Featured Interview With Author Paul Bethel
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born here in Nassau, Bahamas. I've lived here all my life, apart from vacations spent in the U.S., Caribbean, U.K. Germany and Israel. The story of my life is so dull, reciting it could be a cure for insomnia. I've worked as a sales clerk, an accountant, in the editorial department of a local newspaper, as an office manager in a natural health clinic, and also did part-time pet-sitting. Whatever paid the bills.
In my thirties, I helped to care for my father, who became a paraplegic seven years before his death; and in my fifties and sixties, I was one of two caregivers for my mother, who suffered from dementia. She died just over a year ago and I converted her house (which I inherited) into two apartments: a one-bedroom for myself and a two-bed/one bath, which I rent out.
Growing up, we always had both dogs and cats. After my last canine friend left me, I decided to keep only one cat. However, fate seems to have decreed that I should become a Crazy Cat Gentleman, and I now feed seven felines outside, in addition to my indoor calico. Thankfully, rabies is not a problem in The Bahamas! Of course I'm single–and, at 64, likely to remain so.
Now semi-retired, I enjoy reading (as one would expect), the beach, and meeting my friends at a local Starbucks. When not working on a novel, article, or short story, I often amuse myself by penning song lyrics, which have gotten a couple of Honorable Mentions in the American Songwriter contests. I'd like to work on music for these sometime, and I do enjoy singing in the small church which I attend regularly. Since they often ASK me to sing solos, I'm assuming that they enjoy my voice–or that they're a group of secret masochists!
I'm also a confirmed technophobe, who doesn't "do" social media and only recently acquired a cellphone, which I'm still trying to figure out–with limited success, I might add. For the moment, I'm still in the 18th Century, and not sure when I'll make it to the 21st.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading or writing something. Certainly from a very early age. A friend of mine recently reminded me how I used to tell stories to the neighborhood kids even when I was quite young. They were often horror stories, which occasionally frightened me as much as my friends! While most of them were reading the adventures of Dick, Jane and Spot, I was more into True Detective and True Romance magazines. No wonder I ended up writing romance and mystery novels!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a lot of "favorite" writers. Some are Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie, Thomas Love Peacock and Paul Gallico. I've been inspired by all of them! Recently I've been reading the Mitford Novels by Jan Karon and the Christian non-fiction of Timothy Keller. Favorite genres include Cozy Mysteries and classic romance, as well as humor/satire.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
THE WHISPERING TONGUES is the third book in my Sussex Mystery Series, published under my pseudonym of Beth Andrews. They feature John and Lydia Savidge, a young married couple in Regency England who have a knack for getting involved in and solving crimes. This book was one I began years ago, put aside to care for my mother, and completed near the end of 2021.
Some readers complained that the second book in the series, THE UNFORGIVING EYE, lacked romance, so I gave them two in this story: the arranged marriage between Anthea and Gideon, which quickly becomes much more; and the budding romance between Rachel and Quentin, which provides some comic relief, especially from the over-the-top character of Rachel. But the plot revolves around the need to restore Anthea's shattered reputation and discover what happened to a missing servant.
There have been objections to the depiction of antisemitism in the novel. I wanted to explore an aspect of Regency society which rarely makes it into standard historical mysteries. However, since the overall tone of the series is lighthearted rather than heavy, I didn't want this to dominate the plot. To me, humor is a way of opening people's minds to things they might otherwise choose to ignore–and the contrast between Serious and Funny makes the former stand out in relief and stay in the minds of readers. If I'm mistaken in this, at least it's an honest mistake. A few readers have erroneously assumed that all the Jewish characters in the story are converts to Christianity. Actually, this only applies to Gideon. I chose to present him that way so there would not be another unnecessary complication in his relationship with Anthea,, who is Anglican. They have enough to deal with! If the distinction is not always clear, that is hardly surprising, as cultural assimilation was advancing rapidly and it was not always easy for non-Jews to tell the difference between the orthodox and the newly-converted, since many who remained in the faith abandoned traditional cultural and religious norms and practices.
I consider this book more of a suspense story than a traditional mystery, and took my cue from THE TALISMAN RING by Georgette Heyer. It's one of my old favorites–and one of her funniest, in my opinion. It's a book I often re-read when feeling ill or depressed! My style, however, is influenced more by Jane Austen than by Heyer. I don't try to recreate a detailed picture of the Regency period, but merely to create an impression of it, particularly through dialogue. Although I do as much research as possible, I have been known to make more than my share of mistakes! In the end, the reader must decide on the success or failure of any work.
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