For all that is good and holy in the world, what possessed you to become an author?
I absolutely love telling stories. It has always been the most natural thing to me, to write down my thoughts and create. I can’t even imagine my life without a WIP in it.
How did you conceive the idea for your latest novel?
When my paternal grandmother passed away years ago, I remember sitting in the mortuary thinking it had a lot of potential for a story. Each time a loved one passed, the story came back to me, but it wasn’t ready to be written. In June, when my father passed, it was ready to be written, and it became an amazing story and a healing process for me.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a recovering pantser. I have found great value in having a plot, but I still let the characters tell the story they want, even if it deviates from the plotting I’ve done.
If you were a taco or a pizza, what kind of taco or pizza would you be?
I am a sausage, mushroom, and green pepper pizza. (If you read my books, you know it.)
If you could describe your entire catalog of books in a single sentence, what would that sentence say?
I am happily ever after, always.
If you had to start your career over again from scratch, what would you do differently?
I’m not sure I’d do anything different. The path I took seemed to be the right one at the right time. I was able to grow with a changing industry, and I jumped in with both feet and learned to swim. I would certainly continue to be part of organizations where there is aid to those willing to learn. Even my bad publishing deal gave me so much that I have to embrace it. So, I think I’d just keep swimming in the same pool I originally jumped in.
What is your favorite thing about RMFW?
Hands down it’s the people. I have met some remarkable authors, agents, and editors that I truly call some of my dearest friends. The comradery among my peers is what feeds me daily. I cannot imagine not having the vast diversity of people in my life. Each of us is willing to share our knowledge and to learn more. It’s such a unique experience, compared to other industries I’ve been part of. We all have our own journey, and one person’s isn’t more important than the other’s…but it is unique, and that’s what makes it special when you get to share it with them.
Bestselling author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011. Since then she has authored and published over 35 books. The married mother of five sons promises romances with a Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it because she lives it.
Obsessed with the art of writing and the business of publishing, chronic entrepreneur Bernadette Marie established her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, in 2011 to bring her own work to market as well as offer an opportunity for fresh voices in fiction to find a home. In the past eight years, Bernadette has published not only her own 35 titles, but over 150 titles from 60 other authors. Though she runs a publishing house, she is passionate about the independent publishing movement and enjoys mentoring authors who wish to take control of their own careers. Bernadette Marie is also the owner of Illumination Author Events, which offers industry education as well as smaller intimate author/reader events.
When not immersed in the writing/publishing world, Bernadette Marie and her husband are shuffling their five hockey-playing boys around town to practices and games as well as running their family business of car wash locations. She is a lover of a good stout craft beer and might be slightly addicted to chocolate. You can learn more about her on her website or her vlogs at Author Unwritten.