Elliott Lisbon first appeared in Board Stiff and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Elliott.

What is your name? 
Elliott Lisbon

How old are you?
Forty (ish) and proud of every year that got me here!

What is your profession?
Director of the Ballantyne Foundation, a billion-dollar charity on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. I’m also pursuing my PI license to assist our eclectic donor base with discreet inquiries.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes! Mostly.

What is his name and profession?
Lt. Nick Ransom of the Sea Pine Police Department. We met in college while pursuing careers in law enforcement and forensics. He went on to a storied career in the FBI. I fainted during my first crime scene slideshow and decided to dedicate my life to helping others.

Any children?
Nope.

Do you have any siblings?
Nada.

Do your parents live near you?
Only in my memories. My parents’ close friends, Edward and Vivi Ballantyne, have loved me since I first toddled into their Big House. After my parents’ passing twenty years ago, I’ve lived within walking distance of said Big House.

Who is your best friend?
Sid Bassi. She’s funny and smart and the person you want next to you when the world closes in. She carries a supply of emergency hand-sani (it’s surprising how often I need it).

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Pug puppies! Colonel Mustard and Mrs. White are a pair of pug puppies who stole my heart. Technically, their momma is Vivi Ballantyne, but I steal kisses and pug hugs daily from those two tail wigglers.

What town do you live in?
Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. A beautiful Southern island filled with charming citizens and delicious food and a disproportionate amount of crazy crime.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I inherited my beachfront cottage from my parents. It’s quaint and compact and filled with rag rugs, vintage games, and plenty of cereal. The back patio sits on the hard-packed sand of the Atlantic. Joggers and dog walkers trot by from sunup to sundown.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My bed! There’s a large skylight above and a huge window to the side. I keep the window open most nights. I listen to the ocean breezes and swooping seagulls as the sky lightens each morning while snuggled under a bevy of blankets in the winter.

Favorite meal and dessert?
One favorite? I love to eat! Torn between a drive-thru cheeseburger and short rib empanadas, though I’d never turn down sizzling skirt steak tacos in crispy flour shells served with chunky guacamole. For dessert, rich upside-down cake with caramelized pineapples. Or crème brulee with a crunchy sugar crust. Or dark chocolate cupcakes with creamy vanilla bean frosting. I could do this all day.

Favorite hobby?
Reading, definitely. Take a book down to the beach and escape into a page-turner. I also enjoy riding my three-wheeled bike around Oyster Cove Plantation. Put Colonel Mustard and Mrs. White in the front basket and zip along the bike paths, the salty air floating around us.

Favorite color?
Blue, a pale shade Wedgwood. It’s a peaceful complement to my dark wood floors and white shiplap ceiling.

Favorite author?
Sue Grafton, followed closely by Lawrence Sanders. Both have passed on, but their mysteries will entertain for generations to come. If you’re new to Sanders, his Edward X Delaney series is fantastic (and his character’s sandwiches are legendary), and his Archy McNally series inspired my decision to pursue discreet inquiries.

Favorite vacation spot?
Disneyland! There’s something magical about walking down Main Street at the Happiest Place on Earth that pulls me in every time. That and the churros. Favorite rides: Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion (hurry baaaack, hurry baaaack. . .)

Favorite sports team?
LA Dodgers. Edward Ballantyne took me to my first game when I was 10. We ate Dodger dogs and sipped Pepsis and spent the day in the sun. He bought me Cracker Jack just so I’d have it for the 7th inning stretch. What a day!

Movies or live theater?
Movies at home, not in a theater. You have any idea the germs in that germ factory? All those sticky surfaces and food-splotted floors. If you love going, then do not watch any newsmagazine specials that explain it all in detail, because you will never go again. Give me a quilted throw and my DVR remote, and I’m set.

Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m an afternoon person. I enjoy a leisurely morning: Slowly waking with the sun and the sea, then a long, detailed, mildly OCD-routined shower process, followed by a big bowl of cereal and large Pepsi on the patio. By afternoon, I’m firing on all cylinders. Though the cylinders tend to wind down by late afternoon. I’m curled up on the sofa by evening and back in bed by night. Unless I’m on a case, which throws my routine into chaos and makes my palms itch.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
As a PI-in-training, I’m sponsored by the Sea Pine Police Department. Captain Finnegan is my mentor, though most of my case require contact with Lt. Nick Ransom and Corporal Parker. They are professional and supportive, especially when they aren’t fully aware of what I’m up to.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Typical? You’re adorable. That leisurely day I wrote about earlier? I’ve experienced it no more than 3 times in the last 6 months (and 1 of those days I was out of cereal and forgot my flip flops on the beach). Who are these people who have typical days? One day I’m planning an Alice in Wonderland tea party for 200 and another I’m careening down Cabana after a maniac who pugnapped the pugs. Every day is an adventure of a lifetime and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Shake Down is the fifth book in the “Elliott Lisbon” traditional mystery series, released March 17, 2020.

Ballantyne Foundation Director and PI-in-training, Elliott Lisbon, is enjoying her idyllically slow life on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. It’s the week before the annual Beach Ball and she’s sipping Bellinis on the sidelines. Her committee involvement is limited to securing the centerpieces: scrumptious two-tiered masterpieces from the Cake & Shake. But when the head baker (and owner’s maid of honor) goes missing, Elli’s calm life gets a major shakeup. She takes the case and soon learns that missing is a relative term. These two bffs were once rivals on a local dating show. Perhaps the free spirit had reason to wander off on her own. Or perhaps she wasn’t the only woman scorned. As Elli walks the delicate line between a woman finding herself and a woman needing to be found, the days speed up and she knows something’s about to go down. From drug runners to whistleblowers to sea turtle sabotage, Elli stirs up secrets and inadvertently whips a desperate killer into a frenzy. If she doesn’t find a way out of the heat, she’s going to get burned.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Kendel Lynn is a Southern California native who now parks her flip-flops in Dallas, Texas. As an active member of the mystery community, Kendel has penned six novels (the first, Board Stiff, was an Agatha Award nominee), plus novellas, screenplays, and countless articles. Kendel has served as president of the board of directors of both Sisters in Crime (national) and Sisters in Crime North Dallas. She regularly leads workshops and attends conferences and spends her days reading, writing, and finding ways to avoid the gym while still eating cupcakes for dinner.

All comments are welcomed.