by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1

Have you ever had a character who would not talk to you? That’s where I am right now. I’m starting a new book, and as usual, trying to figure out how I did it the last time. That ever happen to you? 

Happens to me with every book. It’s like I’m brand-new at this writing gig even though I’ve had twelve books released, one releasing today, and one waiting to release, making fourteen books completed. Not to mention three novellas. 

Since it’s happened on all fourteen books, you’d think I would try something different, and I would if I knew what to do differently. *sigh* 

At least with this story, one of the characters is talking to me. She’s an FBI agent investigating white collar crimes and has a personality that goes with her last name of Thorn. 

No, this time it’s my hero who won’t tell me what’s going on. He and the heroine have a history, so it’s not for lack of conflict. It’s just that he’s a super nice guy with a super nice family. He hasn’t even been jilted by a fiancé.

Readers will find him Bor-ing—that’s with a capital B. No one wants to read about perfect heroes. Time to play the What if game.

What if…he wants the district supervisor job? And he’s been overlooked for it twice in the past. So why was he overlooked? Maybe because he has a gambling problem? But he doesn’t believe he has a problem. He can quit anytime he wants to. He just doesn’t want to…yet.

Why does he have a gambling problem? What if he needs the money? What if his sister’s kid needs an operation and she doesn’t have insurance or the money to pay for it. What if the doctor won’t operate until they have the money in hand…

But what if he simply loves the rush in those few seconds between the time the dice leave the shooter’s hand and land on the table? If that’s the case, maybe that means he’ll take unnecessary risks in other areas of his life. 

The What If question has my brain firing more questions, so if you’ll excuse me, I need to get all this down in my character sketch.

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Obsession

Natchez Trace Ranger and historian Emma Winters hoped never to see Sam Ryker again after she broke off her engagement to him. But when shots are fired at her at a historical landmark just off the Natchez Trace, she’s forced to work alongside Sam as the Natchez Trace law enforcement district ranger in the ensuing investigation. To complicate matters, Emma has acquired a delusional secret admirer who is determined to have her as his own. Sam is merely an obstruction, one which must be removed.

Sam knows that he has failed Emma in the past and he doesn’t intend to let her down again. Especially since her life is on the line. As the threads of the investigation cross and tangle with their own personal history, Sam and Emma have a chance to discover the truth, not only about the victim but about what went wrong in their relationship.

Award-winning author Patricia Bradley will have the hairs standing up on the back of your neck with this nail-biting tale of obsession, misunderstanding, and forgiveness.

Patricia Bradley is a Carol finalist and winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense, and three anthologies that included her stories debuted on the USA Today Best Seller List. She and her two cats call Northeast Mississippi home–the South is also where she sets most of her books. Her romantic suspense novels include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. Obsession, the second book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series, released February 2, 2021. She is now hard at work on the third book, Crosshairs.

Writing workshops include American Christian Fiction Writers online courses, workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen Retreat where she was also the keynote, Memphis American Christian Fiction Writer group, and the Bartlett Christian Writers group. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.