Okay so it looks like I fell off the planet. Promise - I'm still here. The last four years have been ... hard. There's no other word for it. Everything is fine. I'm fine, but I've been the caregiver of my mom who has Dementia. Between her needs, work, etc I seem to have lost control of my time. I am still writing and am trying hard to get back to my blog.

In case you weren't aware Phaze and HSWF which where under the Mundania Umbrella have closed. I was smart enough to get my titles back before all this happened. I'm happy to say the three books I sold to HSWF have been picked up by Melange Books and are available through their Satin Books imprint. I have even sold a new title to them called Magical Quest due out in 2022

I have also been lucky enough to find a publisher for my Vespian Way series. I'm now with Blushing Books under the name of Bethany Drake. I have five titles out with them right now and am close to submitting two more. There's Desire's Destiny, Desire's Duty and Desire's Promise. Then there is two in my werewolf series, Tears of the Queen and Legend of the Tears. I have just finished the rough draft of the third book in the series and have plans for a fourth one the moment I submit it.

I'll probably still be sporadic here on the blog. Unless I win the lottery and can hire someone to help me I can't avoid it, but know I'm still here still working hard in the background and am hoping to do better at keeping my blog alive.

Barb:)



Thursday, October 5, 2017

What Happened to Barbara Donlon Bradley part 2

So when I stopped writing I worried I wouldn't go back to it. I had finished with the first draft of my tenth book in the Vespian Way series. Normally I do take a break between books, but it's only a few days before I'm right back at it. With this break it was months.  Like I said part of it was morning for the loss of my mother-in-law. It got really hard on us toward the end, and I used writing to escape. Suddenly I didn't have the stress that pushed me to write.

I also haven't been feeling the warm fuzzies from my publisher recently. The sales just haven't been there and it's not from lack of advertising. I've decided to pull my titles. Now my questions are what do I do with them. Should I go the route of self publishing? Should I try to find another publisher? This are big questions and the reason I think I stopped writing. I don't know what to do.

I have no idea on how to self publish, how to find covers, getting ISBN numbers. It's all a bit daunting. So is finding a new publisher. Having to submit this books through another editing process isn't easy. What if the editor doesn't like my writing style?

I'd love to hear from you guys to see what you suggest.  

Saturday, June 3, 2017

What happened to Barbara Donlon Bradley?

Actually, nothing.

But I did fall off the radar.  I haven't been posting for what? Six months? And the six months before that I had to push myself to get my interviews up on time.

I needed a break so I took one.

First, let me catch you up to speed.  First lets start with life in general. I was care-giver for my mother-in-law for six years. While we lived with her I started writing my Vespian Way series and wrote nine, almost ten books during that time. I think I wrote to escape because she and I banged heads a lot.

Sometime in June/July of last year I just stopped writing. I think it was my way of morning her passing back in February of 2016. I also picked up a part-time job that has me up at 4:30 in the morning two days a week. Now that might not sound like much, but it actually messes up four days for me because I have to go to bed so darn early the day before and am normally too tired to think the days I work those early hours.

I also have been thinking about leaving my publisher, which is for another blog. So writing wasn't something I wanted to do. I still edited for the publisher I work for, but everything went by the wayside.

I'm glad I did that. I needed to take a step away.

Now I'm ready to get back to it.

Barb:)

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Keeping it all in Prospective @barbbradley

Hi All!

Happy New year! Belated Merry Christmas/what you celebrate! I've had one heck of a year. I'm sure those of you that follow me have noticed I have all but disappeared. Oh sure I posted my interviews but nothing else.

I found my time gone and I blamed it on everything but the real cause. It took the holidays to make me look at what I've not been doing.

I haven't been writing.

When I was elected the president of the Chesapeake Romance Writers, a local chapter of RWA, I realized then I wasn't writing. At that time I had a writing partner who had stopped writing. How could I tell the authors in the group to write every day when I wasn't? So I started on a Portrait in Time and the rest is history.

I think this blog is the same thing. Here I am giving advise and sharing handouts from my and my mother-in-law's collection and I'm not writing. How can I do that and feel good about myself?



I realized I was in mourning over the loss of my mother-in-law back in February. I just had a weird way of showing it. The series I've been working on, the Vespian Way, was all written while I cared for June and I think I used the excuse of what to do with my series as an excuse to step back and think about it. Then this past Sunday I had to put my beloved cat, Dina, down. That's Madame Fluffy Bottom above. That brought it all full circle.

I have started writing again. I'm editing a book I wrote years ago and am revamping sections of it to make it sooo much stronger.  When I'm ready I'll go back to the Vespian Way. Those character's aren't leaving me alone so I know they'll keep pushing until I get back to book 10 and start book 11. That I'm happy about, but since I haven't lined up any interviews for the next few weeks I think I'm going to take a step back. Line up some great speakers starting in February and face 2017 head on.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Welcome Rosalie Redd! @RosalieRedd

I want to welcome Rosalie Redd to my blog. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

Thanks, Barbara, for inviting me on your blog. A little about myself, I live in Oregon, where rain is just another excuse to keep writing. When not at my computer, you can find me at Jazzercise, waterfall collecting in the Pacific Northwest, or relaxing with my hubby and our pesky cat, Snookums.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is Unimaginable Lover, book 3 in my Warriors of Lemuria series. It’s a continuation of the war over Earth’s water, but this time, Council Leader Tanen takes on a solo mission to bring a traitor to justice. Mortally wounded during the hunt, he’s rescued by an enchanting female who nurses him back to health. Despite the passion that burns between them, she’s human…and therefore, forbidden.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?

My favorite villain would have to be Dr. Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. He’s evil to the core, yet sadistically enthralling. You can’t help but get sucked into his penetrating eyes and smooth tone. It doesn’t get much creepier than that.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

My favorite character from my books would have to be Ram. He’s the antagonist in Untouchable Lover (book 1) and Untamable Lover (book 2). I have a soft spot for broken heroes and downtrodden antagonists. There’s just something about a bad guy who still pines for his lost love. Despite that he’s bound to serve his god, Zedron, and fight in the war, what he longs for more than anything is to reunite with his ex-wife.

3.) What genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

I write paranormal romance and a little science fiction romance. Growing up, my father introduced me to many of the classics in science fiction, fantasy, and horror from Tolkien to Frank Herbert to Poe. I was fascinated with anything otherworldly and loved to see the characters grow and develop throughout the stories. My mother introduced me to soap operas and it wasn’t until I read my first paranormal romance did I fall in love with the genre. It blended my fascination of otherworldly creatures with my love of romance. I was hooked from then on.

4.) What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on Undeniable Lover, book 4 in my series. This one features Saar, the Commander of Arms, and a male with a hardened heart.

5.) What got you to start writing?

Characters and stories started floating around in my head several years ago. Finally, I began to listen and started writing down what they were telling me. Soon, I had a good rough draft for Untouchable Lover and never looked back.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

That’s a tough one. Sometimes the ideas come from an odd comment I might hear in the grocery store checkout line or from a clip on the news, but most of the time, something pops into my head, and I think…hmmm…what if?

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

Hmmm… A while back I competed in a Dance Dance Revolution gaming competition and actually made it to the second round. I have some pretty slick dance moves. LOL!

8.) Do you have any special talents?

I can read upside down and backwards.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

Don’t give up. Tenacity and a positive attitude can work wonders.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

I’d like to talk to the aliens that visited Earth long ago. I’d want to know what planet they came from and why they created us. Yep, I’m an ancient alien theorist.

11.) What song would you say describes your life?

Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’!

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?

Hands down, a cat. Pet me, pet me, pet me…




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Excerpt from Unimaginable Lover:

Mauree’s naked skin glistened in the moonlight. She stood at the base of the waterfall, sluicing water away from her face and through her beautiful blonde hair. Her full breasts bobbed as she moved, her nipples peaked from the cold water. His gaze tracked to her narrow waist, over her well-rounded hips and down her perfect legs. Not long ago he’d have paid any price to see her bare flesh. Now, she was nothing but a traitor.
Her shower complete, Mauree headed for the shore. She squeezed water from her shoulder-length hair and picked up her ragged clothes. “Tanen, you can come out now. No need to hide.”
Craya! His heartburn flared to life, and he swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. Inside his coat’s front pocket, he gripped the cool, rough surface of the sacred blue sunstone. The tension in his shoulders eased, if only for a moment.
For weeks he’d searched the ancient scriptures for the unusual punishment of treason. The pressure had gotten the better of him, and he’d given in to his kleptomania, stealing the magical blue sunstone from the Throne room. He’d eventually found the right text outlining the death sentence. On the way to deliver the news, he’d discovered Mauree’s empty cell. He couldn’t face his king on either count and had pursued the traitor on his own.
A low, bell-like laugh echoed from the water’s edge. “Come now, Tanen. Did you really think I didn’t know you trailed me? It’s about time we talked, don’t you think?”
He adjusted his collar and traced his fingers over his lapel pin. The engraved symbol stood for Lemuria or “Mu” and was his most precious adornment, signifying his status as council leader. He gritted his teeth and stepped into the open. “There’s nothing to say. For assisting the Gossum, our dark enemy, and for attempting to kill the queen and her unborn child, I’m taking you back to the Keep to—”
“…face the death sentence? You’re not as smart as I thought you were.”