Brandi Dredge joins the Author Spotlight this week to discuss her memoir, Girl, Uncoded

Author Name: Brandi Dredge

Book Title: Girl, Uncoded

Book Genre: memoir

Release Date: 10/22/24

Publisher: She Writes Press

Welcome, Brandi! Please tell us a bit about your book.

Girl, Uncoded is a gripping tale of my harrowing and spiritual journey of resilience after I learned I was a victim of a sex crime—and my husband was the culprit.

What made you want to tell this particular story?

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 was born from there.

What was your research process like for Girl, Uncoded?

I spent countless hours reading through journals, copies of court records, and letters I had saved, as well as looking through old photographs. I also went to the library to look through old newspapers, and that was my first time using the microfilm machine, which, once I got the hang of it, I enjoyed.

What’s capturing your imagination these days outside of reading and writing?

Evening walks with my fiancé. Sitting on the deck in the morning with a cup of coffee while listening to the birds. The treasure hunt at the thrift stores. Serving in the community as a member of the Junior League. Pulling weeds in the flower beds. Conversations with my kids, family, and friends.    

Any new writing projects in the works?

Yes. I am working on a dual-timeline novel

What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?

I re-read, well, technically re-listened to Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I love this book because it contains such beautiful advice for messy life situations. It’s full of love, wisdom, humor, and empathy.

Where can readers find you?

Website: https://www.brandidredge.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandidredgeauthor

Thank you, Brandi! Girl, Uncoded is out today.

Girl, Uncoded

For fans of true crime memoir comes a gripping tale of 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.

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.

Author bio:

Brandi Dredge is a mom, encourager, and author. She shares her story with the hopes that what she went through will bring encouragement to victims and/or individuals who could benefit from knowing about God’s favor and blessings in their lives. She enjoys swimming in the deep end of mystical thoughts, wading in emotions to pen poetry, and sipping a strong cup of coffee. She is a member of The National Association of Memoir Writers and resides in St. Joseph, Missouri.