Author Meet & Greet: Sue Rovens Interviews Carol Ford

Earlier this week, I had the honor of being interviewed by Sue Rovens, an author who also enjoys spotlighting other authors and getting to know them and their works. Sue is a suspense/psychological-horror indie author who is an active member of the Chicago Writers Association. In addition, Sue loves Hogan's Heroes and is a great fan of Bob Crane! Below is a segment from my interview with Sue, followed by the link where you can read my interview in its entirety. Thank you so much, Sue, for this fantastic opportunity! Discover all of the authors Sue has interviewed by visiting her website — https://suerovens.com/

Sue Rovens: How has writing changed/altered your life?

Carol Ford: In a word: Profoundly.

Researching Bob Crane and writing his biography introduced me to some of the most amazing people I have ever had the honor and privilege to know. I wouldn’t trade one second of any of it for the world. These are/were some of the most beautiful and precious people, and I’m not just saying that because they knew or are related to Bob. Each has touched my life and made me a better person in ways I can’t even begin to explain.

I’ve also had to sharpen my public speaking skills. Nobody tells you that when you publish a book, especially a biography about a public figure, that you’ll have to give presentations about it, be interviewed on the radio about it, and even go on TV about it! Having written and published Bob’s biography has pushed me way outside my comfort zone to do things I normally would never have had the courage to do.

I have come to absolutely love giving presentations about Bob Crane, which I do annually at the MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention (held each September in Hunt Valley, Maryland) and the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio (home of the official Hogan’s Heroes prop and uniform display). I love watching my audience—and it doesn’t matter if it’s five people or fifty people or a hundred people—absorb what I tell them. Many often attend my presentations with preconceived notions about Bob based on incomplete or inaccurate information, and as I go through his life from birth to death, I can physically see their faces change. They realize how much they didn’t know about him, and they see him in a new light.

My favorite story will always be about the first time I gave a presentation at the MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention. One lady kept coming up to my table in the vendor hall, and she kept saying how much she used to love Hogan’s Heroes, but how she couldn’t watch it because of what she thought she knew of Bob Crane. I was scheduled to give the last presentation of the convention, and I urged her to attend. .She said she’d think about it. So the day came for my presentation (and I was terribly nervous!), and afterwards, she approached the podium to see me. I recognized her, and I said, “I’m so glad you decided to come!” And she said, and I’ll never forget it, “Thank you. You have changed my negative perception of Bob Crane and given me my show back.” That is when it hits you, that you’re doing more than just writing/publishing a book or going around giving talks. You are righting a wrong. That is why I keep going and will always keep going.

For the full interview, click here.

Photos: Top — Carol Ford at the 2018 MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention. Center — Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater, August 2006, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, working on Bob Crane's biography. Bottom — Carol Ford and Dee Young October 2008, trespassing and exploring WICC's Booth Hill location, Trumbull, Connecticut. Below — Bob Crane, circa 1951-1952, at the WLIZ/WICC studios, Bridgeport, Connecticut.