Author Rochelle Bradley and I go way back. Okay, well maybe not that far back, but I met her (in person!) shortly after participating in (and becoming a fan of) National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Rochelle’s Fortuna, Texas, series is contemporary romance that readers absolutely love. One reviewer wrote of the first book in the series, “The Double D Ranch is a rootin’ tootin’ good time, complete with hot cowboys, steamy romance, and double entendres that will have you ‘doubled’ over with laughter,” while another spoke of the series as a whole: “The town of Fortuna just calls to you!” And, she has a new book—Brad, The Fortuna Dare Society: A Book Club for Men—ready to preorder! Rochelle hasn’t only written fun, sexy romances with alpha males and strong, independent women; she’s also into paranormal and fantasy romance. And since she’s participated in NaNoWriMo for eons, she always has something cooking in the background, ready to be published. In addition to writing, Rochelle loves nature, art, and encouraging other writers, and she can often be found Wednesday Coffee Clutching (WCC) with author CJ Warrant over at Instagram Live. With everything she has going on right now, I’m grateful she had time to answer a few questions.

Christina: Your profile at All Author states that you fail miserably at cooking and sewing. What two activities, besides writing, do you excel at? Would you trade either of those to be able to cook or sew?

Rochelle: I’m great with color and decorating, and I enjoy it. I’m an interior decorator by schooling but call it my ministry now. I love taking pictures too. And I wouldn’t give those up to cook or sew. Ha!

Christina: You’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month since 2008. What do you like about NaNoWriMo? What do you think participating in NaNoWriMo can do for writers?

Rochelle: What I love about National Novel Writing Month is… a lot. Meeting like-minded people from around the globe. People who get you and the imaginary friends (characters) who talk to you. I love the accountability of NaNoWriMo. You check in daily and because of this a writer learns discipline. The word sprints/wars are great for spurring on the word count while being in community. The great thing is everyone wins because the you write more and you aren’t alone.

Christina: Speaking of NaNoWriMo, you serve as one of the Dayton-area Municipal Liaisons (“volunteers who add a vibrant, real-world aspect to NaNoWriMo festivities all over the world. They host regular writing events in November—and some MLs host write-ins, parties, and workshops all year long. They also oversee their regional forums and act as official NaNo representatives”). Why did you decide to serve as an ML and what’s your favorite part about being one?

Rochelle: I consider myself a NaNoWriMo evangelist. Nano has worked to motivate me as a writer and I’ve found my tribe. Encouraging others to get the stories out of their heads comes naturally. I’m encourager. That’s what I do and I love it.

Christina: I love the tagline on your website: “Romance with Sass & Shenanigans.” Do you consider yourself sassy? Are all your main characters sassy? And what’s the biggest shenanigan you’ve been embroiled in? 

Rochelle: I can be sassy and feisty. My heroines are strong, sometimes sassy-sometimes snarky, women who have to overcome things (fears, situations etc…). I try to make them realistic but hopeful.  Shenanigans? Opening a can of worms here. Ha. One of the sneakiest things I’ve done was for my prince’s birthday. I purchased airline tickets to see his favorite team (University of Cincinnati Bearcats) who was playing in Tampa, FL. He thought there was an emergency, and then we arrived at the airport. He was super surprised.

Christina: This is a two-part question: So many people love to read love stories (myself included). What draws you to writing romance? And you’ve also written a contemporary fantasy as part of the Who’s the Fairest? A Sisters Grimm Anthology. Was it difficult to switch from your Fortuna novels to writing fantasy?

Rochelle: I love romance because of the happily ever afters. I love rom-coms because they make you giggle and the world needs more laughter and love. Writing Dragonfly Wishes was harder but not because I switched sub-genres. Remember I’ve been writing novels for NaNo for years. I’ve written two of an epic fantasy in a series (complete with maps, governments, mythologies etc…), a virtual reality sci-fi, and a shifter story already. They aren’t published yet. The difference between those stories and Dragonfly Wishes is my NaNo novels are based on dreams I’ve had. Dragonfly Wishes took a while to conceptualize in my imagination. Once Kyan the royal dragon shifter began speaking to me, writing it became easy.

Christina: Some people might not know this, but Rochelle Bradley is actually a pseudonym. Why did you choose to publish under a separate name? Do you have any plans to publish under any other names? 

Rochelle: Rochelle is actually my name, it’s just my middle name. Bradley is my prince’s middle name. I’ve added a K as a middle initial for my fantasy and paranormal stories. I’m hoping it will differentiate it enough for those pesky algorithms. Another pen name I have is based on a character from my Fortuna, Texas series. She’s a fan favorite. Her name is Desire Hardmann, and she tends to write spicier stuff. 

Christina: If you could have one superpower (aside from writing and being “fluent in sarcasm,” of course!), what would it be and what would you use it for?

Rochelle: This one is easy. My superpower would be communicating with animals. I’d love to converse with my cats or the squirrels in my yard. Lol.

Rochelle can be found in multiple places!
Website: https://rochellebradley.com/
Facebook: @rochellebradley
Instagram: @rochelle.bradley

Thanks to Rochelle for agreeing to this interview! If you know of an author who’d like to be featured in an interview (or you are an author who would like to be featured), feel free to leave a comment or email me via my contact page. And if you’re interested in Wednesday Coffee Clutching with Rochelle and CJ Warrant, visit the link and find a date that works for you:
https://bit.ly/3l9dbPHWCCSignUp2022 (You must have an Instagram account.)