I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Beth Ford. Today, Beth shares her creative journey and new release, Crimes and Crevices of the Heart.

Here’s Beth!

What was your inspiration for this book?

I think the time period and some of the themes started circulating in my brain as I watched Miss Scarlett and the Duke, a TV series I love. I enjoyed the dynamic between the tour-de-force that is the female lead and the detective who is not quite so gung-ho. But I moved my setting to New York City and had my character be a journalist to tie into my interest with writing. I also wanted Cassie to be like an early Nellie Bly.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

The creativity is the best part, along with getting to hear from and meet anyone who has enjoyed your books—it’s a delight every time. Like many authors, I think the parts I enjoy less are around the administrative and marketing tasks—the less “fun” stuff.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy flower gardening; I’m very proud of my rose bushes and my peonies. I eagerly anticipate spring every year when I get out all my pots to decorate the front porch. I also enjoy traveling. This year, I made it to Switzerland to celebrate my 40th birthday!

Any advice for aspiring writers?

It takes a lot of work, so keep at it and don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to share your work with others, whether that’s critique groups or publishing and sending your book out into the world. You can’t do this alone—other people’s input is critical although learning what to take and what to leave is an art in itself.

What are you working on next?

My current work in progress is a time travel romance that brings readers back to the earliest days of Hollywood. In Past Productions, an underappreciated female production assistant and a spoiled actor wake up in 1913 Hollywood and must work together to make it home in time to restore the reputation of an early female movie executive, the subject of their present-day biopic.

Blurb

Cassie Woods yearns to be a real journalist. But in 1880s New York City, her only assignments are women’s interest stories. Until, that is, a cookbook author she’s meant to interview goes missing and Cassie finds herself in the midst of a police investigation involving one of the city’s major crime families. Surly but handsome Detective O’Neill threatens repercussions to her career if she continues to interfere. Will Cassie get in over her head or will she save the day and solve the mystery?

This collection contains seven connected stories, each centered on an exciting new case for Cassie to solve while navigating the highs and lows of her relationship with Detective O’Neill.

Excerpt

When Cassie arrived at the factory’s address late that afternoon, the quiet surprised her. At this time of day, a garment factory should be noisy, machines running and girls tending to their work. The factory was a small building on a side street, but still. Something was off.

A man walked out and leaned against the doorjamb. He slowly lit a cigarette, watching her the whole time. It looked suspicious to stand in the street staring back, so Cassie forced her feet into motion. As she neared him, she saw the man had a long, jagged scar crossing one cheek.

Before she reached him, a group of men walking casually down the street surrounded her, dragging her along with them. When they reached an alley, one of the men grabbed her elbow and shoved her down the narrow passage. The rest stood behind her, blocking the exit.

“What are you—” She halted as a man emerged from the shadows. He strode toward her, hands in his pockets. A slice of light fell across his eyes.

She relaxed.

“Detective O’Neill. What on earth is going on? Your men—”

“My men just saved you, Miss Woods. You don’t want to draw the attention of one of the Tiatelli henchmen.” He took another step closer. She smelled a faint waft of cologne. “I thought I told you not to interfere in my investigation.”

“I’m not interfering—”

“What do you call waltzing into the middle of my stakeout, then?”

Author Bio and Links

Beth Ford writes historical and time travel stories that transport you in time. She is the author of the novels In the Times of Spirits, Love Between Times, Love Across Time, and After the Spirits Come: A Continuation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. She also writes the Cassie Woods, Reporter historical mystery romance novella series. Her work has also appeared in a variety of literary journals. She lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Website | X | BlueSky | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Beth Ford will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Beth on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.