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NTRWA
June 2003 Spotlight On...
SHELLEY
BRADLEY, CAROL DOSS, SYLVIA McDANIEL & KATHY SHAW
by Juliet Burns
The Fabulous
Four. Perhaps slightly cliché, but still, a fitting moniker for these
four dynamic ladies.
Kathy,
Sylvia, Carol, and Shelley have been critique partners for more than
fourteen years and are still going strong. They still meet twice a month
for plotting, critiquing, and brainstorming new ideas. Fourteen years!
Considering how many friendships, even family relationships, don’t last
that long, their longevity is quite an achievement. But while
interviewing these ladies, the reason for their staying power became
abundantly clear. They are all “J’s on the Meyers-Briggs personality
test, so no one is ever late!
Although
that’s a joke, there is some truth to the statement. All four are big
believers in the Meyers-Briggs test. The Meyers-Briggs tests four
different aspects of one’s personality: Introvert/Extrovert; Sensing/INtuitive; Feeler/Thinker; and Judging/Perceiving. Judging
is the personality type that likes to make lists and be on time. Each
critique group member placed slightly differently on the test and brings
a special strength to the group.
Kathy
Shaw has only been with the group nine years. She was invited because she
had one thing the rest of the group was missing. She’s a “T”. A thinker.
She’s also an “S” or Sensing type, which makes her great at plotting
external conflict. The combination of “T” and “S” makes her a continuity
specialist. If there’s a hole in your plot or a common thread weaving
through it, she’ll find it. Kathy was raised in West Texas, married her romantic
“Feeler”, Randy, and they have two sons in their early twenties. Her
current WIP is a romantic comedy for Kensington.
The
other “External” plotter, Sylvia McDaniel, is also an “S”, but she is a
“Feeler”. Her strengths are relationships and emotions. Sylvia is a
native of Fort Worth and found love sweeter the
second time around. Her “Thinker” husband is uncharacteristally romantic,
writing poetry on homemade cards. Sylvia’s last installment of the Cuvier
Widows, STARLIGHT SURRENDER, will be released next February, and we’ll
finally learn who murdered the bigamist, Jean Cuvier. Her current WIP is
a sexy contemporary for Temptation.
The
other two group members, Carol and Shelley are “Feelers” also. And both
are “N” or Intuitive types. Their strengths are Internal conflict and
characterization.
Shelley
Bradley is an “E” or Extrovert. She is the only non-native Texan and grew
up in Los Angeles. She is the baby of the
group, met her husband, Lee, at seventeen, while wearing a clown suit, and
has a six-year-old daughter, Marissa. Shelley’s strengths are powerful
sexual tension and sizzling love scenes as her recent release, STRICTLY
FORBIDDEN proves. Her critique partners’ husbands love it when their
wives critique one of Shelley’s love scenes.
Carol
Doss, w/a Carol Rose, is the only “I” or Introvert of the group. With a
PhD. in counseling, she brings special insight into character motivations
and internal conflict. Carol’s husband is also a counselor and they have
two teenage girls. Her most recent project is a contemporary for Penguin
Putnam called, DOUBLE CROSS MY HEART.
All
four ladies had interesting stories to tell, but my favorite is how they
were all first published within two months of each other. Carol got her
“call” in February of ’98. Two weeks later, Kathy received her first sale
call. By May, both Shelley and Sylvia had both sold their historicals.
Was this some kind of weird Karma? No. Just a dynamic, supportive,
foursome who play to each other’s strengths and always strive for the
next level in their writing. I heard they’re going wardrobe shopping for
National Conference after our meeting. Mind if we join you?
Visit
Shelley’s website.
Visit
Sylvia’s website.
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