Welcome back faithful fans...and huge hello to all of you who are visiting us for the first time!
JLB Creatives Blog strives to bring you the best of the author world - whether it be discovering the talents of so many wonderful authors, learning about writing, book releases, and so much more.
This week we have the privilege of presenting to you another stellar
Author Splash! This is the third week in the series for they dynamic duo, Barbara Watkins and Betty Dravis. Over the past couple of weeks we've introduced you to this team of authors who came together and created the amazing horror, Six Pack of Blood. For more info on that, please visit the archives and look for the June 4th, 2012 post. June 11th brought us the chance to get to know Barbara Watkins on a more personal level as well as an author, and this week we're diving head first into the amazing life of author Betty Dravis.
So grab your coffee - sit back - relax and take in a dose of Betty...
...you won't be sorry!
Introduction Video for
Author Betty Dravis
And now I proudly present to you, Author Betty Dravis...
First, I’d like to thank Janet Beasley for the pleasure of appearing
on this awesome blog, along with the co-author of my latest book, the acclaimed
Barbara Watkins.
I’ve been interviewed many times, but this is the first where I’ve
been invited to delve into my past. That, in itself, brings a problem because
I’m so accustomed to answering “book” questions. Now where do I begin? Hmmm…
Since my 84th birthday is coming up in December, I have a
lot of ground to cover, but to make my earlier years brief: I was born in Hamilton , Ohio
I was the “high-stepping” drum majorette of our high school band, and started
writing poetry when I was around eleven. I was fortunate to have a great
creative writing teacher in high school who always wrote “best in class” on my
writing assignments. That alone boosted my writing interest and it was fostered
by caring parents.
Of course, in those days, they encouraged girls to get married above
all else, so it wasn’t until after marriage that I began writing in earnest.
Since I moved to California
I seldom think about the very first job I had in Ohio before moving
West, but it was in a department store, Robinson-Schwenn’s, which was similar
to our current-day Macy’s. I worked behind the jewelry counter and enjoyed
earning my first paychecks. I probably spent all the money on jewelry, and
often wonder if that accounts for my well-known love of bling and all things
“shiny.” J
Moving on from there, in the early years of my marriage, I also
modeled for Bon Marche and on the
late Gene Nelson’s KCCC TV show in Sacramento
As for other jobs, I was executive secretary to the Plant Manager at
Campbell Soup Company and a clerk at a local bank, both in Sacramento
I ended up having six children, five lovely daughters and a handsome
son, so working full-time was out of the question for many years. (Those are the
years when I free-lanced, mentioned above.) When the children didn’t need me as
much, I started working full-time and was elated that my very first post-kiddies’
job was as editor of The
Newspaper work was a demanding, yet heady, business: During my
freelance days I met and interviewed the famous Clint Eastwood and a few other
celebrities; during my Gilroy News Herald
stint I interviewed the fabulous movie star Jane Russell and the
then-up-and-coming, dynamite singer Tanya Tucker. Since Construction Labor News was highly political, we endorsed
candidates and in that capacity I met and interviewed everyone from Congressman
Norm Mineta to all our County Supervisors
I won many awards as a journalist, but feel most honored by the
Resolution of Commendation from the California State Assembly.
After retirement in 1992, I started writing fiction novels, later
returning to celebrity interviewing, also. I wrote three fiction novels before doing
a few non-fictions; I documented some of my interviews in a print book, Dream Reachers (co-author Chase Von). Von
and I also published Dream Reachers II, which
contains thirty-three interviews of inspirational people. My most memorable
interviews of that book are Al Pacino’s stepmother, actress/producer Katherin
Kovin Pacino; Quentin Tarantino’s father, actor/producer Tony Tarantino;
Italian Ambassador of Goodwill and acclaimed author/screenwriter Antonia
Tosini; and the gorgeous Actress Susan Kennington.
In total, I’ve written seven books,
including the Dream Reachers series
mentioned above. I’m extremely proud of the latest e-book, Six-Pack of Blood (with Barbara Watkins) and an e-book Star Struck: Interviews with Dirty Harry andOther Hollywood Icons. Three are novels in print and e-book format (1106 Grand Boulevard, The Toonies InvadeSilicon Valley and Millennium Babe:The Prophecy); two are nonfiction in print only; and two are only in e-book
format.
I’m gratified to report that Six-Pack of Blood is selling very well,
locally and internationally, has ranked #1 in horror and is constantly in the
top twenty of Amazon Kindle ranks for horror, anthology, ghosts and occult. Due
to the combined efforts of me and my gifted co-author Barbara Watkins, this
e-book won the coveted Best Paranormal/Horror Award from Dimi Nakov,
producer/director of Zodiac Entertainment. With that encouragement, Barbara and
I are now working on a sequel, Six-Pack
of Fear.
My most recent award for a fiction book
is for 1106 Grand Boulevard; it
placed in top twenty of Best Women’s Fiction 2011 at Heart Press.
I also wrote three short stories that
were consistent best-sellers in the Amazon Shorts program and had contributions
published in four anthologies Every Childis Entitled to Innocence, Sweet Sunshine, The Wounded Rose and Just Our BestShort Stories 2005.
I love writing; like I say, it’s in my
blood, but I also enjoy reviewing, having just completed my 752nd
review for Amazon and a sprinkling of others for Midwest Book Reviews,
GoodReads and Shelfari.
Due to my age, I don’t do the “young-fun”
things anymore, but I still enjoy dining out and shopping with friends and
family. I like Mexican and Italian food and love the great bargains at T.J.
Maxx; more bling to adorn myself and my home… J
But above and beyond everything else,
comes my family: four surviving children, two angels in Heaven, nine
grandchildren, five great-grands and my one great-great grand. Everything I do
and have ever done has been for them, hoping to instill Godly morals and the
good old American work ethic in them. So far it’s working…
I love my babies…the flesh-and-blood and
the “book” creations. I’m working on a book, Betty Dravis Eyes, which will introduce them to my readers. It’s an
eclectic compilation of short stories in various genres, real-life anecdotes
and accounts of the tragedies in my life, as well.
Now that you've met Betty -
how can you resist buying her books?
GOOD NEWS if you can't!
~ ~ ~
And that's a rap!
I certainly hope you enjoyed getting to know Betty, along with Barbara Watkins over the past few weeks.
Next week, June 25, 2012, you'll have the chance to catch up with me, Author Janet Beasley. You'll get to discover some of the history of how Maycly came to be, where it's going, and what the future holds for my Hidden Earth Series!
Here's wishing you a stellar week - as always...stay casual, live life to the fullest, and have a piece of chocolate for me!
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