Good morning! I’m new here, so hang with me while I get my bearings. First of all, let me introduce myself. I’m Patricia Bradley and I write Inspirational Romantic Suspense (I never know whether to capitalize that or not).

I live in Northeast Mississippi, about twenty-five miles from the Alabama border and four miles from Tennessee. Suzy and Tux, both rescue kitties, make their home with me.

I came to this writing gig MXX## years ago because one night I couldn’t sleep. Well, actually it was after several nights of not sleeping. As I stared at the ceiling, suddenly a man appeared in my head.

He stood at a window with smoke stacks billowing in the background. He turned to me and said, “My life wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.”

That intrigued me, and I began to tell myself stories about what went wrong. Then other people popped into my head, and I made up stories about them. Unlike the first man, they wouldn’t go away until I put their stories down on paper.

I sent the first story I finished to Woman’s World. (My parents always told me to shoot for the top. ;-)) I did just about everything a writer could do wrong, including sending a 4,000-word manuscript when the guidelines clearly stated they wanted 2,500 words.

About a month later, I received an envelope with Woman’s World in the return address. They wanted to buy my story and would I agree for the editor to cut fifteen hundred words from it? My yes went back by return mail. I was on my way to being a famous author!

Not. I had so much to learn. The sale to WW was a God-thing to encourage me on this journey. He does that.

Fast forward a few decades. Yes, decades. I wrote two full-length novels (that will NEVER see the light of day), three more short-stories that Woman’s World bought, attended a writer’s retreat for four years–a solid week each year of eating, breathing, and sleeping writing. It’s where I really learned to write.

I had also started reading through the Bible each year and found Psalm 37: 4 and claimed it for my writing journey. I kept a journal where I agonized about not getting published. Then, oh, about the fifth year of reading through the Bible I came to Psalms 37, and this time I read each verse of the psalm carefully. “Lord,” I said. “I’m delighting myself in you…but I don’t have the desires of my heart.”

As I sat there and prayed, I read three more verses and verse 7 popped out in bold letters. “Wait patiently for the Lord to act.”

I was trying to get ahead of God. His timing is perfect. If I had been contracted one year earlier, I would have been so embarrassed. My writing wasn’t where it needed to be.

So, if you’re in a period of waiting, remember that God knows when you’re ready. It may be that you need to learn more about the craft, or you may be in a different season of life and you’re not emotionally ready…or perhaps God sees a circumstance ahead where you don’t need the distraction of a deadline.

When I’m asked what advice would I give beginning or pre-published writers, it never changes: Learn the craft so that when God opens a door to publishing, you’re ready to walk through it.

I look forward to coming back!