INTERVIEW: Betty Thomason Owens

And now for something completely different. Well, not completely, but brand new, that's for sure! For more than a decade, Betty Thomason Owens has shared her love of writing in a different Christian genre. But we are incredibly blessed that she's tried her hand at suspense coupled with juicy romance and a gripping mystery. 

WELCOME BETTY! And congratulations on STILL WATER, the first book of the Home Found Suspense series. We're so glad you're here! 

Thank you, Marji. I am honored to be a guest of the Suspense Sisters. I’m kind of pinching myself, wondering if this is real. My usual genre is historical, and I’ve even written fantasy, but never have I ever written suspense, until now. 

I'm so glad you built this within the realm of historical fiction. It adds so much! What inspired this story?

I like to write about familiar places. Still Water is set in my home state of Kentucky, and other scenes take place in North Carolina, and middle Tennessee. I’ve ridden the backroads I describe and visited the cities. I’ve lived in the house where Lisa Oliver spent her senior year of high school. The same thing goes for the time period, the early seventies, when I was in my late teens. The “Jesus Movement” was in full bloom. We were on the edge of innocence when changes began to escalate. Such an interesting era.

What specific challenges did you encounter as you wrote your first mystery/suspense story? 

Oh, my. More than I’d ever imagined. Most of my historical novels contain an element of suspense, so I sashayed over to my computer and just started telling my story like I always do. But what works in historical doesn’t work in suspense. I wanted my characters to keep secrets, but no, that was not allowed. The most important lesson I learned was to keep danger on the horizon and the action moving. Maybe that’s two things I learned. 

What did you learn from the research/writing?  

I wrote places into the story that had to be removed because when I checked, they didn’t exist during that time. An interstate wasn’t completed until the early eighties, so I had to backtrack and figure out another way to get to where I wanted to go. That’s one downside to using actual locations in your writing. Someone is going to read that who knows and that could result in a negative review. 

Hahahaha! How crazy. "You can't get there from here." LOL! 

Exactly. And in my first draft, the FBI agent was a woman. Research showed that there were no women agents until 1972. Susan Roley Malone was among the first. Well, my story took place in 1971, so my agent became Zach Farrow. He will also be in the book 2, by the way. I didn’t care for him at first, but he’s growing on me. 

Isn't it cool how characters will do that? So what happens next with you and with your Home Found Suspense series?

Book two - Open Water begins a few months after Lisa graduates. She’s just finished teaching summer school in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, when Agent Farrow shows up and pretty much ruins her day. 

Oh, no. I can't wait to read that one. What takes up your time when you aren't writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing.

Too funny! 

Honestly, I love hanging out with my family and my best friends. I love to take long walks in the sunshine. I prefer long walks on the beach, but that’s a long drive. 

I'm quite a bit inland here in North Texas so walking on the beach isn't really an option for me either. What are you most excited about this spring?

The day the garden center opens! I love walking through rows of beautiful blooms and imagining where to put them in my yard.

I thought I remembered that you were a gardener. I have a feeling that it's going to be a gorgeous spring. And I think STILL WATER is going to get rave reviews!

Here's a little more about STILL WATER:

The Sins of the Father?

A car wreck, recurring nightmares, questions without answers...
Could all of this point to a forgotten past?

Crime reporter, Jake Bradley, has stumbled onto a suspicious accident. The clues lead him to Lisa Oliver, the daughter of the victims. Something about her draws Jake Bradley, and he vows to help her at all costs. When the FBI warns him off the case, Jake is more determined than ever to find the truth and keep Lisa safe.

After the sudden death of her parents, Lisa Oliver yearns for a place to call home. When she meets Jake, she wants to trust him, but her father's mantras of self-sufficiency and independence create a stumbling block. As the wall between them crumbles, the past encroaches, and Lisa fears she will never be free.

Is she forever doomed to her parents' nomadic lifestyle, fleeing unseen enemies?

It's launch day for STILL WATER and for a limited time, you can get the e-book for only 99¢ on Amazon. And Betty is also offering a copy of her book and a Starbucks gift card to help one lucky reader thoroughly enjoy it. 

So here's the question to enter this giveaway: If you could live in any decade in the 1900s, which one would you choose and why?