20 Questions With Author Priscilla Bettis

Welcome to 20 questions with an author! Every month, I’ll feature an author and ask them 20 interview questions. This month’s featured author is Priscilla Bettis.

Priscilla is working on her first literary Christian novel, Stitches That Bind. Her goal is to have the first draft completed by September. Let’s wish her the best of luck with her novel! I can’t wait to read it!

Priscilla is a Christian fiction book reviewer at The Well Read Fish. You can find her short stories “After the Fire” at Cafe Lit Magazine, “Prayers Heavy with Smoke” at Radix Magazine, and coming soon, “Fix Your Face” at Solid Food Press. And you can also find her chatting about life and writing on X.

Now on to the Q&A with Priscilla.

20 Questions With Author Priscilla Bettis

General Writing Questions

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing clean fiction?

I used to be a secular horror author, but then God changed the course of my writing journey. You see, years ago, someone cruel and violent hurt our family and was never prosecuted. Everyone in our family was left with scars, but one day last winter, over the course of five minutes during a radio sermon (I was driving down the interstate), my brain flooded with forgiveness, and I suddenly cared about, even loved the bad guy. After that, I wasn’t interested in writing horror anymore. I couldn’t even come up with an idea for a story. It was like God was whacking me upside the head. I figured I better listen!

What inspired you to write your latest book?

My mother is a charter member of the National Organization for Women. We love each other, but we have to communicate over the gulf that is radical feminism. It’s an interesting topic, and my two main characters in Stitches That Bind are a militant 1970s feminist and her daughter who yearns to be a traditional wife.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you follow a particular routine?

I love getting up at the predawn hour and writing in darkness and silence. It’s great. No distractions–even the cats don’t bother me at that hour!

How do you develop your characters and ensure they are relatable and engaging?

I observe people. McDonald’s, Walmart, the park where I take my grandson, old people, young people … and then I use my observations in my characters. There are bits of real people in each one of my stories.

What challenges do you face when writing clean fiction, and how do you overcome them?

Happy perfect characters will bore a reader every time. So I have to make sure they are flawed. Even the upstanding preacher and the sweet little third-grader need dark sides to their personalities, skeletons in their closets, and the like.

How do you balance writing clean fiction with ensuring it remains compelling and authentic?

Conflict is key and it doesn’t have to involve sex scenes or foul language. I’m not afraid of challenging topics like abortion or addiction, but even those are snooze-inducing if there isn’t conflict.

What advice would you give to aspiring clean fiction writers?

Write before you think you’re ready to. (This was my big mistake. I thought I had to learn, to take lots of classes before I could write. I wasted several years learning theory without practical application.) But don’t publish too early. You may need to write half a million or a million words before you’ve really found your voice. Be ready to throw away your first few novels (your practice novels).

How do you handle writer’s block or creative slumps?

I go back to the outline. If I’m stuck, it usually means the outline is flawed. If I’m simply dreading a difficult scene, I skip it and write the next scene.

What do you hope readers take away from your books?

An appreciation that God’s way is the best way.

Publishing and Industry Questions

What has been your experience with publishing (traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid)?

I have one self-published (horror) book. That was nerve-wracking! My hat is off to those writers who stay in the self-publishing lane. I have three other books that were traditionally published by small presses (either horror or a Christian genre fiction under a pen name) and had both good and not-so-good experiences. But (shrugs), editors are busy, and people make mistakes, so I understand that things will be imperfect sometimes.

How do you market your books and reach your target audience?

Blog tours among bloggers I already follow, wooing BookTubers (again, those I already follow), shouting about it on X, noting my latest story in a byline for my weekly column in the local newspaper, and discussing writing/stories once a month on a local radio spot.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about clean fiction you’ve encountered?

That it’s all historical romance, romantic suspense, or contemporary rom-com. Have you read Ericka Clay’s A Bird Alone, Kelly Irvin’s A Year of Goodbyes and Hellos, Mitch Albom’s The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Chevron Ross’s The Seven-Day Resurrection, Tabitha Caplinger’s The Wayward, or Cindy K. Sprole’s This Is Where It Ends? From sci-fi to women’s to literary, clean fiction covers it all!

Can you share any tips on finding a good editor or proofreader for clean fiction?

It’s essential to develop a relationship with an editor first, presumably online unless you happen to know one nearby in real life. Start now, while your novel is still a work in progress. Follow editors on social media. Sign up for their newsletters. Subscribe to their YouTube channels. You have to know the editor’s trustworthiness, his or her reputation and skill, and even attitude. I’m not talking about background checks. I’m just talking about the kinds of things you glean through online contact. I’d definitely recommend Michelle Miller Proofreading!

(Awww….thank you, Priscilla!)

What trends do you see emerging in the clean fiction genre?

Bold authors tackling hot topics like sex trafficking and the fentanyl crisis.

Fun Questions

Do you have any quirky writing habits or rituals?

Chocolate is not a quirk!

What’s the most unusual place you’ve found inspiration for a story?

On the Alaskan tundra in June, the sun was still bright at 11:00 PM, with no sign of civilization for hundreds of miles.

Do you have any pets, and do they keep you company while you write?

The hubster and I have three black cats. They watch me work. At the first sign I’m about to stand up, they run to their bowls. I don’t know if that’s so much keeping me company as it is keeping me in line!

What’s one book you think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime?

The Bible. It’s full of wisdom, history, and even literary inspiration.

If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you love to try?

I’d love to be a neurologist. Neurology is fascinating. The more we learn about the human brain, the more we realize what a complex design it is.

Or a chocolate taster. That’d be good too.

That was so much fun! I love the story behind Priscilla’s switch from horror to clean fiction writing. It’s amazing how God can speak to us Even through the radio!

Don’t forget to check out Priscilla’s reviews on The Well Read Fish as well as her short stories listed above. And keep an eye out for her novel!

Would you like to be a featured author, too? If so, email me at diligentanalyzer@michellemillerproofreading.com with “Questions With an Author” in the subject line. I’ll send you a link to a Google doc with the questions and feature you on my blog! I can’t wait to hear from you!