Meet Betsy

Welcome to my virtual studio. As both a writer and designer, I’m driven by a curiosity about the world. In my studio, I take that curiosity and use it to create new worlds. I write for kids and adults as well as a good deal of freelance non-fiction. Explore to find out more about me, my books, and my thoughts on writing as well as the thoughts of friends who stop by the studio. If you’ve got something you’d like to share reach out to me through the contact form. I’d love to hear from you. Scroll down to read what’s been happening in the studio.

Joy in the Details
Wise Words Betsy Ellor Wise Words Betsy Ellor

Joy in the Details

“I think what’s missing in a lot of writers is an awareness of what’s interesting in your own personal experience. “

Patricia MacLachlan shared so many insights during her keynote address at the Winter Conference of SCBWI, but this quote stood out the most. She was talking about setting the emotional as well as the geographic landscape of our stories. She described how stories need to have a sense of place as well as a sense of being placed emotionally in the heart of real characters. If a writer is to find those two things they need to have . . .

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Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Book Review Betsy Ellor Book Review Betsy Ellor

Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January

The cover of this book is a doorknob and when opened readers are swept into a journey through world after wondrous world created by Harrow through the evocative use of sensory detail. It is gritty soil between fingers, moisture hanging thick in the sea air, and the cracked feel of aged leather as January explores the collection of relics of the imposing mansion that confines her. Opening the book at random I read the lines . . .

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