WHEN DO YOU QUIT? By Patricia Bradley
I want to thank Elaine
for having me on her blog, especially since I don’t yet have a book that I can
promote—Shadows of the Past won’t be
released until February 1, 2014. I’m hoping Elaine will ask me back then. (Blog note: Done and did. Patricia will be back on Everyone's Story January 31, 2014!)
As I considered the
topics to write about, the Genesis finalists were announced, reminding me of
all the years I had entered it. And that reminded me of how many years I have
been writing. You really don’t want to know the answer to the question that I’m
sure just popped into your mind.
You do want to know how long?
Oh. Well, let’s see. I’m not one of those writers who began writing as a child. I was too busy reading. In the eighth grade I remember staying up all night to read Exodus by Leon Uris. That same year I read Hawaii by James Michener and To Kill a Mockingbird. It didn’t enter my mind that I could write a book. No, that came later, much later, when I was thirty-five.
And since I am now 68, that means I’ve been writing off and on for 33 years. Thirty-two of those years were spent submitting manuscripts and receiving them back with an I’m sorry, but this doesn’t meet our needs. Or This isn’t quite right for us. Or…you get the picture.
On top of that I entered
contests— the Genesis at least six times, the first time not even being in the
top half, afterwards inching closer to the finalist list. Every year it hurt to
not final. Judges comments were helpful, but in essence they were saying: Your baby is ugly!
So, why did I keep
writing? Or maybe the better question is, how
did I keep writing?
I had a
story I believed in.
With every
revision, I saw that my writing and the story were getting better.
I got help.
The last one is the most
important. After I won the Maggie in 2008, I thought the book was a shoo-in for
publication. I promptly sent it off to a couple of publishers and promptly
received it back with a form rejection. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
This was a great manuscript. It won a contest, for Pete’s sake.
A year later I met Susan
May Warren and invested in a critique. It changed my writing life. I learned
how to write actively, not passively. A couple of months later, Rachel Hauck
and Susie worked with me at their Deep Thinker’s Retreat and told me when she
read my story, she felt as though she was on the outside of a window looking
in. I learned how to bring my character to life, to get into his or her head
and to understand why they did what they did—the lie they believed about
themselves.
After three years of
honing my craft, I finaled in the Genesis and got an agent—the great Mary Sue
Seymour. And, I thanked God every day that Shadows
of the Past wasn’t published right after I won the Maggie. It.Wasn’t.Ready.
Neither was I. God was
refining me as well as my writing. I learned how to enjoy the journey and to
depend on Him. As I sat at the table waiting for the Genesis winner in the
Romantic Suspense Category to be revealed, God whispered in my ear, “This isn’t
in my plan for you.”
Winning the Genesis was
His plan for Arlene Coulter, not me. I was truly glad for her because I knew
God had a plan for me like Jeremiah said, and on October 26, 2012, God revealed
that plan—a three-book deal with Revell.
3 Questions for Pat:
Your signature is "I asked God to teach me
patience and He gave me a book to write." From what you've shared with us,
believe me, I can relate! Has your years of striving to become published taught
you any other Life Lessons?
Another Life Lesson I’ve learned is that if I’ll
wait on God, He’ll give me more than I could imagine or think. I would have
been happy with one book published, but He gave me three.
What is the significance of the haunted house
photo?
The old house in the photo is the Martin family
home and plays an important part in the story. It was what I always pictured on
the cover of the book, but Revell went in a different direction. And that’s a
blog post in its own right.
Looking back in hindsight at the years that
shaped you as an author, do you have any regrets about the time factor?
I think we always wish for something to happen
sooner. If I could have a do-over, I would take on-line courses earlier, and I
would get in a critique group earlier. Of course, I still would have had to
wait for the Internet.
Patricia's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Great Writing Encouragement: Meet Romantic Suspense
author Patricia Bradley. (Tweet This)
Should you quit writing? Patricia Bradley is
thankful she didn’t! See why. (Tweet
This)
See how Patricia Bradley became overnight hit via
33 years with a 3-book deal. (Tweet This)
Author’s Bio:
Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence
educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum
and workbook. But her heart is tuned to murder and suspense. Patricia’s
mini-mysteries have been published in Woman’s World, and her debut
novel, Shadows of the Past, will release February 1, 2014. Until then
check out her last short story in WW, “Blood Kin”.
When she’s not writing or speaking, she likes to make jewelry or throw
mud on a wheel and create odd and unique pottery.
Places to connect with Patricia:
Twitter:
@ptbradley1
