Carmela first appeared in Keepsake Crimes and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Carmela.

What is your name?
Carmela Bertrand.

How old are you?
Mmn, let’s just say thirtyish.

What is your profession?
I’m the owner of Memory Mine, a scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. But lately we’ve exploded into crafting, journaling, painting, paper theaters, stamping, etc. If it’s at all crafty, chances are we’re into it!

Do you have a significant other? What is his name and profession?
I sure do. Detective Edgar Babcock is not only my amour d’jour, he’s my fiancée, a gorgeous guy who happens to be a homicide investigator with the New Orleans PD. Naturally, he’s always trying to keep me out of his investigations, but I ALWAYS seem to work my way IN!

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Dogs. Boo is my little Shar-Pei cutie and Poobah is a guy we found wandering the streets of New Orleans. I love my dogs dearly and share custody with my ex-husband Shamus.

What town do you live in?
The best town of all – New Orleans. I’m born and bred here and wouldn’t have it any other way. I absolutely adore the French Quarter with its old buildings, fancy restaurants, raucous bars, and gorgeous shops. And then there’s the spooky cemeteries, Garden District, and nearby bayous. Sometimes I sit in my courtyard at night and listen to the mournful toot from tugboats over on the Mississippi. There’s oodles of charm here and a sense of history, too.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I rent a quaint little apartment in the French Quarter. It’s a first floor unit with brick walls and a tiny fireplace. It overlooks a private courtyard with a pattering fountain, a few magnolia trees, and baskets of pink bougainvilleas.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
I’d have to say my living room. I basically ransacked all the antique shops in New Orleans, digging through their scratch and dent rooms. Now I have a leather chaise, pair of chintz chairs, antique coffee table, and wrought-iron bookshelves that hold my collections of old children’s books and bronze dogs.

Who is your best friend?
Ava Grieux lives in a studio apartment across the courtyard from me and is totally my BFF. She’s a crazy girl with masses of dark curly hair who’s into leather slacks and bedazzled T-shirts. She’s also not afraid to get roped into a hair-brained scheme or two. Oh, and did I tell you she owns a voodoo shop? But not the scary kind, just the kind that sells love charms and fun evil eye necklaces.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’d have to say I’m a professional amateur. I mean, I’ve been doing this sleuthing thing for a long time now and I think I’m rather good at it. I’ve been dragged into stabbings at a holiday market, murder in a cemetery, a death in a haunted house, a murder at Mardi Gras, and lots more wild happenings. Yup, that’s me, somebody gets killed I tend to be in the area!

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Always with my gal pal Ava. She’s game for anything and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty – even though she was once runner up in the Miss Sparkle Teen Pageant.

Favorite meal?
I never pass up a fried oyster po-boy, they’re a specialty here in New Orleans. However, if you took me to dinner at Antoine’s (famous and pricey!) I’d probably order the grilled pompano with sautéed crabmeat.

Favorite dessert?
You mean I have to choose between bread pudding with rum sauce and a sticky-sweet powdered sugar beignet? Noooo.

Favorite hobby?
Lately I’ve really been into making altered books and decorating miniature tins.

Favorite vacation spot?
Just recently Ava and I took a trip up to Natchitoches where Steel Magnolias was filmed. What a charming little town, we loved it! Oh, and I adore spending a lazy weekend at a camp house in one of the bayous.

Favorite color?
The rainbow!

Favorite author?
I think Laura Childs, the chick who writes those bestselling Tea Shop Mysteries, is pretty good.

Favorite sports team?
The New Orleans Saints of course.

Movies or Broadway?
Gotta say movies, since films like Easy Rider, Double Jeopardy, Cat People, The Client, and JFK were all shot here in New Orleans.

Are you a morning or a night person?
When the lights go down, New Orleans comes alive with jazz joints, festivals, seafood restaurants, night markets, and oyster bars. Just beware of those famous above-ground cemeteries!

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Walk the dogs, rush to my shop in the French Quarter, help customers pick out albums, paper, rubber stamps, paint, ribbon, etc. Maybe design an invitation or a menu for someone, teach a class, talk to my sweetie, Detective Babcock. When quittin’ time rolls around, we try out new restaurants. New Orleans is a foodie town, after all!

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Glitter Bomb. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends October 4, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Carmela in Glitter Bomb, the 15th book in the “Scrapbooking” mystery series, co-written with Terrie Farley Moran.

An exploding Mardi Gras float has got to be the strangest murder weapon scrappy sleuth Carmela Bertrand has ever encountered in this latest Scrapbooking Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author.

It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend Ava. Carmela’s ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus’ float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member’s death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder. . .and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect.

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About the author
Laura Childs is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Scrapbooking Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

All comments are welcomed.