Life has taught Miska
Tomlinson that there are no honorable men. Her womanizing brothers, her
absentee father, and Mark, the married baseball player who claims to
love her—all have proven undependable. But Miska has life under control.
She runs her editing business from her luxury condo, stays fit with
daily jogs along Chicago's lakefront, and in her free time blogs
anonymously about life as a kept woman.
Enter new neighbor
Dillan Foster. Between his unexpected friendship and her father's sudden
reappearance, Miska loses control of her orderly life. Her relationship
with Mark deteriorates, and Miska can't help comparing him to Dillan.
His religious views are so foreign, yet the way he treats her is
something she's longed for. But Dillan discovers exactly who she is and
what she has done. Too late she finds herself longing for a man who is
determined to never look her way again.
When her blog receives
unexpected national press, Miska realizes that her anonymity was an
illusion. Caught in a scandal about to break across the nation, Miska
wonders if the God Dillan talks about would bother with a woman like
her—a woman who's gone too far and done too much.
Sally Bradley has worked for two publishers, writing
sales and marketing materials, sorting through the slush pile, and
proofreading and editing fiction. She has a BA in English and a love for
perfecting novels, whether it’s her work or the work of others.
A judge in fiction-writing contests, Sally is a member of
American Christian Fiction Writers,
The Christian PEN, and the
Christian Editor Network.
In 2000, she left the working world to have her first child. She now
runs Bradley Writing and Editing Services from her home outside Kansas
City. A mother of three, Sally is married to a pastor who moonlights as a
small-town cop. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, doing laundry,
and rooting on her favorite Chicago sports team of the season.
You can find Sally at
Sally Bradley, Writer on Facebook.
Interview with Sally:
If you could have chosen your name what would it have been?
Oh, fun!
Something really, really bizarre with all the vowels exchanged for
ys and such. Like Khrystyne or Khrysia.
I used to want to have eight kids, just so I could give them all really “unique”
names. Thankfully, I got over that. Guess I’ve got a little Anne of Green
Gables in me.
What was your first pet's name? Well, my sister had fish when I was in high
school. Three neons. I talked her into naming them Neon, Deion, and Sanders.
Made my dad laugh.
What was your best friend's name in school? Beth.
Did you have a special toy or book that went everywhere with you when you
were young? No, but once I hit upper elementary, I usually had some book with
me at all times.
What is your favorite movie? So hard. I really liked The Lake House with
Sandra Bullock... and Keanu Reeves. Cool story! Plus half of it is set in
Chicago.
What is the bravest
thing you've ever done?
I have no idea! You don’t do brave stuff to be brave,
you know? I remember
booking after my toddler who was about to get hurt by something. I was eight
months pregnant at the time, and I remember that everyone nearby acted rather
impressed that I could move that fast for the shape I was in!
If you were stranded on a desert island what would you take besides your
Bible?
Sun screen. I’m one shade away from full-blown albino.
If you could meet a famous person who would that be?
Francine Rivers. I love
her fiction; she’s had a huge impact on me.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer! Always.
If you could live in one era what would you choose? Well, I really like AC
and the internet and dishwashers. But if I had to leave, I think the 1940s
would be a fascinating era to visit.
What made you decide
to be an indie author instead of going through a publishing house?
I’d been
researching indie options for a couple years, just to be educated and make a
wise decision. And late last year I started getting consistently impressed
feedback from the Christian fiction industry, but no one wanted to tackle Kept. The industry seems to have gotten
more safe in the last year or so, and
Kept
doesn’t have any Amish or prairie. But it was a story I completely believed in,
so I decided to pull it from someone who did have it and do it myself. Very glad
that I did!
Where did you come up with the idea for Kept?
On SportsCenter! Isn’t that
where all good romances and women’s fiction novels begin?
SportsCenter ran a series on temptations pro athletes face, and
one of them was about women who made their living off pro athletes. One woman
they interviewed was completely silhouetted, but she did have a very unique
short haircut. As the interview went on, she confessed that not only was she
“kept” by one pro athlete, being available only to him when his team came to
town, but by a second one—and that each man thought they were the only one. My
immediate thought was, Honey, I hope
you’re wearing a wig. Or they know now.
I couldn’t get her out of my head and had to figure out what would make her
live that way and what it would take for her to see—and want—the truth. Plus
she just needed a truly happy ending.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with my readers?
Definitely! I
love meeting my readers and hearing their thoughts on
Kept. Seriously, if you wanted, we could talk for days about Miska
and Dillan and company. I’m incredibly touched that people would spend their
time and money on my story, and I want to be open and as available as possible
to my readers. I’d love to hear from you.
Sally
Bradley writes big-city fiction with real issues and real hope. A Chicagoan
since age five, she now lives in the Kansas City area with her family, but they
still get back to Chicago once in a while for important things—like good pizza
and a White Sox game. Fiction has been her passion since childhood, and she’s
thrilled now to be writing books that not only entertain, but point back to
Christ. Kept is available on
Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble, and
Kobo.
My Thoughts on Kept:
I am a huge fan of debut authors, and this was particularly fun, because Sally and I are apart of the same blog alliance.
Kept is a book that will stay with you. The characters are real, and with all that's going on in the news with the NFL this book is timely, not that it is about abuse, it is however about feeling like you don't deserve better than you have seen and even experienced.
Miska has made bad choices but God is pursuing her and is not relenting.
Sally's voice is clear, and these characters will grip your heart and keep you thinking about them long after you turn the last page.
Highly recommended!