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

What is your full name?
Daddy says I’m aposta tell you my name is Cokey Searle, but he knows my real name is Coquille. That means “seashell” in French, and it’s the name Maman gave me before she sent me back to live with Daddy

How old are you?
I’m five. Did you know my Titi Mac is getting married? Titi means “auntie,” because she’s Daddy’s sister. Because I’m five, Titi Mac told me I’m big enough to be a flower girl.

What grade are you in?
I’m halfway through kindergarten.

What is your favorite subject?
Drawing and playing and making towns with blocks.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope. I’m the single child.

Are your parents nearby?
Daddy is. Maman lives in France. And all of Daddy’s family live here, too. But this week something funny is going on with Titi Mac. Daddy said she and Tio Tim found a skeleton in their wall – and its not even Halloween! I can tell Titi Mac is worried about it. I hope Titi Mac figures it all out before the wedding night on New Year’s Even. Tio Tim said that’s the night before the first day of the new year, but I don’t really understand why they call it that.

Who is your best friend?
Kendall! She’s shy but not around me.

Do you have any pets?
I have Tucker. I told Titi Mac he should be a flower dog, but she telled me he’s still too, um, excitingable to do such an important job. But I’m not. Daddy even buyed me a new bracelet to go with my new purple dress.

What town do you live in?
We live in Westham on the Cape Cod.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
I don’t think it’s a big city, but Westham seems big to me.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Daddy and I live in a real lighthouse, but it doesn’t work anymore.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My pink seashell bedroom.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
I like chicken fingers, but I also like sushi and humus and French fries and guacamole and apples. And pink ice cream with peppermints in it.

Do you have any hobbies?
What’s a hobby?

What is your favorite vacation spot?
My whole family went on daycation to Tio Tim’s mommy’s house in the Cabir. . .Carib. . . on an island named after a saint. It was really pretty, and the ocean was warmer than it is here. And we got to ride on an airplane and a boat.

What music do you listen to?
Daddy and I like to dance to a song called “Sugah, Sugah.” It has honey in it, too. He says its an oldie like Bizabo Reba. She already had her number eighty birthday, but she doesn’t act old.

Do you have a favorite book?
I like to read Blueberries for Sal, because it has a little girl and a little bear in it. I can’t really read yet, but I’ve rememberized all the words. “Kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk.”

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I like to play ball with Tucker and then eat ice cream. I also like to run on the beach. I mostly have fun all the time.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
I don’t know what that is, and I don’t know how to write except for my name. But Abo Joe says I have a sharp memory, and I beat everybody when we play concentration.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I don’t know what those words mean. I like to work, though. I help a lot at the Free Food Grocery, putting food on the shelves before the shoppers come. And I like to wash dishes too, and help Abo Astra bake bread.

What is a typical day in your life like in general and when you are helping Mac?
One time I drawed a picture that helped Titi Mac catch a bad person. But usually I go to kindergarten, and after school I either play with Abo Joe at his house or I help at Titi Mac’s bike shop. But right now I’m going to my friend’s house to play before we do the wedding hearsal in Abo Joe’s church. Daddy said a hearsal is like a practice. He told me to be careful and not to break my arm. Silly Daddy. I’m too big for that now.

Bye-bye!

Murder in a Cape Cottage, A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery #4
Genre: Cozy
Release: September 2022
Purchase Link

From Agatha-awarding winning author Maddie Day comes the latest novel in her Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series set in a picturesque Cape Cod town, where resourceful bike-shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida” tackles a cold case with the help of her fellow book club sleuths—a treat for fans of fresh, clever, cozy mysteries and those who love Lorna Barrett’s Booktown series.

ʼTis the day after Christmas, following a wicked-busy time of year for Mac’s bike shop. It’s just as well her Cozy Capers Book Group’s new pick is a nerve-soothing coloring book mystery, especially when she has last-minute wedding planning to do. But all pre-wedding jitters fade into the background when Mac and her fiancé, Tim, begin a cottage renovation project and open up a wall to find a skeleton—sitting on a stool, dressed in an old-fashioned bridal gown . . .

As Mac delves into the decades-old mystery with the help of librarian Flo and her book group, she discovers a story of star-crossed lovers and feuding families worthy of the bard himself. Yet this tale has a modern-day villain still lurking in Mac’s quaint seaside town, ready to make this a murderous New Year’s Eve.

Includes Recipes!

“She’s handcuffed to the wall,” I whispered. “The poor thing. Somebody seriously didn’t want her to get married.” My heart broke for her, but this was also feeling like a horror movie. My own wedding was only days away.

About the author
Maddie Day pens the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the new Cece Barton Mysteries. As Agatha Award-winning author Edith Maxwell, she writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and short crime fiction. Day/Maxwell lives with her beau north of Boston, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook. Find her at EdithMaxwell.com, wickedauthors.com, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, and on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

All comments are welcomed.