Author Yearbook

AY Talks Back

We were thrilled to have some time to chat with Barbara Bradley, who is involved in the 2012 Author Yearbook.

Author Yearbook: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Barbara Bradley: I honestly don’t know. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. It started back when I used to read comic books and I wanted to create my own stories with the characters I loved. When my mother-in-law moved back to Virginia, she wanted someone to drive her to our local RWA chapter meetings. So she paid for my first year with RWA and my local chapter CRW. The local chapter had a critiquing program and I sent in a scene, figuring if they didn’t like it I could slink away and never show up again. When I learned they loved it, I started writing to be published. That was in 1993.
Author Yearbook: Out of all your books, which one is your favorite and why?

Barbara Bradley: I’m proud of each book I’ve written. I’m a pantser so find it hard to write if I’m not in love with the story, but the newest series I’ve been working on is my favorite. The characters keep me writing. I now have six books in the series, three have been sold to Phaze the other three are WIPS and I hope Phaze will buy them as well.

Author Yearbook: Do you have any special things you do when writing? For example, some authors listen to a certain type of music, others drink a glass of wine (some too many glasses), and still others exercise to release that creative spirit. What do you do, if anything?

Barbara Bradley: I have my laptop and write whenever I can. Morning, noon, or night. With coffee, water, or beer. Doesn’t matter what shows are on or what might be going on around me. My characters walk behind me telling me how they want their story told. They can be a bit pushy at times.

Author Yearbook: What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Barbara Bradley: Finding the time to write. I’m now taking care of my mother-in-law. She’s eighty-four and can’t live on her own. I’m in control of two households. Work another job, take her wherever she wants to go. And I write whenever I can. If I have a few minutes before I have to pick up my son from high school I take advantage of it. I’ll work a little in the morning before I have to go to my day job. I work on my WIP every night and will stay up late when the muse is with me, even though I have to get up early every morning (six fifteen to take my son to school). Naps are my best friend – besides my laptop.

Author Yearbook: What is your greatest reward as a writer?

Barbara Bradley: Hearing from readers. I write because I’m driven but to know people read my stories and enjoy them just makes me feel good.

Author Yearbook: What do you do when you aren’t writing? Any hobbies or special interests?

Barbara Bradley: Right now most of my time goes into writing, work, or taking care of my mother-in-law. But I used to take Taekwondo. Have a third degree black belt in it. I enjoyed that and would like to try a different martial art in the future.
Author Yearbook: In keeping with our theme for the 2012 Yearbook of “Then and Now”, what is your favorite childhood memory?
Barbara Bradley: There are so many but the one that popped in my head when you asked this was when we lived in New Orleans and were going to Upstate New York for Christmas to visit my grandmother (my dad’s mom). My sister, who is five and a half years younger than me was maybe five or six at the time and was so worried that Santa wouldn’t find her. No matter how hard my parents explained that Santa would know she was with her Grandma she wouldn’t believe them. Christmas day arrived and my little sister’s fears were put to rest. The smile on her face when she saw the presents from Santa was priceless.

Author Yearbook: What are you working on right now? What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Barbara Bradley: I am working on a new series that I am very excited about. I’ve been calling them the Vespian Way but each of the books in the series has the word desire in the title. So that ultimately could end up being the name of the series. Book one, which is Dominated by Desire, was released in January. Book two, Passionate Desire, is scheduled to be released at the end of February. Phaze has also bought book three, Animal Desire. Book four I’m trying to finish the edits on so I can send it to my publisher and book five and six are in different stages of being written.

This one is a little different than any of the others I’ve written because I have two main characters that run through each of them. Heather and Storm. The plot of the series keeps expanding on me developing more and more ideas. I find I can’t finish one book with another begging to be written.

Author Yearbook: Anything you’d like to add?

Barbara Bradley: I want to thank everyone who has read any of my work. I really appreciate the support and love I get from you guys. I hope you enjoy my new series, the adventures of Heather and Storm as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Even now they are pushing me to get back to the books.