1. How did you develop the concept and characters for the book?

The concept of the book came from my background knowledge and interest in both films, in film production, which I worked in many facets for many years, film history, and Sherlock Holmes. I already wrote three out of four novels in an alternate history series (a subgenre of science fiction / fantasy / time travel) where Arthur Conan Doyle was one of the featured characters, so it only made sense that I expand on that knowledge. You can find out more about those on my website: www.elizabethcrowens.com

Growing up in the Midwest, I had little access to the media sources I do now. We didn’t have streaming services or a cable package with over 100 channels. No internet or YouTube. For years, the only Sherlock Holmes I knew on screen was Basil Rathbone for Saturday matinee or late night movies on television. For my protagonist or heroine, Babs Norman, that answer is explained in Question #3.

2. Tell us about your main characters/s- what makes them tick?

Babs Norman has everything to lose if she doesn’t win this case – her livelihood, her credibility not only for her private detective skills but also as a female business owner, and her residential stability. The last thing in the world she wants is to have to pack her bags, leave Hollywood, and move back home with her mother who will badger her about getting back with her ex-husband, despite him being crazy and abusive. Her business partner is a former actor and a closeted gay male. Back in the forties, you couldn’t be overt. Guy Brandt wants to be respected for what he can contribute rather than being ostracized or looked down upon.

3. Do you identify with your main character, or did you create a character that is

your opposite?

I identify with my main character, Babs Norman, because she’s a fictionalized version of my best friend who was an actress in Hollywood during the 1940s and loved mystery novels, television, and films. She was also a huge animal lover.  If she were still around, she would’ve turned 100 last year.

4. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Watching a lot of films on Turner Classic Movies and reading a lot of books leading to other books about people and events I would’ve never come across otherwise.

5. What books or authors would you recommend to my readers?

The Sherlock Holmes canon (original stories, not pastiches by other authors) by Arthur Conan Doyle would help you understand how Babs solved the case. The one pastiche series, however, I would recommend would be Laurie R. Kings’s Mary Russell series. She’s a headstrong female consulting detective, very much like my heroine, who apprenticed with and eventually married Sherlock Holmes. Those stories take place in a slightly earlier time period.

Book Details:

Genre: Golden Age of Hollywood Humorous Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: March 2024
Number of Pages: 299
Series: A Babs Norman Hollywood Mystery, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads