Author Q&A With Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Pamela S Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and an award-winning author, life coach, and mentor. Her tagline, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ defines her life, writing, and coaching style. Meet Pamela:
You are an author, but is it your day job? Being a full-time writer hasn’t always been my day job. I’ve worked in customer service industries such as fast-food, insurance, hospital admissions, bookkeeping, etc., my entire life. In 2021, I was able to leave the employment arena and focus solely on my writing business
Did you always want to be an author? Normally I would answer this question with a firm, “No, not until my twenties,” but recently one of my aunts said when I talked about being a writer as a child, they would scoff at the idea. I guess that happened so much I forgot about the dream until I hit my twenties and got so tired of reading the same ole boring stories and thought I could do better. Turns out writing and writing well are two different things – which we all learn LOL!
What is your most recent book, and what inspired you to write it?
My most recent book is A Hint of Holiday Romance. This collection of short stories, as well as A Hint of Romance, came about when I received the rights back for eight novelettes that were previously published by Pelican Book Group’s White Rose line. Four of the stories were set on different holidays, and four during the seasons. I’d also been collecting stories written for –and rejections from– a popular women’s magazine. With a total of twenty, some being longer than others, I felt putting them all together would be too much for one book. So, I edited and revised them to fit into the two collections. A Hint of Holiday Romance contains eleven stories set at various holidays throughout the year.
How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? I hope the joy of love expressed within each story will uplift readers and encourage them to honor the love in their lives. If they are not currently in a relationship, to not give up but relax and allow one to come to them.
What are you most excited about with this book? Every process of putting this book together excited me. Deciding which stories to include in this collection was fun. Having a “holiday tree” depicting the various themes throughout was a thrill and involving my readers in the process is something that always excites me. This book truly is a collaboration, and I could not be prouder of it.
What advice would you give someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep growing. Stay flexible and Never Give UP! Writing is a gift and a talent. Don’t hide your gift or bury your talent.
How do you handle setbacks and criticism? I want to say I let them roll off my back like water off a duck, but that wouldn’t be completely honest. I wallow a bit and then move on. I do try to take criticism in stride and examine what’s been said to see how I can improve my writing. I don’t fit in a niche and often blend genres, but I write for myself first. Thankfully, there are many readers out there who love something ‘different.’
Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage your publicity and social media and maintain engagement with readers? Manage? What’s that? LOL! Seriously, I constantly wonder and worry about how I’m going to do everything authors are expected to do nowadays and feel like a failure more often than not, but I just keep plugging away because I love creating and sharing stories.
How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? By setting very loose goals/deadlines. I run three blogs, so I tend to be very organized, but I give myself permission to adjust my schedule as needed. After suffering burnout more than once, where I “quit” for several months, I’ve learned to put my physical, mental, and spiritual health first. Being independently published helps, too! My deadlines are flexible. For example, my goal in 2024 was to have both short story collections published that year. Didn’t happen, but I’ve managed to stay true to my initial goal when I began writing/publishing decades ago, to have 1 product per year – whether it be a new book or another version of an old one (i.e.: audio or putting books into a collection).
How do you structure your day and make time for writing? I keep a calendar/planner open on my desk at all times–the physical/paper kind–write things down and stay organized. Even on vacation, I take this and my computer with me so that nothing goes undone. When I am actively working on a new book, I schedule that into my day just like any other appointment, and I keep a running ‘to-do’ list for things I wish to accomplish (like this interview).
What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? The ability to create what I want, when I want, and not be so fixated on labels and rules and all the other rigmarole that is prevalent within this industry.
What book uplifts you? I read voraciously, so this is not an easy question to answer. If you mean a single book, I’d have to say Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers or anything by Nora Roberts. In general, great romances always uplift me, as does a good spiritual nonfiction book.
Anything else you’d like to share with your readers? First, I’d like to THANK YOU, Kim, for this opportunity to share with your fanbase, and I’d like to THANK everyone for taking the time to read this interview. If you enjoy stories written in a unique blend of spirituality and sensuality, I hope you’ll check out one of my books and sign up to receive my newsletter. I’d love to hear from you.
Please let Pamela hear from you and learn more about her books and services on her website.
