Alumni Spotlight: Becky Wade

As a little girl, Becky Wade (Class of 1993) would write and perform plays with her sisters, cousins, and friends. She knew from a young age that she had a love of writing, but it took many years and a few twists in her own story to arrive at the place she is today: a renowned Christian romance novelist.

Born in Riverside, California, Becky developed a love of reading at an early age. Before she could even read, her mother had instilled a love of books in her, reading aloud classics such as the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Once she learned to read, her love of books only grew. As Becky was about to begin the 5th grade, her father, an art instructor, accepted a position at the Frankfurt International School that moved the family across the Atlantic. For the next four years she and her family lived in Germany and traveled around Europe. “All across Europe, we were driving around in a sedan, all five of us in this sedan. I would be reading to pass the time in the car.”

When Becky chose to attend Baylor, following in the footsteps of her father (and some older girls in her youth group from California that she admired), she entered as a business major, still not considering becoming an author as a career option. In her four years at Baylor, Becky focused on her business classes and her role as president of Kappa Alpha Theta, and she also met the man that would become her husband, Chris Wade. After graduation, Chris and Becky decided they wanted to live abroad. Chris accepted a job with an international tennis company that sent them to live in the Caribbean.

While her husband was working, hiring laws prevented Becky from getting a job. “I had to find things to fill my time, and that was when I thought, ‘Maybe I can try my hand at this. Maybe I can write a book.’” Becky sat down and wrote her first manuscript, but soon realized she had a lot of learning to do. After four years of rejection letters and self-teaching, Becky finally became a published author, writing historical romance novels for the general market. After her first novel was published, Becky had two more novels published, as well.

When her oldest daughter was born, Becky stopped writing for seven years, both to focus on raising her children and because her publisher had decided not to renew her contract. “I knew for sure that [God’s] will for me in that moment was to stop and to focus on raising my kids.” For many years, Becky felt as if she wouldn’t get to write again, but seven years later, she felt the Lord calling her back to writing, though this time writing romances from a Christian perspective. “It was like he was saying, you know, ‘Becky, you thought you were done with that, but I’m not done with that, yet. I have plans, and now is the time.’”

Becky has now written and published 13 novels and novellas in the Christian romance genre. In 2018, her novel True to You won the prestigious Christy Award for Book of the Year. While the recognition has been rewarding, she is focused on finishing her final book in the Bradford Sisters series and planning a series that will follow.

This current chapter of her life is sweet, and Becky is thankful for the twists that have brought her where she is today. “It’s never too late to hit upon a new dream for yourself. And then once you hit upon that dream, it’s never too late to learn what you need to learn in order to make that dream happen for yourself. That’s what I’ve learned.”