Please help me welcome today’s guest, author Beth Ford…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I currently live in Virginia, but I like to say I’m from nowhere because I was military brat growing up, so we moved around a lot! I’ve lived on two different Hawaiian islands and went to grad school in Scotland. I’ve been back in Virginia for seven years now, though, and so far it feels like the place I will stay. I live with my two rescue cats. One of them, Rajah, is my miracle cat. When I adopted him he was about 13 and in terrible shape. The vet gave him a prognosis of one to three months to live. I’m happy to say it’s now been five and a half years and he’s still going strong!
Tell us a little about how this book came to be.
I gravitate toward writing historical fiction often. It’s the closest to time travel we can actually get. For me, writing a book is always a long process, but this one was even longer than usual. I actually shelved it for a few years, and when I came back to it last year, I was surprised with how much I still enjoyed it. After another couple rounds of edits and critiques, it has finally made its way into the world!
What was your first job?
I worked at a Blockbuster video in high school—a job that’s archaic nowadays!
How did your interest in writing originate?
I have always wanted to write. At about 8 years old, I drew a picture of myself opening a mailbox to find out if my book had been accepted or rejected. My very first stories were illustrated “Animal Adventure” stories about my and my friends’ pets. As an adult, I realize I am very much not an illustrator, so I stick to writing.
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
They are very supportive of my writing, but of course they aren’t informed about the publication process. Probably like a lot of authors, I’ve experienced my fair share of “Oh, you wrote a book, when is it coming out?” questions, when in reality there are many steps in between writing a book and publishing it.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why?
This is tough, but I really do think that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the perfect story. Some of the imagery is genius, for example this line about Scrooge’s house: “…it must have run there when it was a young house, playing at hide and seek with other houses, and forgotten the way out again”. But I also enjoy every movie version (though I hope we can all agree that A Muppets’ Christmas Carol is far and away the winner). My local professional theater also puts in on every December, and I try to go every year.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
When I was in middle school, my family and I went to Colonial Williamsburg for the day and ended up on the jury of a mock trial with Jamie Lee Curtis who was filming in the area. Her daughter was the defendant and we got to confer with Jamie Lee Curtis to decide her daughter was guilty.
How much of the book is realistic?
I strove to make the book as realistic as possible. When someone says they feel immersed in the time period when they read the story, I take that as a huge compliment. The popularity of the spiritualist movement around that time is also realistic. I found that fairly widespread belief in contacting the dead fascinating, and that is what initially inspired the book.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes, I have a couple of projects that are still unpublished. The one that I am most excited about right now is my time travel romance Love Between Times that will be released November 27 by The Wild Rose Press. When the protagonist’s 21st century life falls apart, a chance to start over and find love comes from an unexpected source: a stranger who needs her help and who may actually be a 14th-century knight.
An epic adventure through the world of the nineteenth-century spiritualist movement.
Blurb:
In 1890, Addy Cohart is determined to defy convention and remain unmarried-until she meets William Fairley, a psychic medium who gives her hope as she grieves the sudden death of her parents. Addy becomes a devotee of the spiritualist movement, but as she takes on a larger role as William’s assistant, she realizes that all may not be as it seems. As the couple moves from New York to London to Paris, Addy is forced to confront the fact that William’s talents may be a ruse, and that he may even be a criminal. She must decide whom to trust and where to place her loyalties. What price is she willing to pay to protect her love and keep her faith?
Excerpt:
Back at the hotel that night, the dark secrets of the séance room still hung over Addy and William, with Addy struggling to speak beneath their weight. Finally, William spoke as he packed away his tools. “You did a good job tonight. Thank you.”
The praise Addy had wanted to hear for so long fell flat against her ears. She said nothing and continued brushing her hair, enjoying feeling its cool reality slide between her fingers.
William sighed. “Is there something you want to say to me, or are you going to pout all night?”
She set down the brush with a slight click against the glass top of the dressing table. “I don’t know what to say, William. It’s too big.”
“What does that mean, ‘it’s too big’?”
It was Addy’s turn to sigh. “Let’s just go to bed. We can talk about it in the morning.” She slid into bed, her back turned coldly toward his side. She heard him pause, considering; then he turned out the light, grabbed his coat, and went back out into the night.
Buy link(s): https://books2read.com/inthetimeofspirits
About the Author:
Beth Ford is a historical fiction author living in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She is the author of the novel In the Times of Spirits and the Cassie Woods, Reporter novella series. Her work has also appeared in a variety of literary journals. You can find more information at http://bethfordauthor.com or contact her at beth@bethfordauthor.com.
Author Alicia Dean 