Cassie Baxter sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Cassie.

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What is your full name?
Dr. Cassandra Elizabeth Baxter, but please—please, please—just call me Cassie.

How old are you?
I am forty-five. Some would say, a very immature forty-five, I would say a very adventurous and energetic forty-five.

What is your profession?
I’m a college professor. That’s what that Dr. is doing at the front of my name. I have a PhD in European History and teach Ancient History at Crabtree College, a small school in Vermont.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes!!

What is their name and profession?
His name is Joe (full name – Dr. Josiah Wylie). Joe’s my next door neighbor, which might not sound like the wisest choice for a relationship. But hey! It’s actually working out great! Joe is a mad scientist—at least that’s what I call him. He is an inventor and has developed this machine he calls (for reasons unbeknownst to me) the FN451z. The purpose of the FN, as I so lovingly call it, is to provide better internet and cell phone service to mountainous and rural areas of Vermont. But thus far, mostly what it does is make a lot of noise. The FN beeps, burps, and chirps 24/7. And yes, I can hear it from my house. A long answer, but you asked for it, Dru Ann!

Do you have any children?
Also complicated, but yes. I adopted a five year old boy named Truman last year. He is as sweet as can be, except when he’s keeping secrets from me. And keeping secrets is one of Truman’s better skills, as anyone who has read Unexpected or Unlikely can attest to. It you’re interested in that whole adoption thing, you can read all the details in Unexpected. Truman is a hoot!!

Do you have any siblings?
Nope. As my father keeps telling me, I am one of a kind. “Thank goodness,” Dad usually adds, in one of his more exasperated tones.

Are your parents nearby?
Mom died when I was ten, but is my father nearby?? Oooooh, yeah. I live in his house!! Dad’s name is Bobby Baxter, and we drive each other nuts. But when push comes to shove, Dad and I really do get along well. Do not tell him I said that!! You can learn all about how I came to live with my father in Unbelievable.

Who is your best friend?
Bambi, officially known as Dr. Bambi Lovely-Vixen. No, really. That’s her name. And it gets worse. Bambi teaches Biology at Crabtree College—the school where I also teach. Bambi’s my reluctant sidekick whenever I’m involved in a murder investigation. If she reads this, she will deny that ‘sidekick’ status, but pay her no mind. She is what she is!

Do you have any pets?
Two! Charlie is the a black lab who thinks he’s a lap dog. And Notz is a black cat who thinks he is king. Charlie LOVES living at the lake (see below). Notz stays indoors and underfoot—usually under my foot.

And they aren’t my pets, per se, but our little town has a couple of mascots. Rose and Ruby are goats, and they belong on the farm down at the southern end of the lake. But try telling that to Rose and Ruby. The goats wander the neighborhood, eating anything that isn’t tied down, and they visit our house quite often. Truman adores Rose and Ruby!

What town do you live in?
Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, way, way up near the Canadian border. We Elizabethans call our town Lake Bess.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Small? Try teeny-tiny! Our little downtown at the northerner edge of the lake boasts a whopping total of four buildings—the general store, Town Hall, the Congregational Church, and our one-room schoolhouse. Yes, you read that right. A one room school house where Truman attends kindergarten. Lake Elizabeth had a population of six hundred, not including pets or livestock.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I call the house Dad, and Truman, and I live in a wannabe Victorian. It’s a big, old, sprawling, quirky house. It is also bright—and I do mean, bright—green. You can learn why I never have changed that color when you read Unbelievable. The house color is indeed—unbelievable. The place is officially my father’s house, but I don’t pay rent. Instead, I pay all expenses—taxes, upkeep, and utilities. If you’ve ever lived through a Vermont winter, you will know heating bills are not for the feint of heart!

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My turrett!! It’s a glassed-in octagon way, way at the top of the house. I do all my best thinking up there, although some might argue that Cassie Baxter never thinks. Also, I have great views of the lake and the mountains from up there in my turrett. Lake Elizabeth is a scenic place!!

Favorite meal and dessert?
My father’s spaghetti with bolognese sauce. One of the other agreements between Dad and I—he does all the cooking, I do all the cleaning. Truman is happy about that. The kid complains that I “cook bad.” You can read all about some of my bad cooking in Unlikely.

As far as dessert? I love creamies!! Creamies are Vermont’s answer to soft serve ice cream, and our general store across the lake serves up a mean chocolate creamie, if you’re ever in town.

Do you have any hobbies?
I do. I paint old furniture, especially old rocking chairs. I scour antique and junk shops for the pieces, and then paint them fun colors. I like bright, cheerful colors, and my rocking chairs are one reason my house is so darn quirky!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love Vermont so much, I usually stay close to home. But this summer, the whole Baxter family, and my boyfriend Joe, are hoping to take a vacation to California—San Francisco in particular. You can read about our vacation plans in Unlikely. Truman is VERY exited about the trip. He loves planes, but has never flown before.

What music do you listen to?
The FN451z. Bet that’s not the answer you expected, huh, Dru Ann? But if you go back up there to one of your first questions, you will see info about Joe Wylie’s weird and noisy invention. I’ve gotten so used to the FN’s beeps, burps, and chirps, I actually find them—melodious? Do not tell Joe I said that!

Do you have a favorite book?
I like mysteries, but my father is the person you should ask about reading. Dad loves, love, loves science fiction (He’s an author himself), and his favorite sci fi author is Lucille Saxby. Lucille Saxby is also Dad’s girlfriend. The whole Dad’s girlfriend thing is very new to me, by the way. Read all about it in Unlikely!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I’m outdoorsy. I love spending time outside with my son and my boyfriend. Lake Elizabeth is SUCH a great little town. When we’re not climbing the Elizabeth Mountain (located right there next to the lake), we’re touring around the lake in Joe’s pontoon boat, or paddling in our kayaks and canoes. And in the winter, we ice skate and snow shoe. All that outdoors time is what got Truman and me into yet another murder investigation in Unlikely. We found something—odd—while birdwatching up the mountain early one morning. Oh, and kayaking is what got me into trouble way back in Unbelievable. Umm, maybe I should re-think this outdoorsy business?

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
The Adventures of Cassie Baxter, Miss Looney Tunes. Yep, that IS my nickname. And yes. It is fitting. Ask anyone who knows me.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am an amateur. Some would say I am a bumbling amateur. But can I help it if—interesting—things keep happening to me? Anyway, I do have both amateur and professional help anytime one of these murders happen. As mentioned, my best friend Bambi is one of my sidekicks, and sweet little Truman is ALWAYS interested in helping his Momma Cass catch the bad guys. Of course, the professionals are NOT happy with my interest in these things. Captain Jason Sterling is the Vermont state trooper who’s always officially in charge.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
People who know me probably wonder if I ever have a typical day! But I do. Really, I do! My father and Truman, and the pets, roll into my room before the crack of dawn every day to wake me up. (My father insists we Baxters are morning people). After Dad makes us breakfast, then I drive Truman to school and head over to Crabtree College. I teach classes, advice students, visit with my friend Bambi, and then at the end of the day, head home. I love getting home on time to play with Truman. If you think I’m energetic, you should see Truman. That kid can run! Then Dad makes dinner, and Joe usually joins us. After I get Truman tucked into bed, I visit Joe at his house next door for a little alone time.

So you see? That doesn’t seem odd at all, right? But something always does happen to make my day Looney Tunes. . . Why IS that?

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Typical? When I’m on a case? Surely you jest, Dru Ann! When I’m trying to solve a murder there is no such thing as typical. But even so, I do have to get Truman to school, and go to work myself. Luckily, I can usually meet Captain Jason Sterling for lunch to give him all the latest developments, whether or not he wants my input. (He says he doesn’t, but that never stops me) And after work, I can usually squeeze in some time for sleuthing. And then there’s always weekends, and I have summers off and school vacations. PLENTY of time to for Miss Looney Tunes Cassie Baxter to get into trouble. PLENTY!!

Thanks for this fun interview, Dru Ann! I hope to see you and all your fans up in Lake Elizabeth someday. But please be forewarned—Unbelievable, Unexpected, Undisclosed, and Unlikely things do tend to happen!

Sincerely,
Cassie Baxter

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Unlikely, A Cassie Baxter Mystery #4
Genre: Humorous Cozy
Release: April 2021
Purchase Link

Small sleuth, tiny town, unfailing fun.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the lake has finally thawed, spring has finally sprung, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn’t go nuts when an innocent birdwatching outing with her young son uncovers an abandoned canoe? A canoe. Way, way up on Elizabeth Mountain. Unlikely? Oh, yeah. Especially since Cassie has a history of finding—troublesome—canoes. And speaking of troublesome, Cassie’s father has a new girlfriend. An—unlikely—girlfriend. In fact, unlikely romances are sprouting up all around the lake this spring. There’s Pru’s, and Maxine’s, and Lindsey’s and—And do any of these budding romances have a bearing on the murder? Have we mentioned the murder? We did say that unlikely canoe could only mean trouble, right?

Get ready to live, love, lake, and LAUGH as Cassie Baxter and her whole gang of quirky and kooky supporting characters join forces to unravel yet another dastardly crime! Unlikely? You betcha!

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About the author
Cindy Blackburn writes cozy mysteries because she thinks grim reality is way overrated. When she’s not thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks and kinks of her lovable characters, Cindy is feeding her fat cat Betty or taking long walks with her cute hubby John. A native Vermonter who hates snow, Cindy divides her time between the south and the north. Most of the year you’ll find her in South Carolina. But come summer she’ll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Yep, it’s a place very similar to Lake Elizabeth. Cindy’s favorite TV show is Young Sheldon, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is purple. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans.

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Author has generously offered to give away one kindle copy of one of the books in the Cassie Baxter series. To enter, please leave a comment below and tell us the name of the book you would like. One entry per person. Giveaway ends June 10, 2021. Good luck everyone!

All comments are welcomed.