Betsy
Duffey and Laurie Myers are sisters who write together. They were born
into a writing family, and began at an early age critiquing manuscripts for
their mother, Newbery winner Betsy Byars. They went on to become authors
of more than thirty-five children’s novels. Their first book for adults is The Shepherd’s Song, Howard Books, March 2014.
Links:
Your
real name and pen name?
Our
real names are Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers. We write under our names
and also under the name Writing Sisters
Please
share some of the best memories of your childhood: Our mother was a writer. Being the
daughters of a writer shaped us. From our early days we listened to her
tell us stories. Even when she read a book, the story often came out of her
mouth differently. She could not resist adding, embellishing, pumping it
up. Later, millions of other children would hear her stories as she went
on to win many awards for her 60+ children’s books. But back on the sofa it was
two kids a woman and a manuscript.
We
always loved books. Our first library was the bookmobile, a truck packed
with books that came through our neighborhood once a week. The most
memorable library growing up in West Virginia was in the basement of the fire
station. Our mother-writer and reader that she is-always made a great effort to
put books into our hands.
Growing
up we made our own clothes. There was nothing like choosing the fabric,
pinning the pattern and cutting out the pieces. Best of all were the
scraps. We had a big cardboard box, the scrap box, filled with the
leftovers, the cut-away parts. From the scraps we made doll clothes, dog
costumes or quilts. Gingham prints or velvet, cottons or silk. Nothing was
wasted.
As
a writers we take the pieces of our lives and use those scraps to create
stories. In God's economy nothing is wasted. The hard times and good
times, funny events and heartbreak, victories and defeats all can be used to
make something beautiful. This is true in the stories that we create as writers
and in our own personal stories of life. It's all about how we use the
scraps.
About
your education: Our
father was a college professor and valued education. We both went to
Clemson University and later went on to receive masters degrees - Laurie in
nursing and Betsy in counseling.
What
career did you plan during your education days: We both studied science in school.
Laurie became a nurse and Betsy a medical technologist. When we had
children we stayed home to raise them. For both of us that was the time
that we started writing.
What
languages you can speak and write? We are only fluent in English,
although our books have been translated into many different languages,
Korean, Japanese, Danish, Chinese among others. Our first German
translation is coming for The Shepherd’s Song.
What
is your biggest source of inspiration in life: Our biggest source of inspiration is our
faith. We like to explore how God works in the world and how people
experience God.
What
is your favorite genre and why? Contemporary, inspirational fiction.
Real characters and real life situations are all around us. It is
interesting to look at the world today and write from our own experiences. The
best books provide hope and encouragement. That is what we like to read
and to write. We love humor and always try to balance the serious side of life
with humor.
When
did you start writing?
What
is the purpose of your writing?
We
started writing as children. We read our mothers manuscripts as children
but didn't write our own books until we were adults. We both started as
mothers of young children writing children’s books. We wrote individually
and together for twenty years. In the past years we have started writing
for adults and our first book for adults is The Shepherd’s Song.
Which
of your work has been published so far? We have published over 35 children’s
book’s. You can see more about them at www.betsyduffey.com and www.lauriemyers.com. Our most recent book, The
Shepherd’s Song, is our first book for adults. You can read more about it at www.WritingSisters.com
What
four top most things you take care of while writing a book?
1. Unity:
In writing together it is so important that we both be in agreement on
each decision. We write on a document together online and trust each
other to edit the work. Weekly we meet to make sure we agree on the
direction of the book.
2.
Truth: We want the books to be accurate and that means that we have to do
our homework. The details of the book have to be right.
3.
Hope: Each book should present hope and inspiration to the reader.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t deal with some difficult topics in the
books. It means that our readers find hope even in the difficult
circumstances of our characters.
4.
Fun: Books should entertain and be an experience that makes people think
and causes them to grow. If we have fun writing the fun it usually is an
indication that people will enjoy the book.
Your
dream destination on Earth?
Anywhere
where our families are present - especially somewhere in nature like the
mountains or the beach.
Your
origin of birth and other countries you have visited/ stayed. What best things
you liked in these countries around the globe?
We
were both born in the US in South Carolina. We love to travel and our travels
have added interesting settings to our work as writers. Our book includes
stories from many different places and cultures. Laurie spent time in
Italy and captures the olive groves in one story. Betsy lived several
years in Turkey and brought that experience to one of the stories of a refugee
escaping to Turkey.
Your
favorite time of the day? Morning – We both are early risers and work best in the
morning.
Your
favorite book and why?
Our mother wrote a book that we both love called The Midnight Fox. It was the
first book that she wrote that was realistic fiction. It captured the
feelings and the plight of a young boy caring for a black fox. It was a
turning point in her writing and we were witnesses to that shift from fantasy
to reality.
Your
favorite food? Our
mother’s pecan tassies – She is an incredible cook. This is a recipe that
was passed down from our grandmother to our mother. Then to us.
Some
quickies:
Sun
or Moon: Sun! Especially on a warm beach.
Laughter
or Smile: Laughter. When were work together there is always lots of
laughter. We write in a coffee shop so sometimes we have to tone it down.
Morning
or Evening: Morning. We are early birds.
Coffee
or Tea: Both Two different sisters, two different drinks. Betsy
loves coffee; Laurie, tea
Long
drive or Short drive: Long - with lots of snacks and an audio book
State
your signature line/ tagline/ best quote:
This
scripture verse is our mission statement:
We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Psalm 78:4
The
last line of your autobiography would be… We try to follow God and live
well. We would love for the last line to be this verse from scripture:
“Well done good and faithful servant.”
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