Rachel Thompson

Jack Canon's American Destiny

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Author Interview – Bette Lee Crosby

What is your favorite place in the entire world? I must say, I love the sun, warm weather and palm trees of Florida and I am fortunate enough to live here, but I would love to spend a month or two in Paris. We were there two years ago and it was enchanting.

When and why did you begin writing? I started writing fiction about twelve years ago. Prior to that I was in advertising and wrote for business. I transitioned to fiction because I have a love for storytelling. Making the change was quite dramatic since the writing styles are so different, but I’ve not for one second regretted my decision.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing? Although I spent much of my childhood in New Jersey, my parents were from the South. Hearing the words of my parents, aunts and uncles in my ear all my life has enabled me to not only write in a southern voice, but to also think as a Southerner. I think that’s what makes my Southern characters come to life as vividly as they do.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so what do you do about it? Yes, I have. Sometimes it comes as a blank computer screen looking back at you; other times it shows its ugly face as ordinary words that do nothing for the story.  I have learned that when it happens, the best thing to do is leave the computer and go for a walk, play with the dog, or have a cup of tea. Usually five minutes after I am away from the computer, I have a clear vision of where the story needs to go.

Spare Change is an Amazon #1 Bestseller in historical fiction, will you write other books in this genre? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I am now working on what will be a sequel to Spare Change. This is a first for me; all of my previously published novels have been stand-alone books. But with Spare Change, so many readers suggested a sequel and I loved the thought because I wasn’t ready to let go of the characters in that book.

Is there a message in this book that you want readers to grasp? Yes, I’d like them to close the book with the understanding that the best thing in your life can sometimes be hidden under a big pile of troubles.

How did you come up with the title? I believe the title of a book is almost always hidden somewhere in the story, in a poignant thought that suddenly takes on a greater than life meaning and becomes the title of the book.

Reviewer’s Choice 2012 Award Winner! In a story that’s been compared to John Grisham’s The Client, eleven year-old Ethan Allen Doyle has witnessed a brutal murder and now the boy is running for his life. In the time-tested tradition of Southern Fiction, Crosby unveils the darkest side of human nature and then rewards her readers with a beautiful tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts.

Olivia Westerly is the only person Ethan Allen can trust, and he’s not too sure he can trust her. She’s got no love of children and a truckload of superstitions–one of them is the belief that eleven is the unluckiest number on earth. Olivia avoided marriage for almost forty years. But when Charlie Doyle happened along, he was simply too wonderful to resist. Now she’s a widow with an eleven-year-old boy claiming to be her grandson.

With a foul mouth, dark secrets and heavily guarded emotions, Ethan Allen Doyle is not an easy child to like. He was counting on the grandpa he’d never met for a place to hide, but now that plan is shot to blazes because the grandpa’s dead too. He’s got seven dollars and twenty-six cents, his mama’s will for staying alive, and Dog. But none of those things are gonna help if Scooter Cobb finds him.

Winner of Five Literary Awards,BookBundlz Finalist, Voted Goodreads Best Unknown Fiction, FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal Finalist

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Literary Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Bette Lee Crosby on Facebook & Twitter & GoodReads

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