Come join Ellie and dru’s book musings as we sit down for a Q&A session.

What is your full name?
Hi, everyone! I’m Ellie Christie.

How old are you?
I’m into my thirties. Thirty-three to be exact.

What is your profession?
I’m so glad you asked! I’m the new co-caretaker of my family’s historic bookshop, The Book Chalet. My sister Meg and I are the fifth generation to manage this beautiful shop.

Do you have a significant other? Does my cat count?
If you mean a romantic other, no. However, my cousin recently guilted Meg and me into joining her book-based matchmaking service. On paper, it sounds like a good idea. In reality? I’m leery of dating disasters. Please wish us luck!

What is their name and profession?
My dream guy? I’d be open to any profession, but he must love books.

Do you have any children?
Not yet, but I treasure my role as favorite aunt (okay, only aunt) to the world’s best niece.

Do you have any siblings?
Yes, one. My older sister Meg.

Are your parents nearby? Wouldn’t you know it?
I’ve been traveling the world since college on bookish gigs. Now I’ve returned home and Mom and Dad have taken off! They’re exploring literary landscapes like I was doing. Happily, my big sister, teenage niece, and grandmother live nearby.

Who is your best friend?
My big sister, Meg.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Yes. I am now roommates with the queen of bookshop cats, Agatha C. (as in Cat) Christie, a fluffy rescue Siamese.

What town do you live in?
Last Word, Colorado. It’s a tiny town in two parts. The older main village is nestled in a scenic box canyon. I live in Upper Last Word, an alpine-styled hamlet of chalets perched up the mountain and accessible by a ski gondola.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
This might sound like I’m bragging… I live above the bookshop! My loft is rustic but it comes with mountain views and a shop stuffed with books.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
After hours, I like to go down to the bookshop. I’ll sit in the reading lounge with Agatha purring on my lap, a fire crackling in the hearth, and a good book.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
What a tough question! Now that I’m back in the snowy mountains, I love comfort food like my Gram’s lasagna and any cake baked by my niece.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reading. Is that a cheating answer since it’s also my work? I like to hike too. A little exertion at high altitude is the perfect excuse for a post-hike hot chocolate and cozying up by the fireplace to read!

What music do you listen to?
Confession: I called in help for this question. I asked our bookshop assistant, who’s meticulous with categorization. She says that my playlists would be shelved under indie alternative folk music with meditative vocals about nature, places, and the heart. Wow! Here I thought I just liked peaceful songs to read by.

What is your favorite color?
Leafy green

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love to explore literary landscapes. One of my favorites is Agatha Christie’s hometown, Torquay.

Are you a morning or night person?
I might actually be a morning person, but all too often, I stay up late into the night finishing just one more chapter. You know how it is.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
You’re going to think I’m repetitive, but an evening in, curled up with my cat and a good book is pretty much my ideal.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Adventures of a Bookseller? Or maybe I should take inspiration from an Agatha Christie title? She wrote a wonderful travel memoir called Come, Tell Me How You Live. There’s my title: Come, Tell Me What You Read.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Definitely amateur, although my sister and I are serious students of the best amateur sleuth around: Miss Marple. I work with my sister, niece, grandmother, and a book club of mystery readers.

What is a typical day in your life like?
On a typical day, my sister and I sell books. We host book clubs and chat with locals and tourists. Our gram visits and models cozy reading. By which, I mean she naps with a book. We also make sure our bookshop cat isn’t too bothered by guests seeking selfies with her furry, frowny face. Lately, however? Our usual days have included investigations and crimes too close to home.

Last Word To The Wise, A Christie Bookshop Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

The Christie sisters and their bookshop cat, Agatha, flirt with coldhearted crime when bookish matchmaking turns into a date with death.

Sisters Ellie and Meg Christie share a love of books, reading, and their new roles as co-caretakers of the Book Chalet, their family’s historic bookshop tucked midway up a scenic Colorado mountain. But romance? That’s another story. Ellie and Meg joke that they’re in sisterly competition for worst relationships. So when their cousin signs them up for her newest business endeavor—matchmaking based on bookish tastes—the sisters approach their blind double dates with foot-dragging dread.

While Ellie’s date meets her low expectations, Meg’s match, a book-loving romantic straight out of classic literature, charms her over a lovely dinner. The next morning, Meg is giddy with anticipation of a second date—until she’s stood up without a word. She fumes that she should have known better. However, her date had a good reason for ghosting her: He’s dead. Murdered, the police later confirm.

As the last known person to see the victim alive, Meg becomes a prime suspect in his death. She grimly quips that at least her dating record can’t get any worse. But it does. A thorn from Meg’s romantic past returns to their little town of Last Word, espousing motives too sweet to believe.

To sleuth out the truth, the sisters must sift through secrets deeper than the February snowfall. Clues accumulate, but so do suspects, crimes, and betrayals. Ellie and Meg can’t afford to leave any page unturned. Romance may not be their forte, but hearts and lives are on the line, and the Christies know how to solve a mystery—especially when murder is involved.

About the author
Ann Claire earned degrees in geography, which took her across the world. Now Claire lives with her geographer husband in Colorado, where the mountains beckon from their kitchen windows. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, gardening, herding housecats, and enjoying a good mystery, especially one by Agatha Christie.