Amy Flowers first appeared in The Calamity Café and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Amy.

What is your name?
My name is Amy Flowers.

How old are you?
I’m 27

What is your profession?
I’m a professional chef, and I own and operate the Down South Café.

Do you have a significant other?
Um. . .I am dating someone, and I think it’s getting serious. It is for me, anyway.

What is his name and profession?
His name is Ryan Hall, and he’s a deputy with the Winter Garden Sheriff’s Department.

Any children?
No.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
No.

Do your parents live near you?
My mom does. She and my great-aunt–whom we call Aunt Bess–live in the house up on the hill behind mine. My house is actually a guest house on their property because my grandfather didn’t want his mother-in-law living in the house with him and my grandmother.

Who is your best friend?
My best friend is my cousin Jackie.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
My mom’s cat Princess Eloise lives with me because Aunt Bess is allergic to cats, so I guess, she’s sort of my cat now. . .even though she still much prefers my mom to me. I also have a little brown dog named Rory.

What town do you live in?
Winter Garden, Virginia.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
Own.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
I’m torn between saying the kitchen and the fancy room. The fancy room was my mom’s bedroom before she moved into the big house to care for Aunt Bess, and my friend Roger helped me convert it into a. . .well, a fancy room. It’s very girly and has lots of bookshelves and cushy furniture. I love it.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I love good, hearty American food. That’s what I serve at the Down South Café. I’m going to have to go with my grandmother’s meatloaf for my favorite dish, and apple pie as my favorite dessert.

Favorite hobby?
Cooking.

Favorite color?
Yellow.

Favorite author?
Julia Child.

Favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t been yet, but I’d love to go to Paris and experience some authentic French cuisine.

Favorite sports team?
No preference there.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Jackie.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I open up the Down South Café at six a.m. Our first customer of the day is almost always Dilly Boyd, who comes in for breakfast and has to get an extra biscuit for the raccoon who visits her every evening around dusk. We have a variety of patrons come in throughout the day. Some are regulars like Homer Pickens, who has a new hero every day. And other are complete surprises, like the church group who came through on their way to North Carolina to see the frescoes last week. We close the cafe at three p.m., clean up, and go home. After work, I enjoy spending time with Ryan, my family, and my friends.

You can read about Amy in Apples and Alibis, the fourth book in the “Down South Café” cozy mystery series, coming August 13, 2019.

That’s the last time Amy agrees to a favor for a stranger. . .

Down South Cafe owner, Amy Flowers is in over her head. Operating a cafe while hosting the first Farmers’ Market in Winter Garden has her swimming in apples. And when an elderly woman calls the cafe, pleading for a delivery for her upcoming party, Amy relents, feeling compelled to help the desperate customer.

But when she arrives, the woman is slumped over her kitchen table, and Amy is catapulted into the middle of a small town crime. Guilt-ridden for not arriving earlier to save the woman, she sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding the woman. Now, between running the cafe and dealing with the chaos of the farmers’ market, Amy is squeezing in a murder investigation, a run-in with her boyfriend’s mom, and her own mother’s quirky life decisions. Life can’t get any worse. . .or can it? This cafe owner needs a break–in the case.

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About the author
Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee. She is currently writing the Kinsey Falls chick-lit/women’s fiction series, the Down South Cafe cozy mystery series, and the Ghostly Fashionista cozy mystery series. Her book Killer Wedding Cake won the Bronze Medal in the 20th Anniversary IPPY Awards. Gayle lives in Southwest Virginia with her family and enjoys hearing from readers.

To learn more about Gayle, visit her website at gayleleeson.com.

All comments are welcomed.