Welcome to Get Obsessed
Julie and Mika open the episode with a reflection on their shared obsession with romance, sensuality, dreaming, and the power of the written word. They introduce Pamela S. Thibodeaux, a woman whose storytelling lives at the intersection of faith, sensuality, and gritty realism.
Pamela’s Writing Origin Story
Pamela shares how her writing journey began in her twenties, filling five-subject notebooks while raising young children. Without access to a computer or typewriter, she rented machines or borrowed them whenever she could—because the stories simply needed to come out.
Discovering the Christian Market
Pamela explains the early challenges of writing romance with faith elements. Traditional Christian publishers wanted extremely conservative love stories:
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no passionate kisses
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no euphemisms like “heck” or “darn”
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no unmarried characters alone together
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no dancing unless it was “square dancing”
Her stories, full of sensuality, passion, complexity, and spiritual themes, didn’t fit the mold.
Blending Sensuality & Spirituality
Pamela speaks about the moment she recommitted her life to God and asked to write fiction that glorifies Him—without sanitizing human passion. She believed (and still believes) that God created humans with desire, chemistry, and emotional depth, and that romance fiction should honor that.
Her tagline—“Inspirational with an Edge”—came organically from a bookstore manager who instantly recognized her voice.
The Struggle—and Freedom—of Finding the Right Market
Traditional Christian publishers found her books “too sensual.” Secular publishers found them “too much God.” Pamela had to find a lane for readers who wanted both. Small-press publishers embraced her work, and she eventually indie-published after getting her rights back.
Writing Real Life: Domestic Violence, Abuse & Healing
Pamela opens up about her own past—being young, married to an alcoholic, surviving domestic violence, raising children, and eventually finding safety and healing.
She talks about how life experiences naturally show up in her books, especially through:
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characters overcoming abuse
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emotional healing arcs
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the tension between vulnerability and strength
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the journey from fear to faith
One of her most powerful books was written in four months during tax season while working full-time—something she considers a divine co-creation.
Faith Without Preaching
Pamela emphasizes she’s not writing for the already-convinced. Her books aren’t sermons, and her characters aren’t perfect. Instead, she writes for readers who may never go to church or pick up a Bible—but still crave meaning, hope, and spiritual truth.
The Role of Passion in Love
She speaks candidly about how emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy are interconnected—and why she refuses to separate them in her fiction. She believes portraying passion isn’t sinful; it’s honest, healthy, and God-designed.
Marriage, Divorce & Redemption
Julie and Pamela connect over their shared experience with divorce. Pamela shares that:
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her first marriage was volatile
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she left to protect herself and her children
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she later remarried and was widowed
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healing, forgiveness, and growth shaped her deeply
These life chapters add texture to the emotional resolution in her stories and to the compassion she brings to her characters.
A Multifaceted Creative Life
Mika highlights Pamela’s passion for family, storytelling, The Chosen series, and her love for the Texas cowboy culture. Pamela speaks about writing stories set in the Texas Hill Country and her affection for cowboy romance rooted in faith and realism.
Where to Find Pamela
Pamela shares her platforms:
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Website: pamelathibodeaux.com
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Amazon & major retailers for her books
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YouTube: A Novel Lunch (writing instruction)
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YouTube: Coaching in PJ’s (life tips, personal growth)
Closing
Julie and Mika thank Pamela for her authenticity, depth, vulnerability, and craft. Listeners are invited to rate, review, and subscribe for more inspiring conversations on love, passion, healing, and storytelling.
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