BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DEBRA H. GOLDSTEIN'S DEBUT SLEUTH SARAH BLAIR

Today we sit down for a chat with Sarah Blair of the new Sarah Blair Mystery Series by author Debra H. Goldstein.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, I reluctantly swapped my luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a small-town law firm receptionist job. With nothing much to show for the last decade but my feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, my life was in a bit of a rut before my author started pulling my strings.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

My fierce loyalty to my family – my twin sister, my mother, my late mother-in-law and RahRah, my cat. There was a time I also would have said that about my attitude toward my husband, but he blew it when he fell in love with Jane, the bimbo.

What do you like least about yourself?

Being honest, what I like least about myself is that I tend to second-guess and doubt my abilities in everything. It doesn’t matter whether it is doing anything around a kitchen, performing my law firm job, attempting to flirt or date, or even answering your questions.  Am I telling you what you want to know?

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Look, my twin sister is a gourmet cook. She even has a degree from Culinary Institute of America. Me, my good plates are paper. Would you believe my author made me help my sister and the Southwind restaurant crew out during an Expo? You can imagine how that turned out.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

I argue with my author all the time. She keeps trying to push me into situations I don’t want to be in – like the kitchen or having to give up my cat. If I make a good enough point, she gives up, but usually she assures me I’ll be okay and makes me try whatever is in her mind. At that point, I do what she wants under protest and wait and see how she reacts to how things turn out. I don’t think the outcomes are always what my author predicted, but hey, I warned her.

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is being in a kitchen. For me, it is a fate worse than death.

What makes you happy?

The simple love of my Siamese cat, RahRah, makes me happy. RahRah has a mind of his own, but there is something wonderful about how he cuddles against me when I’m sleeping.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

If I could rewrite a part of my life, I would have continued getting my education, even when I married Bill at eighteen. I thought our life together was going to be magical, so I never prepared myself in case something happened. I knew things were going to be messy when we divorced, but I never thought things could fall apart as completely as they did.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Naming the person who bugs me the most is so-o-oh easy. It’s my ex-husband’s bimbo, Jane Clark. Not only did she steal my husband, but now she wants my cat, RahRah, too.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

I’d trade places in a minute with my twin sister, Emily. We’re fraternal twins and while I’m lanky and dark haired, you can get the picture of how cute she is when I tell you she was a cheerleader in high school.  Besides her looks, she’s bright, has a good business head, and is a skilled trained chef. When she sets a goal, she goes after it without ever doubting herself.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

My author, Debra H. Goldstein, is wonderful. She uses her middle initial because there are two other Debra Goldsteins out there – one is a doctor who writes lots of medical papers and articles, and one is younger, blonder, and writes about text flirting. My author’s website is https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com . She blogs every other Monday for her own blog, It’s Not Always a Mystery (https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com/blog) and also the 2^nd Friday of every month for The Stiletto Gang and the 3^rd Monday for Writers Who Kill.

What's next for you?

My first adventure just debuted in One Taste Too Many. My story will continue in October 2019 with Two Bites Too Many. 

One Taste Too Many

A Sarah Blair Mystery, book 1

For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired town she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

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