Callie sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can get to know her better.

What is your full name?
Calista Padget. No middle name. Short and sweet.

How old are you?
39

What is your profession?
Used to be a print journalist. Now I’m a bookseller at the MotherVine, a little gem of a bookshop on the island where I live.

Do you have a significant other?
I’m working on it! He’s coming off a year-long abstinence experiment, so the anticipation is maddeningly sexy.

What is his name and profession?
Toby Dodge. He runs a dojo here on-island called Cattail Family Martial Arts.

Do you have any children?
Nope.

Do you have any siblings?
I’m an only child.

Are your parents nearby?
Closest thing I have to parents are my Uncle Hudson and his girlfriend Antoinette, who also happens to be my employer at the MotherVine.

Who is your best friend?
I’m working on that too. Cattail Island is home to many quirky natives, some of whom I’m getting know since I moved back here recently.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Tin Man is the bookshop cat, the sweetest and smartest silver tabby around. He’s also an Instagram star. Between Tinny and Scupper, my uncle’s Scottish terrier, my snuggle needs are well met.

What town do you live in?
Cattail, which is on Cattail Island, which is part of the Outer Banks, which are a skinny strip of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I’d love to live on my own someday. For the moment, the murphy bed in my uncle’s loft is where I lay my head. The loft is in his woodworking shop, so it gets a bit sawdusty. But beggars can’t be choosers.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Uncle Hudson’s dock out back. It’s on the canal, and it’s peaceful.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Health nut here. I drink a kale smoothie every day. Toby’s homemade ice cream is hard to resist, though.

Do you have any hobbies?
Running.

What music do you listen to?
Bluegrass. Loud, with the windows rolled down and the sea breeze rushing through my hair.

What is your favorite color?
Oceanic blue.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t done much traveling, but that’s okay because I live in a vacation spot. I love the bustle of summer season as much as the peace and quiet of the off-season.

Are you a morning or night person?
Rise and shine!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Tossing back an ice-cold Cattail Island Blond while playing nickel-ante poker with my uncle’s colorful septuagenarian friends.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Loving Books and Catching Crooks: A Life Well-Lived

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. Officer Iona Fusco isn’t my biggest fan, but sometimes I can get useful information out of her. And of course, Uncle Hudson, Antoinette, and Toby are dependable sidekicks.

What is a typical day in your life like?
I mostly sell books and poke around for clues at various island locations (the lighthouse, rental cottages, the animal shelter — nothing’s off limits if there’s a chance it’ll help restore justice). When I have spare time, I love to practice self-defense with Toby or run along the beautiful Cattail beaches. However, spare time is at a premium when dead bodies show up, which happens much more frequently than I’d prefer.

Murder on Mustang Beach, An Outer Banks Bookshop Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: May 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

When a killer stirs up trouble in the Outer Banks, amateur sleuth and bookseller Callie Padget is on the case, in a new beachside mystery from author Alicia Bessette.

Cattail Island in the Outer Banks is a popular destination for honeymooners and nature lovers alike. So it is a huge blow when the murder of a newlywed grinds the pre-summer season to a screeching halt. Bookseller Callie Padget launches her own investigation, after mysterious customer Geri-Lynn Humfeld, caretaker of the island’s protected wild horses, brings in an irresistible piece of information.

Determined to restore order and safety to her beloved hometown, Callie searches for answers—even as those answers cast suspicion on her soon-to-be boyfriend, Toby Dodge, whose martial arts studio was the scene of the crime. As she digs deeper, Toby becomes the police’s prime suspect. The truth raises troubling questions and sends her scouring the bookshop’s shelves for guidance.

Meanwhile, a well-loved member of the mustang herd—a pregnant mare whose anticipated foal is a symbol of summery hope for locals and visitors alike—may be facing dire circumstances. With help from Geri-Lynn, Callie unearths startling secrets surrounding not only the compromised mare, but the murdered newlywed, too. And when another body shows up, this time on isolated Mustang Beach, she must race against time to stop a killer from claiming any more innocent lives.

About the author
Alicia Bessette is the Edgar® Award-nominated author of the bestselling Outer Banks Bookshop mystery series. Before writing fiction, she worked as a reporter in her home state of Massachusetts, where her journalism won a first-place award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. A pianist, published poet, and enthusiastic birdwatcher, she now loves living in coastal North Carolina with her husband, novelist Matthew Quick.

All comments are welcomed.