A visit with Heidi Betts!
Here’s a pic of Heidi and I the day we met. 
I swear I’ll wear more makeup next time I’m in public. lol Heidi graciously consented to an interview about her new book, Tangled Up In Love. I threw her a few tricky curves, but she stitched it all together skillfully.
Jamie: TANGLED UP IN LOVE is the first book of the “Chicks with Sticks” trilogy. What is the series about, and where can we get it?
Heidi: The “Chicks with Sticks” are three friends who belong to a weekly knitting group called the Knit Wits. They knit, they gab, and then afterwards, they head for a sports bar called The Penalty Box to meet up with their sort-of significant others. (It’s very complicated, and you’ll have to read the books to figure it all out. *g*) Knitting plays a significant role in each story, of course, and there’s also a matchmaking aunt/fairy godmother thrown into the mix to keep things interesting.
As for where you can find the books, I’m hoping everywhere! TANGLED UP IN LOVE will be released on Tuesday, February 3rd, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts to show up a bit before that. And then you should be able to find it at any bookstore (and if not, they will certainly be able to order if for you), as well as retails stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. And it’s also available online at sites like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Borders.com, Books-a-Millions.com, etc.
Jamie: Who’s idea was the knitting? Yours or your editor’s?
Heidi: It was actually my editor’s, but it came about in kind of an unusual way. I’d worked up a single title proposal for a different idea, which my agent was shopping around. St. Martin’s loved it and actually wanted to buy the book, but because they had another author doing something slightly similar, they had to pass. But because the editor loved my writing, she asked if I could work up something else for them. While I was on the phone with her discussing exactly what that “something else” should be, she just happened to say, “I don’t suppose you know anything about knitting.” Turns out, she’d been looking for a sexy, funny knitting romance. Knitting had been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds, it seemed, and thanks to authors like Kate Jacobs and Debbie Macomber, women’s fiction-type knitting stories had done very well. But she was looking for an actual romance-romance, and something larger than life.
Since I actually do know something about knitting (when I first came home from college and announced that I wanted to be a writer, my mother taught me to knit so I could make at least a little money by selling dishcloths and bath mitts through local craft shops), I asked her to give me the weekend and I’d see what I could come up with. The result was a proposal for TANGLED UP IN LOVE, which she loved…so much that she asked if I could turn it into a trilogy. And so, the “Chicks with Sticks” were born.
Jamie: What do you think of knitting compared to crocheting? (I crochet. Personally, I think I’m risking my health with one long needle in my hand. The damage I could do with two is terrifying. LOL)
Heidi: Well, I have to agree with you on the danger factor that comes with knitting. I mean, those needles are sharp! LOL I actually do both and enjoy both equally, but I do think crochet is easier to learn. Personally, I picked up crochet very quickly, but had to take two or three stabs—no pun intended *g*—at knitting before I caught on. There’s just something much simpler about mastering one short hook as compared to two long needles. On the other hand, I do enjoy the clack of the needles, which you just can’t get from a single crochet hook. 
Jamie: What was the biggest help in deciding this book: choosing competing characters, choosing journalists, or choosing the competition? Which came first, the yarn or the needles? LOL
Heidi: It’s been a while, so I don’t remember exactly, but I think the characters popped into my head first. And the idea of making this series a “knitters versus jocks”-type thing had come up during conversation with my editor, too, so I think the “versus” part was playing pretty heavily through my head. From there, it was a short jump to the hero and heroine being in competition over something, then hey, what if they were both journalists… It was sort of a snowball thing; once I got started, it all just came together.
And it was definitely the needles that came first. Originally, I was going to use a set of enchanted needles to bring the couples together, but because you have to use different size needles for different projects, and I intended to have each heroine knitting something completely different in each story, that didn’t really work for me. Which is how I made the jump to yarn…and a possibly enchanted spinning wheel.
Jamie: How did Ronnie’s past come to you?
Heidi: That was something that came a bit later. I just knew that she needed a really good reason for still being so upset over losing a job to Dylan, and that reason had to be something personal, something deep-seated within her. The more I thought about it, the more pieces of her past began to fall into place…and the more her animosity toward Dylan started to make sense.
Jamie: What was the hardest thing about this story to write? What was the easiest?
Heidi: For me, the hardest part of writing any book is keeping track of all the little details and making sure I write things in the proper order, plot-wise. And with TANGLED being the first book of a very tightly plotted trilogy, with a lot of recurring characters and overlapping information, I had to remember to set things up for books two and three at the same time I was simply trying to tell the first story.
Aside from that, though, writing TANGLED was a breeze. I think it flowed so well because I absolutely loved what I was writing, and I’d been told by my editor to let it all hang out…be as funny and sexy and wild as I wanted. She reined me in a little during edits, but it sure made for fun writing!
Jamie: What is one thing about this story that you couldn’t add but wish readers could know?
Heidi: I can’t think of anything story-wise that I was forced to leave out, but I would love to have found a way to include even more cutesy knitting terms and jokes into the story. They’re so much fun to come up with! I’m using them as often as I can in all three books—as long as they don’t feel forced or hokey—but I always seem to be coming up with more and more, and I want to find a way to put them to good use.
Jamie: Zack and Grace, Dylan and Ronnie, Gage and Jenna…? What is their book and when can we read it?
Heidi: Dylan and Ronnie are the hero and heroine of TANGLED UP IN LOVE, of course. Then Gage and Jenna will star in LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT coming in August 2009, followed by Zack and Grace’s story, KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP in February 2010. (If anybody would like a sneak peek of the artwork for LOVES ME, you can visit www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPSandChains. You may have to scroll down a bit, as I posted it last week—Tuesday, January 13th—but it’s well worth the effort. )
Jamie: Will Charlotte’s loom spin on or is this world through with the trilogy?
Heidi: Oh, yes, Charlotte and her spinning wheel definitely make an appearance in all three books. Even if I hadn’t planned it that way, my editor fell in love with Charlotte and probably would have insisted she pop up a couple more times. LOL I actually have something very special in mind for her for the end of KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP because she’s such a big part of the entire trilogy.
Jamie: What is your next project?
Heidi: Right now, I’m working on KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP, the last in the “Chicks with Sticks” trilogy, but after that I honestly don’t know what I’ll be doing. I expect the topic to come up soon with both my agent and editor, and I do have some ideas of what I might like to do, but it’s all up in the air at the moment. More knitting romance? Spinning off (again, no pun intended…although it works *g*) into another craft of some type like crochet or quilting? (Hey, it could happen!) Something else entirely? Your guess is as good as mine.
Jamie: Where can devoted fans find you?
Heidi: Where can’t they find me, is more like it. LOL There’s my website, of course—www.HeidiBetts.com … and my two blogs, WIPs and Chains (also known as The Dungeon to those who are brave enough to scale its walls *vbg*)—www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPSandChains … and Must Love Yarn—www.HeidiBetts.com/MustLoveYarn—for all things knitting and romance.
And then there’s always MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Shelfari, GoodReads, Red Room, Bebo… Every time a new “meeting place” pops up, I feel compelled to join in the fray.
Thank you for talking with me, Heidi! This has been so much fun. Everyone, have fun visiting with Heidi in the comments and please stay tuned for her visit and guest blogging next Tuesday! I’m borrowing Heidi’s pattern for visiting with authors and finding I really like the way she gets to know people. This way doesn’t provide such a hit and mis with visitors and really allows a chance to visit the whole week long. Have fun!
January 20th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Good morning, everyone! And thank you again for having me, Jamie!
I hope you enjoy the interview & have a few questions of your own to throw at me. I’ll be here on & off all day to check them out…& attempt to compose logical responses. *vbg*
January 20th, 2009 at 8:44 am
YAY! I love following heidi around because inevitably I always find out something I didn’t know yet!
I am excited about this book and the trilogy. I hate that we have to wait a year to find out what happens but I’m a diehard so I’ll do it.
Here’s my question.. out of the 3 heroines which one do you find yourself more like?
January 20th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Hi, Heidi and Jamie! I enjoyed your interview and look forward to reading this trilogy. When I was younger, I was more of a hooker (rug hooker!) than a kniter, but the trilogy sounds great.
– Marcia James
January 20th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Hi, Bonia! Should I be getting nervous? LOL Nah—if worse came to worse, I think I could take you. *g*
And what a great question! I actually think I can relate to all three heroines in this trilogy. The first, Ronnie, has deep-seated insecurities, even though she puts on a really good front for the world…Jenna from LOVES ME is quieter, a little self-conscious, but also very sure of herself in private, sure of what she wants, & is willing to do what she needs to in order to get it…and finally, Grace is a little outrageous; very confident as a public personality, she’s got a sharp tongue & tells it like it is; but when bad things happen in her life, they crush her just as much as they would crush the rest of us.
I really like them all, too, which made it fun to go from book to book & learn even more about each heroine as the story began to focus more on her & her story.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Whahahahahaha! Marcia, you cracked me up. Thank goodness I didn’t have a big ol’ mouthful of tea at the time or I’d be calling the computer repair guy right about now. A “hooker.” *snort* (You should come over & join my Happy Booker YahooGroup…something tells me you’d fit right in. :-P)
I used to love latch-hooking, too! I’ve actually got a Winnie the Pooh rug I need to finish one of these days. My complaint about that, tho, was that it’s so hard to keep the things together. Even if you tape & sew the edges, they still seem to fall apart if you ever need to throw them in the wash.
Thanks for dropping by to chat! I sure hope you enjoy TANGLED & the other “Chicks with Sticks.”
January 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Hi Jamie!
Hi Heidi!
Someday you are going to have to post pics of your inspirations for the heroes. Maybe Sexy Saturday before each release? (And if you need help looking for them, well you know where to find me!)
I have a question that while reading your interview popped in my head: Do the three stories run concurrently or consecutively?
January 20th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Hi, Laura! Thanks for dropping by to chat. Such great questions today, too! (Yay!)
Okay, I officially have the willies because you actually just read my mind. I would LOVE to post pics of hot guys who look similar to my character for this series—but do you think I can find any?!? The problem, I think, is that most times I don’t base my heroes on any particular actor or celebrity. (LOVES ME & Dwayne Johnson no withstanding. *g*) I don’t know how to search for pics of guys who will look similar to “the guy in my head.”
If you want me to send you a brief description of him so you can go on the hunt & send me “hero options,” I would totally love to post them! I don’t have anything terribly fabulous for this coming Saturday, either.
And the “Chicks with Sticks” stories run consecutively, taking place about six months apart. (Both release-wise & within the books themselves.:-)) It works really well because as things are happening with secondary characters in one book, you can see where they end up & how they play out in the next. Makes for the occasional headache for me & a lot of very tight plotting, but it’s also been tremendous fun watching the relationships of all six characters develop.
January 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I like the idea of spreading them out like that. I’m always about what happens AFTER the happily ever after.
I have another question, When plotting and planning a book how much research do you go in search of to help with the book? Like Jessica Andersen said she does lots of research for her night keepers books, I was wondering if you do lots of research..
January 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Hi Ladies! As usual, I’m getting a late start today.
It’s so great to see you all. 
Welcome, Heidi!
January 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Bonia~
One of the fun things about this trilogy for me was that—because they’re big books, single title—I was able to give them a big book feel. Meaning that the HEAs at the end of each story are not huge, perfect, tied-in-a-ribbon HEAs. I don’t want to give too much away or ruin anything for anyone, but let’s just say that wedding bells & baby blankets don’t come into play just because the h/h have fallen in love & the book is over. There’s more of a slow progression/growth thing, where even though these characters had their story, they’re still growing & things are still happening with them in the next book & the next book. It was *a lot* of fun for me.
And I definitely do not do as much research as Jessica Anderson. She is like Research Girl. LOL But I do whatever research I need to for the stories. Sometimes I know ahead of time that I’ll need to do research into certain things, & other times things will pop up while I’m writing. For this series, I had to track down information about Cleveland, alpacas, hockey…& knitting, of course, but thank goodness I already had a working knowledge of that. *g*
January 20th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I will email you some very fine candidates tomorrow. And yes I would love to send you some hero options.
January 20th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hi Jamie and Heidi,
Alpacas? They’re kind of cute. I love the slow progresson/slow thing. I’ve read books where I felt the author was sprinting to the finish line and made the ending too neat and perfect.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Hi, Jamie! No worries on being late…we’re keeping ourselves in line, aren’t we, ladies? *g*
January 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Thank you, Laura. I will be watching for them. My hero is sandy blond, nicely built, but along the trim, athletic side, not big & bulked-up like you-know-who. (Oh, ummm. Just had to close my eyes & enjoy that image for a minute. :-P)
After you posted, I actually did a little digging & came up with two that are…okay. But I’d certainly love some more to choose from. And it’s not like I’m going to complain about *having* to sort thru pics of gorgeous guys.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Hey, Jane! I had so much more in mind for the alpacas in Book #2, but didn’t get all of it in because it would have slowed the story down & taken away from the h/h. But it was still fun & I have all these notes about the furry little things. LOL
I certainly hope you don’t think I sprinted to the finish line with these books. As I said, the endings aren’t full-throttle HEA the way you might normally expect, but that’s because I wanted to leave room for more about them in the following books. And I love that because of that, when past characters show up, they aren’t just window dressing; you actually get to learn even more about them & see how their lives are progressing.
Of course, that also left me about a zillion loose ends to tie up in Book #3. LOL It got a little hard to keep track of at times.
January 20th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I think you’re doing really great with all the set ups, Heidi.
It’ll be nice to see the slow development of the characters. I’m with Jane, especially as I’ve been studying short stories lately and developing an appreciation for how difficult they can be. It’s easier to see the rush to the end in this format. I think your trilogy will be a nice difference. 
January 20th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I believe I do have a couple of candidates that are well…let’s just say they work (either as Dylan or just to look and drool over on a cold winter’s Saturday).
I have to agree with Jane, even though I love my HEA, there seems to be too many h/h meeting and getting engaged in a matter of days. I’m okay with it if the couple has known each other forever (friends to lovers) or if it love lost and found again. Not that I won’t read those quickie marriage HEA type books and love them, but I guess I’m just a little more realistic.
January 20th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Dylan hopefuls have been mailed.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hi, Heidi! Hi, Jamie! Great interview! I’m really enjoying all the stuff I’m learning about the books and you
No questions in mind at the moment–it’s sort of blank after the whole hassle of locking ourselves out this afternoon and all that ;p
January 21st, 2009 at 9:45 am
I love the idea once again that your going to be able to show us how their living after the book ends. Like I’ve stated that I always want to know about the AFTER the happily ever after…
Your awesome heidi.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:11 am
Thank you, Laura! I wondered why my computer felt so warm this morning when I turned it on. Now I’m the one having a hot flash.
I really like the way I’ve been able to wrap up these stories…a little more slowly, with a bit less of the wedding bells & baby on the way thing, & also knowing there will be more for the couples in the next book & the next book… I promise the endings are very satisfying, tho! You won’t be left thinking, “Huh? Am I missing pages here?” LOL
January 21st, 2009 at 10:12 am
Oh, no, Fedora! How long were you locked out? I’ve done that myself. Once had to crawl thru a basement window, another had to run to a neighbor who keeps a key for emergencies. :-p
January 21st, 2009 at 10:15 am
Thank you, Bonia. (Cheeks flushing, lashes fluttering. *g*) I definitely think you’ll enjoy seeing the more after the HEA for each of these couples. I know I have.
And I’m still working to come up with some of it in Book 3. LOL
January 21st, 2009 at 10:42 am
Ooh, can’t wait for Heidi to share those pics! Thanks for doing such a great search, Laura.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:44 am
Hi Fedora. It’s great to see you again. Glad your hassle is over.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
I’m with you on wanting to see more, Bonia. It’s like with continuing series. You never quite want them to end. Think there might be a continuing series in your future, Heidi? How cool would that be?
January 21st, 2009 at 11:13 am
Jamie just let me know if you ever need help in locating a pic of your inspiration. I’m always glad help. *G*
January 21st, 2009 at 11:43 am
Thanks, Heidi and Jamie! It was only for a couple hours, thankfully. On the top of the to-do list is getting extra keys made and left with more friends. My sister has one, but it took her a while to get free to swing by to our rescue.
And btw, Heidi, I do love when authors let us see after the HEA in a series of books–canNOT wait for these!!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:55 am
I have gone thru the pics…(had to take a short cigarette break afterwards *vbg*)…& think we’re good to go for the next two Saturdays, at least. I never realized how gorgeous Dylan really is until I started sorting thru pics for his likeness. LOL
Jamie~ As much as I like working on connected books, I’m not sure I want to do a big, long continuing series. I don’t know how some authors do ones with sex, eight, fifteen books. Aack!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am
Fedora~ Were you at least able to go somewhere or do something while you were waiting for your sis, or were you stuck just sitting there outside your door? :-p
And I’m glad you’re so looking forward to the “Chicks.” I love glimpses into more of the HEA with characters, too, so I was happy to be able to do that with these books. And I think you’ll all find it quite satisfying, too. (I would never disappoint you, I swear! ;-))
January 21st, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Thank you for that kind offer, Laura! I’m so not good at that. People never quite look like what I have pictured in my head, although the cover model for Cursed was close to perfect for my hero, Alex. I love, love, LOVE his eyes! That’s about the closest I’ve ever come to finding a model to fit my heroes. lol
January 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Fedora, I really feel for you. I always forgot my keys, so just about every family member has one. And a neighbor. It comes in handy so often it’s embarrassing!
January 21st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Um, Heidi? Sex, Eight or Fifteen? Were you looking at Laura’s pics too long??? LOL
January 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
ROTF Okay, that was apparently a Freudian slip…due entirely to staring too long at the pics Laura sent. Definitely, definitely. (Get into your blog program & fix that so I don’t sound like a total doof, Jamie! LOL)
And sometimes I’ll see a pic in a magazine or lock onto a particular celebrity & choose something about their appearance to write into a character, but I’m not one of those who picks a celeb to model their characters on. I’m *terrible* at picking who would play my characters in the movie version of my book when I get asked that question, too.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
No Jamie don’t fix it. That is too funny. I guess next time I won’t send her so many. Sorry about that Heidi. It’s a good thing I decided to save one picture for a later time, I think it would have really pushed her over the edge. *vbg*
January 21st, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Gee, thanks, Laura. :-p I almost did the exact same thing over at WIPs…I’m going to stop using the word “six” altogether, I think. LOL It’s just safer that way.
It might have been the pic of Jimmy that did it, Laura. But thank goodness you didn’t send one of Dwayne or I’d have been completely useless the rest of the day.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
LOL I’m not changing it! *singsongvoice*
But, damn! Now I’m really curious about those pics.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Keep it clean ladies. Young ears/eyes are present. I would like to say hello to my madre’ JLH, Heidi, and all others here.
Okay i don’t like waiting forever for a book i want to read soo..WRITE LIKE THE WIND HEIDI!!!!!!
Ttyl,
<3 TMLH
January 21st, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Are you kidding me? Keep it clean? I know the kind of language spoken when we’re not around… And I know the books you read. BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE MINE!!
Keep it clean. pshaw. Listen to this teenager try to sound innocent. lol
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:40 am
Well if she wants it kept clean she better not pick up tangled… heidi keeps hinting at NAKED knitting!!!!
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 am
Jamie~ Just trot on over to The Dungeon on Saturday & you can see one of the pics for yourself. It’s totally worth the trip.
I can’t believe you have a daughter old enough to read our books, either—but Hi, there, Jamie’s daughter! LOL And though I’m already writing about as fast as I can, it never seems to be fast enough…but I’ll try to do better.
Jamie, you’re in charge of telling her whether or not her eyes/ears are old enough to get near TANGLED, tho, because Bonia’s right…& the naked knitting is only the beginning of what’s in that book. ROTF
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Uh…if Heidi has typing troubles today…it’s my fault, again. I just sent her some more pics for the next hero. Sorry gals. I’ll try to send her any more this week. *g*
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Oops. Apparently me going through photos of potential hero material has affected my brain. That last message should read…I’ll try NOT to send her any more this week.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I have been reading romances since i was 12. I think ill live. I’ve read my mother’s books. I’m totally in love with Alex xp. And hi Heidi!!!!!!
<3 TMLH
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Bonia - yes, naked knitting! It’s cool. lol
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Thanks, Heidi! I’ll make sure to stop by and check them out.
As my husband loves to remind me, I was a teen mom by two weeks. Two weeks before I turned 20! Like that let’s him off the hook for being a dad at 16! lol
I’d probably let her read it. I am very open with the girls, erring on the side of TMI in the hopes their curiosity won’t drive them to make bad decisions. We’ve had so many open talks, it would have to be a rare guy who could pull one over on either of them.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
LOL Laura.
I can’t wait to go see these pics.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Naive child. You think *my* books are that hot? I don’t know about that. Maybe I’ll let you read Heidi if you ask nicely. Although, I’ll just say now. If a guy offers you a bakers dozen, just laugh at him. There might be one in a million who can back it up, but not one of them are in high school or college. LOL
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Bakers dozen huh? well now. that’ll be interesting. no, no i doubt a guy in ANY grade could make that offer and deliver. and i have no intention to find out. LOL
<3 TMLH