Growing up on a grain farm near Toledo, Illinois, author Betty J. Crow lived most of her life in the Dallas, Texas area, with the exception of time spent in Tennessee and North Carolina. An avid reader all her life, she’s written 200+ short stories, but in 2018 she joined a writers’ group and began re-Writing a novel she’d abandoned on her computer years before, Blackthorne Cove. Excited to be celebrating the release of this novel, Betty lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Don, and best dog, Gus. Welcome, Betty!

Interviewer: Debbie A. McClure

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Q  Can you tell us a bit about your new release, Blackthorne Cove?

A Blackthorne Cove is divided into two parts. Part I is set in Illinois. It begins with ten-year-old Mitchell Lassiter trying to stop his father from murdering his mother. While trying to save her, the struggle leaves the boy with severe burns on his face. The scars are not only superficial, they run deep into his psyche.

With his father in prison, Mitch’s maternal grandmother petitions the court for full custody. For the first time in his young life, he finds himself living in a home filled with affection instead of anger. With his life settled, his only wish was to have a friend. Meghan lived next door. Even though Mitch kept his scarred face hidden as long as possible, Meghan and Mitch formed a friendship, which eventually turned into more. Fearing he may have inherited his father’s propensity for violence, he rejects Meghan to keep her safe.

Part II is set in Tennessee. After finding a body during his college years, he develops an interest in police work, eventually becoming a detective for the Nashville P.D. With a serial killer loose in the city, he must solve the case to save Meghan from being the next victim.

Q Were there any aspects of your early life as a child, growing up on a grain farm, that prepared you for your writing journey today?

A I have a brother two years older than me. When he started school, he read to me every night. I enjoyed listening to stories about Dick, Jane, and Sally. My love for reading was born. If we lived in the city where there are malls, movie theaters, and lots of other children to play with, I doubt reading to his little sister would have been a priority. Once I learned to read, I often rode my bicycle the two miles to the local library. Back home, I liked to lean back against my favorite moss-covered tree and read the afternoon away. 

With only two channels on TV, few friends nearby, and no such thing as video games, my brother and I spent most of our free time together. Some of my favorite memories stem from playing pretend. As farmers, our bicycles became farm equipment. Like they do in real life, those tractors and combines often broke down, which required using tools and pretending to drive to town for parts. A salvaged blackboard turned into an airplane instrument panel, where we avoided crashes, and travelled the world. We used old boards to build a boat, which promptly sunk, but we pulled it over to the edge of our pond and sailed across the sea.

As I suspect most farmers’ children do, I dreamed. I fanaticized about travelling to amazing places, living in the city, driving a flashy red Plymouth convertible, becoming a dancer, a famous singer, or a dress designer.

In addition to learning about hard work, living on a farm allowed me to read, pretend, and dream—the best preparation for becoming a writer.

Q  Who has been your greatest life coach or mentor, and why?

A  In my personal life, my family gave me the best guidance. Of course, I didn’t always pay attention to their advice, which caused a few bumps in the road. But they gave me the foundation to grow into the person I am today.

In my writing life, I have more than one mentor. My sixth-grade teacher asked the class to write about the scene outside our classroom window. It was a stormy day, so I likened the sky to El Greco’s painting, View of Toledo. She chose to read my paper aloud to the class, which allowed me to dream of being a writer someday. In college, one of my English instructors pulled me aside to tell me I had a gift for storytelling. She encouraged me to keep a journal and start writing. These two teachers gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in my ability to write.

Q   What inspires and drives you to write?

A The first novel I wrote came about because of reading a poorly written Book. Inspired to write my own, I turned on the computer, and wrote Blackthorne Cove in three months. Three months later I finished a second novel. Editing wasn’t fun, so I continued writing short story after short story. A few years later, I joined a writer’s group. With the encouragement of other writers, I began editing Blackthorne Cove.

I often have ideas pop into my mind. I keep a notebook of possible stories, characters, and settings. I think the drive to write comes from wanting to give life to those characters. They have a story to tell and I am their voice.

 Q   How much research do you put into your books? Do you have any specific resources you use as your go-to?

A I’m a pantser, so I don’t research before I start writing. Scenes are usually places I’ve been and can picture in my mind. Characters are based on people I know or observed while out in public. I write what I know. However, sometimes I need more information or a memory refresher. For scenes, I often turn to travel brochures I have collected, maps, or personal photographs. I use Google or go to the library if I need some obscure detail. Plus, I can’t imagine writing without a thesaurus and punctuation book beside me. For Blackthorne, even though I have been to Nashville many times to visit my son, I called him to ask his opinion of the best places to leave bodies in and around the city. 

Q  What has most surprised you about the process of writing, publishing, and marketing a book?

A I’m always surprised at how easy it is to tell the story. When the house is quiet, I play instrumental music on low volume, and start writing. The words seem to magically appear on the page, as if I’m taking dictation. I don’t understand writer’s block. It hasn’t happened to me, and I hope it never does.

I wasn’t surprised at how difficult it is to get published. There is the time spent looking for an agent, then finding a publisher who actually wants to publish the book, more editing, rewrites, etc. It can take years. I finally consulted one of my successful writing friends for advice. She provided lots of helpful information.

Marketing can be difficult and time consuming. No surprise there. Not only do you have to sell yourself, you need to persuade people they want to read your book. Give me writing over marketing any day. 

Q   What advice would you give to aspiring writers just starting out on their own journey?

A Join a writers group. Members keep each other inspired and give helpful advice. If you want to be a writer, read books in your preferred genre and books about writing—lots of books. Don’t procrastinate. Life is short, so start now, and write every day. Don’t go into writing with the idea this will be your only source of income, because it won’t be—until you become a bestselling author. Don’t stop after the first draft, edit, edit, and edit some more.  

Q   Why did you choose the genre of murder mystery for Blackthorne Cove?

A I like to read books in this genre. Some of my favorite authors are James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell, Nora Roberts, and John Grisham. In my younger years, I read a lot of Agatha Christie. I like the rush fear brings, and since I’ve never seen a real monster or alien, to me there isn’t anything more frightening than murder.

Q   What’s next for you, Betty?

A I’m currently editing my second novel, Riverton Road, and working on a third with the working title of Down Somerset Lane. Both are in the same genre as Blackthorne Cove.

Q   Where can our readers discover more about you and your books?

A For more about Betty J. Crow, the writer, I have an author page on Facebook, @bettyjcrow2021, as well as on Amazon.

For more about Betty J. Crow the amateur nature photographer, I have a blog where I post pictures and will be adding more posts about writing in the future, bettycrow.blogspot.com.