Author Bette Bono
Author of The Better Angels, a time travel adventure with a female senior citizen protagonist.
About Author Bette Bono
Bette Bono’s writing mixes many things she loves including history, mystery, time travel, adventure, romance, senior citizens and superheroes. She doesn’t believe those last few categories are mutually exclusive. Her characters are members of the American Association of Remarkable Persons (“the other AARP”), a group of senior citizens who use their time-travel ability to solve mysteries in the past.
Before beginning her writing career, Bette pursued a variety of other interests. She worked as a political analyst in Washington, D.C., then earned a law degree from Harvard and relocated to Connecticut. After a decade of work as an attorney, Bette turned to public school teaching, serving in both the classroom and as a union steward.
When Bette isn’t writing, she works in her garden, hikes through parks and nature preserves, visits historic sites, explores local libraries and listens to people tell their life stories. Bette lives in Connecticut with her family.
BOOKS:
The Better Angels (2019)
Your biggest literary influences:
In fiction, J.K. Rowling, Jack Finney, Ray Bradbury and James Lee Burke. In nonfiction, David McCullough and Erik Larson. In poetry, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou and Robert Frost.
Last book read:
I’m always reading multiple books at the same time. Right now I’m immersed in several works about the Great Depression and World War II.
The book that changed your life:
No single book changed my life, but I love the way the Harry Potter series allowed me to enter a complex fantasy world filled with adventure, friendship, magic and the battle of good versus evil.
Your favorite literary character:
Do I have to pick just one? I love the independence of Nancy Drew and Jo March. The smarts of Hermione Granger. The defiance of the boys in The Outsiders. The cleverness and sleuthing abilities of Miss Marple and Lord Peter Wimsey. The tenacity of Frodo and Sam. The kindness and commitment of Doctor Seuss’s Horton.
Currently working on:
I am working on a sequel to The Better Angels. This time around, Aggie, Abe and the other senior time travelers work to unravel a mystery related to the rise of fascism in Europe and the onset and aftermath of World War II. On a personal level, my sixty-something characters must deal with what many twenty- and thirty-somethings face: What is your work? Where will you live? Who are you in love with? Who is your family?
Words to live by:
Love people. Learn things. Tell stories.
Advice for aspiring authors:
If you love to write, then write. Most of the time it’s wonderful, and even the struggles will move you forward. Take a break now and then: walk outside, pay attention to people’s conversations and make observation a fulltime job. Find other writers to talk to.
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