Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Betty Godfrey author of Enduring Times.

Betty was born in Philadelphia during the Great Depression and grew up in New Jersey. She now lives in Jupiter, Florida.

Norm: Good day Betty and thanks for participating in our interview.

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background.

Betty: I moved to Oaklyn, New Jersey when I was eighteen. I graduated from Rutgers University and married. I had three children and enjoyed them very much. My husband worked the night shift as a manager at Curtis Publishing Company.

During our marriage, we bought a driving school in Camden, New Jersey and I worked in the office while my husband worked part time as a driving instructor.

We had four men working for us as driving instructors. Several years later my husband passed away and I was now in charge. My husband’s grandmother lived with us; she was a help with the children. I kept the business and worked full time doing the office work and filling in as an instructor when necessary.

I had six men working for me and there were many big companies close by that rented my cars and often asked if we had limousines. I thought if I buy a used limousine I could use the men I already have as chauffeurs and open a limousine service.

It was a success! Later I was fortunate enough to take over an Avis Rent a Car agency and it fit in nicely in my office. Now I had three businesses going and doing well. I sold the limousine service and had an opportunity to acquire another rental agency in a town nearby. I later acquired another agency and sold the driving school business. The agencies were less work, less employees, and better financially. 

Several years later I met and fell in love with an adventurous man. His dream was to sail around the world in his sailboat. I get seasick and said I wouldn't go. He got deathly sick and in intensive care he begged me to go with him. He recovered and held me to the promise.  We sailed for three years, 42,000 miles around the world, through storms and hurricanes and many mishaps, but also many romantic, fun times. 

We became engaged in New Zealand and married when we returned home. That's when I wrote my first book, On the Winds of Destiny, about our very adventurous trip.   

Norm: If you could relive a moment in your life, which moment would you choose and why?

Betty:  It was when my first child was born. It was such a wonderful feeling to look down at the miracle, my baby. I'll never forget that incredible feeling that flowed over me. I was a mother!

Norm: How did you become involved with the subject or theme of Enduring Times?

Betty: I heard the details of my mother and my siblings’ lives many times as I was growing up. Mostly hearing them talk among themselves about things that had happened before I was born. As I got older I asked many questions; I’m sure  they must’ve gotten tired of my requests for stories about their time living in the jungle. The stories stayed with me and as I grew older I realized how much my mother actually went through and wondered how she could’ve endured it. 

Norm: What was the time-line between the time you decided to write your book and publication? What were the major events along the way?  

Betty: When I married and small hardships would happen, I would think of all my mother had put up with. I always wanted to write about it but never had time. As I got older and settled in life, I decided to try writing about her life. It took me about five years to complete it. I'd write for a while, then stop to do research about the 1900's, the jungles in Colombia, South America, the natives, and what life was like during that time. 

Norm: Did you read any special books on how to write?  

Betty:  I read many books on writing and editing.

Norm: You mention at the beginning of your book that the story is fiction based on a true story? How much of the book is realistic? 

Betty: From what I can remember and from what I was told, everything that happened was true. Before my siblings passed away, we used to talk about their past lives and compared it to the lives their children had. The book has some fictional parts to enhance the story, but the general arc of the story is factual. 

Norm: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

Betty: My goals were to write the story as close to the truth as possible and to accurately portray the feelings and emotions that my family felt. The love my mother still felt for her husband and the hope he might turn back to the kind, loving man she had married. I wanted to tell the story of what my mother endured to keep her family together.    

Norm: What was the most difficult part of writing this book?  

Betty: Putting myself in each person’s place as I try to describe how they feel, what they are doing. 

Norm: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?  

Betty: I enjoyed having my family members occupy so much time in my head.  Many times their memory made me laugh or brought tears to my eyes.

Norm: What would you say is the best reason to recommend someone to read Enduring Times?

Betty: It's a glance at how things were in the 1900's. It's a powerful story of a mother protecting her family while the husband changes their life completely. It shows how a woman can find the strength to endure hardships and handle tough situations when she's forced to.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and Enduring Times?

Betty:  They can reach me on Facebook and Twitter.

Norm: What is next for Betty Godfrey?

Betty: I will write a continuation of Enduring Times. The book is tentatively titled As Time Goes By. 

Norm: As this interview comes to an end, if you could invite three writers, dead or alive into your living room, who would they be and why?

Betty: Balducci, John Patterson, and Suzi Wong. They all have great imaginations. I like the way they write.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with Enduring Times!

FOLLOW HERE TO READ NORM'S REVIEW OF AS TIME GOES BY

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