Beth Andrews

Do not be shocked by the accompanying photo. This Beth Andrews is NOT female. She is also not a woman trapped in a man’s body. She doesn’t write for Harlequin and isn’t an American. “She” happens to be a male, born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, whose real name is Paul Bethel. Paul has been writing poems and short stories for as long as he can remember. He adopted the name “Beth Andrews” in the early 1990s, when his first romance short stories were published in magazines like “Romantic Interludes.” Little did he know then how many other writers would publish under the same name! After winning prizes in several contests sponsored by local chapters of Romance Writers of America, he decided to seriously pursue book-length fiction. His first Regency romance novel, “The Marplot Marriage,” appeared in print in 1999—and disappeared just as quickly, along with the publisher, Regency Press. In 2004, his second romance novel, “A Scandalous Secret,” was published by Robert Hale in London, England. Two more regency romances for Hale followed: “St. George and the Dragon” and “Stolen Waters.” After that came two light-hearted cozy mysteries (also with a regency setting): “Hidden in the Heart” and “The Unforgiving Eye," now available from Joffe Books. After several locust-eaten years, the third book in this series, "The Whispering Tongues," was just released by Joffe and is a bona fide bestseller. Two short story collections, "Quadrille" and "Quintet", have also been published by Regency Reads in Oregon, USA. The latter includes a long short story featuring Lydia and John Savidge, the husband-and-wife detective team from his Sussex Romance/Mystery series. Having been a confirmed Janeite from his 20s, he wrote a number of articles for Jane Austen’s Regency World magazine, and finally decided to update Jane’s juvenile story, “Love and Freindship." This version he called "Love and Freindship, and Other Delusions." Doing a romantic flip-flop, this biting anti-romantic satire has proved indigestible to many readers, although critical reviews have been very positive. A confirmed technophobe, Paul refuses to become involved in social media, and has neither a Facebook account nor a webpage. A few months ago, he bowed to the inevitable and purchased a cellphone, and is still trying to figure out what to do with it. He is unattached, as is to be expected from a man who writes romance and loves cats. As a Bahamian, of course he loves the beach, as well as light gardening. In addition to his other quirks, he is an avid singer/songwriter. Otherwise, he is rather elusive, and in danger of becoming reclusive. In any case, he prefers that readers consult his books and not his biography. He is a firm believer that it’s the work that really matters—not the author. This may explain why he is in no danger of becoming either rich or famous!