Melody Bradley, 34
Digital Media supervisor; Author
Employer: Southeast Georgia Health System
Lives in: St. Marys
Professional responsibilities:
In my role as digital media supervisor for Southeast Georgia Health System, I oversee all online and digital assets for the health system’s hospitals, physician practices and specialty care centers. This includes their website, team member portal, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, local listings such as Google knowledge panels and Web MD, e-newsletters, text alerts, physician practice waiting room and hospital hallway TV messaging, flipbook magazines, video filming and production, and more. Using these online platforms, I help to tell patient stories, keep our information current and accurate, and inform the community about upcoming health-focused events, new services and technologies, and new providers who join our practices. Additionally, I research, recommend, launch and maintain new online platforms to meet the growing needs of the health system and our patients. This includes reputation management, transparency/physician ratings and reviews, Health Risk Assessment tools, Media Management Software, Content Management System, wayfinding software, team member apps and more.
As the founder and CEO of Incendi Press, I write, independently publish, and market sci-fi romance novels under my pen-name, Melody Johnson. I oversee and maintain all online and digital assets for Author Melody Johnson, including the website, blog, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Amazon, GoodReads, BookBub, Google and e-newsletter. Using these online platforms, I keep readers updated on new book releases, author events, giveaways, and behind-the-scenes content, like deleted scenes. Additionally, I coordinate and attend online and in-person promotional opportunities, including book tours, signings, readings, and podcasts.
As an author with Kensington Publishing/ Lyrical Press, I write paranormal romance novels under my pen-name, Melody Johnson.
As a member of First Coast Romance Writers, I participate as a contributing author to several of our published anthologies and implement marketing campaigns to promote our releases.
Accomplishments/Honors:
Awards
2022 eHealthcare Leadership Awards
• Best Integrated Marketing Campaign: Platinum
• Best Long Video Content: Gold
2021 eHealthcare Leadership Awards
• Best COVID-19 Pandemic Related Communications: Platinum
2021 The Maggie Award for Excellence
• Issued by Georgia Romance Writers for outstanding work by a published romance novelist in paranormal romance.
Publications -
The City Beneath (Night Blood, book 1 - published 2015)
Sweet Last Drop (Night Blood, book 2 - published 2016)
Eternal Reign (Night Blood, book 3 - published 2017)
Day Reaper (Night Blood, book 4 - published 2018)
Beyond the Next Star (Love Beyond, book 1 - published 2020)
Romancing the Holidays (FCRW Anthology, vol. 1 - published 2020)
Romancing the Holidays (FCRW Anthology, vol. 2 - published 2021)
Romancing the Holidays (FCRW Anthology, vol. 3 - published 2022)
Sight Beyond the Sun (Love Beyond, book 2 - published 2023)
Romancing the Tropics (FCRW Anthology, vol. 1 - coming soon July. 2023)
Romancing the Holidays (FCRW Anthology, vol. 4 - coming soon Sept. 2023)
Light Beyond our Orbit (Love Beyond, book 3 - coming soon 2024)
Community Involvement:
Organizer and swimmer, Laps for Leila Cancer Fundraiser Swim-a-thon (2022); Contributing Author, First Coast Romance Writers (2020-present); President, First Coast Romance Writers (2018); Treasurer, First Coast Romance Writers (2017); Member, First Coast Romance Writers (2015-present)
Why did you go into your particular field? I’ve always had a passion for storytelling. From a young age, I wrote fiction stories about damsels slaying dragons, and my love for writing only grew with encouragement from family, friends and English teachers. When I was deciding on a career, choosing a field in creative writing/English seemed like the natural next step. It wasn’t until I began my professional career as a copywriter with Internet Inspirations, a digital and print marketing agency, that the health care industry found me.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A competitive swimmer since age 8, I would have loved to be a mermaid, which of course was pure fantasy at the time, except that now, being a mermaid is actually a career!
What was your first job? I was a lifeguard for Wyndham Resorts in my hometown of East Stroudsburg, Pa.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? The best advice I ever received was from my creative writing professor, G.W. Hawkes, at Lycoming College. Knowing that I was a swimmer and sponsoring my honor’s project (to complete my first full-length novel), he compared writing to a race: a novel is a long distance event. Write too fast in the beginning, and you’ll burn out before the book is finished. Write too slowly, and you’ll lose your way. Find a steady pace and keep at it, every day, no excuses, because one page per day for one year is 365 pages. And 365 pages is a book.
I’ve applied that “steady pace wins the race” logic to every book I’ve written since and to professional projects outside of writing. His advice has serviced me well.
What’s your favorite thing about your job? I love helping to tell people’s stories, as well as sharing my own. My career began in writing, but now, my passion for storytelling has evolved into many mediums – video and social as well as writing. Whether I’m filming and editing testimonial videos for the health system to tell patient stories; interviewing physicians to write their welcome press release, biography, or a service line article; or drafting my next fiction novel, the craft of storytelling continues to bring me great satisfaction no matter its form.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started your career? I wish I would have known what a huge role graphic design and video production would play into my career. I may have taken more multi-media classes in college had I known the significance that platforms such as Photoshop and Premier Pro would play in my future, both at the health system and for Incendi Press, LLC. But technology is constantly growing, so I suppose having the ability to adapt to those changes as digital media expands is its own sort of learning as well.
Who do you consider to be your greatest mentor and why?
G.W. Hawkes, my creative writing professor at Lycoming College, was my greatest mentor. He was equal parts critique and encouragement, simultaneously thickening my skin for reviewers and fostering my writing skills. Under his tutelage, I finally finished my first full-length novel (after many failed previous attempts) and had the courage and stamina to continue writing and publishing my work.
When you’re not at work, what do you do to relax? I love reading at the beach. My favorite authors are Karen Marie Moning, Ilona Andrews, Laurell K. Hamilton and Chloe Neill.
What is something about you that most people don’t know? People might not know that I’m an avid gamer. I love playing open world, RPG PlayStation and Xbox video games. My favorites are The Witcher 3, Dragon Age Inquisition, and Horizon Zero Dawn.
How do you hope to grow in your career? In my role as Digital Media Supervisor for Southeast Georgia Health System, I hope to continue researching and launching new technologies to better serve our team members and improve online access to health care for our community.
As a “hybrid” author published in both indie and traditional markets, I plan to continue writing in both arenas and hope to expand my readership with each publication. I’ve enjoyed many reader conventions, festivals and book signings, and I intend to continue to foster those in-person relationships with readers as well. Additionally, I look forward to adding more editions to my novels, such as audiobooks.
If you couldn’t do what you’re doing now, what would you be doing? I was an avid flutist in my youth and played at many venues, including my church, for weddings, at solo recitals, and from fourth grade through my senior year in college, I played for my school’s band. Up until my senior year in high school, I considered becoming a professional flutist in a New York City Symphony. If not for my passion for writing, I probably would have pursued a career in music and performing arts.