Meet Gina R. Briggs

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gina R. Briggs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gina R. below.

Gina R., we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My life changed forever on August 12, 2021. This was the day of my first prenatal appointment, and the day I lost my daughter to miscarriage.

There was nothing I wanted more than to be a mother. I had planned and prepared and followed all the “rules;” I had changed my diet, tracked my cycle, and even tried acupuncture though I can barely sit through the flu shot. In short, I had done everything “right,” but I still couldn’t keep her alive.
My poppyseed-sized dream. My Poppy.
My life.

For months after the loss, I was full of a rage that was unlike anything I’d ever embodied before. The “at least” platitudes were the worst: “At least it was early on,” “At least you know you can get pregnant,” “At least you didn’t have time to get attached.” But I was attached. I was completely in love with a baby I would never hold. The moment I saw those two lines on the pregnancy test, I lived my life for HER. I was a mother. But now, a grieving mother. A loss mother. I never wanted to be that kind of mother… This was an identity I didn’t plan for.

Without my daughter growing inside me and no hope on the horizon to achieve pregnancy again, I fell into a pit. This black hole only had room for me, my self-hate, and suicidal daydreams. I had to get to the place where Poppy was. I had to reunite with her. But with a shattered faith, I wasn’t quite sure where Poppy was or if I’d be allowed to follow her.

The footholds that helped me climb my way out of the pit were words… I had been a professional actor for years, but my first love was storytelling in the form of reading and writing. As a sensitive child, I spent hours dabbling on Microsoft Word crafting odd murder mysteries featuring my third grade classmates. And later, as a middle-school loner, I found friendships in the pages of series like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. I hadn’t dared to create my own stories since I was young, choosing to swap my voice for the voice of acclaimed playwrights as I took to the stage. But in the midst of my grief, MY words and MY voice were the only way I could save myself.

I began writing The Isa Project, my new adult mystery novel. With zero expectations for publishing, I showed up for this story every day, even (and especially) on my worst days. It was an escapes as much as it was an outlet to channel my loss. The characters lost a friend to mysterious circumstances and, in their journey, I could grapple with my own pain. Through the eyes of K Statham, my protagonist, I could talk about the emptiness of loving and losing without rendering a sideways stare. Because that’s the thing about reality—in most spaces, we can’t be wholly ourselves lest we risk making others feel “uncomfortable.” My grief (and the bitter worldview that manifested as a result) was not welcome in the circles I previously inhabited. But I am always welcome in fiction; in fiction, anything goes.

On a whim, I self-published The Isa Project. This at the same time my husband and I embarked on the adoption process. The ripple effects were slow, but they came… Within months, complete strangers who found me on social media were buying my book and writing me heartfelt reviews. “I know this heartache,” they said. “This really spoke to me.” Inadvertently, I had made something beautiful out of something so awful, so earth-shattering. A new identity was born: I was–and always will be–an author. Just as I was,
–and always will be–a mother. Poppy’s mother and, now, Sofia Rose’s mother.

The day after my first book signing, my husband and I received a call from our adoption agency. A birth mother had chosen us; we were matched with a baby girl due in just three weeks.

My world changed again on the day Sofia Rose was born. Our home is full to bursting with so, so much pure joy. And yet, the bad days still come. The difference is that they don’t linger for quite as long and they don’t sting quite as deeply. I’ll never not feel the loss of my first daughter. Having a living child doesn’t make me more of a mother than I was before, but it does give me more direction and purpose. Now, I don’t write just to save myself, I write for the sake of my girls.

A few months after we brought home our pint-sized princess, my husband and I published two children’s books—How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story and Forever in Bloom: A Remembrance Lullaby. Two books to represent the stories of our two girls.

Currently, I’m drafting my second novel—a suspenseful contemporary women’s fiction piece. This one directly addresses the tragedy of pregnancy loss, and it is my hope to get it on as many Loss Mamas bookshelves as possible. Never have I read a fictional work that acutely describes the anger or yearning I felt so deeply post-miscarriage, so… I’m creating it myself. If I’m doing my job, this story will be entertaining but heartbreaking, unifying but deeply personal to everyone who reads it.

Looking back, I wouldn’t say I’m grateful for my loss or the trauma I endured. But I am grateful for those two little lines. Poppy, it is because of you that I created again. Sofia Rose, it is because of you that I vow to never lose my voice again.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a full-time stay-at-home mama—the dream job. I am also an active multi-genre indie author. My tagline is “weaving stories about feelings” because I don’t shy away from the hard stuff. I won’t lie, my books will make you cry!

I chose independent publishing over the traditional route because I didn’t want to give anyone the opportunity to tell me or my characters “no.” Having spent many years as an actor attending endless auditions, the last thing I wanted to do was squash my newfound creative voice.

My days are spent learning about Montessori homeschooling methods, chasing my spritely toddler, and memorizing the lyrics of Ms. Rachel songs. But every morning at 5am, you can find me at my desktop putting words on the virtual page. Writing is my fuel, my artist heart’s home. Currently, I’m drafting my second novel, which will be released in August 2025. The working title is Porch Light On and it centers around three women and their unknown shared trauma.

Balancing author life and mama life can be a challenge, but it is well worth it. Through social media, I’ve had the delight of meeting many readers with similar lived experiences, as well as fellow author mamas who are just trying their best to get their stories out there. Independent authorhood excites me because I am in the driver’s seat; no one and nothing can get in the way of releasing my stories into the world… except imposter syndrome! I’m a huge advocate for mental health, rest, and leaning on your community.

I have three published works:
-The Isa Project, a New Adult Mystery, about a college-aged artist uncovering the truth of her best friend’s death

-How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story, a children’s book about the domestic infant adoption process

-Forever in Bloom: A Remembrance Lullaby, a children’s book in honor of our late daughter and all babies lost too soon.

I publish under Poppy & Rose Press, a publishing house named after my daughters.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

As far as skill-set goes, I taught myself how to self-publish strictly off of free YouTube videos. This was in an effort to save money, but also because I can be very stubborn… I wanted to say that I did it all. From the cover design to the nitty gritty of formatting, I taught myself everything. I’m under no delusion that I did it perfectly, but I did it. And I truly believe that anyone can follow in my footsteps. If you have a story to tell and the drive to do so, you can publish a book. Anyone who writes is a writer.

That said, discipline, courage, and humility are absolute essentials. Waking up early in order to work on my manuscript is not always easy (especially when the baby has been teething!), but it needs to be done. Having the courage to put my work out there for the world to either enjoy or criticize is definitely not easy, but the alternative is to never let my characters see the light of day. Humility is a given—we all need help because none of us know it all. And if it weren’t for the readers, then author life would be a very solitary existence. We need each other—the reader and the author, the seasoned pro and the fledging wordsmith.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The number one obstacle I face is imposter syndrome. The indie-publishing world is so saturated and social media can lead me down a path of self-pity if I succumb to the comparison trap. What has worked for me is holding on tight to a community of like-minded artists who have similar goals. For me, it’s not about making a million dollars or snagging a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. If my stories can generate meaningful conversations with others that need to feel seen and heard, then I have done what I’ve set out to do. My writing community, Quill and Cup has changed the game for me. I write daily with other women from all over the world on Zoom. We share our challenges and our wins. With all these talented and worthy women backing me, imposter syndrome really doesn’t stand a chance.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginarbriggswrites/

Image Credits

Gerry D’Arco, photographer