The Betty Byrd Britt Interview.

🎾 Meet Betty Byrd Britt — educator, author, and USA Pickleball ambassador from North Carolina! 🏓 Her debut adult mystery, Dangerous Doubles, takes readers on a suspense-filled ride through the world of pickleball, where competition turns deadly. From teaching and coaching to rescuing cats and inspiring communities, Betty’s story is one of lifelong learning and joyful reinvention. 🌟 We talk passion, purpose, and the art of writing mysteries that surprise and delight. Tune in for a heartwarming and witty conversation about books, sports, and second acts. 📚💬

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Website www.ByrdBritt.com.
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are now listening to Vigilantes Radio, presented by the
only One Media Group. This is the people's choice, but
quality interviews celebrities and special guests, hosted by Demitrius Denny Reynolds.
Call in to join the mix at seven oh one
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(00:24):
like us on Facebook at Vigilantes Radio. We welcome all
enjoy the show. Ladies and gentlemen, Please welcome your host
Demitrius who Demi Black Reynolds. Enjoy the show.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Good morning, Good morning, Good morning, and welcome to Vigilantes
Radio live right here on iHeartRadio, and I am your host, Dini.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
We have a very special guest for you guys, and.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
I do have to say that this particular episode is
is pre recorded, so I can't wait to deliver it
to your inboxes and for you guys to subscribe to
the show, you'll be the first to know, and I
always appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Before I bring my.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Guests on, I do want to say that this is
the frequency of the fearless. You know, sometimes life serves
us a curveball, or in this case, a pickleball our
guest today proves that it's never too late to discover
a new passion or reinvent your story. From classrooms to courts,

(01:37):
from cats to crime fiction, She's blended education, competition, and
creativity into one unforgettable journey.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Her pen turns.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Play into a plot twist, and small town charm into
big mystery energy.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
You're not just here for a talk show.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
And this isn't just radio, This is revival for your mind, body,
and spirit. This is Vigilanti's Radio Live. My name is Kashdini,
and change is possible. Are you ready?

Speaker 4 (02:19):
Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? Well,
let's go, let's go.

Speaker 5 (02:51):
It started as a perfect day, but that illusion shattered
when private detective Emma Bergmann found her women's double partner
unconscious on her kitchen floor. This was no accident. The
police called it a tragedy. But as the bodies of

(03:12):
top players piled up, each death suspiciously accidental, Emma knew
a sinister motive was behind it all. This would be
the biggest challenge of her career. The deception runs deep
on the competitive pickleball circuit. To find the killer, Emma
has to join the game, traveling from Lumberton to Asheville

(03:32):
and back. In this world of high stakes, dinks and slams,
Emma must compete to uncover the truth, where every player
is a suspect, where the competition is deadly and the
stakes are life and death, deception, murder and winning collide.
Can Emma figure out who's behind this deadly plot or
will she be the next player to fall on the
court Dangerous Doubles by Bird Brit Get your copy to day.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
All right, all right again, Welcome to the show. You're
listening to VRL. That is Vigilantes Radio live right here
on iHeart Radio. My name is Adini and I'm your host.
Our interviews are designed to go beyond music, news, books, art, acting, films, technology, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, spirituality,

(04:57):
and sometimes even past that thing that we call the ego.
Our interviews are designed to go behind the scenes into
the minds of these brilligent people, you know, the ones
that are out there giving it. They're all for me,
for you, and for the world. Well, ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the show. Born and raised in Larbington, North Carolina,

(05:23):
Betty Bird Britt has warn many hats teacher, coach, animal advocate,
and now mystery author.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
After decades and education.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
And corporate training, she returned home to blend her love
for storytelling in sport. Her latest release, Dangerous Doubles, brings
readers into the competitive and unpredictable world of pickle ball,
where serves and secrets collide. Passionate about both writing and

(05:57):
rescue work, she fires others to stay curious and keep
playing with that. Let's say a warm welcome friend to
Betty Bird Britt.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
Good morning, good morning.

Speaker 6 (06:13):
Good morning. How are you doing pretty good?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
How are you to.

Speaker 6 (06:17):
I'm good, thank you, excited to be here and we
are excited to have you before.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
We really just dive deep into everything. What's been on
your heart and mine lately?

Speaker 6 (06:32):
Well, I guess missing playing pickleball. I have a stress
fracture and can't get out on the court, so that
has been frustrating. But also working on my next books already,
so that's been pretty much it.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
Awesome.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Well, that sounds productive, and we wish you a speedy
recovery so you can get back to pickleball.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yes, how long have you played football?

Speaker 6 (07:05):
I started playing back in January of twenty twenty three
fell in love with this sport and them playing. Ever since,
I played a lot of tournaments. I actually became the
USA Pickleball Ambassador for my county. I loved it so much,
so I work on promoting the sport throughout my county

(07:28):
with recreational players, and we're growing this sport every day.
We've got more and more players coming out and building
new courts, and so I've been actively involved with that as.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
I started playing, Oh wow, that is incredible, okay, ambassador
and telling us that you're pro without saying so.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Yeah, yeah, that is so incredible.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
All right, So let's start with the dangerous doubles. How
did you decide to mix murder, mystery, and pickleball together
in one story.

Speaker 6 (08:06):
Well, in the past, I've written mainly children's books, but
I read constantly and I read mostly mystery novels, and
so I started thinking about maybe trying to do something
new and write something that I hadn't risked for. And
since I love mysteries, I decided I would write a

(08:29):
mystery novel. And being that I played pickleball on a
regular basis, I thought it might be interesting to as
the tude together and put a little spin on the
mystery and add pickleball in and so that's sort of
where it began. And just as one day, I actually

(08:49):
was sitting in the waiting room getting ready to have
a mammogram of all things, and an idea came to
me about how to write it, and so that's sort
of how it got just got started awesome.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
And the setting is in your hometown.

Speaker 6 (09:09):
It is. The setting is in Lumberton, North Carolina, and
Lumberton is a small little town about twenty thousand people,
but a lot of people do know us because we're
on Inner State ninety five. So as people go from
New York to Florida in the winter and then back
in the summer back up to New York, they passed

(09:30):
through to Lumberton, So I guess we're sort of known
for that. But it's just a small little town. And
I decided to put that as the main scene. And
then in the book we travel to Raleigh in Greensboro
and Asheville and then back to Lumberton, so it sort

(09:51):
of covers around the state, not just in Lumberton.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
Wow, And I guess did that help with writing because
the sh that's familiar with.

Speaker 6 (10:01):
To you, it did because I mentioned different landmarks in
this city. You know, there's a scene at the hospital.
I did change the name of the hospital and the
name of like the elementary school that is across the
street from but everything else is the location and everything

(10:22):
is I kept the same. But it did it make
it interesting. And the lead character, Emma Bergman, who is
a private detective, has her office downtown across from the courthouse.
And my father had his law office downtown across from
the courthouse, and so I sort of us a similar

(10:44):
location to what I grew up going to, which was
his office, and I put it as her office, and
so that sort of made it easy to write about
the way it looked and felt.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
Yeah, is the time current in the story.

Speaker 6 (11:01):
It is. It's current day twenty twenty five basically, so
it is current day.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yes, Okay, As you mentioned the main character, her name
is Emma Bergman, all right, she feels both relatable and
the razor sharp. How much of Betty is an Emma?

Speaker 6 (11:22):
Well, I go by Bird, so we'll go with Bird.
The name I go by is my middle name, which
is Bird. So but anyway, yes, the character there is
some similarity. I wrote the book in first person, so
there's a little bit of Bird mixed in there with

(11:44):
the character, maybe using my imagination of what I thought
might be fun as being a private detective. So sort
of mix between imagination and reality, I guess.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
And you're a You know, bird is a very cool
name to have a name is bird? I will go
by a bird also.

Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, yeah, So what drew you two? Set the story
across North Carolina from Raley to Asheville, and how does
your home state inspire your writing voice?

Speaker 6 (12:19):
Well, I've actually lived in several different places in North Carolina.
I lived in Raleigh and went to school. I went
to a boarding school with Saint Mary's in Raleigh, and
so I wanted to bring that in. And then I
lived in Greensboro, so I thought a little touch of
Greensboro in And my sister lives in Asheville, North Carolina,

(12:45):
and so I thought I would bring that part in
just to sort of round it out and maybe make
it more relatable to people, not just in Lumberton, but
in different parts of North Carolina. We have such an
interesting state and a lot of variety, and so I
tried to put that into the book.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
Nice and as I mentioned earlier, pickleball is a part
of this story, and it's a part of your real life.
It seemed to come as a passion later on in
life on what do you love most about the game?

Speaker 6 (13:20):
Well, I think, well, I grew up playing tennis and
so there's a lot of similarity between tennis and pickleball,
and I had been inactive for a number of years,
and when I stepped on the pickleball court and hit
the ball for the first time, it just felt like home,

(13:40):
is how I can describe it. It just felt like the
right place to be. And it's a very social game played.
Most people play deviles, so you're constantly interacting with other people,
and that was something that I had missed in life.
Once I moved back to Lumberton, didn't have a whole

(14:02):
lot of friends, And when I started playing pickleball, I
started meeting people of all different backgrounds and so that
drew me to it. And then the competitive nature. I
tend to be a very competitive person, and so the
competition between the games just it's just so much fun

(14:24):
and so there was that competitive side to it that
I got to do. But I think also, and this
may sound funny, but just hitting the heck out of
the ball is a lot of fun. Just you know,
hit it as hard as you can sometimes and softer
other times. But it's just a lot of fun. We
say a lot of times pickleball equals fun, fitness, and friends.

(14:49):
It sort of incorporates all of those into the game
because you do get a pretty good workout as well
as the competition and meeting peop people. So that's sort
of what drew me to it.

Speaker 3 (15:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, and now as the USA Pickleball Ambassador, you're helping
others find a community through the sport.

Speaker 6 (15:12):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
How does yeah, how does this role so feel your
creativity or feel your creativity and your personality.

Speaker 6 (15:22):
Well, let's see. I guess as far as personality, welcoming
people of all backgrounds, I try to not single out anybody,
you know, but just to welcome people of all backgrounds.
And that's what we do in pickleball is you sort
of leave everybody, I don't know their story in the

(15:45):
background and you just bring them in and have the
fun of the game and play. And I guess the
creativity I'm not sure exactly, Maybe just in having tournaments
and play different games and the strategy involved. I have
a friend that I practiced with quite a bit, and

(16:08):
we do a lot of different drill and we have
to be creative to think of the different drills to
do prepares to play better in tournaments and stuff. So wow, yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
You are truly an expert. Absolutely, that's incredible. And I
know people like, why are you asking questions about pickleball? Well,
kickleball is a part of Dangerous Doubles, And she's right.

Speaker 6 (16:38):
And it's also the fastest growing sport in the US.
There's over fifty million people have tried pickleball and twenty
million people played on a regular basis, and so you know,
it's become a very popular sport.

Speaker 3 (16:53):
Oh yeah, that's a huge market. Twenty million. Yeah, that's
the players right now. Oh yeah, that's right. Yes, wow, Okay, So.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
A lot of authors I interview have writing companions.

Speaker 3 (17:09):
You're like, Deanie, what are you talking about.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
Talking about pets? You have Jack, Sally Cricket, ZeVA Doude.
They ever help with the creative process? And did they
help with Dangerous Doubles?

Speaker 6 (17:22):
You know, actually they do, They're they play a part
in the book. I did use my actual pets names
the cats. I've got four cats, and they're in the book.
One of the cats, ZeVA in the book got the
main character adopts her from her picklebell partner who dies

(17:48):
in the book mysteriously, and so she adopts Viva the cat,
and she ZeVA actually plays a role in s of
solving the crime at the end of the book. And
so I tried to incorporate their personalities into the book,

(18:09):
just to give a little different flavor. And there's also
a dog in the book. I had a dog at
the time that I was writing the book named Tatsu,
but he passed away this past July, so I'm sort
of glad I added him into the book. I added
sort of his little personality into the book as well.

(18:31):
So hopefully people that are pet lovers will appreciate having
the dog and the cats and the book as well.

Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah, that speaks to my language. I'm a cat lover.
And they have so many, so much personality.

Speaker 6 (18:48):
Oh they do.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
This past three years I had two brothers, two kittens m.

Speaker 3 (18:57):
Living together.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right, They chase each other, wrestle at each other. Not
so much things now as they all know, I'll get
brothers again.

Speaker 6 (19:09):
Yes, Well, my four cats are all of rescues, and
they all have their different personalities, that's for sure, Just
like the little humans. We all have our different personalities.
And one of my cats, Cricket, I adopted and I
was actually fostering her and decided to keep her. But

(19:33):
an interesting little story about her. She is so afraid
of everything. And this past January I moved to a
new house and in the midst of packing and everything
and the movers coming and going from the house, I
thought maybe she got lost and had gotten out of
the house. I couldn't find her when I went to

(19:53):
move all the cats over, and so for seventeen days
she was missing. And that whole time she was in
the house and we never could find her. And I
finally had to put a trap out to catch her
to bring her over to the new house. And so
the other cats all came with, you know, no trouble,

(20:16):
but having the different personalities, she was just something else
seventeen days that took the capture to bring her to
the new house.

Speaker 3 (20:25):
Hmm wow.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
Okay, So, as someone who's constantly evolving, what new challenges
are genres?

Speaker 3 (20:39):
Are you teious to explore next?

Speaker 6 (20:42):
Well? I think one challenge is to write another adult
mystery book that I found very challenging compared to when
I've written the children's books. The children's books, seeing you know,
they're shorter in linked, so they come a lot faster

(21:04):
in my mind when I'm writing it, and with the
adult books they're much longer. You're you know, a children's
picture book is less than a thousand words, and an
adult mystery novella you're up to thirty five thousand words,
and a novel you're at sixty thousand plus words. So

(21:24):
that I find extremely challenging to write. And so I've
already sort of started thinking about the next book to
write now so that it can be released next year.
It takes a long time once you've written a book
for it to go through the whole publishing process. So

(21:45):
I've already written the next children's books that'll come out,
children's book that'll come out next year, and the challenge
is now to sit down and write the adult mystery
which will be a follow up, and then the second
book in the series, the Emma Burgman Mystery series.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
That's awesome, awesome, awesome.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
Okay, So there is a process to publishing a book,
and you describe yourself as an encourager. What advice do
you have for anyone who's waiting for the right time
to chase a new dream or to sit down and
write their own book right.

Speaker 6 (22:24):
Well, one thing, you have to just sit down and
do it. A lot of people think about writing books.
I've heard, you know, people say, oh, I've had this
book in mind for years. Well, the first step is
to sit down and actually start writing the book. And
then once you've write it, you have to be very

(22:45):
patient deciding whether first or even to self published, or
you try to go traditional publisher. My last book is
then with a traditional publisher pushing publishing, and you have
to be patient as you're seeking out that publisher and
not give up hope. And then you have to be patient.

(23:09):
There's a lot of patients involved in being an author.
Once you send the book the manuscript to your publisher,
you have to be patient as they go through the
editing and then the layouts, and then putting it out
into the you know, out to be actually published, releasing it.

(23:32):
That all takes fix the eight months. And then with
like if you're doing a children's book, you've got illustrations
to do on top of all of that, and so
patience is a big part of it. But if it's
something you really want to do, I say go for
it and do it. It's very fulfilling. Whether you sell

(23:55):
one book or a million books, just having that finished
product demand is very fulfilling.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah, I could imagine.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
And when readers look back on your books, even your
children's books, what do you hope they take away about courage,
capassion and second chances.

Speaker 6 (24:16):
Well, I hope they can take a take from them
the love for other people and being open to having friends.
With the children's books, there's a lot of adventure going
on and a lot of meeting new friends and being
kind to everyone, And so I hope that plays a

(24:40):
part in all of my books, being kind to everyone
and of people of all backgrounds. I hope that's that's
a big part of it.

Speaker 3 (24:51):
Yes, yes, all right, this is a fun one.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
If Dangerous Doubles were adopted for film, who would play
Imma Bergman?

Speaker 3 (25:02):
And would you make a cameo on the pickleball Court?

Speaker 6 (25:07):
Let's see, I think who would play Emma Bergman. Let's see,
maybe Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm thinking that because Emma Bergman
is in her fifties in plus the sixty, So it
would be someone that has some you know, that's a

(25:29):
little older, not necessarily in their thirties, but someone that's
lived life. And then the cameo would be Annelie Waters,
who is the number one female pickleball player. If I
could have her show up and do a little cameo
on one of the courts, that would be just awesome.

(25:50):
She's only I think seventeen right now, but she turned
pro when she was twelve and is just an amazing person,
you know. To have her step on the cord in
a movie would be awesome.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
Absolutely. Would you make a cameo as well?

Speaker 6 (26:09):
Oh yeah, that would be great, Sure, sure, a little
walkin saying yeah, that would be wonderful. All right, all.

Speaker 3 (26:19):
Right, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.

Speaker 2 (26:22):
That was Betty Bird Britt or better known as Bird,
a storyteller who proves that purpose and play can share
the same court. Her new mystery, Dangerous Doubles, is available
now that blends suspense, Southern charm, and heart. You can
visit birdbritt dot com to explore her books, learn more

(26:45):
about her work with kats and pickleball, and leave a
review if you love what you read. My name is
Coach Deeny, reminding you, no matter the score, deep swinging,
you've tapped into the frequency of the fearless.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
Thank you so much, bird, Thank you have a great morning.

Speaker 7 (27:08):
Peace to all. My name is Deni and I am
the host of Vigilantes Radio Live. I think that we
are beyond just asking cool questions and giving cool responses.
I think that we are here as creatives to provide

(27:30):
an example that you can do things different outside of expectations,
because some of us simply were not born into the club.
But there is perhaps a door window or back gate
that we can leave a clue for you to get into.

(27:50):
Life is short, but there are plenty of moments to
try and get it right. Pursuing your dreams and learning
from mistakes may be tough, but regret it's tough to
book your interview. Email us at v radio at only
one media dot com that's a v as a victorious

(28:13):
or visit only one media dot com. I'm counting on you, Heaven.
We all are counting on you to step into your
purpose and your passion. You are listening to Vigilantes Radio
Live on iHeartRadio, providing you with an opportunity to dive.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
Mburn you and now listening to vigil Lances Radio, the

(29:03):
people's choice for quality interviews, art, music, and art topics,
hosted by Demetrius Houdini Black Reynolds. All episodes of this
podcast are available for free download at www. Dot only
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