Featured Interview With Bette A. Stevens
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a writer inspired by nature and human nature. As a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five, I live in Central Maine on a 37-acre renovated farmstead where I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. I advocate for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). My husband and I raise our own fruit and vegetables organically and share the bounties of our labor with family, friends and neighbors. We retired in 2005 after spending several years working at traditional jobs in Maine, California and Virginia. My childhood years were spent in California and New York, enjoying daily life and holiday events with family, including dozens of cousins. Now that our human children are grown, we have had the privilege of being the adoptive parents of a delightful black feline named Midnight. Life is good and adventures abound.
• Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her debut novel, DOG BONE SOUP, a Boomer’s coming of age novel published in January 2015.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books began at the ripe old age of four. Nursery rhymes, fairy tales and “Golden Books” were primers for this early reader. I started writing when our daughters were young. I wanted to capture memories for them in verse and prose clips of family life and so I began journaling.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genres to read are historical and literary fiction. Mark Twain, Harper Lee, M.M. Kay (The Far Pavilions), Eugenia Price (Savannah series) are on the top of my list. Contemporary writers Amy Tan and Khaled Hoesseni are first to come to mind. However, I enjoy books and authors of many other genres including non-fiction, memoir, fantasy, romance and mystery as well. My writings are inspired by my surroundings–the people I meet, the books I read, local and world events, and nature itself.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
DOG BONE SOUP is my latest book, and my first attempt at writing a novel. Compared to writing children’s books and short stories, writing a novel was a daunting task. It took a year and a half of outlining, writing, rewriting and editing before I felt confident enough to find both a professional editor and enlist the help of my local librarian, who is also an author, to help with the critique. Then came more editing and a handful of readers to give the manuscript a go. Extremely grateful to a dear and patient author friend, who took the time to me suggestions chapter by chapter. By this time another six months had elapsed and I was finally ready to publish DOG BONE SOUP.
DOG BONE SOUP is a coming of age story that follows the life of a poor boy growing up in a New England college town. Shawn Daniels’s father is the town drunk. Shawn and his brother Willie are in charge of handling everything that needs to be done around the ramshackle place they call home—lugging in water for cooking and cleaning, splitting and stacking firewood…But when chores are done, these resourceful kids strike out on boundless adventures that don’t cost a dime. DOG BONE SOUP is the poignant tale of a dysfunctional family struggling to survive in America in the 50s and 60s, when others were living The American Dream.
DOG BONE SOUP is not only the title of my debut novel; it ranks high among the paltry meals that the book’s protagonist, Shawn Daniels, wants to forget. Plodding through mounting snow and battling howling winds, Shawn is ready to leave it all behind—living in poverty, Dad’s drinking, life in foster care, the divorce, the bullies…. Travel with Shawn Daniels through the guts and the glories of life. You’ll find them all in DOG BONE SOUP, a Boomer’s coming-of-age saga.
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Thank you! 🙂
You are very welcome.