Helen Pitts Bradley is coming home to Bethune. She’ll be there Saturday, specifically at the Bethune Recreation Center, for a program sponsored by the Kershaw County Library where the first-time author will discuss and sign copies of her debut novel, “Breach of Trust”. The program begins at 2 p.m. Bradley will return on Monday, July 24 at 5 p.m. to sit in with the Bethune Book Club, whose members are reading the new book.

Helen Bradley’s debut novel, Breach of Trust, walks readers through local Savannah haunts and echoes historical lore. Longtime residents may also notice similarities to events involving the District Attorney’s office. While Bradley certainly borrowed from her 20+ years of Victims Assistance experience in Chatham County, she used her creative license to arrive at deeper truths of integrity and courage. We had the chance to chat with her ahead of her book launch.

FOR A beach read with a little more bite, Breach of Trust is the right choice. Helen P. Bradley’s debut novel is based on her experience working as a victim advocate in Chatham County’s court system. Her protagonist, Anne Gardner, is passionate about helping victims, and that passion is put to use when a young man working for the District Attorney—her former friend Harold Carter—alleges that the DA is sexually harassing him. What follows is an exciting story that ends with a satisfying twist.

Authors Dawn Major and Helen P. Bradley discuss the importance and power of a writing community, their debut novels, and how they found literary homes with the same publisher.

In partnership with the South Carolina Writers Association and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at Sandies in the BCBCC (711 Bladen St., Beaufort) on Thursday, June 8, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Open Mic Night features short readings of 3 to 5 minutes by local writers, followed by an extended reading by a featured author. Our featured writer for June is Helen P. Bradley, author of the newly published novel Breach of Trust.

My heroes are the many crime victims and their families I met during the 27 years I served as director of Savannah’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program in the District Attorney’s Office. Their courage, resilience, and faith during often the worst times of their lives never ceased to amaze and inspire me.

Helen P. Bradley joined writers from South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Maine, and New Jersey to share stories and poems in the Pat Conroy Literary Center virtual Open Mic Night, including featured writer James Davis May, author of Unusually Grand Ideas.

Join Tamara for a roundtable discussion with local authors Judy Bean, Helen Pitts Bradley, Susan Earl, and Beverly Willett. They’ve been meeting every Wednesday for over 5 years as a writers’ critique group, the Wednesday Writers.

In August 2022, Helen won first place in a national essay contest out of a field of 55 entries. NextTribe, the “voice of women aging boldly,” sponsored the contest in which Helen’s essay, “From High Heels to Hot Wheels,” reveals how she unexpectedly became a first-time mom at the age of 52, when her husband’s two-year-old grandson came to live with them.