Sample interview with Bettyanne Bruin who is one of the authors of:

Shattered: Six Steps from Betrayal to Recovery

1) What are you hoping will happen as a result of our having helped you attract publicity?
I am grateful for the positive impact that has already happened as a result of the many shows I have been on, positive input that has come through the many e-mails The National Coalition for Emotional Abuse Awareness has received. E-mails expressing appreciation of the information and the motivation listeners receive in knowing emotional abuse/betrayal prevention and recovery is possible. I hope more and more people will become aware of the signs of emotional abuse/betrayal and know that emotional abuse/betrayal recovery is possible.

2) What would you like to talk about on radio talk shows?
I enjoy discussing all of the many red flags that indicate someone might be in an emotionally abusive/betrayal relationship, how to confront the betrayer, how to make the right choices concerning what to do about this relationship and how to recover or prevent emotional abuse/betrayal in the first place..

3) What would you like to be known as?
I am grateful for the recognition The National Coalition for Emotional Abuse Awareness has already received and the national attention the book, Shattered, continues to attract as a result of the many countless numbers of people who are starved for information on this subject. Because emotional abuse always precedes physical abuse, the resources the NCFEAA has to offer and the information found in Shattered can actually be physically and emotionally life-saving..

4) If you have done interviews before on your subject, think about those interviews for a moment. What were the five most common questions the media usually asked you?
When it comes to betrayal, what are the signs to look for? Once you suspect someone is betraying you, what is the next step – how should you handle this? How does a person  recover from the devastating effects of betrayal (what are the six steps outlined in your book)? What are some of the stories you’ve heard and how are these people doing now?

5) Other than perhaps having written a book, what qualifies you to talk about this topic?
I have had personal experience with betrayal. Plus, I have met so many people who have suffered from similar situations — including Thelma Soares, whose son-in-law, Mark Hacking, murdered Thelma’s daughter, Lori, after Lori  had learned Mark was not enrolled in medical school like he had led her to believe. I continue to make the comment, Thelma actually suffered two deaths – the physical death of her daughter and the emotional death that came as a result of learning Thelma had become a victim to Mark’s lies and the world he had created for both Lori and Thelma. Interestingly enough, all of the stories from the people I have met share some amazingly common threads, from perpetrator to victim.

6) What did you do prior to your present career? (Please list any interesting jobs or life experiences you've had which might be of interest to people).
I have been an author for over twenty years, having had countless articles published in local, national and international newspapers, magazines and other corporations, plus five nationally published books: Condolences and Eulogies (Sterling Publishing), The Rainbow Bridge Fourth Grade Comprehension Book (Rainbow Bridge Publishing), Teenager’s Quote Book (Cedar Fort, Inc.) and, You Know You’re a Mother When…(Cedar Fort, Inc.).

7) One thing that many great guests often have is a strong personal story about what led them to do what they're doing now. What's your personal story? In other words, why did you write this book or create whatever it is you're promoting?
My passion is endless when it comes to this subject. After seeing the struggle one must go through to survive the unexpected trauma of betrayal, plus, after meeting so many people who had successfully survived this dilemma along with the many struggling to survive, I still feel strongly about word getting out to people that they can survive emotional abuse/betrayal. Plus, in this case, the government truly is not doing enough, mainly because emotional abuse has always hid in the shadows of physical abuse. While great strides have been made in the area of physical abuse recovery programs, the time has come for emotional abuse to be recognized solely on its own, so resources can become available for those who need it most. Even our own government is willing to admit emotional abuse carries the deepest wounds, yet emotional abuse continues to be overlooked on their sites and is, amazingly enough, officially defined only up until the age of eighteen.

8) What's the problem you help people solve?
The problem of possibly entering a relationship that might lead to emotional abuse or betrayal. The problem of how to handle a relationship where emotional abuse/ betrayal might already be taking place.  The problem of how to recover from this devastating crime

9) Is this problem serious? If so, how?
Nearly everyone has been affected by emotional abuse and/or betrayal. Because everyone is involved in many different types of relationships, sometimes we find we may have paired up with someone who might not to be the person he or she has led us to believe he or she is. That person might be a partner in a personal relationship, a business relationship, friend or family member.

10) Assume that there are a lot of other people whom the media could find to discuss this topic. What makes you different? What do you say that others don't say? What, if anything, are you willing to discuss that others are not?
I love lively discussion. I am comfortable talking about all that surrounds cheating spouses, sordid secrets, signs to look for and how to recover. I always say, if suddenly and unexplainably you find you are fast becoming the enemy in your relationship, you  are most likely fast becoming the victim of emotional abuse or betrayal.

11) Can you help people solve or avoid a serious problem? If so, how would you dramatize the problem on the air?  Do you have any stories, facts, research, audio clips, video clips, props, you could use?
Yes, I can. Through stories, facts and research. Fact: Therapists are willing to admit that 60 -70 percent of their clients are in therapy as a result of being betrayed. Story: Mark Hacking convinced wife and family he was enrolled in medical school, including carrying around a backpack filled with books and stethoscope, when he wasn’t. When Lori discovered this, Mark murdered her. Male victim in Shattered reports finding notes from wife’s lover. She spends more and more time spent away from home. Not wanting to believe reality, he finally had no choice but to accept what was to him the unthinkable.

12) When is your topic usually in the news ?
Daily. Recently, Peggy Jo Conner led her husband to believe she was pregnant and that delivery was just around the corner. Not pregnant, Peggy Jo is caught extracting the baby from her neighbor’s womb. Her husband is left dumbfounded.

13) Why should people care about what you have to say?
Because no one wants to get hurt. No one likes the pain that comes from relationships, especially the horrific pain that comes from being innocently duped.

14) What, if anything, could you do with callers or a live studio audience?
Listen, share compassion and offer insightful answers to their questions and provide options to consider regarding their circumstance.

15) If you had to make people laugh--or at least smile a little--by talking about some aspect of your topic, what would you talk about?
As the author of a humor book (“You Know You’re a Mother When…” Cedar Fort Inc.) and the author of countless humorous articles, and one who embraces life and looks for all of the variety and spice life has to offer, I have no problem engaging in upbeat, positive dialogue on the survival aspects of this subject and talking about the nuttiness of the people who seek to betray.

16) If you had to make people feel angry or uncomfortable by talking about some aspect of your topic, what would you talk about?
I would talk to them about the senseless pain suffered by innocent people as a result of someone else’s decision. I would talk about the government’s primitive stand on this subject and the people who struggle to get the help they need as a result. Believe me, from the interviews I’ve already done, I have always left them with tons to think about. Each interviewer has always said, “Hmm, maybe I better take another look at my own relationship and probe a little further into some things I may have let pass me by!”

17) If you have to raise a controversial question that relates to this topic in some way, what would that question be?
The controversial question of, Who are YOU really involved with. The controversy surrounding why emotional abuse continues to be so overlooked and what needs to be done to solve this.

18) What's the biggest emotional reaction people have that is associated with this topic?
Fear that they are being abused or betrayed, plus anger that a betrayer knows how to get away with this and hurt innocent people.

19) If you had to create a memorable name for yourself, what would it be?
Dedicated, Highly Motivated and Energetic Leader in Advocating National Emotional Abuse Awareness

20) What do people hate or dread the most about your topic?
They hate the fear that comes with the possibility that they might be involved with someone who has betrayed them. They hate the betrayers.

21) Does your topic affect men more than women or vice versa? PROBABLY More women, but, more and more stories are being told about women who have betrayed or emotionally abused men and the difficulty men have in getting the help they need to recover.

22) What is the one action you want people to take after hearing you on the radio or reading about you in a newspaper or trade publication?
That people will get the help they may need to recover from emotional abuse and/or betrayal. That people will go to the ncfeaa.com website and have a desire to join the coalition and help other people.

23) Is there anything else you want us to know?
That I love to engage in lively discussion. That I research each city I interview with, to get a feel for what’s going on in that area and feel a personal connection with the people.

24) Where can people buy your book?
Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, local bookstores, mapletreepublishing.com.

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