#Beyond: Bailey Bradford

Is there a book or book character that you have written that most symbolizes you or something you have struggled with?

Hi there! Today I’m blogging about a book or book character that I’ve written that symbolizes me or something I’ve struggled with. I kind of turned that around a bit, to talk about one of the books I’ve written that means the most to me. I hope that’s okay and Crystal Marie doesn’t smack me upside the head :D

I frequently tell people that book two of the Southern Spirits, When the Dead Speak, is my favorite—the couple, Laine and Sev, are my favorite couple. There are others that take first place from time to time, but if I had to choose only one, it’d be Laine and Sev. Their book deals heavily with death, and the afterlife. Sev is able to communicate with spirits to an extent, and as it turns out, stern Sheriff Laine Stenley is being haunted—by memories, by a tragic past, by guilt… and by a lover who was gruesomely murdered years ago.

Sev and Laine clash, with Laine angry at being attracted to the sexy newcomer. I love the push and pull between them.

But most of all, I love the idea of someone watching out for you from beyond the veil separating life and death. To think that there might be something more, that we could linger if we chose, and be with the people we love even after death—that’s part of what keeps this story close to my heart. Of course it isn’t that easy, and it’s not just the good guys that can hang around after they’ve passed on.

When the Dead Speak carries hope and a different view of the afterlife. It may not appeal to everyone, but it means something to me.

I wrote that book before my dad became ill, before he died. It brought me comfort to re-read it once we lost him. I don’t profess to know what happens after we die. But do I believe in ghosts, spirits? Yes, I do, although I also believe there’s a lot of fakery out there, people who’d prey on the grief and hopes of others.

There have been things that have happened to me and to people I know that couldn’t be explained in a logical, worldly sense. No one else has to believe what I believe. I wouldn’t expect that, and I’d like to think we could all respect each other’s differences in opinions and beliefs. Tolerance and kindness are both things that could and should be extended more often. That’s something else I came away with from writing When the Dead Speak. And man, there are some days it’s hard to be a better person, but the thing is to never give up trying.

Now, I do love Gabe and Mika, Aidan and Zane, Marcus and Nathan, Josh and Nick… the list goes on and on, it really does. There’s something about each character, each couple, that I love. They’re all alive and talking in my head when I write their stories, and sometimes I have trouble letting go of them. (Ahem. Blog story shorts, anyone? I tend to write little short stories for some of the favorite characters that the Bloggees vote for. Should do that soon!) Then again, why should I let go of them? I like continuing their stories, even if that only happens in my own imagination.

I am a married mom of four who spends most of the day writing, either on stories or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick and irritate me.

And it’s really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I’ll just let y’all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there’s something specific you’d like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio. :)

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The Mossy Glenn Ranch used to be a successful spread, but two demented owners in a row put an end to that. Although it was sold out from underneath them, three siblings re-purchase as much of the property as they can, and hire three men, Carlos, Will and Troy from Where There's a Will, to bring the ranch back to the productive state it once was in.
Will convinces them to make the ranch a haven for those cowboys and cowgirls who can't be themselves on other ranches. He wants a home for not only him and his men, but he wants a family for them, too.
The different people who live and work at the ranch bring something special to it. Their lives are as twined together as their stories.

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Totally Bound

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Gideon’s worst night ever starts out with a bang that will change his whole life.

Gideon Wells has been cast out of his bear shifter clan for being a curse, and he’s inclined to believe they’re right. After all, everything from fertility rates to shifting abilities have gone down the tube since he was born. Then when his car catches fire and mutant scorpions—he thinks they’re mutants, anyway—almost get him, he’s more certain than ever that he’s bad news.

Not that he’s just going to roll over and die.

Ignoring a prophecy might not be wise, but coyote shifter Miller Hudson has seen and heard too many false prophecies to put any faith in the one proclaiming him to be the alpha and, along with a mystery bear mate, the saviour of the now-defunct coyote den he grew up in. Besides, there’s no need for the den to be brought back together. None of them can shift, so what’s the point?

Then the buzzards circling overhead on the far edge of his property lead him to the very last thing he ever expected to find.

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to and threats of assault and rape, scenes of fisting and mild BDSM.

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Totally Bound

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Southwestern Shifters Series:

There are many reasons to visit the beautiful Southwest, a land of mystery, magic and mayhem—and shifters.
Sometimes a wolf is just a wolf…except when it's more. Shifters roam the Southwest, in packs and alone, struggling to survive. When it's discovered, by one wounded outcast, that gay shifters also have destined mates, the shifter world is forced to rethink its beliefs. A change in the shifter hierarchy is shaking up the packs, making new rules and forcing the shifters' archaic ways out the door. For some, the changes may come too late; their faith in their fellow shifters has been shattered.
For others, the changes are embraced with open minds and hearts—and a hope that burns deep inside. To be accepted, part of the pack, instead of living with the threat of being shunned for their sexual preferences—many shifters are free for the first time. They have the hope of finding their destined mates, men who fill the emptiness in their souls.
But not everyone in the shifter world is willing to accept the changes, destined mates or not. They don't want their ways to change, and they will do anything, no matter how evil, to keep the packs under their power.

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Totally Bound

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Two species that have always kept themselves separated are about to collide and create a new world.

Humanity almost managed to do itself in. Ravaged by wars and plagues, the human population on earth has been bordering on extinction, although pockets of people have been forging on over the past few hundred years. It’s a hard life, and one Aaron Olsen fears he doesn’t fit into. As a son of a village leader, there are pressures on him he can’t manage, and things he keeps hidden, desires he doesn’t know how to express that keep him up many nights as he worries over them.

Valen is an alpha, born with the crescent moon mark on his chest. It means he’ll have to leave the pack he was born and raised in. It is the way of the wolf, and the only way to prevent it is to fight his father. Valen has no intention of doing such a dishonorable thing. He leaves as he’s supposed to, only to find himself the victim of thievery. When he hunts down the party responsible for stealing his belongings, Valen finds himself attracted to the human Aaron Olsen.

Now, if they can only survive their own pride and insecurities, and an attack that threatens everything they love, they just might have a chance at happiness in Valen’s Pack.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of light BDSM.

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Totally Bound

Okay, I’d love to do a Totallybound.com gift voucher giveaway. Comments are the way to enter!