Meet Pamela Ridley!

I had the pleasure of meeting romantic suspense author Pamela Ridley at Book Expo American in Washington, DC last year when we both volunteered in the Sisters in Crime Booth. She's the author of BETWEEN TEARS, and the recently released, LIES TOO LONG, and has graciously agreed to to be interviewed.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and how you realized you wanted to be a writer.

A. I grew up a voracious reader because I loved the idea of entering other worlds and lives via the written word. I wanted to create similar worlds and characters. Writing allows me to do that.

Q. Tell us about your new book, LIES TOO LONG.

A. LTL is a romantic suspense story. The protagonist, Laurel Novak, has a successful career life, but she struggles in the area of interpersonal relationships. When she ends up attracted to the wrong guy, a guy that her new best friend seems to connect with, she's prepared to move on. But out of nowhere, he shows interest and Laurel can't resist. She ends up pregnant with twins and the guy insists that she abort. When she refuses, things get ugly.

Q. Describe your road to publication.

A. This is my second book published by Genesis Press. The journey to this point represents a huge learning curve for me about the craft and the business end of it. Networking has helped tremendously.


Q. How do you come up with the ideas for your books?

A. This idea came from a Washington Post article that stated homicide was one of the leading causes of death for pregnant women. I take my ideas from the news or from philosophical questions I want to explore. For example, my first book, Between Tears, explored the idea of
what happens when someone does something seriously wrong like commit murder, for a seriously right reason.


Q. What kinds of things have you done to promote your books?

A. I attend conferences, hold a couple of book signings, publish shorter pieces on non-paying ezine sights for the exposure and place a few affordable ads on the Internet.


Q. Do you have a regular writing routine?

A. Not lately, but writing everyday is the way to go.


Q. Can you tell us what you're working on now?

A. I have two completed novels that I want to revisit and my current work in progress is about
a woman who inherits her brother's lake house, discovers that he was murdered, and then sets out to find out who did it and bring the murderer to justice. This book includes my first interracial romance subplot.

Q. What kinds of books do you enjoy reading?

A. I love romance where the protagonist overcomes a serious setback and flourishes in the end.

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

A. Read books you love, read books about the writing craft, network with other writers, be open to learning and devote at least four hours of day to a writing-related activity be that actually writing or reading or critiquing or talking to fellow writer.


Q. How can readers learn more about your book and contact you?

A. This is my website: www.p-ridley.com which includes an email address. The book should be
available at any bookstore or it can be ordered from Amazon.


Enjoy!

Angela