Back in April, author Janice Beetle wrote a guest post for this site, Spirited Author Hopes to Inspire with Her Book, Willful Evolution, detailing the process of writing her two memoirs. Below, Beetle shares more about that process along with her writing history. Learn more about how she overcame several devastating hardships and ended up not only writing books about her experiences but also starting her own PR business.
About Janice Beetle and her books
Author links (links will open in a new tab)
Book titles:
Divine Renovations
Willful Evolution
Yes. No. Maybe. (In progress)
Poem Pods (In progress)
Genres:
Divine Renovations: Memoir
Willful Evolution: Memoir
Yes. No. Maybe.: Adult Fiction
Poem Pods: Children’s poetry
Book summaries
Divine Renovations
Tells the story of falling in love with the carpenter who came to renovate the kitchen I shared with my first husband and leaving my marriage. I later married the carpenter, my soul mate, yet he died eight years later, in 2010, four months after a cancer diagnosis. Divine Renovations is raw and real; it shows my grief journey and offers a message of hope.
Willful Evolution
Willful Evolution is a sequel to Divine Renovations, and it is poignant, inspiring, and at turns, downright funny. The book shows how I reinvented myself, building sustainability in my life and otherwise turning vulnerability into strength. Delves into travel to faraway places, repairing broken relationships, and messy online dating.
Yes. No. Maybe. (In progress).
A work of fiction that is a love story. (I am in love with love.) Roxie finds herself single for the first time in over a decade, and she falls for Alex. They each bring commitment issues to the table; the story is at turns heavy and shocking, and amusing. Secondary characters include Roxie’s mom, who will say anything, and Roxie’s precocious nephew who has two fathers.
Poem Pods (In progress)
Poetry for children in Shel Silverstein fashion. Sweet illustrations by my talented step-grandson, Darrian DeJesus.
Book excerpts
From Willful Evolution
I connected to Sam on eHarmony and met him at Slainte in Easthampton after the briefest of online conversations. I was tired of making small talk with people via text or email and didn’t ask him my standard set of questions, which turned out to be a grave tactical error.
I knew in the first five minutes I would not be going on a second date with Sam as he had absolutely no filter and said ghastly things from the get-go. I knew within fifteen minutes I would not be staying for dinner and then began to wonder if I would even finish my glass of wine.
Sam let things like this come out of his mouth:
“My ex-wife got too fat, so I didn’t want to have sex with her anymore.”
“She runs a business that competes with mine, and she’s moving into my territory, so I’m going to slip a tracking device on her car some night.”
“I wanted to punch him in the face.” This, he said about pretty much everyone he talked about. A very angry man was Sam.
When Sam started telling me he gives money to women online, I recognized—or maybe assumed—he spent a lot of time on porn sites, paying for virtual sex. I said, “You know what, Sam, I just remembered my housemate is making me dinner tonight.” And I stood up.
“You’re amazing,” he told me as I slung my purse over my shoulder. I laughed and said, “Sam. So are you. Truly amazing.”
When I got into my car in the Slainte parking lot, I used my phone to go on eHarmony and block Sam so he could never, ever contact me again.
From Divine Renovations
We took Ed out on the deck in a wheelchair to sit in the sun. He couldn’t hold his head up. I held it between my hands at the base of his neck.
I thought, “He is dying he’s dying he’s going. When? How much longer?”
Lie in Ed’s bed. Do not touch him. It hurts.
On Monday, September 13, 2010, Ed lay unconscious in the living room. The children were gathered around. Everyone was quiet. Waiting. Ed’s breathing became thick, labored, horrifying. Our Hospice nurse, Eileen, told us that this was the end. Ed’s lungs were filling with fluid. He was drowning. Eileen asked if a Hospice volunteer could come to give Ed a Reiki treatment.
“Yes, please,” I told her.
Find a phone book. Choose a funeral home. Let the Hospice volunteer in.
Lee played the piano. I climbed in Ed’s bed, aware of the efforts of the Hospice volunteer, whose head was inches from ours. Ry sat on the couch and held Ed’s hand.
Peaceful. Love. Music. My family. Ed.
Then the volunteer left.
Say goodbye. Hug her.
She leaned into my ear, “He loves you very much. I could feel it in his chakra.”
Cry. Take more Ativan. Wonder if this really is happening.
Ask Ana and Louise to make dinner.
Review excerpts
Willful Evolution
“It’s well written, funny, and smart.”
“I’m in love with this book.”
“The messages are profound, deeply personal and vulnerable, and, I do believe, motivating and inspiring.”
Divine Renovations
“Each of us navigates the mapless route of grief in a different way. Janice Beetle’s unflinching and brave account of how she found her footing in a world suddenly empty after the death of her husband is an understanding hand extended to those on a similar path and a reminder to the rest of us to hug all the closer those we still have with us in this life.”
– Author Suzanne Strempek Shea
“An absorbing, poignant, compelling story that literally made me laugh and cry. It is moving, without being maudlin, honest without being confessional. And it is full of surprises. I never knew what this sweet, open-hearted, grieving woman was going to do next, and as a reader, I couldn’t wait to find out. Who knew a book that deals so head-on with loss and grief could be a page-turner?
– Laurie Loisel, former managing editor for print at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts
“A beautiful, courageous, honest description of love and loss and the toll that grief takes both in the short and long run. Thank you for revealing how love lives on even when we don’t.”
– Jeanne Ryan, former executive director of a VNA & hospice organization in Western Massachusetts
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I hope readers feel inspired to contemplate the things that are broken in their lives—from relationships to career paths—and start mapping out a plan to fix them. I hope they think about what they truly want for themselves, and then go after something that feels scary, but right. I hope women of all ages start to listen to that persistent, whispering voice inside their heads and hearts, and turn up the volume.
What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?
One young woman who’d read an early draft couldn’t stop talking about all the changes she saw and how impactful she felt they were. She used the word “love” about seven times. She is the one who said, “I’m in love with this book.”
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
About a year, and that was in part due to COVID-19. My PR business, Beetle Press, all but collapsed. I had clients who were authors working on books, but I also had a lot of time on my hands. In the pockets between paid projects, I wrote and edited, and edited, and wrote and edited. And then designed—and edited some more.
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
I started writing when I was six, when my grandmother gave me a tiny spiral notebook with kittens on the cover. Later, she gave me a typewriter.
I became a professional writer after earning a degree in English with a minor in journalism in college. I was a reporter for daily newspapers in Western Massachusetts for about 10 years before becoming an editor. I also freelanced, writing magazine pieces; one got picked up in Nick Jr. Magazine. And I wrote short fiction that got picked up in literary publications. In 1998, I began writing for hire through Beetle Press—press releases, blogs, magazine pieces. My passion, though, is writing my own books, and helping others develop books to tell their stories.
How well do you handle criticism, either while writing, editing, or reviews? Do you ever use that criticism to change your story?
Well, before I went through my willful evolution, I was not great at receiving feedback. I tended to get all defensive and prickly, and kind of competitive. But now, I think I’m very good at it. I listen and take it to heart.
Some of the best material in Willful Evolution came in response to feedback I received from early readers. One said my housemate, Craig, wasn’t in it enough, so I created a thread that weaves throughout. Likewise, she noticed my older daughter was not in it nearly as much as my younger. That allowed me to make the book richer by talking about the broken relationship I had with Sally and how we fixed it.
“What If” Scenarios
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
Someone like Oprah, who I suspect would like it. I would like for the book to have a champion—someone with an intricate and deep network who could say, “Hey now, this book is great. You all should read it!”
A wealthy reader buys 100 copies of your book and tells you to hand them out to anyone you wish. Who do you give them to?
Young women who are recent college graduates or are of that age, or recently divorced or widowed women. I think many women have self-esteem issues that get in their way of fulfillment. I want women to see that there are options to getting married, traveling, discovering and exploring a passion, working, deepening your education. I want women to see that, if we know who we are and what we deserve, our options in life are endless.
You’re given $10,000 to spend on marketing for your book. How do you spend it?
Easiest. Question. Ever. I buy an RV, and I deck it out with my logo, and I get all kinds of merch and give away items, and I go on a cross-country tour, doing readings and selling books, blogging about it all the while. Top item on my bucket list.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
First, rest in the financial security of it. I have never been financially secure for very long. I was, and then I was laid off. Then I was, and COVID-19 descended. After a quick “Aaaah, that feels good,” I would want to tour around for a time, doing inspirational talks. I’d also want to create two nonprofits—one to support people going through a traumatic life crisis/transition, and another for people who want to learn to write and tell their stories.
What famous artist or photographer would you want to create or capture your book cover image?
I’m kind of a cultural nerd. I don’t have pop heroes, outside of authors. So, I don’t even know of famous artists or photographers. (My friends would say, “Don’t admit that, Janice.”) I would want my own local photographer, Sandra Costello, to take my photo. She reads people so well, knows how to get them to relax, and she is super sweet and perky.
Just for Fun
Your trademark feature.
I can very often be found in workout gear with UGGs, sporting a ponytail. Pretty much every day until I’ve showered. Then, it’s jeans and a tight T and sandals in summer, and jeans and a sweater and those same UGGs in winter. I am cold when the outside temps dip below 80, so I can often be found in my The North Face jacket as well.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I would like to leave a legacy of kindness and compassion. I would like to be known as someone who helped people see their true selves, someone who helped people through crisis or into a beautiful relationship, job fit, or trip, or other major leap of faith and passion.
One year of your life you’d like to relive or do over.
The year I left my first husband. I was so in love with the carpenter, my second husband, Ed, who later died, I was blinded. Nine minutes after I moved out of my house, I told anyone who would listen that I was dating Ed, even though he had yet to leave his first wife. And Ed became a frequent visitor in my home, with my children. This was painful and difficult for them, and I wish I had known to slow down, put the heart on hold, and just be still for a minute. A friend or two suggested I wait six months to date him; I was so happy for the first time in many years, I couldn’t fathom a wait. I wish I had been able to listen.
Your favorite childhood book or story.
I loved anything Judy Blume wrote, and from the time I was a young girl, I wanted to be a writer, like Judy.
An item from your past that you’d like to have back.
A not very attractive red ceramic pig that I made in art class in high school. I was super proud of it. I collected pigs at the time, and my mom threw my work of art out after I went to college. I think about it often, likely because it symbolizes some of my early creativity.
Favorite time of/part of your day.
Morning. I sit with a cup of coffee and read two daily newspapers and Dear Abby. Then I play two-word games on my phone. Then, I walk on my treadmill and read to warm up for a workout. After all that, I’m ready for the day.
Yes, I love memoirs. Knowing the life I am reading about is still a story in the making and seeing how the smallest wins can become monumental pivots in a person’s life is so inspiring!
the blurbs
Interesting bundle
I am subscribed to Janice’s blog and it’s pretty great!
Willful Evolution looks like a book I’d love to read 🙂 <3