This week the lovely Elizabeth Meyette shares her Inheritance Books. Betty is a fellow new release angel for USAToday’s Happy Ever After blog.

Hello Betty, welcome to Inheritance Books. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My older siblings called me spoiled, my husband calls me Beloved, my kids call me goofy and I take that as a compliment.  But it was the day I called myself a writer that I felt the world shift a little. That self-affirmation started a series of fortunate events that led to publication of my first two books. I have always believed in “dreams come true” but with the caveat “if it’s meant to be”. After reading student writing for over twenty years, I decided to retire from teaching early and pursue my writing career. I’ve found where I belong. My husband is uber supportive, and his only rule is that I not cook on writing days. He had endured burnt broccoli and dry chicken and some days I forgot to turn the stove on at all.

Hooray for uber supportive partners. Where would we be without them! Which book have you inherited from the generation above? Why is it special?

One of the earliest inspirations for writing came as a gift from my father.  When I was thirteen-years-old, Dad gave me The Complete Sherlock Holmes, volumes I and II by Arthur Conan Doyle. I was captivated by the deductive reasoning Holmes used to solve cases, especially since my mind does not work that way at all.  Mysteries instantly became my favorite genre and after I consumed every story in these volumes at least once, I moved on to Agatha Christie. Dad’s gift was special because he affirmed my already blossoming love of reading, which led to a love of writing.  Now as I attempt to write my own romantic suspense, I feel Dad’s presence cheering me on.

Which book would you leave to generations below? Why?

The book I would pass on to the next generation is Katherine Wood’s translation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I remember my tenth grade theology teacher reading it to us aloud in class. The narrator talks about drawing a picture of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, but every adult he showed it to thought it was a picture of a hat.  For me, that was an epiphany; I realized how rigid my thinking was and how little credit I had given to the creative process.  The most important line in the book confirmed this. The Fox says to the Little Prince, “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” This book that looks like a simple children’s book holds a profound and evocative philosophy.

I haven’t read The Little Prince (I’m sure we have a copy somewhere, although it may be in French, which could explain why I haven’t read it).  Thank you for sharing your Inheritance Books with us, Betty. Please pop by again soon.

I’ll let Betty tell you about her books and how to get in touch:

My two historical romances are Love’s Destiny and Love’s Spirit. Both books are available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes

I love to hear from readers and other authors, so please feel free to contact me at:

Website (www.elizabethmeyete.com) ; Blog: http://elizabethmeyette.blogspot.com/; Facebook; Twitter (@efmeyette)

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Rhoda.  I love reading all the posts in Inheritance Books, and I’m constantly adding to my TBR list as a result. This has been such fun!

It was a pleasure!

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