Garden Interview with Barbara Bettis

Hello Barbara

Welcome.

Tell us about you and your books.

Do you plot or let the story unfold as you write?

I used to say I let the story unfold…then I realized it wasn’t that simple. Usually, a book idea starts with a character and often a character in action of some sort. Then after the initial inspiration is formalized and the story begins to unfold, I stop and do a three or four page, single spaced narrative summary (rough synopsis) of the book, including some of the touch points and the ending. That way, I always know where everything is headed.

But from there the story unfolds as I go. Often it takes off in an entirely unexpected direction, although it reaches the original conclusion.

I remember after one book ended, I looked at that original rough synopsis and thought, “That’s a good storyline. I should write that sometime.” J

Formal, detailed plotting doesn’t work for me. When I finish that, I feel like I’ve already told the story, and it no longer holds my interest.

Do you have trouble saying goodbye to characters?

Absolutely, I do. I get very attached to my main characters and even the secondary ones. Although I’m relieved when the work on a book is finished, I’ve grown close to people and want to know how they’re doing later. That information usually pops up in following books because at least one of the main characters is related or well-known to one or more of the others. (I guess calling them ‘people’ is a giveaway of how they come alive for me during writing!)

All my stories are set in the same medieval time frame of the last decade of the 1100s and the first few years of the 1200s. (Richard I’s reign and the beginning of John’s.) My next medieval takes place in the years leading up to John’s signing of the Magna Carta.

Do you research your action/fight scenes?

I kind of do. I’ve watched videos of certain fight techniques of that time. The History Channel has had some good programs on medieval warfare. Also, I’ve researched how one could battle wearing chain mail and employing the kinds of weapons used then, as well as the way the armor was constructed, where and how a telling blow might be struck, etc.

I do have fun diagraming my actual fight scenes. Since I’m no artist, only I can make sense out of the lines, curves, and arrows on the paper.

Diagraming is useful because…ahem…I often say east and mean west or left and mean right.

Do you research your sex scenes?

No. As a widow of a certain age, I tell people I just have a good memory. J

Does working to deadline inspire or annoy you?

I’ve always worked well under deadline. It forces me to focus my thoughts and not dawdle over whether a scene should go this way or that. I learned to refine that deadline mentality when I worked as a daily newspaper reporter and editor.

Working on deadline, ironically, helped me understand what a writer’s ‘voice’ is. We didn’t use bylines on our paper, but I would have people comment on a story and when I asked why they thought I wrote it, they’d say, “It sounds like you.”

Do you write under a pen name?

I have a half pen name. I kept my real first name but tried to come up with an easy second name to go with it. A friend in my chapter recommended that tactic. She took a completely different name and said she found it too confusing. People who knew her before she published called her by her real first name, those of us who became acquainted with her later knew her by her author name. She said she never knew what to answer too.

When I was researching names, I didn’t come up with a ‘Bettis’ anywhere—but wouldn’t you know, not long after I became officially Barbara Bettis, Bettises started popping up everywhere. Of course!

and for a little fun...

Do you have any hobbies?

Actually, I’m pretty boring, all told.

I cannot sew a straight line. As for gardening—every flower or other plant I try to raise, dies. I cannot embroidery without knotting the threads. I’ve lost the ability to cook (except no bake cookies, which my grandchildren love). I can crochet—a single chain. I am not a happy camper, (yay motels). I tried scrapbooking and ended up with more glue and glitter on me than on the pages. I’m highly allergic to cats and even some dogs. I have no eye for antiques, although my husband was very knowledgeable about those things.

So, hobbies most people find relaxing and fulfilling unfortunately frustrate me.

What’s left? Well, my friends and I do go ‘antiquing’ frequently —but those outing are generally an excuse for a girls’ day out.

I love spending time with my grandchildren. I love to read, go to movies, attend music and theatre productions. I love to travel. I love hanging out and talking with friends. I love to laugh. I love to write.

Many of those things probably can’t be counted as hobbies, but they make me happy.

Still, I’ll keep trying out recipes I get from friends, if only to mourn the results I produce.

I’ll keep trying to stitch face masks, but end up wearing them all myself because I’m embarrassed to give them to anyone else.

I’ll keep planting tulip bulbs for the moles to eat and rose bushes for the deer to denude.

I’ll keep buying and transplanting geraniums and sun impatiens only to drown them with too much water.

But I’ll keep cheering on my friends who can achieve all those things—because I’m proud for them!

And because I’ve learned to accept—I’m boring J

 Where can we find you online?

 www.barbarabettis.com

https://facebook.com/BarbaraBettisAuthor

https://twitter.com/barbarabettisauthor

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6639f3d2bd/barbarabettis

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