Looking out the Window: Illustrator, Musical Composer and Author, Bettie Boswell Talks about Her New Book, Hoping for Treasure. Gives away an Arc.
A Warm Welcome to Bettie Boswell
Bettie will give away an arc of Hoping for Treasure. To enter to win join the Rafflecopter contest below and leave a comment with your email address.
Hi Betty, first, tell us a little about yourself.
I am a retired teacher for both primary classrooms and elementary general music. A few years before I retired, I decided to be an author. After many unpublished manuscripts, those dreams came true in 2020. When I'm not writing, I enjoy experimenting with art materials and taking photos on walks around the neighborhood. My three grandchildren keep the grandma taxi service busy during the school year. At church, I work with the music where my husband is minister. I am not a big fan of cleaning house. Dust bunnies don't fear me.
Many authors were avid readers as children. How about you? If so, what did you read?
I enjoyed reading as a child. I loved Little Women and the other Alcott books. As a youngster, my mother read many Little Golden Books, Bobbsey Twin books, and Happy Hollister books to my siblings and me. Another favorite series of books were the ones associated with A Wrinkle in Time. Harriet the Spy was a fun read as well as many horse books and biographies. My mother introduced me to Grace Livingston Hill books and Nancy Drew when I was a teen. I still enjoy re-reading some of those books.
Why do you write?
About six or seven years ago, because of my love for reading, I decided it would be fun to write a book. Once the first manuscript was completed I discovered I had much to learn. At first I felt dejected. Then, I decided to conquer the issue. I've always had a student attitude and spent several years enjoying learning the craft by going to conferences and workshops.
Tell us about your latest book.
Hoping for Treasure is the third book in a trilogy centered around Ginny Cline-Hallmark. In this concluding book in the series, she is a newlywed. A few months after Ginny and Scott's marriage begins, tragedy strikes when a miscarriage dashes their hopes of immediately starting a family. As Ginny seeks comfort by reading a manuscript, written by her grandmother, about her great-grandparent's post-WWII romance (the manuscript was previously hidden in an old desk,) she discovers secrets about her family, and the Woodson House's hidden history. The previous books in the trilogy are On Cue (Ginny's contemporary romance) and Free to Love-a prequel to On Cue (Ginny discovers a romance along the Underground Railroad as she researches and writes a musical that will be featured in On Cue.)
What do you love about this book? And what do you hope readers will tell others about it?
I really enjoy the slip-time aspect of the story. Ginny and her husband are newlyweds who are thoroughly enjoying their new life together. Through the manuscript written by her grandmother, they learn about her great-grandparents living in a boarding house where they meet. The houses in the story were combinations of a real Underground Railroad station and my own grandmother's house. I spent several summers with Grandmother and fell in love with the house. My imagination turned it into a much grander home than it was in reality, but the memories helped shape the homes in Hoping for Treasure.
The story for Ginny isn't a perfect one when she and Scott face a miscarriage and a possible job cut back. Miscarriages are a tragedy that many women face during their lifetime. I experienced that loss myself. I hope that Ginny's struggles and eventual peace will help many women find hope for the future and release for the past.
Where do you get ideas for your books?
My own experiences or those of someone I know or have read about often inspire the stories I write. Ginny is a fourth grade teacher with a love for music. My background as both a classroom and general music teacher provided plenty of inspiration for her character. Over twenty years ago, I wrote a musical with a friend based on a house that had a hidden room where runaways could hide while on the Underground Railroad. That research inspired Ginny's musical in On Cue and the Underground Railroad adventure in Free to Love. The WWII romance in Hoping for Treasure was inspired by family tales of my parent's romance. I had to do some research, but already had much of it provided for me from these rich resources. One of my editors laughingly asked that tea be involved in the story. Researching the internet, I found some interesting stories and tea strainers that became part of Hoping For Treasure.
What themes do you write about?
Forgiveness and overcoming past fears show up in many of my books, including the ones written for children. In the month of May, a picture book, Lucy and Thunder, and Dottie's Dream Horse, a chapter book were both published by different publishers. Both books carried elements of overcoming and forgiving. During the On Cue trilogy, Ginny learns to overcome the past by offering forgiveness to others and herself.
Are you a plotter or a pantzer?
I am mostly a pantzer. I may have an idea where the story should head, but my characters and imagination often take me down a different path.
Does your faith affect your writing? If so, how?
Faith or at least a Christian world view is in every book I write. I have written a few works-for-hire outside the Christian market, but my characters, settings, and events, would be welcomed by any reader, especially believers. The more I write the more I believe that my writing has a special place in sharing God's love through the stories that He gives to me. I have Christian writing friends who bolster me with prayer and encouraging words. I often look at my manuscripts and think, wow, God must have helped me write the page, because I don't think I could have possibly done this on my own. More and more, my publishing opportunities come from Christian sources, letting me know where I should be using my God-given creative abilities.
What are you working on right now?
I am working on two books that will have ties to Scott and Ginny's friends, but not necessarily to those characters. One is a novella involving a cozy mystery for three older women introduced in Hoping for Treasure. That story will be in a Christmas Anthology Mt. Zion Ridge Press is putting together later this year. In January 2024, one of Scott's co-workers will have a suspense filled story, Hidden Names. As far as children's books, I will be illustrating a picture book for another author and working on a couple of my own children's books for publication in 2024.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Don't give up, be willing to learn and accept criticism, pray over your work, know that you aren't going to get a lot of earthly riches from being a writer--the joy of someone sharing how your book made a difference in their lives is worth more than any money you might make, don't be afraid to go with a smaller publisher, sit down every day and write at least a paragraph, make a realistic to-do-list for each day that includes writing and family.
Introduce us to the main character in your new book. (the one we’re featuring this time)
Long ago, Ginny was a college student who wrote a musical as part of a group project. A member of the group, and one time boyfriend, betrayed her and took credit for her work. Once that happened she lost trust in most men. Then Scott came into her life. Neither one of them were happy when he was forced to direct the new musical which she finally found the courage to write, in order to save the local historical museum's finances. She had to overcome her mistrust in men and forgive the past as she fell in love with Scott, who became her leading man through a strange twist, involving the former college betrayer. Now Scott and Ginny are happily married. Other than that first betrayal and a few funny moments of confusion, her life has been pretty ideal. Things are about to change. She's a teacher so Ginny knows how to deal with change pretty well, but she's about to face some pretty harsh realities involving her hopes for her family and career that may test her faith.
More about Hoping for Treasure
A few months after Ginny and Scott's marriage begins, tragedy strikes when a miscarriage dashes their hopes of starting a family. As Ginny seeks comfort through a manuscript about her great-grandparent's unlikely post-WW 2 romance she discovers secrets about her family and the Woodson House's hidden room. Ginny found the manuscript about her great-grandmother's romance hidden in a secret compartment in an old wooden desk, along with poems about Missy's life after the Civil War. When researching her musical, Ginny wondered if Samuel and Missy's romance led to marriage, but how did her grandmother come into possession of the poetry?
As she and Scott read through the story, they find some comfort until Ginny's teaching position is threatened, if a tax levy doesn't pass. Scott helps campaign, but finds his own tenure threatened by the distraction. Can Scott and Ginny survive the trials that face them in their young marriage?
Buy Hoping for Treasure on Amazon
Bio: Bettie's an author, illustrator, and composer for both Christian and children's markets. From high school onward, she has loved creating words and music to enrich the lives of others. It all started with skits for her church youth group, which led to involvement in Christian camp skits and worship songs.
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