Scandal's Bride by Pamela Gibson (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Pamela Gibson, who shares...



ELF: What was the most difficult thing to overcome on your path to becoming a published author and how did you conquer it?

OVERCOMING SELF DOUBT
by
Pamela Gibson

I wanted to be a writer since the fourth grade, but I didn’t define “writing.” I wrote poems, then newspaper columns in high school, then news and feature stories as a journalist. My next career in city government gave me opportunities to write thousands of reports, and as a hobby, I wrote history books.

My fiction writing efforts filled a plastic container which I kept under my bed. Fiction was hard and I couldn’t possibly do it, could I?

Self-doubt has been the most difficult trait I’ve had to overcome. It poisons good efforts and tramples on genuine successes. When I get a good review there’s always that voice in the back of my head saying, “Oh, it must be a fluke.”

There’s actually a psychological term for this. It’s called imposter syndrome and it affects a lot of writers, especially those who grew up shy with feelings of inferiority. Many of us went on to be high achievers with embarrassing little secrets: we’re imposters, right. We don’t deserve our successes and when we have them, we get nervous and tense, and we downplay them, because we’re sure they won’t be repeated.

I first learned about this syndrome at a Romance Writers of America conference where a featured speaker addressed a room full of authors—current and aspiring. Dr. Valerie Young was explicit in her examples and sadly, I fit the bill. Imposter syndrome, she said, is when you make excuses in your head in advance why something isn’t good enough, why you aren’t good enough, why you’re going to fail anyway so why try.

What can be done to overcome it? According to Dr. Young, you must first recognize the moment those feelings are at the forefront.  For me, negative voices in my head tell me I’m not good enough, I’ll never be a success, I should have started sooner, I should quit.

Next, learn to protect yourself. Ask yourself questions. What would happen if I never changed this pattern? What price would I pay, what opportunities and experiences would I miss? And the big question: what is this pattern of negative thought protecting me from or helping me avoid?  If I weren’t getting something out of it, I wouldn’t do it. So what is it?

Then set a new course. What would you rather feel, what would positive voices say? What would you like to do differently?  For example, when you get a compliment, say, “Thank you. I worked very hard on it.” Don’t say, “Thank you, I know it’s not perfect…”

Share positive thoughts that normalize self-doubt. Reframe what competence, failure, mistakes, and critical feedback look like. Acknowledge that you don’t always have to feel confident to move ahead.

To be honest, I’m still working on this. A lifetime of self-doubt has undoubtedly allowed me to push myself harder and that in itself has led to the successes I’ve had. But sometimes I still get that little voice in my head telling me I’m not good enough and I have to shout back.

Yes, I am.

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Scandal's Bride

by 
Pamela Gibson

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GENRE: Historical (Regency)

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BLURB:

Marry in haste…

Lady Gwendolyn Pettigrew longs to be a mother, but refuses to marry the lecherous old fool her father has found for her. When her best friend convinces her to consider her husband’s younger brother as a suitable candidate, Gwen agrees to a marriage of convenience, hoping against hope that her dream of becoming a mother will have a chance.

The Hon. John Montague, a penniless younger son, is handsome, witty, and thrilled that a woman with a dowry has agreed to wed him. Best of all she’s a fiercely independent bluestocking, a woman who won’t want to bother with a family. Because John has a shocking secret. He’s vowed never to bring a child into the world, a child who, like his own mother, might carry the strain of madness.

As secrets unfold, tension grows, threatening the fragile bonds they’ve forged.  Worse, someone wants them to abandon their home and leave Yorkshire, and they’ll stop at nothing to make it happen.

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EXCERPT

“May I come in?”

A frisson of excitement made every nerve ending tingle in anticipation. Did he want to consummate their marriage tonight? She looked down at her serviceable white cotton nightgown with its high neck and long sleeves. She’d put it on because it was heavy and warm. If she’d known John would be joining her in her bed, she would have left her hair loose and worn the pretty gown Miranda had given her as a wedding gift.

Oh Lord, oh Lord.

She let out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she called out, “Come in.”

He poked his head through the door. His coat and waistcoat were off, and his cravat was in his hand. He looked mussed and adorable.

“I want to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn’t have run off like I did. I was feeling . . . ill-tempered . . . and didn’t want to subject you to my mood. I promise not to do it again.”

She peeked over the top of her covers. “You are forgiven. But I must say I was worried about you. Where did you go?”

“I rode toward the village, turned around, and came back. I gave my horse a good gallop and then a rub down in the stable.”

“I see.” She paused, not knowing what else to say.

He smiled. “We’ll play whist tomorrow night. I know you enjoy the game.”

“I shall look forward to it.”

“Good night, Gwen.” He closed the door firmly, and his footsteps echoed down the hall.

Why were her eyes filling with tears?

Buy link

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author of eight books on California history and twelve romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives in the Nevada desert. Having spent the last three years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of her gran-cats, gran-dog, and gran-fish. Sadly, the gran-lizard went to his final reward. 






If you want to learn more about her activities go to https://www.pamelagibsonwrites.com and sign up for her blog and quarterly newsletter. Or follow her in these places:

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The tour dates can be found here