Unfurl the sails! Man the braces! Jack is back and he’s more clever than ever. Join us todayΒ asΒ Author Barbara Bettis joins us on deck for an interview!
Jack: βLady Barbara.β Sweeps a gallant bow. βItβs a pleasure to have ye aboard.β Pops open a jug of rum. βDrink?β Bows head. βI wouldnβt want anyone to think Iβd forgotten me manners.β Downs a dram and pounds the stopper. βWhere was I? Oh yes, Iβve got a compass that points to what I want most. Where does your compass point to, eh?β
Barbara: βEast; no, West; no, North; no, Southβ¦.β
Jack: Head spins.
Barbara: βYep, sometimes I seem to go in circles. π But usually I try to keep an Easterly, onward course. In other words, my compass points to optimism . Iβm not a βcock-eyed optimistβ nor Pollyana.Β But sometimes our paths run up against obstacles and we lose direction. I like to always make the best of things and keep pushing forward.
Jack: Closes one eye. Opens it. βCock-eyed optimist, eh? Would Pollyana happen to be one of the wenches in Tortuga? No? The name of Cottonβs parrot?” Follows Barbara’s head shake. “No? I can never remember names, but wenches and parrots are treasure, to be sure. Speaking of treasure, Iβve got pieces of eight in my pocket. If ye could have eight pieces with ye at all times, what would they be?β
Barbara: βA photo of my family all together; a couple of my favorite inspirational Bible verses; a pen and notebook for ideas; an iPad and a solar battery charger J; my phone; tea, coffee, and chocolate (of course!) Wait. That sounds like Iβm being stranded on a desert island, doesnβt it! And you know all about that, right Capt. Jack??β
Jack: βAye. There be nothing like having your own effects and a stash of rum too.β
Barbara: βLet me replace my pen and notebook with my health (I can write on my iPad). There were go.β
Jack: βIβll drink to that. To the sun and rum.β Removes stopper and raises jug. βAnd the braces. Thereβs nothing like a good wind.β Takes a swig. βWhen has the wind taken hold of your sails?β
Barbara: βSheβs been in my sails for as long as I can recall. I remember writing a play for us to perform when I was in second grade. But the wind turned me in the direction of romance about eight years ago. I didnβt listen to her for awhile, but finally I gave in a finished my first book.
Jack: βAye, she can be a right stubborn wench. Hard to harness when the sea writhes like a lover.β Shakes head. βWhere was I? Oh, yes. Were there times the Kraken tried to pull ye down to Davy Jones Locker? If so, howβd ye escape?β
Barbara:Β βAs a newspaper reporter/editor, Iβd developed a thick hide.β
Jack: βPirates have to protect their hides from wenches in Tortuga and Elizabeth Swan, Commodores, Governors, the Kraken, bloodthirsty heathens. Ye get the idea…β
Barbara: βI do. When I published my first fiction, I found my new skin as tender as a newbornβs. Why is it we can get a dozen terrific reviews but when a bad one comes in, thatβs all we remember? When a Kraken digs in now, I turn to my friends and my crit partnersβand my sense of humorβto throw him off.
Jack: βI can do this.β Raises hands and wiggles fingers. βOr this.β Flails arms and runs across the deck. βOf course, thereβs always an undead monkey roaming about.β Glances at the ratlines and aims his pistol. βDuring a broadside, what do ye do to mend your sails?
Barbara: βI get away from writing, go to movies, read outside the genre in which I write. And I read straight history dealing with the eras in which I write. I usually end up finding ideas hidden there in real events or real people.β
Jack: Draws closer and whispers, βIβm real enough, mate.β
Barbara: Laughs. βMy fascination with Mercadier, a mercenary who was a right hand to Richard I, led me to my series featuring mercenaries.
Jack: βMercenaries are just pirates without a ship, mβlady.β Preens. βIβve got a very nice ship as ye can see and a compass that points to what I want most.β Withdraws compass, flips open the lid and watches arrow spin until it points at Lady Barbara. βOnce your coveted course had been charted, how long did it take ye to make port, eh?β
Barbara: βFrom the time of my first query, it was about two years. I really lacked confidence and had to learn to persevere.
Jack: βPerseverance is key, especially when youβre thrown in jail or shackled to a ship about to be devoured by a beastie. Which reminds me, pirates have a code, more like guidelines anyway. What code do ye live by?β
Barbara: βMy ideas usually start with the characters, then a situation. Often I picture a scene in my mind with a character or two and the plotting spirals from there. What challenges face them? How do they react to the challenges? I usually complete a chapter or two of preliminary story which allows me to know the characters a little more. Then I complete a story summary which some might call a synopsis. I do a write-through of three or four pages telling what will happen and how the story will end. Then the real writing begins. After I get the characters set, I do a character outline but not before. I donβt do detailed plot outlines. This is the process Iβve followed to date, but it may change.
Jack: βBeing flexible has saved my life on occasion. Improvisation is key. And now, we come to my final question, Lady Barbara. Who is your all-time favorite pirate?
Barbara: βI only know one pirateβYou π β
Jack: Winks. βI knew we were going to get along well the moment I laid eyes on ye, mβlady.β

He must pursue his enemy; she must protect her people. Can their love survive the duties that drive them apart?
When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with othersΒ escapingΒ the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless.Β ButΒ Lord Henry isnβt an enemy, heβs the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, sheβs bound by duty.
Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind sheβs tied him hand and foot.Β When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehillβs ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she wonβt desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate’s past catches her.
Β When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didnβt drive them apart.
Buy AmazonΒ /Β Β Buy Wild Rose PressΒ /Β Β Buy Nook

Award winning author Barbara Bettis has always loved history and English. As a college freshman, she briefly considered becoming an archeologist until she realized there likely would be bugs and snakes involved. And math.
She now lives in Missouri, where sheβs recently retired as an English and journalism teacher and plans to spend more time creating heroes to live for.
Ahoy, Lady Barbara! Every tar what sets foot on a ship has a story. What story do you have to tell?
Ports of call:
Website Β / Β BlogΒ Β / Β FacebookΒ / Β Twitter
Thank you for sailing with us today, Lady Barbara!
Wishing you all fair winds,
Katherine
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