Betsy Haynes

ABOUT BETSY HAYNES
Betsy's recently published three book Christmas series, THE SANTA DIARIES, are her 77th, 78th and 79th books. Her 76th juvenile novel, THE DEARLY DEPARTED, came out in April of 2007. Her husband, Jim, who is an author and an illustrator, has done the cover art for all four books.

She has written historical novels, mysteries, supernatural, ghost stories and humor. She has authored four book series: TAFFY SINCLAIR (Bantam Skylark), BOYTALK (Random House Bullseye), and BONE CHILLERS (HarperPaperback). The BONE CHILLERS series became an ABC Saturday Morning TV series in 1996. In Hollywood, she took part in the filming of public service announcements, which were shown at the end of each episode.

Her humorous novel, THE GREAT MOM SWAP, became and ABC Saturday Night Movie in 1995. She received numerous honors and awards for her books, beginning with COWSLIP, her first book, which was named to the national list of Books for Brotherhood, to her latest young adult mystery, DEADLY DECEPTION, which was named an ALA Quick Pick, the New York Library books for the Teen Age and was on the Texas Lone Star Reading List in 1994.

She has spoken at schools and writers conferences all over the USA and in Spain and Portugal, where she spent a month as a guest of the American Schools. She's currently an on-line instructor for UCLA Extension in which she teaches both "Writing the Middle Grade Novel" and "Writing the Young Adult Novel". She has also taught for the Institute of Children's Literature.

BETSY SAYS "KIDS' BOOKS CONTAIN NO LEAD PAINT!"

EDITORIAL REVIEWS - DEADLY DECEPTION

BOOK LIST
When the mystery opens, 17-year-old Ashlyn Brennen thinks her problem is her boyfriend Drew's drug use. Soon the problem is more serious - a favorite school counselor, Miss Rothlis, is murdered and Drew is the leading suspect. But Drew is not the murderer, Ashlyn's mother is; she doesn't want anyone to discover that Ashlyn is not her child but the daughter she kidnapped from Mrs. Rothlis 16 years before. There's no doubt this is a page turner. A good title and cover art will entice readers.

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS The author of THE FABULOUS FIVE returns to the mystery genre with the story of Ashlyn Brennan, 16, only child of wealthy Florida parents whose frequesnt absences have resulted in her attachment to understanding high school guidance counselor Mr.s Rothlis. When Mrs. Rothlis is found murdered the evidence points ot Ashlyn's troubled, drug-addicted boyfriend, Drew. The discovery of a death certificated with Ashlyn's name on it, hidden behind a keepsake left her by Mrs. Rothlis, causes her to change her focus to learning her own true identity, the motive for the murder, and the real killer.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Unable to believe it when a guidance counselor is murdered and her boyfriend is accused. Ashlyn Brennan becomes determined to prove that Drew is innocent, until she stumble across a death certificate with her own name on it.
Betsy Haynes will always be a child in her heart. Whenever she closes her eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of her contemporary novels. Her childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into her books. She has even been known to spy on her own kids for story ideas.

But unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, Betsy is getting younger--at least her stories are. She's now entering the world of 7 to 10 year olds.

Betsy and Jim live in the Stewart Peninsula section of The Colony, Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. They are owned by a greyhound named Miller. Their favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.