Erin Coleridge sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know her better. Are you ready? Erin, take it away!

What is your full name?
Erin Taylor Coleridge. Yes, I am related to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, though I didn’t necessarily inherit his talent.

How old are you?
24, though my father says I’m going on 40.

What is your profession?
I own a bookshop in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire.

Do you have a significant other?
No, though I am rather taken with Detective Inspector Peter Hemming. I guess you could say we’re sort of dating. We’re taking it slow, though. Or are we? Tune in to find out!

Do you have any children?
No, though I seem to have acquired a “surrogate” child, Polly Marlowe, whose father lives in my village. Her mother died, and she’s become quite attached to me. To be fair, I feel the same. She’s ten, and reminds me of myself at that age. Too curious for her own good.

Do you have any siblings?
I am an only child.

Are your parents nearby?
My mother is dead, and my father is a cleric in Oxford. It’s about 200 miles away, which is pretty far in a small country like England.

Who is your best friend?
Farnsworth Appleby. She is what is commonly referred to as “a character.” I find her massively entertaining. She never fails to make me laugh, and though she can be moody, she’s the most loyal friend you could imagine.

Do you have any pets?
Only my roomba. Seriously, though, I am godmother to Farnsworth’s many cats. They call me Auntie Erin.

What town do you live in?
Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire. It’s a market town on the edge of the moors, and the evening and morning light is magical.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
It’s an average sized market town, so bigger than a village, but not as large as a proper city.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a cottage beside a stream that doubles as my residence and bookstore. It’s not big, but it has a proper bathtub and room for my baby grand piano. And you can hear the rain on the gables in my upstairs bedroom.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I like the cozy window seat in my bedroom, which overlooks the stream outside the cottage, where you can see through to the fields beyond.

Favorite meal and dessert?
The Dover sole in lemon sauce at the York Grand Hotel. Rocket salad, asparagus and mashed gold potatoes on the side. For pudding, I like the fresh fruit custard tart with butter puff pastry crust.

Do you have any hobbies?
I write poetry, and I play the piano. I also love to ride my bike and take walks in the countryside. Sometimes I hunt for wild mushrooms. And of course, I love to read – anything and everything – I suppose that explains why I own a bookshop. And I’m a member of the Jane Austen Society. (Don’t tell anyone, but I secretly long to write a novel.)

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love to travel. Among my favorite cities are Edinburgh, Prague, London and Lisbon. I also love roaming the Scottish Highlands and England’s Lake District.

What music do you listen to?
I must have some Bach everyday. Otherwise, my tastes are eclectic. I love so-called “classical” music, from early Renaissance to contemporary composers like John Adams, Arvo Pärt and Michael Nieman (as well as John Luther Adams!) But I love also The Gypsy Kings, Nickel Creek, Tommy Emmanuel, Suzanne Vega, Brian Wilson, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchel and Leonard Cohen. Lately I’m really into the sounds of the Middle East and Indian ragas. And I love musicals and opera. And Bruno Mars. Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis. I love Dinah Washington, a jazz singer, a contemporary of Billie Holliday, who I think is far better. My favorite all time singer is Sammy Davis Jr. That man could do anything. I’m always listening for someone new to follow. The list goes on and on. . .

Do you have a favorite book?
Ouch. That’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is . . . but if I had to pick, I’d have to choose War and Peace. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an astonishing little novel, ahead of its time. It caused quite a scandal in New Orleans in 1899, and the book was widely censored. A landmark feminist novel, The St. Louis Republic said it was “too strong a drink for moral babes.” 

What is your idea of a really fun time?
A long walk in the countryside with some good friends, then a homemade meal around the fire, and singing around the piano afterwards. I love to accompany singers, whether they are good or bad. I think everyone should sing. And everyone should write poetry. Doesn’t matter if it’s good or not. It’s great therapy, and a wonderful way to interact with the world.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Confessions of a Bookworm

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Strictly amateur – and I guess I’d have to say Farnsworth is my sidekick. I’d love to say I “work” with DI Peter Hemming, but I doubt he’d see it that way.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
An excellent cup of coffee, maybe with a bit of a scone or pastry, followed by interaction with online customers and merchants (I do most of my book business online.) Lunch with Farnsworth, who is an excellent cook, and then I spend the afternoon in my shop. If it’s a weekday I won’t have many customers, but on the weekends it can get busy. A quick call with my dad in Oxford, then a run or bike ride, followed by tea and some telly or reading. A long hot bath before bed, and more reading until I fall asleep. Of course, if Peter Hemming is in town, it’s a different kind of evening . . .

What does a typical day look like when you are on a case?
There is no typical day on a “case.” I’m flattered you even use that word with me. Don’t worry – I won’t tell DI Hemming. He thinks I should become a cop. Who knows – maybe I will!

Death and Sensibility, A Jane Austen Society Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

Bookstore owner Erin Coleridge seeks the scoundrel who silenced a conference’s keynote speaker in Elizabeth Blake’s second charming Jane Austen Society mystery.

When the quaint English town of York hosts a Jane Austen Society conference, bookseller Erin Coleridge is glad to get out of Kirkbymoorside for a while–until featured speaker Barry Wolf suddenly perishes from what appears to be a heart attack.

Erin is suspicious, since Barry had no history of heart disease. But who did him in? Was it the decedent’s assistant, Stephen, who was observed chatting to Barry’s young wife Luca earlier that night? Might it have been Barry’s ex-wife Judith, who was seen arguing with her erstwhile betrothed at the bar? Meanwhile, conference co-chairs Hetty and Prudence have been at one another’s throat since the conference. Is one of them the culprit?

Matters of the heart are putting Erin off her guard. Both Detective Inspector Peter Hemming and schoolteacher Jonathan Alder have made gestures of romantic interest, but Erin isn’t sure who is her Willoughby and who is her Colonel Brandon. DI Hemming tries to persuade Erin that her entanglement in the murder investigation is far from sensible, but his entreaties come to naught. Dauntlessly, Erin joins forces with Kirkbymoorside’s cat lady, Farnsworth, to ferret out the guilty party.

About the author
Carole Bugge (C. E. Lawrence, Carole Lawrence, Elizabeth Blake) has too many pen names. She is the author of fifteen published novels, award-winning plays, musicals, poetry and short fiction. Her most recent novel is the third Ian Hamilton historical thriller, Edinburgh Midnight, under the pen name Carole Lawrence. Death and Sensibility, her second Jane Austen Society Mystery, under the pen name Elizabeth Blake, hits the shelves August 10th.

Cleopatra’s Dagger, a thriller set in New York’s Guilded Age, will be released later this year. Her “Silent” series (Silent Screams and its sequels) follows NYPD profiler Lee Campbell in his pursuit of serial killers, and her Sherlock Holmes novels have been re-released by Titan Books. In another life, she was a professional actor, singer and improvisational comedian. A self-described science geek, she likes to hunt wild mushrooms, and enjoys playing Bach on the piano when no one is listening.

All comments are welcomed.