Patricia Bradley is the author of fifteen Inspirational Romantic Suspense and two sweet romance novels, all set in the South. The winner of a Selah award, and an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, she has been the keynote speaker at several conferences where she also teaches workshops on writing fiction.
She and her two rescue kitties call Corinth, Mississippi home, and when she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel to see what comes out.
Let’s talk writing. What kept you on your writing journey when life tried to get in the way?
Writing gets into your blood. It something I can’t not do, if that makes sense. I can’t imagine not doing it and right now I’m living my dream.
What’s your writing schedule like? Do you write seven days a week? Morning, afternoon, night?
YES! At least when I’m on deadline. Otherwise, I try to write five days a week. And I write to a word count, usually 1,000 words a day, five days a week. Usually after I get about half the book behind me, my word count increases.
Where do you write?
I have an office, but weather permitting, you’ll find me on my screened-in deck.
Please tell us about your new book, Fatal Witness (Revell, February 2024).
As a child, artist and potter Dani Bennett witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. With no memory of the incident or her true identity, she was forced to take on a new name and a new life, hidden away in Montana for the past twenty-five years. Mae Richmond has spent the same stretch of time searching for her granddaughter, who went missing the night her daughter and son-in-law were murdered. Convinced the woman she saw in a pottery magazine feature is the woman she’s been searching for, she enlists the help of K-9 officer Mark Lassiter of Pearl Springs, Tennessee, who tracks Dani down. Skeptical but curious, Dani sets out on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past and reclaim her true identity. But someone close to her is determined to keep the truth of what happened all those years ago hidden.
What was the catalyst for the story, the setting, the character, or the plot?
I’ve always been interested in people who go off the grid and just completely disappear. Like why would anyone do that? That started a what if chain … and the character of Dani Bennett popped into my mind. Mark Lassiter was in Counter Attack, the first book in the Pearl River series, and I wanted to dig deeper into his story. And I’ve long wanted to set a book around Chattanooga.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve just turned in a proposal that will take me back to Logan Point, the setting of my first series. It follows up with Scott Sinclair, who was a really messed up teenager in Shadows of the Past. He’s now working undercover for the FBI and he connects with Tori Alexander who is a crime podcaster seeking justice for her sister. I’m really excited about writing it.
Your Top Ten favorite things…
Texting or talking? Texting, especially if I’m on deadline.
City you have lived in? I’ve only ever lived in Memphis and the surround area until I moved to the small town where I now live.
City you have only visited? Natchez … and I’d go back there in a heartbeat!
Season of the year? Spring or Fall
Dogs or cats? Cats. I have two rescue kitties … they are much easier to take care of than dogs…
Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, hot tea in the afternoon.
Ice cream flavor? Vanilla … sorry. lol
What’s something you could eat for a week straight? Bread. It’s the one thing I missed the most on a low carb diet!
All-time favorite (or most-watched) movie? Phantom of the Opera.
Favorite Bible story? Anything with David in it. He’s my favorite OT character.
Thanks, Pat! It’s great to have you back at Divine Detour. Looking forward to reading this book!
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For more information about Patricia, visit her website and follow her on Facebook, X, Instagram, and BookBub.
To purchase Fatal Witness, go to –
