An Interview with Allison Bettes
I’m an American romantic suspense author. I write about soft-hearted bada**es with brave, sassy women at their side—and I love creating a good plot twist. I’m a meteorologist/science writer by day, and a fiction novel writer by night.
My books are a thrilling blend of spicy romance, adventure, and suspense—think Cupid meets crime scene.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
My journey into the world of romance and suspense started when my grandma handed me her well-worn copies of Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts novels—I was hooked. Kristen Ashley is my modern day influencer—her Tips For Self Publishing document was a lifesaver for me and the biggest reason I am a self-published author today. She doesn’t know me, but I am forever grateful for the help she never knew she was giving.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Covid. Like many people, I needed an escape during the craziness of Covid. I had always had book ideas in my head, but never really had the time or patience to sit down and write them all down. Covid gave me the time, and once I started to write, I found it was incredibly cathartic so I just kept writing. One book turned into two, then three, and finally, by the time I finished my fourth one, my husband and best friend really propelled me to finally look into publishing.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I am a meteorologist and science writer by day, and I truly think this helped me on my journey to publishing my romantic suspense novels because I already had a deep understanding of what it was like to work with editors and receive reader feedback. I think my day job also helped prepare me for dealing with writer’s block, because that is a real thing that can stifle so many writers.
What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?
I read a lot of my favorite authors to see how best to make spicy scenes work (that is not something I write about in my day job LOL). Pamela Clare, Kristin Ashley, and Anna Del Mar, are some of my favorites, but the full list is too long to type.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
To start my social media accounts earlier. I didn’t really start posting much until after my first book had been published (and quite honestly didn’t really get the hang of the algorithms and such until after my second book) and I think that really impacted my outreach for those books. Now with my fourth book out, I have made so many bookish friends and met so many great fellow indie authors—I would have loved to have had those connections earlier on in my publishing journey.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
With all the stressful/bad things going on in the world and in our day to day lives, I want people to be able to escape while reading my books. But after they finish I want them to look back on the book and feel good about reading it, allow it to take away some stressors for them…maybe add a little excitement…and enjoy a ‘happily ever after’ ending. Ultimately, I don’t need my book to be ‘the best they’ve ever read,’ but I do want them to enjoy it enough that they feel it was worth taking a chance on a new indie author, and come back to read another one of my books when they’re done.
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