Betsy Haynes of Marco Island Florida Author of Bone Chillers

PARADISE ON THE GULF IS ALSO WHERE
BONE CHILLING
MONSTERS ARE HATCHED

Among the many full time residents of Marco Island, is Betsy Haynes, author of the BONE CHILLERS book series for kids which has been turned into a continuing, live action Saturday morning television series by ABC TV. BONE CHILLERS (HarperPaperbacks) is the latest of Betsy's work which has included three earlier book series: TAFFY SINCLAIR, THE FABULOUS FIVE and BOY TALK as well as a number of individual titles. Betsy has written over seventy books, several of which have been acclaimed by organizations such as the American Library Association. BONE CHILLERS isn't Betsy's first venture into the television market. Her book THE GREAT MOM SWAP was ABC's feature presentation on prime time TV one Saturday night last September starring Shelley Fabares and Sid Caesar.

Betsy will be doing more than just watching her BONE CHILLER books unfold on the television screen. The production company, Hyperion, and ABC asked her to do public service announcements that are being aired during the episodes. Regarding her network television debut, in Betsy's own words: "It was awesome! I met the cast and crew on a Friday when they were filming the show. They were all young and energetic. There was electricity in the air. We went back on Saturday and Sunday when they weren't filming the show to do my PSA's and arrived on the set around 8:30am. I spent a full hour in makeup. There were around twenty-five people, including the director and his assistant, wardrobe, camera, light and sound, there all to work with me. It was scarey at first, but they soon made me feel at home."

The force behind the BONE CHILLERS being turned into a television series is Fred Silverman, the former head of programming for ABC, CBS and NBC. Silverman got his start in children's TV in the 1970's when he helped develop Scooby-Doo, a series about a wacky dog who winds up in a lot of haunted houses. The series was syndicated and is still on Saturday morning television. About the BONE CHILLERS series, Silverman said: "I figured if we could produce a comedy horror show with continuing characters, we had the opportunity for a gargantuan-sized hit."

How does Betsy get her off-kilter ideas for the stories? "They're everywhere," says Betsy. "One day my husband, Jim, and I were out walking our dogs and I accidentally stepped on a fire ant hill. That was the genesis of the book, ATTACK OF THE KILLER ANTS, in which two boys were captured by giant ants and taken down into their tunnels to become slaves.

As you might expect, Betsy's life isn't all horror stories. How could it be living in a place like Marco Island? One of Betsy's favorite pastimes is boating. Jim, who is also a writer, is Commodore of the Marco Bay Yacht Club. They enjoy overnight cruises to the Keys and other locations (they write and betsy.gif - 18.0 K

produce an annual murder-mystery cruise for the club), boating to restaurants, backwater cruises and beach picnics. One of their annual events is boating to Kice Island for Thanksgiving dinner on the beach with a number of their friends. Someone always brings along silver candlesticks and a centerpiece to add a touch of formality to the occasion. What are the words to Jimmy Buffet's song -- changes in latitude, changes in attitude? Adding a few monsters doesn't change their meaning at all.

	Television Series	Book Signing	Photo Gallery

Photos and Information Provided by Betsy and Jim Haynes