Hi, I’m Daisy Baxter. I’ve been in the 4th and 5th books of Amy Metz’s Goose Pimple Junction series. Ever since I met Amy, she’s kept me busier than a cranberry merchant. Let me tell you about a typical day.

I have OCD—Obsessive Cupcake Disorder. So my day pretty much revolves around cupcakes.

7:30 a.m. Make my son Charlie’s breakfast and sack lunch for school. I try to feed him healthy foods, but I’m a cupcake baker, for Pete’s sake. Every once in a while he gets a cupcake for breakfast. Besides, I’ve read that chocolate cake is the ideal breakfast food. I’m down with that.

8:30 a.m. Take Charlie to school. Then I stop by Slick & Junebug’s Diner for some coffee with my sweetie. It’s a chance to spend some time with him, but I also like to frequent the diner so I can stay friendly with Slick and Junebug. They got kind of upset at the competition when I opened my cupcake store. I don’t want to be a threat to their business, I just want to add to folks’ options.

9:30 a.m. Head to my store, Killer Cupcakes. We don’t open until 11, but if I get there early, I can put in some batches of cupcakes and ice and decorate too. I always bake some the day before, and I ice those while the others are baking. I like to have a wide variety of choices for my customers, and I like to serve fresh goods.

11:00 a.m. Open the store. My mama helps me in the afternoons, but I like to have the store to myself in the mornings. Lord knows, she can get on my nerves like nobody’s business. Caledonia works across the street in her dress store, and she usually stops by shortly after I open to buy a mid-morning snack. She was the first one to buy one of my T-shirts that says: HAPPINESS IS ONLY A CUPCAKE AWAY. We’re usually not busy in the morning—only hardcore cupcake lovers come in before noon—so I’m able to finish icing and decorating the cupcakes for the day.

12:30 p.m. My mother comes in to start her shift. That gives me time to take a break for lunch and/or take a walk around the town square. Hank has learned my routine, so he’s usually around and will join me for part of the walk. Sometimes we’ll just sit on a bench and chat. I could talk to that man forever.

1:30 p.m. I head into my little office in the back of the store to pay bills, plan the daily cupcake specials, and order supplies and goods, such as keeping peach Joe Tea in stock. A little bit of quiet time is good for my head.

3:30 p.m. Pick up Charlie from school. If the weather permits, I like to walk to the school to pick him up. Then we go back to the store. Depending on the day and whether or not we’re busy, Charlie will do his homework or help out with small chores. He’s also my sign-change helper. I like to change out a sign in the front window every so often with cupcake sayings I’ve found, like:

• • I never met a cupcake I didn’t like.
  • I want to have a nice body but not as much as I want a cupcake.
  • Will exercise for cupcakes.
  • Cupcakes are sexy muffins

I’ve got a ton of them. I like to draw and paint, so making the signs is fun for me. As I mentioned, I also make and sell T-shirts with the sayings after I’ve posted them in the window. They attract attention and it’s a kick to see someone around town wearing one of my T-shirts.

5:00 p.m. If Charlie and Mama haven’t already gone home, they’ll head home now. I usually stay open until six o’clock or so. Between five and six, I try to weed out the day-old cupcakes, which I’ll drop off at the police station or fire department. I always put a batch or two in the oven to bake before I leave for the day. That makes the next morning not as frantic.

The evenings are usually spent with Charlie and Hank. And Mama hangs around some too. Every once in a while, Hank and I will sneak off for a date, but we try to include Charlie as much as possible. Evenings are family time and they’re always special.

That’s a normal day. Amy tells me my life is about to get a lot busier. I’m not sure I like that, but she’s the boss. I definitely made the right decision to move here. Now if I could just get my mama out of my hair . . .

You can read more about Daisy in Liars & Lunatics in Goose Pimple Junction, the fifth book in the “Goose Pimple Junction” cozy mystery series, released September 19, 2019.

It’s election season, and there’s a new candidate in town. Virgil Pepper is determined to take the job from Goose Pimple Junction’s long-time mayor. Virgil is a charming and charismatic candidate but someone who will say anything (and mean none of it) to get what he wants. Three things top his list: to become mayor, to acquire Jackson Wright’s land, and to make Caledonia Culpepper one of his many conquests.

Wynona Baxter is back, and she’s a new woman. Now Daisy has a new identity, new life, and new business-ironically named Killer Cupcakes. But the town soon finds out that isn’t the only kind of killer in town. Book five of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series combines political hijinks, delicious cupcakes, Goose Juice moonshine, the ups and downs of finding true love, and, of course, murder.

It is said that “It’s a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what.” Lying in politics, lying for personal and professional gain, lying about an identity . . . What are the folks of Goose Pimple Junction willing to lie for . . . and what are they willing to die for?

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About the author
Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. She is a former first grade teacher and the mother of two grown sons. When not writing, enjoying her family, or surfing Pinterest and Facebook, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. Amy loves unique Southern phrases, cupcakes, and a good mystery. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Find out more at authoramymetz.com.

All comments are welcomed.