Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Dayna.

What is your name?
Dayna Olivia Anderson.

How old are you?
A stage age—one that shaves at least three years off your real one—is a Hollywood must, along with a good weave, a good teeth whitening and a good nose job that you attribute to good contouring. So I’m “24.”

What is your profession?
I’m a “recovering” actress turned apprentice Private Investigator.

Do you have a significant other?
In publicist speak, saying two people are “just friends” is code for “they’re dating.” So yes, I have a really good friend.

What is his/her name and profession?
He’s not a cop but he plays one on TV.

Any children?
Dru, my mom is going to get you for even asking this. I’m only “24!”

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Nope. My parents had me when they were older and didn’t want kids. I’m lucky to even have me.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I can barely take care of myself so no.

What town do you live in?
Beverly Hills but not the super fancy part.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
A two-bedroom penthouse off Burton Way by the Beverly Center mall. Before anyone gets too excited about moving on up, this is LA. It isn’t quite a deluxe apartment in the sky. More like deluxe fifth floor condo in the smog.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
My bedroom, aka the bloset. Six months ago, with my savings at an all-time low and my bills at an all-time high, my bestie, Sienna, let me move into her spare bedroom-turned-shoe-closet-turned-back-to-spare-bedroom. The remnants of the room’s past life housing Sienna’s shoes still take up three walls. Talk about an incredible view!

Who is your best friend?
I have two, including the aforementioned Sienna Hayes, better known as Ms. Lady of the Red Vine. She’s well on her way to earning a Guinness World Record for only wearing red!

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m as semi-pro as your local small-town hockey team.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Besides Sienna, my actual partner is former-cop-turned-investigator-extraordinaire, Aubrey S. Adams-Parker. If you’ve ever seen a random guy in a reflector suit directing rush-hour traffic in Silver Lake, then you know him well.

Favorite meal?
A chili-cheeseburger and chili-cheese fries from Tommy’s Original Hamburgers. Though there probably isn’t any meal that I’d turn down. Much like Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, I spent years on an eternal diet. I have a lot of calorie catching-up to do.

Favorite dessert?
Sweet Potato Cupcakes from Southern Girl Desserts. You can find them here; http://southerngirldesserts.com/

Favorite hobby?
Updating Sienna’s Ms. Lady of the Red Vine Instagram fan page since I’m her biggest fan. It’s also a great way to pass the time while doing surveillance.

Favorite vacation spot?
Venice. . .Beach not Italy. I’m still way too broke to hop on a plane anywhere.

Favorite color?
Red. See above comment about being Ms. Lady of the Red Vine’s biggest fan.

Favorite author?
Aaron Sorkin and Nora Ephron (screenwriters count, right?)

Favorite sports team?
The only athletes I know are the ones dating reality stars.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies! Obviously!

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I wake up. Eat a complete, nutritious breakfast. Spend the next few hours choosing what I’m going to eat for lunch. Eat said complete, nutritious lunch.

Pick up Aubrey to speak with a witness for whatever case we’re working on. Immediately regret picking up Aubrey after he has a face-off with my GPS to see who can give better directions. (Spoiler alert: It’s never him.)

And if all goes well, solve the case. Next, I call the LAPD Tip Line with my tip and pray that I don’t have to talk to The Voice. Eat a complete, nutritious dinner and dream about what I’m going to have for breakfast the next morning.

Giveaway: Do you watch awards shows? What is your favorite? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Hollywood Ending. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends August 10, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Dayna in Hollywood Ending, the second book in the “Detective by Day” mystery series. The first book in the series is Hollywood Homicide.

And the award goes to . . .

. . . Dayna Anderson, the semi-famous actress turned PI who steps up her sleuthing swagger in this follow-up to breakout hit Hollywood Homicide, winner of the Lefty Award and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel!

Tinseltown’s awards season is in full swing, and everyone is obsessed with dressing up, scoring free swag, and getting invited to the biggest awards shows of the year. But when celebrity publicist Lyla Davis is killed, the festive mood comes to an abrupt halt.

Apprentice private eye Dayna Anderson thinks she’s uncovered the killer. Unfortunately, what starts as an open-and-shut case turns out to be anything but. Diving deeper into the investigation, Dayna gets a backstage look at gossip blogging, Hollywood royalty, and one of entertainment’s most respected awards shows―all while trying to avoid her own Hollywood ending.

Purchase Link

# # # # # # # # # # #

About the author
Kellye Garrett’s first novel, Hollywood Homicide, about a semi-famous, mega-broke black actress won the Agatha, Lefty and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for best first novel. It was also recently nominated for Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards. The second, Hollywood Ending, was released in August 2018. Prior to writing books, Kellye spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for Cold Case. She now works for a leading media company and serves on the Board of Directors for Sisters in Crime. You can learn more at KellyeGarrett.com and ChicksontheCase.com.

All comments are welcomed.