Interview with Rachel Thomspon

February 9, 2022 | By | 1 Reply More

Rachel Thompson is the author of seven books, including the award-winning, best-selling Broken Places (one of IndieReader’s “Best of 2015” top books) and the bestselling, multi-award-winning Broken Pieces (as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed) and two business books, including her bestselling “Great On Kindle” Pick The BadRedheadMedia 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge. 

She released Broken People in Fall 2020.

She also owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post, Feminine Collective, Indie Reader Medium, OnMogul, Blue Ink Review, and several others.

We are delighted to feature this interview with Rachel!

Thank you so much for joining us on WWWB, Rachel,
Thank you for hosting me! 

Tell us about your beginning, where are you from?
Born in Florida, raised all over California; living now in NorCal.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
At age 10! My teacher read THE SECRET GARDEN aloud to us, and the imagery inspired me to start writing my own stories.
How has writing changed you as a person?
I find writing to be incredibly healing. As a long-time journal keeper, I find it enormously helpful to go back and review situations and feelings. 
Can you tell us a bit about your latest memoir, Broken People?
Sure. It’s my seventh book and the third release of my BROKEN series. It’s already been nominated for several awards and has received amazing reviews. I’m thrilled.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever had, and the worst?
Best: “Write something you’d never show your mother or father.” ~ Lorrie Moore (author, educator)
Worst: “Your writing isn’t interesting. Stick with humor.” ~ ex-mentor who shall remain nameless 
Do you need a special place to write?
Nope. I journal, take notes in my Note app, write on the computer, whatever, wherever. 
Are you part of a writing community or a writing group?

I’m part of a few Medium writer groups, and I started hosting @TwitterSpaces recently (social audio) which attracts many, many writers:

#BookSpace every Sunday at 11 am pst/2 pm est

#BookMarketingChat Space every Wednesday at 11 am pst/2 pm est.
What is your experience with social media as a writer? Do you find it distracts you or does it provide inspiration?
A bit of both, to be honest. I connect with readers on Twitter primarily, and by hosting Twitter Spaces, so it’s important to remain a consistent presence there. I also get clients from showing my various book marketing and social media expertise through the sharing of articles, my books, chats and Spaces, so it’s crucial for me to continue showcasing value-added info to writers.
Who are your favorite authors?
SO many. Audrey Niffenegger (Time-Traveler’s Wife), John Irving, Pat Conroy, Matt Haig, V.E. Schwab, Dr. Deborah Harkness…it goes on.
What are you reading currently?
I’ve been asked to help pick books of the year by IndieReader.com, so I can’t share exactly what I’m reading for them, however, I’m enjoying the process very much. Recent reads (not part of the awards):
The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix E. Harrow) – amazing.
The Atlas Six (Olivie Blake) – just okay.
The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) – great.
I love literary fiction, paranormal, and specifically, time-travel stories.
Find out more about Rachel on her website https://rachelintheoc.com/
Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/RachelintheOC

BROKEN PEOPLE

Long before the #MeToo movement, Rachel Thompson started sharing what it was like to grow up and live with the constant trauma of childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and other sexual crimes in her award-winning memoirs, Broken Pieces and Broken Places.

Broken People is the third book in this series, where she continues to explore, through hard-hitting essays and lyrical poetry, the difficulties and joys of navigating relationships, healing, and love in an environment not always conducive to survivors.

If you’re a survivor or know one, you need this book.I write what scares me. I tell uncomfortable truths.

I want other survivors of rape and sexual assault to know

they’re not alone.

I’ll be the voice.

I am the voice.

Healing is possible. Every survivor must find their own healing path.

This is mine.

Broken People is a book of courage, resilience, and overcoming challenges Rachel faced as a survivor. Through her three books Broken Pieces, Broken Places, and Broken People, Rachel has courageously shared her truth and the journey of her life. It’s not all rosy and pretty and that’s the beauty of these books. They represent the truth of a survivor, a mother, an empowered person who was made to believe she has no charge in her life but challenged that, and emerged on the other side. These books have not only allowed her to openly share her experiences, they also provide hope, guidance, and a way forward for girls and women who feel they have no hope left in them.

Dr. Shruti Kapoor, Founder, Sayfty Trust

This third book in her Broken series, Broken People is both heart-wrenching in its honesty, and hope-filled in its commitment to recovery. Through her beautiful, gently scribed work, Rachel shows the destruction that sexual abuse causes, and also the hope and strength that is conceived in the healing process. She speaks to you, the reader, like a warm friend who is by your side. For survivors, Rachel’s voice is that of a wise older sister, looking out for you and comforting you when you feel alone with all the carnage that sexual trauma can leave in its wake.

Judith Staff, Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Provision for Early Years, United Kingdom

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Category: Interviews, On Writing

Comments (1)

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  1. Rachel Thompson says:
    February 9, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    Thank you so much for this feature, Barbara! Love connecting with readers and writers here. x

    Reply

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