Bianca St. Denis is the main protagonist in “Batavia-on-Hudson” mysteries and sits down to answer a few questions so that we can get to know her better.

What is your full name?
Bianca St. Denis, but my former students still call me Mrs. G for Mrs. Grant – my name from my first marriage. And then there’s my maiden name Bianca Ferretti.

How old are you?
42- it seems like it happened so fast.

What is your profession?
I am now the librarian of the tiny Batavia-on-Hudson Community library. Best job ever! I also write for the Batavia Gazette. I am a former history teacher. I miss my students but I moved to Batavia in order to write my first novel.

Do you have a significant other?
Well, I’m a widow, I’ve never called myself that – it’s a very strange feeling to admit it. I had a wonderful marriage to Richard. He was twenty years older and unexpectedly died of a heart attack a little over two years ago. It’s been hard moving on without him, but the community here has been a blessing. And then I must admit there’s been some gossip around town about how well Sheriff Mike Riley and I work a case together.

If so, what is his name and profession?
Richard was a University English Professor. He so loved teaching but he was also a farmer at heart and we both retired early so he could have his hobby farm in the Hudson Valley and I could write.

Do you have any children?
One wonderful son named Ian. He’s a college student living in Japan. We are very close, so it’s been hard living apart. I will be visiting him soon.

Do you have any siblings?
I have a sister who lives in Chicago so we don’t see each other much.

Are your parents nearby?
My parents are in Chicago, too. They moved there when my sister did. My sister’s husband travels a great deal for business and she needed help with the twins.

Who is your best friend?
I have been blessed with many friends over the years. Olivia Last, the editor of the Batavia Gazette, is my closest friend in Batavia-on-Hudson. She is a cancer survivor and a kind and gentle soul who inspires me to be a better person.

Do you have any pets?
Shelby, my orange tabby, is my constant companion at home. He follows me everywhere. He always needs to be in the same space with me, but he has cuddling issues. All hugs are on his terms. Richard named him after Carroll Shelby, the car racer and designer. Richard was a true car lover.

What town do you live in?
Batavia-on-Hudson is a hamlet on the Hudson River in the Upper Hudson Valley of New York.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Batavia is so tiny you could miss it if you blink, so don’t blink because it’s a beautiful village.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Richard and I purchased an old German farmhouse and restored it ourselves.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The back porch. Under the peach tree. That’s where I read and drink my coffee – weather permitting.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Eugene’s gooey Reuben at Stella’s diner. He smokes his own pastrami! And lemon ice-cream – a very rare and special treat.

Do you have any hobbies?
I used to think writing was my hobby, but now it’s much more than that. I also love to bake. I helped Richard keep bees and chickens when he was alive. I still have an enormous garden and love to make preserves. I walk everywhere.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Kyoto, Japan. I have gone once to visit my son and I am so excited to return this autumn.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
A good book with a coffee and a croissant with some jazz playing in the background. Otherwise, dinner with friends.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Second Chances

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am an amateur sleuth. I just fell into this. I always seem to be at the right place at the right time or Sheriff Mike Riley might say that I’m always at the wrong place at the wrong time.

What is a typical day in your life like in general and when you are on a case?
A typical day means an early walk through the path behind my house until I reach Main Street for a coffee and a croissant at Stella’s diner where I get to chat with my neighbors and maybe pick up some interesting clues if something needs investigating. Then a few hours at the library – again a great place to pick up information. I write in between my work: sometimes articles for the Gazette, other times for my novel. I’m on the case when Mike needs me. I often just stumble on a clue or an interesting piece of insight, and then I get sucked in. In my evenings, I cook and then read or do a crossword.

Dead Man’s Leap, A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery #2
Genre: Traditional/Cozy
Release: April 2022
Purchase Link

Rushing waters. . .dead bodies. . .secrets. . .

As Bianca St. Denis and her neighbors scour their attics for donations to the charity rummage sale, they unearth secrets as well as prized possessions. Leonard Marshall’s historic inn hosts the sale each year, but it is his basement that houses the key to his past. When an enigmatic antiques dealer arrives in town, he upends Leonard’s carefully reconstructed life with an impossible choice that harkens back to the past.

Meanwhile, when a storm forces the villagers of Batavia-on-Hudson to seek shelter, the river rises and so do tempers. Close quarters fuel simmering disputes, and Sheriff Mike Riley has his work cut out for him. When the floods wash up a corpse, Bianca once again finds herself teaming up with Sheriff Riley to solve a mystery. Are they investigating an accidental drowning or something more nefarious?

Dead Man’s Leap explores the burden of secrets, the relief of renunciation, and the danger of believing we can outpace our past.

About the author
Tina deBellegarde writes the Batavia-on-Hudson Mysteries. Winter Witness was nominated for an Agatha Award, a Silver Falchion Award and a CIBA Award. Dead Man’s Leap releases April 2022. Reviewers have called Tina “the Louise Penny of the Catskills.” Her story “Tokyo Stranger” appears in the MWA anthology When A Stranger Comes To Town edited by Michael Koryta. She is the vice-president of the Upper Hudson Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby where they tend bees and harvest shiitake mushrooms. She winters in Florida and travels to Japan often to visit her son.

All comments are welcomed.