Betsy Haynes
Author of 79 middle-grade and young adult novels
Betsy Haynes has published 79 middle-grade and young adult novels including THE DEARLY DEPARTED, which came out in April of 2007 and her three book Christmas series, THE SANTA DIARIES, which came out last December. She has written historical novels, mysteries, supernatural, ghost stories and humor. She has authored five book series: TAFFY SINCLAIR (Bantam Skylark), its spin-off series, THE FABULOUS FIVE (Bantam Skylark), BOYTALK (Random House Bullseye), and BONE CHILLERS (HarperPaperback). The BONE CHILLERS series was humorous/supernatural and became an ABC Saturday Morning TV series. In Hollywood, she took part in the filming of public service announcements, which were shown at the end of each episode. THE SANTA DIARY series is aimed at young readers.
Her humorous novel, THE GREAT MOM SWAP, became an ABC Saturday Night Movie. She has 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. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages.
She has spoken at schools and writers conferences all over the U.S.A. and in Spain and Portugal, where she spent a month as a guest of the American Schools. She has been an instructor for the Institute of Children’s literature and now teaches “Writing the Middle Grade Novel,” “Writing the Young Adult Novel” and “Creating Awesome Characters” on line for UCLA Extension.
Betsy graduated from Southern Illinois University and was named Journalism Alumnus of the Year in 1975. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Author’s Guild, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She and her husband, Jim, were named Members of the Year by SCBWI National in 1988. She was a five-time member of the selection committee for the Juvenile Division of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, given annually by MWA, and a three-time member of the selection committee for the annual SCBWI award.
See all content offered by this instructor:
- Live Course: Introduction to Writing Fiction for Children
