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MEET BETSY R. ROSENTHAL (2/2011)
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Betsy R. Rosenthal

As a child I was a bit of a tomboy, or at least, what was considered a tomboy back then. My mother could not get me to sit at the piano and practice. During my piano lessons I would look longingly out to the backyard, anxious to get out there and kick around a soccer ball. I used to spend my after-school hours roller skating in the neighborhood, playing soccer with the neighborhood kids, shooting basketballs, or playing pretend school (during which I was the teacher, of course).

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

Whenever anyone asked me what I was going to be when I grew up, I used to respond that I wanted to be a writer. But once I was in high school I started becoming interested in the study of law. I joined the Law Explorers Club and took a business law class, which I found fascinating. So before becoming a professional writer I took a detour and became a lawyer.

What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer - adult or children?

I had never really considered writing for children until I had children of my own and would spend countless hours reading aloud to them. I felt as if I could write something as good as, if not better, than much of what was being published for children when my kids were little.

What are the topics of some of your books?

Three of my books have been published so far, with a fourth slated to come out in 2012. My first book is a collection of poetry I wrote about things in the house – smells, sounds, and objects. My next book is a humorous romp about a Jewish grandmother and her granddaughter who embark on a challah-making adventure in which the girl makes a significant mistake in the ingredients, leading to challah dough that travels out the door and around the town. My most recently released book is a rhyming book for the very young all about shoes.

Do you do other types of writing - for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?

In addition to writing stories for children, I have had many personal essays published in newspapers and magazines around the country.

Where do you get your ideas?

My family is a never-ending source of ideas and inspiration for my writing. The book about shoes was triggered by my youngest son’s multiple shoe changes as required by his many activities. He changed from tennis shoes to tap shoes to football cleats all in a matter of a couple of hours. In another book, I included a badminton scene because I play badminton every week.

Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?

I absolutely love to research. In fact, my favorite part of being a lawyer was the time I spent researching the law. For me it’s like an archeological dig. It’s so gratifying when I’m digging through source material and I come up with some little gem that I can incorporate into my story.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes, and that’s a real problem for me. I’ll be in the middle of a story and get distracted by an idea for a new story that starts rolling around in my head like a loose marble. Of course, I stop what I was in the middle of and try to get this brand new story idea on paper or computer before it vaporizes.

What are you working on now?  When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?

I’m finally writing a novel for adults that I’ve been working on for several years, but keep getting distracted from by my writing children’s books. Sometimes I step away from this adult novel for such long periods of time that I have to go back and retrace my steps to pick up the story thread once again. It won’t be ready to submit to publishers for quite a while.

When is your next book going to be in book stores?

My next book is tentatively scheduled to come out in Spring 2012. This book is a middle grade novel based on my mom’s childhood growing up in a gigantic family in Baltimore during the depression.

What other jobs you had before you became a writer/illustrator?

As I mentioned earlier, I was a lawyer before I started writing books. Most of my work as a lawyer was in the civil rights arena. Even while practicing law, however, I occasionally wrote articles, essays and letters to the editor of various newspapers.