By Pamela Desmond Wright @PamDWrites

My parents were not educated people. Though he graduated high school, my father worked all his life as a laborer in the family feed mill. Growing up in poverty, my mother left school at age of 14 to fend for herself and her younger siblings.  Neither one of them had a degree, but they both had common sense. And they both shared a love for reading. 

I was introduced to books at an early age. Once I learned that letters made words, and words made sentences—I was hooked. I eagerly delved into stories of all kinds, spending time with the likes of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and many others. As I got older, I moved on to romances. I developed a particular love for the old-fashioned Gothic and I decided that paranormal romance was the genre I wanted to write in. 

This week Pamela Desmond Wright tells us about her reading life. #Reading #ReadingCommunity #BRRC Click To Tweet

Flash forward to my twenties when I began my own writing journey. My books garnered some interest with small presses and even published to fair reviews. But they soon sank like stones, leading me to the conclusion I was not going to be the next Anne Rice. 

And then it happened. 50 Shades of Grey appeared. Suddenly every author I knew was talking about adult romances. Writing explicit material wasn’t ever anything on my radar, but one thing was for sure. Writers were suddenly making money hand over fist writing sexy tales. 

I wanted a piece of that pie. Bad. So I began to write adult material. Soon, I’d landed an agent and signed with a NY publisher launching a new adult imprint. This is it, I thought. I’m on my way. Within a short time, I’d written 12 books. I’d even won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for one of the titles. But as I walked across the conference stage to collect the award, I realized I wasn’t happy being applauded for something I hated writing. I was heartsick. Instead of writing books that made my largely Christian family proud, they were ashamed I’d made a name writing trashy stories. It was then I knew I’d had enough. The world already had a lot of garbage — and it didn’t need me adding to the trash heap.

I walked away from publishing shortly thereafter, returning the advance and leaving two books unwritten on my contract. My (then) agent railed that my career was over, that I would never write again for any major publisher. But I didn’t care. The millstone I’d hung around my own neck was gone. I was free of the smut I’d pushed into reader’s hands. 

Years passed, and I didn’t write a word. I’d also stopped reading, turning instead to filling my hours with mindless television shows. My love for books had died and even reading a magazine felt like a chore. 

Browsing the internet one day, I found an article about Amish romance. Though I’d read a lot of romances, I had no idea Amish romances were a thing. Interest piqued, I jumped on eBay and ordered a stacked of used Love Inspired Amish themed titles. When the box arrived, I eagerly delved into the pile. The stories, so full of hope and inspiration ignited something inside me. The faith I had been ignoring and questioning for years was suddenly a living, breathing presence in my life. I knew then and there what I needed to be writing.  God had sent His call, and I had to answer.  

Now, as I navigate my way through my newfound faith, I am writing stories that reflect His grace and glory. And in doing so, I found my path – as a human being and as a writer. 

 

Pamela Desmond Wright grew up in a small, dusty Texas town. From the time she learned to read, books have been her passion.

Like the Amish, Pamela is a fan of the simple life. Her childhood includes memories of the olden days; old-fashioned oil lamps, cooking over an authentic wood-burning stove and making popcorn over a crackling fire at the cabin owned by her grandparents. She also loves needlepoint and has dozens of projects to work on! Someday, she hopes to move into van life, living on the road as a traveling writer.