Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Betty Brandt Passick

Diana Kathryn
Apr 30
8 min read

Updated: May 1

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

Not yet – as I’m currently writing Book #3 in my gangster series, and it would be too confusing for readers if two of the three books were written under my real name—and the final book under a pseudonym (I think it’s the final book, but who knows?). I’m certainly open to writing under a pseudonym, perhaps if I write a book of poetry.

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

“Outlining” works well for me when I find I’ve gotten lost midway into writing a book. Which means that I stop and construct a brief outline of the story I want to tell—a beginning, middle, and ending. This simple trick works like ‘magic’.

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

A great story is paramount; also, memorable characters and, of course, solid writing. I was pleased in February when the gangster series won the Editor’s Choice Award of Literary Excellence Award from Reader’s House Magazine in the UK. I’d like to be known as a literary novelist, so this award was very meaningful to me. At the same time, awards don’t mean an author has ‘arrived’, just that you’re moving in the right direction. Both novels had also won an Indie Book Award from Shelf Unbound magazine in the US.

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

Writing historical crime fiction, the location, plot, and at least a few characters are a given, though I fictionalize pieces of the story too. In Book #1, Gangster in our Midst, the town marshal of thirty-three years was in reality a German man, Bill Haun, but I changed his character to the red-haired, blue-eyed Sweeney Delaney, an Irishman—to help tell an Irish piece of the gangster story in America. I chose that Irish name because of the way it sort of rolled across my lips.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

I’m currently writing my fifth book, and I find just finding the TIME to write is hard. Marketing eats up more time every day than I ever thought it would. My most favorite thing is writing. What a privilege to be able to spend 5-7 hours a day WRITING—which generally occurs in the first half of the day, six days a week. Then, three years ago, I launched the Wapsie Writing Contest, named after the Wapsipinicon River which runs through my hometown in Iowa. The contest grows in submission annually from adults, youth, and children—which I find very exciting! I’m reminded of when I was 9 years old and wrote to a poet in a nearby town to ask for feedback on my poetry. I don’t recall anything of what she wrote in her responses, but the fact that she took the time to write a few lines—well, simply put, I felt elevated and encouraged. I’m trying to pass this same inspiration onto the youth and children who submit short stories or poetry. I include a couple comments about each submission. I don’t offer constructive feedback to adults unless requested.

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

In the beginning, I just tried to download the story so the ms starts out rather haphazard, disjointed. As I proceed, I enjoy making it more polished—the flow of the story improves, solid writing happens. But before sending it off to the editor, I take a long look at each chapter to make certain I’ve written a powerful first paragraph (hoping to re-excite the reader about the story). Finally, I send the thing off to an editor, who will provides me with other suggestions for improvement. The entire process is like watching crops grow in an Iowa cornfield (I spent the first 9 years of my life on a farm)…planting the seed, watching for the first green shoots to appear, shoots evolving into stalks, corns ears and tassels next appearing, until finally fall arrives, and harvesting begins. Writing is very much like farming, who knew?

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

Books #2 and #3 are the results of stories I found while researching Book #1. Book #3 will again tell another piece of northeast Iowa’s gangster story, set in my hometown. It’s about a sharp-witted, high-strung embattled woman and pillar in the community, who, along with a young vagrant boy, find themselves at the center of a story of love, addiction, sacrifice, and murder in the 1870s.

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

None, that I can think of.

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing?

Each of my books has been written in a different place in our home – just to keep things ‘fresh’. The space must be airy—with bright sun light pouring in through the windows—and located in one of the busiest parts of our home. Growing up in a family of 10, I found I can be productive even during chaos. My workspace, too, must be surrounded by writing books for easy reference, like The Way of the Storyteller by Ruth Sawyer, Wired For Story by Lisa Cron, and Writing A Woman’s Life by Carolyn G. Heilbrun – plus I keep other books close by for comfort, like Saint Mudd, written by Minnesota author Steve Thayer (1988). His was the first gangster book I read.

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

Though not a novella, I’m telling the back story of Lucy Ann Wiltse who first appeared in Book #1. Hers is a powerful story and one that deserves its own book (Book #3).

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

I don’t know if this made the book better or not, but I had a stage play in mind when I wrote Gangster in our Midst, the novel. Recently began working on finding a venue to produce “Gangster in Our Midst — The Play,” with the aid of Ron Peluso, who’s commissioned over 100 plays for the History Theatre, St. Paul, MN. The project is ‘pending’.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

I try to attend one BIG international conference a year in the US. I went to Bouchercon Nashville in 2024. I always ask to be put on a panel(s) to 1) meet new authors in my field; and 2) get exposure (one never knows who will be in the audience). A few weeks after the conference, I received an invitation to an interview by Reader’s House magazine in the UK. At the same time as the article was published, I was notified I’d won the Editor’s Choice Award of Literary Excellence Award for the series. The magazine is distributed to forty countries. That was good use of my writing budget that year.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

During Book #1, I discovered I’m a ‘pantser,’ which means I don’t initially outline the whole book but just jump in and start writing. While I know the gist of the story at the outset, the twists and turns that follow are often a surprise—even to me. Still, I found myself sometimes getting lost in the writing process. I couldn’t just move ahead and write a later chapter (no outline to follow) – but finally I realized I could still develop ideas I’d use in a future chapter, so that’s what I ended up doing. Soon I found my ‘sea legs’ again and was able to resume writing the initial chapter. It sounds like a crazy way to write a book, but it works for me.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

MS Word because of its familiarity to me. It has every feature I need.

Do characters’ names come immediately to you? Do you add them in a final draft? Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

Often, I use real names of the people identified in a historical story – but not always. When writing Book #1, Gangster in our Midst, I realized I had to come up with a nickname for the mobster, Louie La Cava… in that, gangster in the 1920s-30s always had nicknames. However, no one that I interviewed from my hometown knew of La Cava’s nickname. One evening in 2016, I scrutinized a list of gangster aliases and decided to use ‘three fingers’ for La Cava’s handle, then I built into the ms his mannerisms—like picking up a coffee cup with three fingers, etc. Additionally, my editor suggested I change the name of the town because if I used Fairbank, locals would likely expect me to get every detail of the town exactly right. If I chose another name, perhaps I would be given more leniency—so I chose ‘Oxbow,’ an Ojibway word meaning a ‘bend in the river’.

Tell us one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

Book #1—Gangster in our Midst—will probably always be my favorite. This manuscript was where I learned how to write a novel. I love the story, the characters—and of course, I like the town.

Think of the title of a hugely popular novel. What is one major thing you would change about the book?

I recently read Horse, a novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, by Geraldine Brooks. I’d change the title (boring).

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading all the mystery books written by Twin Cities author Frank Weber, a forensic psychologist, because I believe my future novels can be improved by including more reference to 1800s forensics. Pioneer physicians knew much more about how people died than modern society gives them credit.

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose? Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

Telling the story of Lucy Ann Dean Wiltse (Book #3), it feels like I’m telling some of my life story. She’s independent, strong-willed – and loves children. That that much of her is clearly ME. I also like to think I’d have embraced running a hotel in a small town in the Midwest in the 1800s.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?

Book #3 in the gangster series will tell the fact-based story of a sharp-witted, high-strung embattled woman and pillar in the community, who, along with a young vagrant boy, are at the center of a story of love, addiction, sacrifice, and murder in the 1870s. Release date: Mid-2025.

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?

Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, 125 Years, 1888-2013 (2014), Memoir
We Are Eight, A Memoriam (Memoir 2015)
Gangster in our Midst: Bookkeeper, Lieutenant, and Sometimes Hitman for Al Capone, (2017), Historical Crime Fiction, Book #1 gangster series
The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse: Murder on The Prairie (2021), Historical Crime Fiction, Book #2 gangster series
Before You Go--working title, (mid-2025), Historical Crime Fiction, Book #3 gangster series
Taking a Chance in Deadwood: A Thousand Miles from Boyhood (short story 2024); Minnesota Stories: The Seymore Farm for Offensive Creatures (short story 2022); Thoughts and Prayers for Those Experiencing Loss; Black and White, Divorce at Christmas (poetry 2020); Saints with Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian; Coming Home (short story 2015)