Fortunately and Unfortunately...

by Jeanne Adams

Or, Please welcome Heidi Betts to the Lair!

Jeanne: Today I’d like to introduce the fabulous Heidi Betts. Heidi and I have known each other since…well, we won’t go THAT far back in time. (Besides we're both younger and better looking than those two ladies!) *dusts off hands*

Anyway, Heidi is the author of about 20 books and three novellas – we looked it up and here’s the breakdown - 6 historicals, 9 Silhouette Desires, 3 novellas (only 2 published so far, though, 3rd comes out in July), and 2 single title contemporaries (working on the 3rd). I tried to add it all up, but had to email Heidi and get help! Ha! All told, she’s written for Silhouette, Dorchester, and St. Martin’s. Whew!

She’s here today, however to talk about her latest release Tangled Up In Love (St. Martins, February 2009) which will be in stores February 3rd. Not long to wait!! Yeah!!!

It’s her contemporary single title debut and the first book in her “Chicks and Sticks” knitting trilogy. I’m thrilled to welcome Heidi! Hey, girl, pull up a comfy chair, we’ll have a cabana boy bring you something warm and toasty, and we’ll chat.

Heidi: Good morning, everyone! Thank you so much to my friend, Jeanne, and her fellow Romance Bandits for having me! (I love cabana boys, by the way, so feel free to send as many as you like my way. *g*)

Jeanne: So, are you excited to see TANGLED UP IN LOVE on the shelves? Wait, there was something else you wanted to talk about too, right?

Heidi: Absolutely, I’m excited. That other thing? Oh, that would be Fate, because I truly believe that without it, this series would not exist.

Have you ever read the adorable children’s book FORTUNATELY by Remy Charlip? It’s wonderful, and if you haven’t, you definitely, definitely should. The path that led me to write TANGLED UP IN LOVE was so littered with Fortunately/Unfortunately situations that the book jumps immediately to mind every time I think of it.

Jeanne: Really? I’ve not read the book – and I’ve read a lot of kids books in the last few years! – but I think I’m going to get it. So how was it like fortunately/unfortunately?

Heidi: Well, first, I can’t tell you the number of times my agent began phone conversations with “I have some good news and some bad news.” Oh, how I came to loathe those words! And when all was said and done, he got a copy of FORTUNATELY to add to his personal bookshelf — as well as stern orders never to use that phrase with me again. :-P

Jeanne: Ooh, if you said that to me I’d be scared… (Y’all have to check out Heidi’s blog, WIPs and Chains to know why I’m scared…her alter ego is scarwy!) Bwah-ha-ha! Just kidding. Sort of.

Ahem, back to the matter at hand...So what on earth made you want to write a contemporary about knitting? And how is that unfortunate?

Heidi: That’s a story you’ll appreciate. You see, I’ve always wanted to write romantic comedy, but the timing never seemed to work out for me. (Unfortunately.) Then I came up with this idea. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. An idea I loved, and just knew was going to be a big hit. I showed it to my agent. He thought it was rather impressive, as well, and sent it immediately over to St. Martin’s Press, where an editor loved it. (Fortunately!) Unfortunately, they had another author already writing for them who was doing something similar (and^%#!), so she couldn’t make an offer. Fortunately, she loved my writing and wanted to see something else.

It took me all of about two seconds to tell my agent that, yes, I would definitely be willing to work up a few more ideas…well, okay, ideas I had; it was proposals that would take a bit of time to flesh out. He suggested I call the editor and talk to her about what she might be looking for. Smart man. Because, you see, it was during that conversation that she happened to mention how much she enjoys knitting, how popular knitting has becoming thanks to books like Kate Jacobs’s FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, and how much she’d love to find a hot and sexy knitting romance unlike anything that had been done already. (Hey, I write hot! I write sexy!) And then she uttered the eight words that changed my life: “I don’t suppose you know anything about knitting.”

Jeanne: Grins. I think I need popcorn, I just love this story. :>

Heidi: Me too, of course. *vbg* And the good thing is, I do! I do know something about knitting! As a matter of fact, when I first came home from college and announced to my parents that I wanted to write romance novels instead of becoming a teacher the way they’d expected, my mother taught me to knit so that I could sell dishcloths and bath mitts to local craft stores. (It wasn’t much, but it satisfied my parents’ demand that I work while also allowing me time to stay home and write.)

Jeanne: You’re serious? You actually knitted for craft fairs, shows, and so forth while you began writing? That’s great!

Heidi: Yepper. And imagine my amusement when I realized that my knowledge of what I’d always considered simply a hobby might now open a wonderful new door in my writing career!

This phone call took place on a Friday, and I spent the entire weekend wracking my brain for hot, sexy knitting ideas. By Monday morning, I had a one-page proposal ready that I thought did a pretty good job of fitting the bill. It didn’t take long to hear back, and the news was all good this time. (Fortunately!) The editor — and everyone else at St. Martin’s — loved it. In fact, they wanted me to turn that single idea into a trilogy. The only instructions they gave me were to make it as sexy and funny as I possibly could.

So, you see, it was definitely Fate that led me down the knitting romance trail…and reminded me that sometimes what we want to happen isn’t necessarily as great as what’s meant to happen. And I’m so very grateful that things worked out the way they did, because now I get to write three books about three amazingly fun couples I never would have met otherwise. I finally get to spread my wings and write the hot, sexy, funny contemporary romance I’ve always wanted to write.

Jeanne: Wow, that is so great! I love it when it all comes together like that.

Heidi: So do I. ;-) And now that I’ve had my chance to share, I hope you’ll tell me what you think… Do you believe in Fate—or as my agent would call it bashert (which is Yiddish for “it is as it should be”)? Or are you more of a mind that life is just a series of random events dotted with coincidence, and no one is up there leading us to anything?

I can’t wait to hear your responses. Thank you so much for spending the day with me, and for letting me voice my enthusiasm over TANGLED UP IN LOVE. I’d love to invite everyone to visit my website (www.HeidiBetts.com) — where you can read an excerpt for TANGLED to tide you over until the book hits shelves on February 3rd! — my WIPs and Chains blog (a.k.a. The Dungeon), and my knitting and romance blog, Must Love Yarn, to read more about TANGLED…or to simply chat and have fun!

Also, if the Bandits don’t mind, I’d love to give away three autographed books from my backlist to three commenters on today’s post. (Jeanne: Yeah, like we mind when our guest gives away books!) This includes the HOTTER THAN HELL anthology, by the way, even though it might be a little higher on the page than others.

Thanks again for having me in your Lair!

Love, stitches, and very sharp needles…
Heidi Betts

Also, don't forget to pop over to Romance Novel TV to see today's vignettes and photo. Finish the vignette and win!