February 19th, 2024, we had a wonderful AUTHOR VISIT via Zoom, with Ken’s wife Donna’s cousin, author Bette Bono, who wrote The Better Angels! It was a very good day! Along with our author visit, we welcomed new member Susan to our discussion!
Author Bono
told us that middle school students she was teaching inspired her to write
about an aging person gaining a super-power. The power of choice was
time-travel for Bette Bono. She added whirlpool baths, wide aisles for wheel
chairs and walkers, and a variety of wonderful mature, mellow, and not so mellow characters to her novel to add to the aging theme.
She told us
some of the history of places the characters in the book visited when they went
to the 1800s. In The Better Angels, Viola and Bernice had chosen St. Paul’s
Chapel to practice their time travel into New York City during the 1800s. There was a hotel close to the
chapel; Matthew Brady had lived at the hotel for a while with his wife, and
Abraham Lincoln stayed at the hotel when he was in the city to give an important speech. Matthew
Brady’s first studio was nearby.
Ms Bono told us about visiting Grand Central Station and Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, some of the landmarks in New York City that she had used in her book. History in the book is well-researched and accurate.
We had a thorough
question and answer session, wherein the author answered our questions about the story
and the writing. It was quite a fascinating afternoon! Many thanks to Ken and
Donna Miller for inviting Bette Bono to meet with us and to Bette Bono herself
for sharing her story and its background with us!
The author sent me a description of her books, so I am
pasting a copy of that description here. In Bette Bono’s words, with thanks to the author:
“First, here are brief descriptions of
my books. I have two novels in the Aggie and Abe time travel series and two
books of short stories. All are available on Amazon and other online retailers
and can be found in print and Kindle formats. All are free to Kindle Unlimited
subscribers. The two Aggie and Abe novels are also available as Audiobooks:
1. The
Better Angels: Retired teacher Aggie May meets Abraham Irving of the
American Association of Remarkable Persons (“the other AARP”) who explains she
has developed the ability to travel in time. Aggie soon joins up with other
“Remarkables” on a mission to 19th-century New York City in an effort to locate
a missing photographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
2. Fear
Itself: Aggie and Abe grow closer as they investigate the
pro-fascist German American Bund and America First, two groups active in the
United States in the 1930s. When their safety is threatened by unexpected
danger, they are forced to confront their obligation to act against evil.
3. Neighbors
& Other Stories: We think of neighbors as those that live nearby. But
we’re all linked to other people, places, and time periods. These stories—about
everything under the sun—explore relationships we have with other people, with
ideas, with history, and with ourselves.
4. The
Second Chance Shop & Other Stories: A “second chance shop”
can be as simple as a thrift store where you pick up a hand-me-down t-shirt.
But life may offer us second chances of a different type: a chance to try
something new, correct a mistake, change course, expand our understanding, find
a friend, chase a dream, or fall in love. These stories explore what people do
when they’re presented with—or seek out—a second chance.
I’m
currently working on a third Aggie and Abe book and a third book of short
stories. The Aggie and Abe book will involve going back in time to the lower
east side of Manhattan in the early 1900s and examining the garment workers
strike of 1909 and the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911."
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