Reading With Betty Rebecca

Introduce yourself (Be as vague or as specific as you like.)

My name is Rebecca.  I am 50 years old. I reside in Columbus, Ohio, USA for the last 20 years.
I’m a long-time paralegal, now working on the life and annuity side of a major insurer based in
Columbus after years in a law firm.  I’m married to a university professor, although not one of the
RBD/RDD variety, unfortunately! We’ve been married for 23 years, we have no children but an
abundance of felines, fish and a single dog who the cats absolutely adore.

We see how it is.

I like to travel (preferably warm beaches and Europe), read and write although all three have
suffered due to changes in family members’ health.

I found this group entirely by accident.  I’ve been the caregiver for my MIL and FIL in Florida and

California.  I have been “flying the triangle” once a month for the last three years.  I usually work
on the flight using the in-flight internet. One trip had bad internet. I wasn’t interested in the in-flight
movies, but had a couple Betty Neels books on my iPad purchased back in 2012.  I re-read both on
the flight and when I landed and had internet, I searched for a list of her books and found The
Uncrushable Jersey Dress blog. I was almost devastated to see no recent comments on the entries,
but I found “my people” had moved to Facebook and immediately asked to join the group.  

Thanks to the website’s reviews and comments, the FB group, and Amazon, I’ve read 114 Betty

Neels books since June 23, 2018 – the day the internet went out on Delta.  Now I’ll always say
“The Nasty Marriage” and giggle if I hear about Brighton, no matter how innocent the reference.

We are all adults here.

I’ve always thought I should introduce myself on the FB group, but as an introvert, I never found the right time for me.  Betty Keira’s suggestion to do these interviews was my opening to “come out” to you all.
Thanks!

When did you start reading Betty Neels?

I was in my early 20s, to the best of my recollection.  I may have read a couple in my teens, but I
just don’t remember.  My mother liked Betty Neels, and I remember visiting her at her home in my
20s, and she had a few in the guest room, which I read and can’t forget.  I know my first books were
“The Doubtful Marriage”, “The Promise of Happiness” and “Esmerelda”.

What is your favorite book(s) and why?

Oh, to be able to narrow it down to a single book!

“The Doubtful Marriage” and “The Promise of Happiness” are favorites because they were my first.  

Luckily, “The Promise of Happiness” is a great BN book! Knowing its alternate name of “Becky and
the Hot, Hot Baron” cemented it at the top of my favorite list.  Since picking up Betty again, I must
add Caroline’s Waterloo to the list, as well. “The Secret Pool” and “The Hasty Marriage” would
round out my absolute favorites list, I think.

For some reason, I’m quite partial to the Marriage of Convenience theme.

Shout out to the Greatest Marriage of Convenience that almost was...

Least favorite and why?

I disliked Victory of Victoria immensely.  Apparently, I don’t care for the mostly straightforward
romance (by Betty standards).  Apparently, I need an arranged marriage, or a faux-courtship
punctuated by snippiness and misunderstandings!

I dislike Winter Wedding for many reasons, but the top reason was the Seconal Twins event.  
The Right Kind of Girl is a bottom-feeder too just for the “Diana is worth a dozen of you” comment,
with no apology.  

What appeals to you about Betty Neels novels and why do you find yourself attached to them?

Even if I’ve never read the book, there’s a predictability in her work that is immensely comforting to
me.  I don’t have a life – or at least I haven’t accepted quite yet that this is my new life - due to
caregiving while working full time and trying to manage the house.  These books are a welcome
escape that I simply can’t explain.

Also, I watch Midsommer Murders.  I’m not sure if any of Betty’s books are set in Midsommer

Murder’s filming areas, but it never fails to amaze me what little Betty Neels things are still
referenced in a more modern TV show – tea (high and cream), elevens, village fetes, the vicar,
the local Lord/Lady, the Veronica-like wives (many of whom are annoying and rude), the kids with
the nanny all day, and so on.  I’m always saying to my not-rich psychology professor that some
little reference is always in my “old-fashioned romances”. Midsommer even went to Brighton for
an episode!

Is Betty Keira going to deny you John Nettles? No she will not.

What is your favorite genre(s) to read?

Probably contemporary fiction, although I like some non-fiction.

Do you have a favorite book in any of these genres?
Children's/Picture book

The Madeline series of books

Classics

The Great Gatsby

Most anything of Jane Austen

Mystery

Most of the Patricia Cornwell mysteries involving Dr./ME Kay Scarpetta.

Sci-fi/Fantasy

Atlas Shrugged

Brave New World

Fahrenheit 451

1984

No, You Guys. Not that 1984.

Biography/Autobiography

Being Mortal

The Last Lecture

Eat Pray Love

Wild

Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl

Anything by Bill Bryson

Non-fiction

Too many to list…I like WWII history, documentaries and related autobiographies and biographies.  
I used to be a regular consumer of the self-help genre. If it involved organization and simplification,
I was willing to read it!

And the Band Played On – one that stuck with me for a long time for many reasons
YA

Between

Harry Potter series

Anne of Green Gables series

Oh, Anne. We love you so.

What are the five books you would take if you were stranded on a deserted island?

The Godfather

Brave New World

Caroline’s Waterloo (yes, a Betty is going!)

Gone with the Wind

Atlas Shrugged

Where do you do most of your reading?

Until October 2018, airplanes – I started picking weekend flights so I didn’t feel obligated to work
and would just read for 6 hours.  

Now that I’ve moved my mother-in-law to Ohio, I usually read in bed for an hour or so.  If I am

slacking on housework, I read in the family room.

What books are in your to-be-read pile?

Far too many, but at the top of the Kindle download list:

Rock Needs River

The Forgotten Hours

Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen
Of course, I want to finish the rest of the BN collection, but I do tend to pick these up when they go
on sale at Amazon and the last handful hasn’t dropped in price lately.

Do you listen to books? Any favorites on Audible?

I don’t typically listen to books but I did listen to Under the Banner of Heaven, Me Before You and
its sequel during my drives from LAX to Orange County.

Betty Rebecca had yet to be sold on audio books.

Do you have any memories of being read to or reading with others?

I don’t, other than one teacher reading in the 4th grade.  I’m not sure why I became a reader, other
than watching my mother read romances any chance she had.  Or perhaps it was due to my severe
introversion. My sister, as an adult, became a prolific reader and we often shared books as adults.

What book was the first one to ignite your interest in reading?

The Witch of Blackbird Pond… my fourth grade teacher read it out loud to the class.  I grew impatient
waiting for the next chapter, and just checked it out from the school library myself and finished it.  
I became a regular library patron at that point. I also liked to read the encyclopedias, one of the few
things my father bought of use to us kids.

What's a book you find yourself constantly recommending?

The Gift of Fear

Atlas Shrugged

Anything else?
I think I’ve already typed too much.  Anyway, thank you for putting this together and creating the

Facebook Group and the book review site.  My life lately, thanks to my rekindled love for all things
Betty, has had far more joy than Kon-Mari’ing my drawers ever could.

Aw. That makes us feel as happy as a precisely folded shirt.

Reading with Betty Marie

Welcome to our new series, Reading with Betty, wherein some of our readers (hanging out on the
robust FB page) volunteered to let us paw over the contents of their bookshelves and take us on a
tour of their reading lives. We are, all of us, riveted to the fixed point of The Great Betty Neels but
splinter from it in a thousand different directions. I am excited to learn about each of our intrepid
Betties who have each been filling out the same questionaire. Let's go:

Introduce yourself (Be as vague or as specific as you like.)

Salutations! I'm Marie. I'm live in Oklahoma with my fiance & our 5 kids, a dog & 5 parakeets.
Our kids are 4, 5, 6, 12 & 14. They keep us busy!

Betty Marie is an excellent juggler.

I'm a nurse. I work agency & I sent my own schedule. My background is Cardiac & Stroke, but now

I get to see a bit of everything. My fiance is also a nurse so we both understand the demands of
work & can talk shop together. I also currently teach clinicals to first year nursing students.  Prior
to nursing, I was an English Lit major with a minor in Spanish.

Growing up my sister & I were both adopted from the Philippines. We also grew up as Navy brats.
We mainly lived on the East Coast, Panama & Spain. So I've been lucky to travel & see a lot of
the world. I have 2 siblings. My older brother lives in OK & my younger sister lives in Kansas.

I'm pretty quiet & love staying home, but don't have a problem getting out & doing fun stuff with
friends or family. I like to travel & went on a cruise of England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales a few
years ago. I read a lot! I stumbled upon TUJD blog a few years ago & was so happy to know other
people loved Betty! I was very happy to find the FB group 😁

When did you start reading Betty Neels?

I was introduced to TGB in high school. My BFF's mom had a whole box of them she was cleaning
out. I asked to borrow some & she gave me the whole box.

Betty Marie's BFF's mom was not in her right mind.

What is your favorite book(s) and why?

Wren to the Rescue. My dad bought it for me on one of his many business trips. He signed the
inside with a message and the date. I love looking at the cover & remembering the moment he
gave it to me.

Least favorite and why?

Gone with the Wind. I love, love the movie. I've tried to read the book twice & haven't ever finished it
in one read 😑 🙈

The movie characters are so ingrained & loved in my head since age 4 (yes very young I know) & I
can't separate them from the book.

Books and movies have a fraught relationship.

What appeals to you about Betty Neels novels and why do you find yourself attached to them?

The simple romance & HEAs. I like the domesting details. I also like the nursing aspect. I began
reading Betty before I became a nurse, but enjoy seeing how nursing was in her time.

What is your favorite genre(s) to read?

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance & YA

Do you have a favorite book in any of these genres?
Children's/Picture book Fairy Tales (I have a small collection of different versions) & Eric Carlisle's books
Classics Pride & Prejudice, The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings, so many others
Mystery Nancy Drew or The Cat Who books, Dan Brown series
Sci-fi/Fantasy Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey, Tolkien, Robin McKinley
Biography/Autobiography I read one about Nancy Reagan once.
Non-fiction I don't really read this genre 🤔
YA Sherwood Smith's works & The Lioness Rampant series, Madeline L'Engle’ works. Too many to list

What are the five books you would take if you were stranded on a deserted island?

Pride & Prejudice, Austenland, The Hobbit, Beauty, & my Martha Stewart cookbook,

I am buying this.

Where do you do most of your reading? My bed, but I'll read anywhere. My car, work etc. I rarely leave home without a book.

What books are in your to-be-read pile? I always have a few Bettys in the stack. I'm going to start through Mercedes Lackey's Elementals
series again.

Do you listen to books? Any favorites on Audible? Not if I can help it. I have recently learned Richard Armitage does voice work for books. So maybe
in the future I'll give it another try 😂

Do you have any memories of being read to or reading with others? MY grandma reading me Mother Goose nursery rhymes. That's how I learned English.

What book was the first one to ignite your interest in reading? Little House in the Big Woods. I had to write a book report about it.

What's a book you find yourself constantly recommending? Sadly, my real life friends & family don't read much.  My daughter gst YA recommendations from
my bookshelf all the time.

Fun fact. A high school friend & I share a copy of The Princess Bride. We each keep it for a year, read it, &
send it back. We include new notes, thoughts, etc. we've been doing this for a few years now.

Solid choice, Betty Marie!

Writing with Betty: Beverly Farr

Betty Beverly was kind enough to come around for a cuppa and a chat about her literary adventures. I've dipped into her catalog and found it to be full of humor and sweetness. Let's find out more about her! 

(link)

You write under pen names. Can you tell us a little bit about the genres under each one and why you decided to split them this way? The pros and cons of pen names and, now that you're down the road a little bit, if you would do it differently?

Some people want to publish everything under one name, which is fine, but years ago, I remember picking up a Georgette Heyer book, thinking it was one of her historicals (yay) and finding out it was one of her murder mysteries (boo) so I think of my names like that.

Beverly Farr writes sweet contemporary romances and contemporary Jane Austen Variations

Jane Grix writes traditional Jane Austen Variations and Regency Romances

Cass Grix writes the paranormal/fairy tale Jane Austen Variations

And I wouldn't change it, I like having the three names.  Beverly Farr is my maiden name, Jane Grix is Jane for Jane Austen and Grix (which was my mother's maiden name and her family came from England), Cass Grix is Cass for Jane Austen's sister Cassandra.

Betty Beverly assured me it was nothing like
being a three-headed dog... Bit of a disappointment, really.
(Giphy)

Are you traditionally published, self-published, a hybrid?

I am self-published. 

When did you get your start writing and is this what you do full time?

I've been writing since I was 8 years old, and started writing romances when I was about 12.  I wrote more as a hobby for years, self published in 2012 and in 2015 started writing full time.

What does your output look like? (From what I can tell, you have a pretty good catalog and I wondered how long you tended to work on a book before you sent it into the world.)

Some stories take a long time (I'm currently working on a story I began more than 20 years ago) but some are quicker to write.  My quickest book was DARCY'S SPOTLESS REPUTATION which I wrote in 8 days.   But it's a novella and funny, so it almost wrote itself.  On average, though, a novella takes about a month and a novel about 2 months.

"Of course, it goes slower when I take time to write
original poems about my love of software user interfaces."
(Giphy)

You might be our only Jane Austen Variations writer among the Betties. What appealed to you about that genre? When reading Pride and Prejudice, for instance, how do you find the right thread to start pulling, unravelling the tale and knitting it up into a different pattern?

P&P is my absolute favorite book of all time.  I used to read it at least once a year, but now I keep it on my desk and read bits almost every day.  I still find passages that I never noticed before (because I read too fast)

I get ideas when I'm driving in the car.  For my current story DARCY IN LOVE AND WAR, I just thought, "What if Jane was dead before the story starts?  If Jane wasn't around, would Bingley just fall in love with the second prettiest girl in town - Elizabeth Bennet?  I think so, and then what would Darcy do when his best friend is falling for the woman he is falling for?  And how would the Bennet family dynamics change?  

Is it wrong to be rooting for a round of shirtless fisticuffs?
(link)

Who, among your books, is your favorite set of main characters and why? (Or in the case of Darcy and Lizzie, which of their books delights you most?) 

I do love Darcy and Lizzie, but with now that I've written 23 variations for them, it's hard sometimes to remember what events go with what story!  As for my other books, the one I'm working on is usually my favorite.  I just re-edited HER EX NEXT DOOR which I published in 2012  (it's one of my husband's favorite stories) and I was surprised how much I liked it again.  I really like Derek, the tall, dark and sexy IT geek/billionaire hero of that story. 

What was the hardest of your stories to write and why?

The easiest answer is that the hardest story is always the current story.  I tend to hit an "oh, no, I'll never finish this" moment in the middle of every story.  However, it is true that some stories come more easily or flow more easily.  One of my most emotional/difficult stories was SOMETHING SWEET by Beverly Farr, book 3 in my Love and Chocolate Series because the heroine is a single mom with an Autistic child.  I have three children on the Autism Spectrum, and I wanted to be true to them as well as to all the moms with children with special needs.  Amanda in that story is a Cinderella figure, downtrodden, but still kind and hard working.  She gets a prince of a guy in Rick, the owner of a popular bakery chain in Dallas.

What tools to you use to help you write? (I'm thinking of things like Pinterest or Tumblr or favorite songs to put you into a head space or a Costco-sized tub of peanut M&Ms or software or, or, or...)

Country Western music helps me because it can be angsty.  I particularly like Keith Urban music.  I often pick one song that provides an emotional theme for a book.  My story Forgotten Honeymoon was written while listening to Faith Hill's THIS KISS on a perpetual loop.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process?

My absolutely favorite part is seeing my books in paperback - opening up a box of new books!  Then I can give them out to my friends.  My least favorite part - finding an obnoxious typo after I've already hit publish and I have to wait 12 hours before I can upload a correction on Amazon.

Betty Keira dislikes the part where the computer fails to read her mind.
(Giphy)

Besides The Great Betty, of course, who are your favorite authors that you dip into again and again?

Georgette Heyer for Regency Romances/Romantic Comedies

Carla Kelly for Regency Romances

Dorothy L. Sayers for her Peter Wimsey mysteries, particularly the romance ones with Harriet Vine

Diana Gabaldon for the Outlander Series.  It gets racy and I skip some violent bits, but she is great with dialogue.

Dick Francis - His books about steeple chase jockeys fascinate me

Sarah Price  for her Plain Fame Amish series (she's a friend in real life, and is brilliant!)

Beverly Cleary.  I adore Ramona the Pest

Edgar Rice Burroughs.  I read all the Tarzan books and lots of his other adventure stories.

Why do you continue to read and reread Betty Neels books?

They are warm, comforting books - like a hot bath at the end of a long day.  I like them because they contain interesting things - interesting homes, interesting food, interesting medical problems.  I like them because there are no trips to Brighton (although I would like the stoic heroes to talk a little more!)  And although some of the characters can be over the top, there are often clever lines of describing people and why they do what they do.  When I read a Betty Neels book, I imagine a movie in my head.  Her books are a perfect escape.

As an extra bonus, here's Betty Beverly, herself, chatting about the joys of sweet romance: