It is my survival story. To grow, move forward, and heal, I began to journal. Through the journaling and the way people’s eyebrows would draw up when I spoke about my life and the compliments I’d receive for my positive outlook despite all I had gone through, it began to open things up that I felt called to share. 

Brandi Dredge – 25 October 2024

The Back Flap

At sixteen, Caroline longed to meet the man who owned the apartment she was hanging out at with her teenage friends. The one they said was a stripper, a fact that intrigued her. From the moment she saw Gary Richard, she craved his attention—and once their eyes met, he was all she wanted.

Months later, she was dismayed to discover that she was pregnant. But she had Gary Richard, she reassured herself, and he was all she needed to be okay. A belief that didn’t change even when, holding their week-old son, she sat in court and watched him face charges for stolen property. This was her family, her life; so when Gary Richard’s lawyer suggested a ploy to show the judge he was a changed man, she agreed. At seventeen years old, she became a wife.

Over the next nine years, Caroline’s identity and dreams of a fairy-tale life became twisted by adultery, betrayal, poverty, court cases, and lies. And then, one evening, the reality of her marriage finally became clear to her after a sergeant revealed she was the victim of one of her husband’s crimes—statutory rape—and her son’s DNA was the evidence the prosecution needed to convict him.

About the book

What is the book about?

Girl, Uncoded is a memoir about one woman’s harrowing and spiritual journey of resilience after she learns that she was a victim of a sex crime and her husband was the culprit.

When did you start writing the book?

I began writing the first draft of the book in 2016.

How long did it take you to write it?

It has taken eight years from the start of the first draft to the sign-off of the final edits. In those eight years there were seven rounds of edits and revisions to that original draft. Two were done in the first two years. Then, after feedback from a manuscript evaluation, I did another two rounds of revisions in roughly six months before pitching to She Writes in 2018. Based on the feedback, I did another revision, and then in 2020, I hired Ginger Kolbaba for copyediting and had the privilege of working with her for two years. In 2023, I began the path to publishing with She Writes Press and did my final round of edits.

Where did you get the idea from?

From that calling within. That God nudge. That extra beating heart inside my chest that Cheryl Strayed speaks of in her book Tiny Beautiful Things.

It is my survival story. To grow, move forward, and heal, I began to journal. Through the journaling and the way people’s eyebrows would draw up when I spoke about my life and the compliments I’d receive for my positive outlook despite all I had gone through, it began to open things up that I felt called to share. The idea of empowering someone who carries tough things to release their secrets too through a book was born from there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

In the earlier drafts of the book, as I was still healing deeply within myself, I struggled with show vs. tell on some of the more emotional scenes. I was trying to approach them from 20/20 hindsight rather than dropping down into the raw emotions I was experiencing all those years ago and spending the time needed to unpack them. Once I began doing this, the struggle to build the scenes lessened, and the stronger I got I realized I wasn’t writing for myself anymore; I was writing for my readers.

What came easily?

The final chapter and epilogue came the easiest. I think it is because I finally was able to bring it all together and unpack all the lessons I have learned.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

All my characters are real people; however, to protect identities, I changed characteristics and names, including my own which I changed to honor my path of healing by using this creative expression to reflect letting go and the power of transformation.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I have read several books that taught and continue to teach me valuable lessons about writing, especially writing memoirs. While I can’t list them all a few that have challenged, encouraged, and guided me along the way are  Your Life is a Book: How to Craft & Publish Your Memoir by Sarah Jane Freymann and Brenda Peterson,  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, On Writing by Stephen King, The Magic of Memoir: Inspiration for the Writing Journey by Linda Joy Myers PhD and Brooke Warner. There have also been many books that have lingered with me long after I read the last page, and they showed me what elegant, focused, and brave storytelling can do to a reader. Some of those books are Consent by Vanessa Springora,  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Do you have a target reader?

Woman of all ages and relationship status—teens, young single women, older single women, married, mothers, single moms, divorced women, abused women.  Knowing that an estimated 7 million-plus incidents of statutory rape occur every year, yet most are not prosecuted and do not lead to arrest and convictions; there are many readers out there who are victims of this crime and will be gratified to see a story where the predator is put behind bars for their actions. This reaches many readers including fans of true-crime narratives, readers with faith-based backgrounds, and/or those seeking inspiration.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I do, I chuckle at this question because I once wrote this and put it on my computer as a reminder of my patterns. I smile at the picture it paints of me and my writing process.

The Process: Typing, backspacing, typing, deleting, rewriting, trying to stay in the chair, out of the chair, back in the chair, staring at the blank screen, not knowing, fighting with the thoughts, “Who do you think you are?” then knowing. Oh, the joy! Repeat.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

With Girl, Uncoded, it was chapter headings and a couple of sentences. I knew I wanted the book to have twenty-three chapters to reflect the 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up my DNA, as a creative way to connect the narrative of identity.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

For Girl, Uncoded I waited until I finished. With my second book, a dual-timeline novel, I find myself editing as I go.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I do. While writing Girl, Uncoded, I gravitated toward classical music; binge-listening led me to Brooklyn Duo’s rendition of Canon in D. Fun fact: that is what inspired the last sentence in the epilogue.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, I submitted the manuscript to about ten agents and received no requests for it.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

It was gradual. I pitched to She Writes in 2018 after hearing Brooke’s TED talk, Green-Light Revolution: Your Creative Life on Your Terms, and after a transparent conversation with her about my goals, I made the decision to spend time revising the manuscript and try the traditional route. In 2020, I hired Ginger Kolbaba for copyediting, and when the book was finalized, we were going to work on improving the proposal that I had sent to a handful of agents. After working with her for two years, she passed away as we were finalizing the final chapter. In the months that followed, I paused on moving forward with the manuscript, pitches to agents, and turned my attention to home improvement projects. Slowly, I pulled back out the proposal to make revisions along with the manuscript then pitched to a few more agents, and as the months went by, not knowing if emails would be read, if anyone would respond, or how many years the whole process might take, in 2023, I decided to invest in myself and my dream just like any other entrepreneur does. I green-lighted my book and pitched it to She Writes Press for the second time.  Life is too short.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

It was professionally done. My publisher, She Writes Press, handled this. The design team requested photos of me from when I was sixteen, so I submitted several to them. They designed a few cover options for me to choose from. I love everything about the cover—the torn page, the DNA graphing, the color choice, so mysterious and inviting; they nailed it!

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I hired BookSparks as my publicist, and in addition to my publicity plan, I am posting content on my social media platform and networking in my community.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Define what success looks like to you.

Your story matters, and whichever path you choose to bring your story into the world, will be the right decision for you. Once you choose, don’t look back. Hire an editor; it is worth the investment. Because having someone identify the weak points and strengths of the manuscript is priceless. They will see things you can’t.

Keep writing.

Learn what you can.

Give yourself plenty of grace along the way and keep showing up. You got this!

End of Interview:

For more from Brandi Dredge visit her website and follow her on Facebook.

Get your copy of Girl, Uncoded from Amazon US or Amazon UK.