Author Insights

Featuring: Bridget Riley

Welcome back to my latest edition of Author Insights. Today, I’m lucky enough to be having a brief discussion with Bridget Riley who has burst onto the Substack scene with her mystery Novella titled Down in the Holler. A very popular and very widely read story, which has not lost a bit of momentum through the first six episodes. Personally, I was absolutely hooked from day one, episode one. The protagonist in this ongoing tale is Judith Temple who grabbed my attention immediately.

The story synopsis that Bridget wrote states the following: “Judith Temple, a hyper-logical software developer, has little patience with uncertainty and imprecision, but the apparently psychic visions she’s experiencing have turned into something she can no longer ignore. When Judith finds herself drawn into a decades-old missing person cold case in rural Kentucky, she must learn to use both her analytical mind and her newfound ability (skill? gift? curse? delusion?) to find the mysterious woman reaching out to her.”

What an engaging story this is and what a character we have in Judith! I was so fortunate to have Bridget agree to participate in this interview. I was anxious then to get to know her better, and I’m anxious right now to post this to the Substack world. I’m sure you’ll find this brief discussion as pleasing as I did. So, let’s get started.   

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JW - Bridget, first I want to thank you again for joining me on this interview. I was very excited when you agreed to take part in this. In your brief substrack profile, you state the following; “Catholic. Speech-language pathologist --> homeschooling mom of three. Hobbyist writer. Sourdough baker. Potato chip enthusiast.” Now, illustrating my tendency towards deep thinking and intellectually high standards, I’ll start this out with a burning question. What is your favorite Potato Chip? And please be specific to brand, flavor, thick or thin, and texture. I’m only half kidding around here.

Bridget - Thank you, Jim! I’m so honored that you invited me to do this interview.

Ooh! This is a great and very important first question. I actually try to not keep potato chips in the house because I have no self-control with them. On multiple occasions, my husband has come upon me eating potato chips in the pantry and said, in a Gollum voice, “My precioussss.” But, when I do indulge, my absolute favorite is the original flavor of Cape Cod potato chips. Ruffles with Dean’s French onion dip comes in a close second. And if the potato chips are curled up so that they have multiple layers, even better!

JW - I’ve always believed that to pursue, stick it out when others don’t, and ultimately achieve a place or position in the medical field - you have to be giver and a helper at heart to some extent. Would you agree with that, or am I being naïve and showing my admitted complete ignorance of anything medically related? And as a tag along question, did anything help persuade or steer you towards speech pathology?

Bridget - I can’t speak for everyone in the medical field, obviously, but in terms of the speech-language pathologists and other professionals I’ve met over the years, I would say that’s mostly true. For several years, I worked as a school SLP in a district that had a lot of poverty, and all of the SLPs I worked with would bend over backward to make sure that their students got the services they needed, even when the school district did a subpar job of supporting its employees.

I have to credit my mom for being the first one to encourage me to pursue speech-language pathology. When I started college, I floundered a bit in deciding what my major would be, and, being a semi-rebellious teenager, I wanted to study something different than my parents did. But my mom knew me well, as moms often do, and she steered me in the right direction. During my first semester, I shared with her a news article about an alternative communication device (There are lots of devices that fall into this category, from word/picture boards on iPads to eye-gaze technology for paralyzed patients), and when my mom nonchalantly said, “You know, that’s what speech-language pathologists do,” I was sold.

I’ve always loved using and learning about language, so being able to work in a field that combines art and science in its approach to language therapy was a very good fit for me.

JW - If your writing is truly just a hobby, then I’m even more jealous of your talent than I already am. I hear and read many reasons writers give for why they write. Simply born to it/meant to be, a need to communicate feelings, a creative itch, a way to be heard, storytelling comes naturally, or a need to therapeutically vent. Which one, more than one, or none of these rings the bell for Bridget Riley?

Bridget - For me I think this ties in with the previous question. I realize now that part of my struggle as a college freshman was due to the fact that what I really wanted in life was to have a family and write stories, both of which, it seemed to me at the time, were not things that a young woman should say if she wanted to be taken seriously.

I write stories because I don’t think it’s possible for me not to write stories. I’ve been doing it my whole life, and when I set creative writing aside for a while during my college and grad school years, I could feel my interior life suffering. I think that, to varying degrees, all of the reasons you listed apply to me and my writing, but the biggest reason is that I can’t not do it. There are frustrations, disappointments, and difficulties with writing, as with everything else, but the process brings me so much life and joy.

JW - Remembering years ago, when my daughters were very young, I am in awe of mothers such as yourself who have the fortitude and endurance to do all that you do - and also write. Then I read, you home school your children and my admiration goes through the roof. Naptime Novelist is the perfect name for your Substack. How on earth do you do it?

Bridget - That’s a very good question that I’m still figuring out how to answer! We’re in the very first steps of our homeschooling journey, so my strategies may change over the next few years. What helps me the most is that I have a wonderful and supportive husband who encourages me, holds me accountable, and makes an effort to give me time to write. On most days, I squeeze in bits of writing time early in the morning, during naptime, and/or after the kids’ bedtime. But my husband often stays with the kids on Saturday mornings while I get up early, go to a coffee shop to write for a few hours, and go for a run. Those Saturday mornings are my longest concentrated writing and quiet time during the week, and I can’t overstate how restorative they are for my peace and sanity.

I could write pages and pages on how much motherhood has taught me about seasons of life and the need for adaptability, but to avoid making this a thirty-minute read, I’ll just say that, rather than forcing me to shelve my writing until my kids were older, parenthood has taught me how to make space and really commit to using my time and talents more intentionally.

JW - Are your stories and characters ever infused with underlying themes and life messages that are important to you? If so, is there a common and recurring theme or general message for real life, that you try to communicate through a fictional story or book?

Bridget - All of my stories reflect various aspects of me and my experience of the world, which I think is why it can be so intimidating to share them. If the sweet old ladies at my parish knew that the young mom sitting in front of them also wrote murder mysteries about a psychic detective, what would they think? When stories delve into dark, violent, or traumatic themes, as many of mine do, it can be very difficult to put those out into the world, although I’ve found that the stories that are the most emotionally draining to write are also the ones that are most touching and affective for readers.

But even when my stories contain dark or tragic themes, I make a conscious effort not to end there. That doesn’t mean that I find a way to shoehorn a happy ending into a tragic story, but I don’t let tragedy have the last word in the story. Even when the story ends in violence, loss, or death, there is always hope, even if it’s only a tiny ray of light. Even when the hope is not easily visible, there’s a sense in the story that things are not as they ought to be, that they’ve fallen short of something real that’s good and true and beautiful.

JW - This is a question I have asked of others being interviewed, and it has quickly become a favorite of mine. In a perfect world on a perfect day, what would Bridget Riley be doing in the morning, at midday, and in the evening?

Bridget - Not to be boring, but my perfect day really wouldn’t look too different than a regular Saturday. Getting up early, having some time to write and go for a run or hike, and then spending the rest of the day playing outside with my family and eating good food is basically Heaven for me. Top it off with some time to read in bed at the end of the day, and I don’t think it gets any better than that!

JW - Last but not least, tell me what writing projects you currently have going on now (including the marvelous Down in the Holler novella), past stories and what is on the drawing board for the future? Also, on January 1, 2025, when you’re looking back on 2024 what would you like to see listed in the ‘completed’ column?

Bridget - I’m having a ton of fun with Down in the Holler, which will wrap up in early July. After that I’ll take a break for a few weeks to spend time with family, enjoy the summer, and make time for some house projects before starting up again with more short stories and, eventually, a second season of Judith Temple’s story! I’m also working on the latest round of edits on a historical fiction thriller set in post-World War II Italy. I’m interested in querying the traditional route, but if the novel doesn’t find a home there, I may serialize it on Substack – either way, I’m excited to share it whenever the time is right!

I once received advice to focus my goals not on the results that I want but on the actions that are within my control, and following this advice has done wonders for my peace of mind. Completing a serialized novella on Substack was one of my 2024 writing goals, and I’m about halfway there now. Finishing the umpteenth round of edits on my novel and querying it is also on my list of goals for 2024. 

Thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview, Jim! Answering your questions was actually very enlightening for me, as I don’t often sit down to verbalize my thoughts about life and writing in this way. I’m so honored to have been able to participate!

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You can believe me when I say the pleasure was all mine during this all too brief chat with Bridget Riley. She is personable, refreshing, authentic and talented.

I believe it’s fairly obvious that the sky is the limit for this author. No doubt in my mind that she is, as they say, going places. You can find Bridget and her stories, posts and news right here.

Well, that will wrap up this edition of Author Insights and I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time. - JW