Mary Ford shares a lifetime of stories in debut novel

Award-winning journalist Mary Ford has made the transition to novelist with “Boy at the Crossroads: From Teenage Runaway to Class President.” The book is a collection of some of the amazing stories lived by her husband Conley. Here’s a look at what’s contained in the pages:

Tennessee, 1955. Conley Ford learned quickly the world's full of hard knocks. Seeking the wrong kind of excitement, the restless 13-year-old falls in with a group of older boys joyriding in stolen Mercury cars... until he is arrested and put on probation. With a harsh father waiting and too embarrassed to face his classmates as a jailbird, the impetuous youth leaves town, making it all the way to New Orleans.

No stranger to demanding work from the age he was old enough to walk, Conley uses his wits and street smarts to commandeer a hot dog cart and make some cash. But when a turf war and a near-fatal accident sends him back home, the resourceful teen faces a choice between staying in misery or once more striking out into a dangerous world.

Can this troubled young man ever find somewhere he can thrive?


Mary and I talk about her choice to write the novel and the way Conley collected them. She shares some of his experiences and how she decided which to include. She also goes into the research done to set the scenes.

The book has gotten some great reviews and Mary has hosted a number of book readings and signings. We talk about what this has meant to Mary and the people she’s met.