Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Interview with RS Author Betsy Horvath




BIOGRAPHY
     Betsy Horvath was raised on MGM musicals, old skool Harlequins, and Nancy Drew, so it should not have come as a shock that one day she'd be writing romance novels. The biggest surprise was that it took her so long to actually buckle down and do it.
     After mild flirtations with other genres and the completion of her B.A. in English, Betsy took a good look at her bookshelves. She realized that although she owned about a million romances, she hadn’t picked up anything by William Faulkner or James Joyce in years. An epiphany ensued and Betsy embraced her destiny as a romance author.
     Betsy lives in quiet, tasteful, splendor at the Palatial Horvath Estate surrounded by four cats, an elderly zebra finch, and far too much technology. You can usually find her at her website (www.betsyhorvath.com), on Twitter (www.twitter.com/BetsyHorvath), or hanging around Facebook (www.facebook.com/BetsyHorvath)

     I discovered Betsy through author Toni Anderson. It all started over an invite to Google+ I had one to give and Betsy wanted one. At that point I had no idea she was an author about to have her first book HOLD ME  released by Carina Press .  Once I discovered Betsys secret identity as an RS author me being me had to buy it and read it. I know big shock right? I fell in love with her leading lady Katie! She was brave, cute and wholesome all at the same time. Lucas wasn't bad as a leading man either :-) He had sex appeal, charm and self doubt.

Now on to the interview! 

1. I think most readers are under the misguided impression that all authors are rich and all they do is write for a living. I use to be one of those misguided readers, but I have learned a lot since talking to authors. I know you have a day job. What do you do for your “day job”? ( no need to give away company secrets!) 

     That's the dream isn't it? And boy, I WISH all authors were rich! LOL I think authors are like actors - there's a small percentage who can support themselves by writing, and the rest of us merely aspire to reach that point. :D I do indeed have a day job. I work with an extremely large marketing database - basically I write query language to help the marketers implement various projects and strategies. It works for me, because it's actually pretty creative - you ask me for "female, age 50-60 in Florida" and I figure out the best way to get the database to cough up that data. On the other hand, it's nothing like writing, so I don't use up all of my fiction juice before I get home. Plus, working with computers so much helped a lot when I was setting up my blog. :D 



2. You talked on your blog about things you have learned from the process of becoming a published author. Your first book HOLD ME came out on September 5th 2011 What one thing sticks out most? 

     Yes, this is the first book I've ever had published, and MAN, have I learned a lot by going through the whole publishing process. I have to say that one of the biggest things I've learned is that I can do it. I CAN get edits back on time. I CAN make my deadlines. I CAN network and blog and participate in a community. The other thing I've learned is how to handle people actually reading my book. Some people like what I've written, some people don't, and I have absolutely no control over who reads it or how they feel (or what they say about it). It's been both a joyous and humbling experience. So, okay, that's two things, not one - LOL 


3. As you were going through the process of finding a publisher and getting HOLD ME published what was the best part of the process? What was the worst part of the process? 

     Well, the best part about finding a publisher is the acceptance call! LOL But I think that goes without saying. :) Other than that, I think my favorite part was getting personal rejection letters from editors and agents. I learned so much about what they were looking for, and why they thought my book wouldn't work for them - they gave me an incredible amount of useful information. My favorite rejection letter was from the lady who became my editor at Carina Press, Rhonda Helms. HOLD ME was initially rejected, but I was invited to revise and resubmit. I'd made call-backs! And, obviously, I did revise and resubmit and the rest is history. :D 

     For me, the worst part about the hunt for a publisher is writing the query letter and the synopsis. It's not that I can't write them, because I can. It's just that I'm never sure they're GOOD enough. And there's so much information out there about writing a query and a synopsis that you can drive yourself crazy. I stew and stew over those darn things until I'm finally satisfied. Then I look at them a month or two later and find things I wish I had changed. 


4. In an effort to get to know you a little better I spent some time reading over your blog. So you can sing the entire score to Oklahoma? WOW can you expand on why you can do this? J Oh and I think the wind swept house on the Oregon coast would be wonderful! Then I could come for a visit when I go on vacation. ( for more on this topic see Betsy’s Blog entry

      Okla-homa! OKLA-HOMA! OKLA-HOMA!!! I know the entire score to Oklahoma because I was stage manager for our high school production. I wasn't a very GOOD stage manager, but I was there! LOL I also know it because my mind is a trash can full of knowledge - stuff goes in there and just sticks sometimes. By the way, I know the score for Carousel because I played a dancing bear. While I fainted from heat exhaustion in my costume, the music swirled around me. :D 

And doesn't the windswept coast of Oregon sound nice? Someday....someday.... 


5. I always ask how a person figures out what genre they want to write, but you answered this question in your Bio. So instead I will ask what do you think interests you most about the Romantic Suspense genre? What parts do you like writing the most? The suspense or the romance? 

      I love how the romance and the suspense work together in the Romantic Suspense genre. In a good RS story, the strong emotions generated by a dangerous or life-threatening situation only serve to heighten the sense of intimacy between the hero and the heroine. All pretense is stripped away. 

     And for me it's all about the romance, baby! Some authors are different - for them the romance is a backdrop for the suspense. But I want the suspense to serve the romance. I want the suspense to be the vehicle that brings the hero and heroine together. 



6. What did you do to celebrate the release of HOLD ME? Anything fun and exciting? 

      Oh, it was VERY fun and exciting. I was on the computer most of the morning answering emails and tweets and such, and promoting myself on another blog. Then I cleaned the house. Living the dream. LOL 



7. Anything you would like to tell your readers that you may not have yet? 

       The only thing I have to say is, don't give up. If you have something you love to do, if you have a dream you'd like to pursue, then don't give up on it. It may take you a while, you may not get there as quickly as someone else, but you CAN do it. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. :D



7 comments:

  1. Here's to eating lots more elephants, Betsy! Another great interview, Doris :)

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  2. Thank you Toni! I really have enjoyed picking your brains :-)

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  3. You know what I like about your interviews, the questions because I feel I'm seeing the author though her own words, sometimes on a TV or radio it the same questions you hear over and over and you already now the answers. Again I enjoyed reading your interview.. AND not just because I am your mom :)

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  4. Thanks mom! You are my biggest supporter :-)

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  5. Thanks for having me on your blog, Doris! I had a wonderful time answering your questions - even though they made me think (LOL) Your mom is right! And thanks for the invite to Google+, by the way. LOL

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  6. It was my Pleasure Betsy! I'm glad I made you think:-) your answers show that you did think before putting words down and I appreciate that.

    I tend to ask questions that I want to know the answers to. I figure someone out there must have thought the same questions at some point.

    And really cleaning house?? No fancy dinner out or a glass of champagne? LOL :-)

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  7. I know, I know. :) My only excuse is that I stayed up very late the night before to welcome in Release Day (in all US time zones) and I hadn't gotten much sleep. I didn't know what I was doing or I would have planned something more exciting. LOL

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