About Betty Godfrey:
I was born in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. I attended public school and graduated from Dobbins High School. At eighteen I married and moved to New Jersey. I attended and graduated Rutgers University. I had three beautiful children and a happy married life. After the children were older, I bought and worked two businesses and had a full life. My husband passed away and several years later I met a very adventerous man whose dream was to sail around the world in his sail boat. He wanted me to go with him and I refused. Bob got deathly sick and in intesive care he begged me to sail around the world with him if he got better. I promised and like a miracle he recovered and held me to the promise. We sailed for three years-42,000 miles around the world, with good and sometimes very difficult adventures. We became engaged in New Zealand and married when we returned home. I wrote my first book, "On the Winds of Destiny," a true adventure story of our trip.
What inspires you to write?
I'm inspired by people's stories about an adventure, a true life experience or some saga concerning family turmoil. It makes me want to write about it, put it in my words, build the characters, and share it with the world.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Balducci, Patterson
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. I wake up thinking about the story and the characters, how I'll start the book. When everything seems clear in my mind, I sit at the computer and let the words flow. When it becomes an effort to put in words what I feel, I don't force it. I put it aside for another day.
I don't have a routine. Some days I don't feel like writing and I don't. Other days I wake up thinking about the plot and can't wait to start writing. I don't like sitting at the comupter forcing myself. It dosen't work for me.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Yes, I love talking to my characters. Sometimes I get mad at them. Other times they make me laugh. I put myself in their place and act out whatever they're going through at the moment.
What advice would you give other writers?
Think or find something you want to write about and research it..and then let your imagination take over.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
If you're an unknown writer, it's very hard to get an agent or publisher. When I wrote my first book I tried to get an agent and only two answered, they were scams, asking for a lot of money up front. I sent out proposals and queries to publishers and ended up with 150 rejection letters. I finally self-published and did book tours around the States. It was fun and I sold a lot of books. This time I tried for agents again, no luck. Self published again. They did an excellent job and I am promoting it myself with the help of a publicist.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
More people have a story to tell and want to write a book. The publishers receive so many manuscripts, they can't read them all. If you want your book in print and out for the public to read, self-publishing is the way to go.
What genres do you write?: fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
