Delilah sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can get to know her better.
What is your full name?
Delilah Elizabeth O’Leary.
How old are you?
Thirty-five, but thirty-six is breathing down my neck.
What is your profession?
Chef and owner of Delilah & Son, a gourmet pizzeria in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin.
Do you have a significant other?
My only significant others at the moment are my cat, Butterball, and my best friend/sous chef, Sonya “Son” Perlman-Dokter.
Who was in your life?
My tech entrepreneur fiancé, Sam Van Meter, and I split a few months back. I have a bit of a crush on Calvin Capone, a smoking hot police detective I keep crossing paths with. He’s the great-grandson of a certain scar-faced mobster, which can make things a little tricky.
For now, though, Butterball is my main squeeze.
Do you have any children?
If cats don’t count, then no.
Do you have any siblings?
An older sister, Shea. She lives in California and barely deigns to return my texts. She’s a literal rocket scientist and she used to model swimwear, just to give you a sense of what I’m up against. I haven’t seen her in a couple of years, but I’m hoping she and her kids might visit at Christmastime.*
*Author’s note: Shea will visit in a future book, and it won’t go well for anyone…
Are your parents nearby?
My mom died in a car accident when I was 12. My dad passed away from cancer not too long ago. With a name like O’Leary, people expect me to come from a big, rowdy Irish-American family, packed with cousins. In fact, my dad was an only child and my mom had been estranged from her family since her teenage years. Other than my sister and her kids, my great-aunt Elizabeth “Biz” O’Leary and I are the only remaining branches on our little family tree.
Who is your best friend?
Sonya, hands down. She’s my ride or die.
Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Butterball, my sixteen-pound butterscotch tabby cat. He can be a stinker, but I adore him.
What town do you live in?
I’m a Chicago gal, but I moved to Geneva Bay, Wisconsin last year. It’s a postcard-perfect resort town with a long history as a mobsters’ hideaway, millionaires’ playground, and vacation mecca.
What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Can I just answer “It’s complicated”? I’m in a bit of a situationship with my housing. Maybe I’ll explain more someday…
What is your favorite spot in your home?
It’s a tie between the kitchen and any place with a window or balcony that faces the lake. Having a lakefront restaurant combines my two great passions.
What is your favorite meal and dessert?
There’s a cheese souffle that I’ve been trying to recreate since I was 10. I saw it on a rerun of Baking with Julia. That was when I knew that cooking up cheesy creations would be my calling. An old family recipe for apple pie is my favorite dessert. Three kinds of apples, the perfect amount of spice, and a flaky, buttery crust. It’s heavenly. My family isn’t big on showing emotion or admitting mistakes, so instead of apologizing to each other like normal people, we give fruit pies. As Auntie Biz says, who needs a dime store greeting card when you can have a pie?
Do you have any hobbies?
Umm… does cooking count? I’m a little ashamed to admit that when I’m not cooking for work, I’m cooking for fun.
What music do you listen to?
Sonya and I have an epic Chop n’ Bop playlist that we use during prep. You can listen to a bit of it HERE.
What is your favorite color?
Red. Apparently, that means I’m bold, passionate, and ambitious.
It also means I’m aggressive and temperamental, but we don’t need to get into all of that right now.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Puerto Rico. It’s a food lover’s paradise, and I’m fascinated by the history of the place. I recruited Daniel Castillo, Delilah & Son’s bartender, when I was on vacation there. The island is at the culinary crossroads of so many different cultures and cuisines. Plus, I enjoy a good cocktail or five, and Puerto Rico is a great place to let loose. 😉
Are you a morning or night person?
Like most chefs, I’m a night person. And like most chefs, I work a steady string of punishing 12- to 14-hour days, so I don’t get a ton of sleep.
What is your idea of a really fun time?
Sitting on the restaurant’s patio with my friends, enjoying an amazing meal, and staring out at the beautiful lake.
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Sonya’s really the one who’s good with wordplay. Hmm… Maybe Pizza: A Love Story or Mission: Impizzable?
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I don’t consider myself a sleuth. I’m just a person who likes to see justice done. It’s not my fault that dead bodies keep falling into my lap!
What is a typical day in your life like?
You can taste a big, cheesy slice of my life right HERE.
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust, A Deep Dish Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust is the second book in Mindy Quigley’s delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.
Newly single pizzeria owner Delilah O’Leary is determined to keep her restaurant afloat in the picturesque resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. To boost her bottom line, she sets her sights on winning the hefty cash prize in the town’s annual “Taste of Wisconsin” culinary contest. In her corner, she’s got her strong-willed, “big-boned” cat Butterball, her wisecracking BFF, her cantankerous great-aunt, and a nearly-flawless recipe for Pretzel Crust Deep-Dish Bratwurst Pizza. But while Delilah and her team have been focused on pumping out perfect pizza pies, her ex-fiancé has cozied up to a new squeeze, juice bar owner Jordan Watts—Delilah’s contest rival.
When one of Jordan’s juice bar customers is poisoned by a tainted smoothie, Delilah lands deep in the sauce. Accusations fly, suspects abound, and a menacing stranger turns up with a beef over some missing dough. Between kale-juicing hipsters and grudge-bearing celebrity chefs, Delilah must act quickly before another one bites the crust.
About the author
Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series: the Deep Dish Mysteries and the Mount Moriah Mysteries. Her non-writing career has been stranger than fiction, taking her from the US to the UK, where she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep and as project manager for a research clinic founded by the author J.K. Rowling. She lives in Virginia with her Civil War history professor husband, their children, and their idiosyncratic miniature Schnauzer.
All comments are welcomed.
I’m looking forward to reading this book…I really enjoyed Book 1.
I loved the first book and can’t wait for my copy of #2 to arrive.
I wish our local libraries had the money to order this book. I really want to read it.
Great review thank you, sounds good