Plum Tree Books Feature: Fabulous Betty Dravis

Betty Dravis was one of the contributing authors to our Plum Tree Books Every Child is Entitled to Innocence anthology to which Betty Dravis generously contributed a sweet, happy story of childhood.

 In this week’s Plum Tree Books feature, I would like to introduce you to the lady herself. 

What can I say about Betty? In fact, it might be an easier question to ask what can’t I say about Betty? I could list superlatives such as fabulous, amazing, inspiring, but I guess I had better tell you why I think those things about this (here I go again) wonderful lady. To tell you that she has the magic to bring grown men to their knees in obeisance is not an exaggeration. In fact, she has us all trying to please her. Betty is the queen of the social network, make no mistake about that!…

If you knew Betty, it would not surprise you to know that she has even managed a coup in the the new e-publishing industry. She captivated the heart of e-book sensation, John Locke, whom she asked to write the foreword for her e-book, Star Struck. It is an apt title. How could John refuse? He is a mere mortal – a satellite in Betty’s orbit! No one says no to Betty! We are all a little in love with her, rapt by her talent, charm, drive, energy and determination that puts those of us who feel old to shame.

Betty is one of those eternally young spirits in the shape of the great, grand dame that remind many of us of how fairy god-mothers ought to be. Not even Clint Eastwood could say no to her. In her days as a Hollywood journalist, she interviewed him and that interview, along with many others pertaining to the glitterati is to be found in Betty’s book: Starstruck 

Such an interview as this might phase most mere mortals but not Betty. She herself is a celebrity. She is used to ‘walking the talk,’ and hobnobbing with the stars. She treats stars and minions alike. In her capacity as a reviewer of others, Betty is generous, always honest and not afraid to rave about someone else’s work when deserved. When Betty praises the lucky, she elevates them, inviting them to enter celestial realms. In fact, Betty wrote a stunning review for one of my own books: Orange Petals In A Storm in which she named me “The female Pat Conroy.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

Betty has literally hundreds of reviews that tell us how good are her books. I don’t need to quote them here. You can check them out for yourself on Amazon.

Now Betty has entered into a new venture with fellow author: Barbara Watkins. They have doubled up to produce Six Pack of Blood, a supernatural/horror collection of short stories and the recently released follow-up, Six-Pack Of Fear.

Here’s to you, Betty Dravis: retired newspaper publisher; career journalist; host of  a Cable TV talk show; celebrity interviewer; author of seven books; author of three short stories that were consistent best-sellers in the Amazon Shorts program.

Let us not forget that Betty is also a proud mother of 6 children (2 are now angels), 9 grands, 5 greats and one great-great grandchild…Phew!

If you are in the mood for a little chill, check out Betty’s and Barbara’s new collaboration. 

 

About Dr Niamh

When I was a little girl (a very, very long time ago), I used to love learning new, really big words like ‘discombobulate’. As I grew, my love of words grew too, until I loved them so much, I could not stop writing them down. One day, as I was scribbling a particular word, a very peculiar thing happened. The word shouted at me, “Stop! Don’t put me there!” As you can imagine, I was shocked and nearly fell off my chair. When I recovered somewhat, I said to the word, “Could you stop shouting, please? I am not used to it.” Can you guess what happened next? No! I thought not. The word said, “I might be small, but I will misbehave if you do not use me properly. I will not tell the story you would like me to tell. I will say something entirely different!” I dropped my pen. I hoped that by dropping my pen, the word would stop talking. Alas! It did not. It carried on chitterchobbling, even after the ink had dried. I was in a pickle. I could not allow my words to run away with my story, now could I? I don’t know about you, but when this sort of thing happens, there is only one thing left to do if you prefer not to spend your time arguing. “Very well,” said I. “I will do as you ask if you will just be quiet and allow me to concentrate.” Since that day, I have been paying special attention to every word I invite into my stories. After all, a story should say exactly what it means to say and not be led astray. With love from Dr. Niamh, Ph.D in Learning Through The Imagination and Founder of Dr Niamh Children's Books. www.drniamhchildrensbooks.com

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