Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Patricia Bradley’s newest book, “Justice Buried.” Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Connie Saunders for winning Thomas Locke’s book, “The Golden Vial.” Please email my assistant christenkrumm {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize.

 

Award-winning author Patricia Bradley will thrill readers with her newest Memphis Cold Case novel, Justice Buried. Crackling with romantic tension and laced with intrigue, this suspenseful story will keep readers guessing—and looking over their shoulders.

Kelsey Allen is working hard to get her security consulting business up and running. Her goal is to show business owners their vulnerability to thieves. When she is hired by the Pink Palace Museum to test their security weaknesses, Kelsey is ecstatic. But when her investigation turns from theft to murder, she realizes she is out of her league and possibly in danger. When Detective Hollister is called in to help investigate the case, Kelsey may find that he is the biggest threat—to her heart.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in Northeast Mississippi with my rescue kitty, Suzy and have been dating the same guy for over nineteen years. Yes, I see the grin and the question on your face. Nineteen years? Why? Why not? We talked about getting married a few times, but I’m so busy and hyper (ADHD) I drive him crazy and he has to have a break every day. Besides, like my mother said, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” AND I have control of the remote.

Do you have a day job as well? If so, what is it?

I no longer have a day job and write full time. Before going full time, I worked in abstinence education, and co-wrote an abstinence curriculum. You don’t often work in a field where a student introduces you to a parent as the “sex lady”.

When did you start writing your first book?

Over twenty years ago, then I put it in a drawer and began working in the abstinence field. About eleven years later, I started working on it again, took a few workshops and classes and rewrote the whole thing. About the only thing that didn’t change was my hero’s name.

How did you choose the genre you write in? Or did the genre choose you?

I’ve always read mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew. And I like romance, so it seemed natural to combine the two. I’ve tried my hand at sweet romance, but missed the mystery part of the story.

Does writing energize you or exhaust you?

A little bit of both. There’s no high quite like getting the movie running through my head to the computer screen. But sitting for long hours often does me in.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Once I would have said no, but a few times lately I’ve run against the wall when my characters won’t talk to me. That happened with the last book I turned in. It has a psychopath as a POV character and I had trouble getting into that character’s head. Once I understood how a psychopath thinks, the story started moving again.

Do you create an outline before you begin? Do you have the end in mind, or do you just wait and see where the story takes you?

I don’t outline, but I do have to know certain things, like what will propel the character out of Act 1 into Act 2. I have to know what the crime is and not only why it happened, but also why it happened at this particular time. What’s the trigger? I generally know how the story will end, but have been surprised more than once at who the murderer is.

What kind of research do you do? How long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Some things I research before I start writing, but a lot of my research happens as I write the book. I’ve researched everything from explosives to using insulin as a murder weapon. I’ve even researched what time sunrise or sunset occurs for the time of year the scene is set in.

I’ve been known to blow up a car (on paper) and sometimes my villains commit murder in unusual ways. Once a nurse who supplies me with what I need to know about medical situations ask if I ever thought about just shooting someone. And I answered back: What fun would that be?

Are you part of a community of authors? If so, how has it helped you?

I have many people to thank for helping me reach my publishing goals. My critique group, Johnnie Alexander, Renee Osborn, and Chandra Smith encouraged me, but they were great at catching my errors or pointing out when something didn’t work. When we first started hanging out together, none of us were published, and now three of us are. Renee has two school-age children and has put her writing aside for the time being, but I have no doubt that she will also be published.

And then there is Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck. Going to their Deep Thinker Retreats is the best thing I ever did. It was there that I learned about showing instead of telling and all the other things that make a story great.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Patricia Bradley is the author of Justice Delayed, as well as the Logan Point series. Bradley won an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense, was a finalist for the Genesis Award, won a Daphne du Maurier Award, and won a Touched by Love Award. Bradley is cofounder of Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc., and she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | BookBub

---

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.