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? 
 

THIS WEEK ON SUSPENSE SISTERS

 

We’re planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday, Patricia Bradley will be sharing our What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

On Wednesday, Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn will be sharing with us. Autumn is such a season of change, and Sharon is dealing with that in a big way. She'll tell you all about it and give away a book to boot! 

Someone’s out to end her life.

Can the K-9 unit shield her from harm?

Evidence from forensic specialist Darcy Fields could convict a killer—if she survives to testify. A killer seems determined to discredit her, frighten her…and silence her, permanently. Hounded by the press and stalked by a murderer, Darcy must depend on Officer Jackson Davison and his K-9 partner, Smokey, as danger inches nearer and the trial date closes in.

Then on Friday, Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley is back and sharing about "writing through the fog" and all that it could entail. Don't miss this article to get a real glimpse of an author's life. She'll also be giving away an Amazon gift card to one lucky reader who comments. 

The Suspense Sisters

We love books!

What Makes a Good Mystery? (Volume 3)

 

I love a good mystery! I think I’ve mentioned that before. And I’ve been sharing my thoughts on what makes a good mystery and suspense story. Have you been following along?

So far, we’ve chatted about how the story has to have intensity:

    Lucy Reynolds agreed, "It has to get my heart pounding and maybe looking over my shoulder at least once."

     Rachel T says, "I like when an author weaves pieces of the puzzle into a larger whole. I usually can't figure it out until the reveal."

    Carolyn Hutson adds, "The unexpected makes for a good suspense, but I also want some scenes that make me jump out of my skin and make me not want to stop reading."

Then, we talked about the twists in a story. Y’all had a lot to say about those. 

    Cindi Knowles commented, "I love a good mystery, suspense, or thriller that has lots of twists and turns, that keeps me guessing and turning pages because the story is that enthralling." 

    Alicia Haney puts it this way, "I love the twists and turns, also when the unexpected suddenly shows up!"

    Barb D. adds, "I enjoy the twists & turns, and just enough things about the various characters in a story, and then suspect everyone! I like endings that I didn't see coming!"

This week, I want to talk about something that actually is necessary for ANY fiction story.

Character Depth Some of you think it's important too! 

    Gail H. has an opinion about the antagonist. "The best to me is a culprit that seems unlikely and is not revealed until the very end. Those I would have never guessed."

    Winnie says, "I love engaging characters and a little romance."

    Carolyn suggests, "The way the characters respond to stress is important as well. I have to like the characters and really feel what they are feeling."

    And Amy adds, "It's best when I'm completely invested in the characters and story. 

Interest in characters is no surprise. If you think of your favorite books, likely the characters are what stick in your mind. I bet you can name these books!

• Darcy and Elizabeth 
• Scout  
• Jo and her sisters 
• Lucy and her siblings.

To me, the main characters need to be as real as my next-door neighbor with history, burdens, mistakes, dreams, and values. A really good character is a broken one because we are all broken, right? I know “Mary Poppins” is likely a favorite story, but characters that are practically perfect in every way can get tedious and annoying when it comes to mystery.

I prefer characters that have something in the past that affects their decisions and actions. In fact, if done well, the character will have a difficult time in their history that they have to relive at some point near the end of the story.

That’s not to say that the “brokenness” has to be tragic and heavy, though. Give me the girl that dresses to the nines and then walks into the post office with donut icing under her nose or the guy who dunks his chip into habanero sauce thinking he’s Texan enough to take it. I love laugh-out-loud characters who are willing to laugh at themselves, too. It makes them real and memorable.

So what about you? Tell me about your favorite characters or the character you’re reading about right now. What makes the character stand out? Share your thoughts about characters in the comments and you might be the winner of a $10 Amazon gift card and a super-sleuth magnifying glass. And you might just find yourself in an upcoming volume of What Makes a Good Mystery!

What Makes a Good Mystery? (Volume 2)

 

Last month, I asked the question, what makes a good mystery? I love a good mystery, and I’ve found a number of things in some of my favorites that end up giving me that ahhhhhhh at the end of a story.

Several of you shared your favorite elements in mysteries, and the one I have for today was mentioned over and over again in last month's comments. It is a must for a good mystery or suspense!

Plot Twists

I love it when I see a story headed one direction, and it suddenly doubles back or goes down some alley I didn’t even notice. Like a magician, an author of excellence will give us a slight of hand trick, capturing our attention in one way while working a little mischief in another.

Twists make mysteries great, but they have to be reasonable. 

Decades ago, there was a movie where a number of fictional detectives were gathered together for a special dinner party. They (and their authors) were accused of “criminal acts” such as introducing the antagonist for the first time at the very end of the story, allowing the hero to have information that isn’t given to the reader, and so on. It was a spoofy movie, but it makes a good point. Have you ever read a book that had something like these “literary misdeeds?” What other twisted "misdeeds" have you seen besides the two that were mentioned?

Twists are a necessity for a mystery or suspense, but they should have a few rules.

•          Be logical
•          Connect
•          Have roots

Being logical is self-explanatory – “Elementary, my dear Watson.” The twist might come from right field, but once it has been revealed, heads should nod. “Of course” or “Why didn’t I see that?” might come to mind.

A twist should also connect to something. This leads to a pet peeve of mine, something like one of those misdeeds. A crucial clue just appears out of thin air. Total coincidence. It happens, but the twist should at least be connected to something that the characters know or do within the logical progression of the story.

Finally, I think a well-conceived twist will have its roots at the beginning of the story. Then when it does surface, a reader gets an extra aha! because it’s been there all along.

Have you enjoyed a good twisted mystery? One where you really didn’t see something coming and then wham? Tell me about it! Share your experience in the comments. One lucky commenter will win a $10 Amazon gift card and a super-sleuth, lighted magnifying glass.

What Makes a Good Mystery? (Volume 1)

I love a good mystery, but what is it that makes a mystery good? Is it the plot – the whodunnit with twists and turns? Is it the characters that fill in the gaps and the detective – amateur or not – whose shrewd observations reveal the truth? Maybe it’s the conflict between good and evil?

I have a growing list of the elements that I like to see in a mystery/suspense story—way too many to put down in just one article. I’ll share them with you a little at a time, though. Here’s the first one.

Intensity

While the story doesn’t have to be a full-fledged suspense for me to enjoy it, there has to be at least one scene full of foreboding where the creepy music enters my mind. A moment when the hero realizes what’s going on and puts a target on his or her back.

This is the moment that, in novelist vernacular, is called MEP – at least in my notations. The explanation of which is full of abstracts and higher-level cognition . . . okay, okay. It stands for Most Exciting Part. Really cultured and professional, huh! LOL! But if this piece of the story isn’t intense, then it’s a meh MEP for me. Entirely forgetful.

On the other hand, if the hero is suddenly and unexpectedly (well, at least the hero doesn’t expect it) thrust into danger, painted into a corner where I can see no escape, I’m up all night making sure that there is indeed escape, and justice is done!

As I read exceptional mysteries and suspense, I have some things that are a must for me to feel that ahhhhhhh at the end of the story. I bet you have some of those as well. 

Share your idea of the most important element of a great mystery/suspense in the comments, and you might just be the winner of a $10 Amazon gift card and a super-sleuth lighted magnifying glass.   

Fall Fun Survey...What's on YOUR plate this fall?

Honestly, though the weather here in Northern, CA is still in the 90's during the day (this drought is JUST not going away), we're seeing signs of fall. First off, my box turtle is slooowwwwiiinnnngggg dooowwwwwn. She reacts to the number of daylight hours and the cooler nights, so she's even better than a groundhog at predicting the weather. Second, there's an avalanche of pumpkin themed foods in every grocery store. 

Since fall is definitely on the way, I thought it would be fun to see what's "falling" in your life right now, peeps. Answer the questions below if you'd like. I'll pick a participant who will win a print or digital copy of Abducted, my newest suspense with Love Inspired Suspense. (If you've already got yourself a copy, I'm happy to give away any of my other titles, if I still have them. ) Ready? Here goes!

1.  What is your favorite fall activity? 

2. What is your favorite fall food? 

3.  What is the weather like in your region in the fall? 

4.  Of course, what book is on your bedside table for those long cool evenings? 

And just for fun, I've included this TOTALLY SERIOUS VIDEO I made a while back to welcome fall. Think Masterpiece Theater here, peeps.