Betina Krahn FAQs

Betina Krahn's Official Site

Frequently Asked Questions

On Writing
Where do you get your ideas?
I've heard you're a stickler for historical accuracy. Is this true? How do you go about your research?
What's the hardest part of being a writer for you?
How long does it take to write a book?
Why did you become a writer?
Will you stop writing at some point?
Will you write something besides historical romance someday?
What are your favorites of your own books?
When are any of your books going to be made into movies for TV or cinema?

On Life
Who are your favorite authors?
Are any of your characters based on you or people you know?
What are your hobbies?
Do you believe in true love?
What's your favorite music?
You've mentioned pets before, do you still have any?
What's your favorite time of day?

On Writing

Where do you get your ideas?

Strictly from life. It's my practice to live each adventure and emotion before I make my heroine go through it. Not. Where would I ever find a man large enough or insane enough to throw me over his shoulder and stagger up a set of stairs? Get real. Ideas come from everywhere. Who amongst us hasn't come out of a movie and said... "If only the hero or heroine had done such-and-such." Changing and reconfiguring a plot from movies and books and TV programs... getting a bizarre or juicy tidbit of fact from watching Discovery, A&E, Bravo, History, TLC, PBS... reading non-fiction voraciously... haunting bookstores and museums... traveling and absorbing new and foreign sights and sounds... ideas are all around. They're the easy part, actually. Also, I'm a shameless dialogue thief. I eavesdrop on conversations in restaurants, planes, social gatherings, the DMV, supermarket checkout lines... even church. You wouldn't believe what people say when they have no idea someone is listening.

I've heard you're a stickler for historical accuracy. Is this true? How do you go about your research?

I work very hard to be authentic to the times I'm trying to evoke in my books. I buy books and read everything I can on a subject or time period. I visit museums, use the Internet, and call people. I tack up pictures around my desk and listen to period music or whale songs or desert Bedouin chants or the sounds of the rainforest... whatever fits. I sometimes go "medieval" or "safari" or "Victorian" for a while... read, eat, and try to think as people of the time and location might have. But usually I snap out of it before the family drags me to the doctor for a change of medication.

What's the hardest part of being a writer for you?

Planting my butt in the chair and making myself choose one direction to go in. excluding all of the other cool possibilities for the story. It's a little sad to me. closing off those ideas. But it always means that the one possibility I choose is more fully realized. So, I guess there's a tradeoff.

How long does it take to write a book?

Too long. Mostly because of the aforementioned difficulty in closing off alternatives and choosing only one path for the plot and characters. Also because the characters inevitably grow in ways I hadn't anticipated and make me re-plot the darned thing. Six to twelve months.

Why did you become a writer?

I've always loved words. And I've always had a huge and somewhat romantic imagination. A natural fit for a writer. There are stories I want to read that haven't been written by anybody else. Also... I get a kick out of putting images in my head into words and pleasing others with them.

Will you stop writing at some point?

Sure. When they carry me out feet first.

Will you write something besides historical romance someday?

I am working on a couple of contemporary projects. I'm interested in lots of things and see story potential in lots of fields. This is a heckofa time to be a writer. The genres are changing, loosening, broadening. The old boundaries and barriers are being swept aside.

What are your favorites of your own books?

Passion's Treasure, which was re-released as Just Say Yes not long ago. My Warrior's Heart, which will be re-released in the future. . . The Last Bachelor and The Mermaid. . . but the closest to my heart are The Husband Test, The Wife Test, and The Marriage Test, a trilogy that embodies the very best of my thinking and writer's craft.

When are any of your books going to be made into movies for TV or cinema?

I doubt any of them will ever be. The money would be great, but the story would change so much that it wouldn't be mine anymore. Plus, the internal dialogue of the story, the part that makes romance so meaningful, is tough to convey on the big screen. I'm content to stay in print.

On Life

Who are your favorite authors?

I read a wide range... and love authors from Jennifer Cruise to Dan Brown to JD Robb. Want a list? Mary Jo Putney, Pat Gaffney, Kathleen Eagle, Thea Devine, Teresa Medieros, Michael Crichton, Marcus Borg, Elaine Pagel, Sheri McInnes, Donna Kaufman, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs, Nora Roberts, Jill Marie Landis, Dean Koontz, Diane Mott Davidson... to name a few!

Are any of your characters based on you or people you know?

Traits from my friends and family inevitably seep into the development of my characters... but none of my characters have ever been truly based on an actual acquaintance. (Ben Franklin was a character once, but since we have never met, I can still make that claim.)

What are your hobbies?

I read, swim, walk, cook, and have a passion for animals, especially dogs. I would love to do sculpture... I'm planning to take some classes in it. Collect teapots. Am a certified china and stemware junkie. And have a passion for flowers and plants. I keep up on scientific advancements (my undergrad background in science) and I'm something of an amateur theologian. There isn't much about the universe and human nature that doesn't interest me.

Do you believe in true love?

I believe in love big-time. I've experienced a great deal of love in my life (Creator to creation, parent to child, spouse to spouse, sibling to sibling, and friend to friend) and have given much thought and effort to understanding it. I believe love is our highest and most important calling. And the relationship between men and women is probably the second most important force in shaping a human being's life... the first being the relationship between parent and child.

Personally, I was married for 23 years to a wonderful man and learned much from loving him. When he died, I felt part of me died, too. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to love like that again. But I have a new love in my life now. This love is different from the first, but every bit as important and satisfying to me. And I'm very grateful for it.

What's your favorite music?

I love it all... especially "New Age," "world" music, and jazz... sound tracks, classical guitar, rock, percussion suites, star music, and blended nature-music sounds.

Artists: Cusco, David Arkenstone, Secret Garden, Billy McLaughlin, Shahin & Sephir, B.B. King, Bond, John Serrie, Terry Oldfield, Gustav Holst, Anna-Sophie Mutter, Vivaldi...

You've mentioned pets before, do you still have any?

Two fairly pushy but loveable schnauzers. A cross between surrogate children and fuzz therapy.

What's your favorite time of day?

Mealtime!