Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions where you can learn more about what makes them tick. Let’s see what Carrie has to say.

What is your name?
– – Carrie Ann Cole

How old are you?
– – I’m in my late twenties

What is your profession?
– – I’m a personal chef for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Do you have a significant other?
– – My love life is a little all over the place since I broke up with my boyfriend. I’ve sort of been seeing a gardener. . .okay a gorgeous British gardener. Oh, I guess I gave away his profession. His name is Jasper Fedman. Of course, then there’s Ian Gordon, head of Palace security. But he doesn’t date any palace employees. So I’ve been told anyway.

Any children?
– – Gosh, no children. I’ve been busy working on my career.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
– – No, well, none that would visit me in England, anyway. Also no pets, I’m dreadfully boring, aren’t I?

What town do you live in?
– – I recently moved from Chicago to London, England and I neither own nor rent as my quarters in the palace are part of my pay.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
– – My favorite spot is the kitchen. I love kitchens and cooking up traditional and nontraditional foods for the family. All organic, of course and made with quality local ingredients. There’s a beautiful greenhouse beside my kitchen, which is where I met the gardener. . .

Who is your best friend?
– – I’m currently making friends with Penelope Nethercott, Penny for short. She works for the Duchess and is helping me learn all the ways of the palace staff.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
– – Some people are natural sleuths while I had sleuthing thrust upon me.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
– – It’s usually me and Penny helps. I get away with sleuthing because I’m new here and as a fish out of water people are used to me asking strange questions.

Favorite meal?
– – Breakfast is my favorite meal. I make a mean frittata.

Favorite dessert?
– – I love pie, lemon curd is a specialty.

Favorite hobby?
– – Cooking and baking. . .oh, my job is my favorite hobby.

Favorite vacation spot?
– – I suppose I would love to go to the South of France one day. Imagine the coast and the fresh ingredients.

Favorite color?
– – That’s easy, green.

Favorite author?
– – Julia Childs, she is the most amazing chef, quite fearless.

Favorite sports team?
– – Gosh, I don’t watch sports.

Movies or Broadway?
– – I love theater. I picked up that love in Chicago and now that I’m in London, I can’t wait to see a few shows.

Are you a morning or a night person?
– – I’m an early riser. The best part of the day is walking down to the kitchen and opening up. The fresh scent of coffee and the quiet before the bustle are small joys. There is an anticipation of the good things to come.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
– – A typical day, well, I’m up and in the kitchen by five a.m. My assistant comes in around six and we have breakfast ready for the family by 7 a.m. Then it’s planning the rest of the meals for the day. There is lunch and special snacks. I get to interact with the children on occasion and the Duchess when she needs to look over the menu’s or has a change in plans. She is so busy running a household plus now the third baby and all of her Royal duties. I’m glad to help out as much as I can. Mondays are my day off. I use the day to explore London- the parks and museums and all of its rich history. Penny has been showing me around and Jasper, too, of course. I’m usually in the kitchen until late. It’s where my heart is. I read a lot of cookbooks and try to gather favorite recipes from the family’s other chefs. Life isn’t always idyllic as the Palace head chef, Chef Butterbottom, has it in for me. He likes to remind me whenever he can that I’m an American in a job that should rightfully belong to a Brit. As long as the Duchess is happy with my work, I’m happy. As for the murders…well, I keep trying to stay out of them, but somehow I get sucked in. Which for me is a recipe for disaster.

You can read about Carrie in Lord of the Pies, the second book in the “Kensington Palace Chef” mystery series. The first book in the series is Kale to the Queen.

When Carrie Ann Cole bakes a lemon meringue pie to die for that actually kills someone, she must find out who the real killer is before her time at the Kensington Palace expires.

The elegant Orangery at Kensington Palace is the perfect setting for the bridal shower of Carrie Ann Cole’s best friend’s sister. Personal chef to the royal family, Carrie Ann’s pie theme is naturally winning. But a waiter later keels over dead into the lemon meringue pie she leaves as a thank-you to the staff and Carrie Ann realizes that somebody slipped a mickey into that meringue.

Her floury fingerprints are all over that pie and the authorities suspect her distress is a cover-up for murder. Carrie Ann must set out to clear her name if she wants to stay at her dream job any longer. But all too soon, another body drops in the Orangery. This time, it’s the Orangery chef.

Murder won’t crimp her style, and as bodies pile up, Carrie Ann uncovers palace intrigue, London nightlife, and British pies scouring for the killer in Lord of the Pies, the witty follow-up to Nell Hampton’s Kale to the Queen.

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About the author
Nancy J Parra AKA Nancy Coco AKA Nell Hampton is the author of over 25 published novels which include five mystery series: The Nationally Best-Selling, Candy-Coated Mysteries (Kensington), The Kensington Palace Mystery Series (Crooked Lane), The Wine Country Tours Mystery Series (Crooked Lane) The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime). Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world. Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime and writes for the Killer Character Blog on the 8th of every month. Nancy loves to hear from readers. Visit Nancy at nancyjparra.com.

All comments are welcomed.