See what I have to say.
Let me know what you want to say about it.
I get giddy when I have the opportunity to celebrate writing friends when they publish a new book. And it’s doubly-sweet when others share the news as well. DiAnn Mills interviewed Eva Marie, asking many of the questions we ‘d ask our favorite authors if we had the chance.
Not only do I hope you enjoy this post, but make a point to grab Miss Beth Bettencourt on May 12.Thanks, DiAnn, for giving me permission to repost this.
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
This week, I’ve interviewed a dear friend, Eva Marie Everson, a profound writer who has a new release ready to explode into the reader’s world. Her upcoming release is a southern fiction novel straight from a southern writer. Miss Beth Bettencourt excels in every area that makes an unforgettable novel. I read it and the story will make you laugh and cry!
Introducing Miss Beth Bettencourt – by Eva Marie Everson Share on XHere’s a little bit about Miss Beth Bettencourt that releases May 12!
And a fabulous book trailer.
It’s 1962 in Bynum, Georgia, and Beth Bettencourt’s world is turned upside down when she wakes to a man snoring in the guest bedroom.
She’s home alone; her parents are traveling abroad, grieving her twin sister’s unexpected death. Instead of accompanying them, Beth stayed in Bynum to tend to her kindergarten and closely guard her own heart.
A beautiful and beloved member of the community, Beth is an unusual specimen for her time as she nears thirty and remains unmarried. She holds deep-seated unforgiveness toward her twin, Elise, who ran off with Beth’s beau. To make matters worse, Elise took their grandmother’s ring, which had been promised to Beth.
But now a stranger enters her home and her world. David Patrick Martin seems ready to break down her walls of indifference and find the core of Miss Beth Bettencourt. But can he be trusted with Beth’s past, her present, and more importantly, her future?
I read a “Dear Abby” about 40 years ago that made me laugh out loud. I wasn’t a writer then, but I actually said, “This would make a great novel premise.” Then, years later, I took part in a writing assignment or prompt that required us to include certain items or elements in our opening pages: 1) a piece of jewelry; 2) a sibling; 3) a betrayal . . .
There were about two other things that now I cannot remember. Somehow, my brain pulled the Dear Abby out of its recesses, and I came up with a story premise that incorporated the prompt items and the Dear Abby letter.
As I began studying more about betrayal and forgiveness from a biblical perspective, the story returned. The same . . . but different! Sharing my feelings on those two things (betrayal and forgiveness) are huge for me.
Miss Beth Bettencourt is set in a place I am very familiar with: my own hometown of Sylvania, GA. But I renamed the town “Bynum” because our oldest daughter’s last name is Bynum and I liked the sound of it. Bynum, Georgia. It has a ring. As for the era (1962), I knew I wanted this to be set in a time before all our modern conveniences of the internet, iPhones, etc. I wanted life simpler and yet a tad more complicated (in some ways).
I also knew that, because I had introduced Bynum, Georgia in The One True Love of Alice-Ann, which is set in the 1940s, that I would mention Alice-Ann. Both of these things helped me to zero in on the early 60s. At first, I thought I’d set the date as being during the holidays in 1963. Then I remembered what happened in November. Ah! So, let’s keep this (I said to myself) during the Camelot years. Thus, I settled on 1962. Doing the cultural research (clothing, era news, entertainment) was sooooooo much fun!
Not counting the forty years between reading the Dear Abby letter and actually pulling up a blank Word document and striking a key . . . I probably wrote Miss Beth Bettencourt over the better part of a year and then took a few months to edit, etc.
That we all have a story that includes betrayal of some kind . . . but that God has forgiven us our many betrayals and expects us to do the same for those who hurt us. Jesus told us that we would be forgiven in the manner that we forgive. It’s easier for some things than others, but He didn’t put a restriction on those words. He also didn’t say that we could come to Him unless we had committed certain sins. (Can I get an “Amen”?) One of the lines that Marty (the hero) tells Beth (protagonist) is that there are some grievances we just have to lay at the footstool of God . . . then walk away. I believe that with all my heart.
No, I always knew how it would end (and it’s a funny line!!). But many on my launch team who have been reading the advanced readers’ copy have said the same thing: Where’s the epilogue? While I could have written one, I think the reader should be allowed to imagine life after “the end.”
Something in between. I know where the story is going, I just don’t know all that will happen along the way. Or even who might show up!
Depends. Short getaway: the beach (we don’t live too far away). Longer getaway: North Carolina. A decent vacay: Ireland/Northern Ireland.
A good book, a good cup of coffee or tea, a rainy day! Add to that: friends, shopping, antiquing, walking/hiking, and knitting.
Riding a horse along the shores of a beach . . . and seeing Mt. Rushmore. Most of my bucket list I’ve scratched off in accomplishment.
I cannot tell you enough how much it means to me to reach you . . . to touch you . . . with my stories! I also adore hearing from you!
Easy Breezy! www.EvaMarieEversonAuthor.com . . . I’m also easy to find on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If anyone would like to receive my monthly “Southern” newsletter, they can reach out to me at the contact page at my website.
About the Author!
Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is CEO of Word Weavers International and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference. Amongst her many awards, she is the 2022 recipient of the Yvonne Lehman legacy award and the 2022 recipient of the AWSA Lifetime Achievement Award. Eva Marie enjoys coaching new authors through her company, Pen in Hand. Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida. They are the parents of three fabulous children who have blessed them with the world’s greatest grandchildren. They are, incredibly, owned by a cat named Vanessa.
Thoughts come spilling out here, typos and all.
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