have pictures of your pottery?
PB: This summer is the first down time I’ve had in years and I’ve spent it traveling. First to Canada and then a writers retreat in the Smoky Mountains and then to the Bllue Ridge Parkway with a friend. Later this year I’ll take two trips to Florida to visit my daughter who has just finished her first draft of a book.
T4JYM: Who are some of your favorite authors?
PB: There are so many great authors I hardly know where to start! My favorite authors write amazing romantic suspense or mysteries. Have you ever met any of them? Right this minute I’m at that writers retreat with some of my favorite authors: Lynette Eason, Virginia Vaughn, Carrie Stuart Parks, Loretta Eidson…
T4JYM: What was the last book you read? Did you read it for pleasure or another reason?
PB: I read at least two books a week. The ones I read this past week were Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink and Final Approach by Lynette Eason. You can read my review of both on my website I always read for pleasure unless it’s a craft book on writing.
T4JYM: Please share with our readers a short testimony of how you became a Christian.
PB: I was nine year old, and while I didn’t have a lot to be saved from, I knew I needed a Savior. Over the years I’ve grown, especially after a teacher where I was conducting the abstinence programs challenged me to read through the Bible. That year was her tenth time to do it.
I’d read all of the Bible before — in bits and pieces, but not straight through. I accepted her challenge and picked up a Chronological Bible a friend had recently given me. Reading it chronologically helped me to understand the Bible in ways I never had. This year makes the 20th time I’ve read through the Bible. It has made such a difference in my walk with Jesus.
T4JYM: If you could have just 60 minutes with any person in the Bible, who would you pick and what would it look like?
PB: Other than Jesus—who would be my first choice—I would pick David. Or Paul. Or maybe Peter because I’m so like him before the Early Church. You know that’s not a fair question…
T4JYM: If you could pick any character from one of your books or another author’s, who would you want to spend an afternoon with?
PB: When I’m asked this question, the answer is always the same: the protagonist from my last book. I’ve spent a lot of time with that person and I’d like to see how they are doing…characters are real, you know…
T4JYM: What advice would you give to someone interested in publishing their work?
PB: Learn the craft of writing and don’t give up. I wrote for a long time before my novel was published. What if I had quit at the beginning of the year when my publisher bought my book in October?
T4JYM: What advice would you give to the youth of this world?
PB: Make good choices because the choices you make today—good or bad—will follow you the rest of the your life. And keep your relationship with God close.
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