Please introduce yourself and your book(s)
I’m Betsy St. Amant (Haddox), and I write contemporary romance novels that fall somewhere between regular romance and rom-coms. I love infusing my stories with hope and humor, and creating witty banter between my characters. I’m sarcastic by nature, so it overflows! I’m an author by night, but by day, I’m an oil & gas landman. My husband and I are a blended family with two daughters and the cutest miniature Schnauzer you’ve ever seen. If I’m not writing or working, you can usually find me somewhere in the vicinity of a cold brew with cold foam, re-watching The Office for the hundredth time, or sweatin’ it out at Camp Gladiator.
Tell us about the characters and relationships in your stories
I’m a character-driven writer, meaning creating deep, three-dimensional, relatable characters comes more naturally for me than the actual plot usually does. I love figuring out my character’s internal wounds and trauma and goals, and creating conflict between characters by contrasting those wounds, trauma, and goals. A lot of really good conflict can be developed simply by creating opposites. For example, in my novel The Key To Love, heroine Bri was a romance obsessed baker waiting for a love like her parents’, while my hero Gerard was the scorned, permanent bachelor travel journalist assigned to write about her bakery. Instant conflict, instant fireworks – instant opportunity for witty banter and fun! And in my latest novel, Tacos for Two, I gave a twist on You’ve Got Mail and had my heroine and hero falling in love through an anonymous dating app – but in person, they were food truck competitors.
What lessons could readers learn about real-world relationships from your novel(s)?
Fictional characters are a lot like everyday people! Or at least, they should be. Most readers don’t want to read about perfect characters – they want characters they can relate to, identity with, and feel that sense of “me too” among the pages. I think readers of my novels will find that they relate to my characters, be in it matters of love, divorce, restored romance, or my favorite – the “enemies to lovers” trope! Readers of my novels will realize that no one is perfect, and we all have lessons to learn. Be it lessons in pride, trust, or fear, readers will – alongside my characters – journey to a deeper understanding of themselves and each other (but with some sarcastic barbs along the way!)
What real-life relationship experiences, observations or insights have influenced your writing?
I went through an unwanted divorce when I was in my late 20’s. That has absolutely helped shape my writing – for the first time, I really understood loss and pain and feelings of helplessness. I was able to channel that through my characters and make them go so much deeper. My first traditional fiction contract came weeks after my husband walked out the door. I had to learn to write romance from a different perspective than I ever had before. And as a believer in Christ, I had to learn to trust the true Lover of my soul and look for romance in unexpected places.
Are there any relationship themes or topics you want to cover in future releases?
With twenty novels and novellas under my belt, I’ve covered themes of single moms, divorce, restored romance, identity, second chances, trust, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and so much more! I’m open to writing about anything I’ve experienced or feel I have a voice in. I’m so grateful for my readers for giving me continued chances to do just that.
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