Harriette Patrick Barron has over 18 years of professional experience working with all types of challenging situations. As a Child Abuse Investigator, she witnessed the devastating effects of child abuse and neglect on youth. She also monitored children in the foster care system as a Foster Home Case manager. This allowed her to get an inside look at youth and families who felt rejected and alone. Pivoting to the Mental Health System, she assisted families who were experiencing severe mental health situations. As a Crisis Mental Health Worker she was able to link those in need of mental health treatment with community resources.

The Author also served as a youth pastor for the House of Deliverance Church in Athens, Texas. Pastor Hygia Patrick and the late Reverend William E. Patrick provided a strong spiritual foundation, as her Pastors and as her Parents. Serving as a youth pastor, she became involved and mentored fatherless young adults and their families. The Author feels that God called her to minister healing to young hurting adults. As Jesus taught in parables, she presents the gospel in a language that the youth and unchurched can understand. She graduated from Sam Houston State University, with a B.A in Sociology. The Author enjoys her family, church, and beautiful sunny Texas days.

1) First, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me! When did you know that writing is what you were called to do? What is it about being a writer that you love the most? What about being a writer frustrates you the most?

I knew that writing was one of my callings when I returned to school to get my teacher certification. I was thirty years old and I wrote my essay as a class assignment. However, it moved the entire class and the teacher so much that she encouraged me to write a book. I did and the rest is history. Being a writer is a passion, but there are seasons where you feel dry and out of ideas. Those times are very frustrating, but they don’t last for long.

2) Can you tell us a little about your book(s) and where our readers can find out more about them and you?

That is a great question. It was totally unintentional, but all my books are stories of love, crisis, rejection, and inner healing. I noticed that the theme of my books was all about making peace with yourself and peace with God. My characters were all people who were trauma survivors, needed healing inside, had some sort of crisis, and resolved their issues. I write as a trauma survivor and a person who found resolution through my faith in God. You can find all my books on my website www.harriettepatrickbarron.com and on www.amazon.com/author/harriettebarron

3) What projects are you currently working on?

I am so excited due to finishing my first sequel. I literally thought I had given my all in my novel, ‘By this time next year,’ but my publisher (at the time) told me that she could see a sequel. I never thought I had it in me, but I finished it and it is so good! It is called ‘The wedding this summer.’ This is my baby and the best work I have ever done. The book is currently in production and should be out early next year. I am also working on my first children’s book. On top of all this I wrote a single that will be released soon. The song is about wanting to give up, but pressing on. It is called ‘smoke.’ Everything will be on my website soon.

4) What has been your most significant achievement as a writer thus far? Where do you see yourself within your career in the next five years?

I really think my latest book has been my best work. I have elderly characters in it that are doing awesome things. I want the world to see that life doesn’t end after sixty or seventy. Elderly people still laugh, travel, and have so much to offer us. I feel their wisdom is being set aside, but my mother really helped me through the pandemic with old school recipes, cooking, vitamins, and so much I didn’t know. I put all in my latest novel and I think the young and old will enjoy this upcoming book. Guess what, I am working on a trilogy! I didn’t even know I could write a sequel, so I was shocked when ideas for a trilogy came into my head. Over the next five years, I expect my books to be made into movies, I expect to be traveling and sharing my gifts with a larger audience.

5) How have you dealt with rejection within your writing career?

I don’t know if I have dealt with it. I just roll my eyes and keep writing. I have to remember that God didn’t give me this gift for it to die in secret.

6) Do you have a schedule for when you write? Do you outline your novels? How long does it generally take you to finish a novel?

I write in the early morning and late at night. I do have an outline for my novels. The funny thing is that half of my outline never makes it to the end of the books. I have been known to change the entire theme half way through the book. It takes on a life of its on. I have two young girls and a very busy life, so it takes me about one year to finish a novel.

7) Do you believe that there is ever a point in life where it’s too late for an aspiring writer to become successful in this industry? Do you feel a late start would hinder their chances?

I don’t believe that you are ever too old to write and become successful in the industry. My mother is seventy-nine and I am helping her write her first book. It is going to be powerful. As long as you’re’ alive your chances of success are not hindered. There is always someone who wants to hear and read your story.

8) Are you an avid reader and have you always been? What’s the first book you ever read that really touched you emotionally and moved you? Who is your favorite author? What book are you currently reading?

I love to read and have always been an avid reader. Once I read the novels ‘Cover Girls’ by Bishop T.D Jakes and ‘This present darkness” by Frank Peretti, I got the faith that one day I could write a novel with interesting characters. My favorite author is Bishop T.D Jakes. I am currently re-reading “Can you stand to be Blessed.”

9) Did the quarantine stifle your creativity or did it make you even more driven to get things done? What perspective did the Pandemic give you that you that now influences what you do creatively?

The quarantine almost drove me crazy, but it also brought out a strength in me that I didn’t know I had. I was trapped in an apartment with a five- and six-year-old, a sister on dialysis, and a husband with COVID! I told my husband that we needed to save up for a house just in case this happened again. I became a great cook, thanks to my mother’s instruction because I didn’t know how to cook much. I saw the importance of the elderly wisdom during that time. They had been through so many hard times and showed the rest of us how to survive.

10) Given the recent shake-ups in publishing, what are your thoughts about how the publishing industry is being represented today? Do you lean more towards traditional publishing or self-publishing as a preference? Does being a hybrid author interest you?

I am a hybrid author, but I hope to become a successful traditional author soon. I have tried self-publishing and hybrid. The downside is doing everything yourself and being basically closed out of major book marketing retailers. It can be done, but it takes a lot of effort to make it in self-publishing. I think publishing is going into the right direction because you can take so many avenues these days to make your dreams come true.

11) I feel like writing is a remarkable tool to help people not only express themselves, but also to cope emotionally and mentally. I know for me I write to be and feel more authentic. What unique quality is there about you, about your art, that you feel represents your authenticity? How does writing help you to be more empowered in your purpose?

My first book was called ”Coffee Time with daddy,” the book was my personal story of being kidnapped at gun point, sexually assaulted, and held captive for hours. I focused on the effects of trauma on my life and how God helped me to recover. It was a manual for all those suffering from past trauma and gave hope that one does not have to live in pain forever. that one book touched so many and that started the ball rolling for future books. I feel that my characters help show how one can be stripped of their power but can be empowered even after trauma. Each character represents me in some way. Every story I tell empowers me and hopefully others to fulfill their purpose.