Gianna Gavelli first appeared in Tastes Like Murder and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Gianna.

What is your full name?
Gianna Antonietta Muccio Gavelli. Like most Italian names, it’s quite a mouthful.

How old are you?
I’m 29 years old.

What is your profession?
I’m a public defender in Western New York. I love the law and am proud to work for the people in this great state. While it’s true, I’m also saving that line for the day I run for public office.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes.

What is their name and profession?
My husband, Johnny Gavelli. Johnny teaches night school at a local college, which is convenient since I work during the day. This way, one of us is always home with our son. We’ve been married for less than two years, but I’ve known Johnny my entire life. He’s literally the boy next door.

Do you have any children?
Yes, our son Alex just turned one. I never thought I was cut out to be a mother, but I love that kid more than life itself.

Do you have any siblings?
My older sister, Sally Muccio Donovan. Everyone calls her Sal. She owns Sally’s Samples, a novelty cookie shop. The bakery gives out free, homemade fortune cookies to customers with every purchase. It’s a great gimmick, but those messages are kind of weird. I mean, they have a strange way of coming true. Of course, there’s nothing to them. . .

Are your parents nearby?
They live about ten minutes away from us. My parents are unique individuals. Dad has made death his hobby. Yes, you heard me right. He has his own blog on the subject and goes by the name of Father Death (rolls eyes). As for my mother, she parades around in clothes from Forever 21. Jeez, even I’m too old to shop there. Mom will forever be a teenager at heart. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my parents dearly but they’re extremely high maintenance. Shouldn’t they be saying that about Sal and me instead?

Who is your best friend?
Sal, of course. She’s always been there for me whenever I need her. My sister is a wonderful person. She’s kind, sweet and has a more forgiving nature than I do. Sal used to be a bit naïve but after, oh I don’t know, a hundred brushes with death (long story) she’s learned a few things. I know that she looks up to me because I’m an attorney but hey, I’m far from perfect. Sal would do anything for me and vice versa.

Do you have any pets?
Johnny and I have a puppy named Dante. He’s a beagle mix and just the cutest thing you ever saw! (gushes). I do have to say that housebreaking a puppy and diapering a baby can get confusing in the middle of the night.

What town do you live in?
We live in Colwestern, New York, which is in the Buffalo region. I grew up here. It snows about seven months of the year, but you get used to it.

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Colwestern is a small town with a population of about 5,000. At the rate that people keep getting murdered around here, we’ll be down to 4,000 before long.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
We own a lovely ranch style house. Johnny’s grandmother, who raised him, is visiting us for a few days. It wasn’t planned (you’ll have to read the book to find out why she’s here). Nicoletta isn’t the easiest person to live with. If she doesn’t go home soon, I may take the nearest bridge.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My bed. I don’t see enough of it these days.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Well, I don’t cook, and I don’t bake, but I do love to eat. My Grandma Rosa, who is a wonderful woman, lives with my parents and she’s a fantastic cook. Thank heavens because I’d never get a decent meal otherwise. In all fairness, Nicoletta is a good cook, too. It’s an Italian thing. Maybe Sal and I will learn to cook like them someday (I seriously doubt it). I adore Grandma Rosa’s stuffed peppers and I’m partial to the bakery’s fudgy delight cookies for dessert. I may or may not have eaten an entire dozen while I was pregnant.

Do you have any hobbies?
I like to do puzzles in my spare time, such as crossword puzzles and word jumbles. I feel that it stimulates my brain and I need the extra help, especially when I’m due in court.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I adore Cape Cod. It’s a great place for people watching, another hobby that I love. Johnny and I took Alex there for a long weekend last summer. We didn’t have a honeymoon (another long story) but we’re planning a family trip to Disney World in the next year or two. My parents are hinting about joining us (bites nails).

What music do you listen to?
I’m a huge Elvis fan and have always been partial to his song, Jailhouse Rock. Hey, it’s a lawyer thing.

Do you have a favorite book?
I’ve read The Firm by John Grisham countless times. Again, it’s a lawyer thing.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
If you’d asked me this question before I was married, had a baby and working 60 hours a week, my response would have been different. These days my idea of a fun time is a leisurely bubble bath, a chick flick, fudgy delight cookies, and a night of interrupted sleep. I tell you, it’s the little things that you learn to appreciate.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Oh, I’m no writer but my father recently published a book. Sadly, he’s no writer either.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. I help Sal out when she asks me to. She always manages to get herself involved in a murder investigation. I wish she’d find a different hobby. I worry about her.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I work long hours at the office and sometimes have to meet with clients on the spur of the moment. I like my job and I love my husband and son. All things considered; my life is good. I mean, I could have had Sal’s life instead. Now my father has asked her to help find Eddie Phibbins’ killer. Eddie is (was) a mortician who owned Phibbins Mortuary. My father found him dead in one of his own caskets. Poor Sal is trying to be a dutiful daughter, but she only has so much spare time between her baby, husband and the bakery. She did ask me if I’d investigate some legal matters regarding the funeral home, which she believes might have to do with Eddie’s death. But I’m worried that if Sal doesn’t stop meddling, she’ll wind up six feet under as well. . .

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win win a print copy of one of the first three books in the series (Tastes Like Murder, Baked to Death and Burned to a Crisp), limited to U.S. residents. Giveaway ends May 9, 2020. Good luck everyone!

Icing on the Casket is the ninth book in the “Cookies & Chance” cozy mystery series, released May 5, 2020.

Full-time baker and sometime sleuth Sally Muccio finally has everything she’s always wanted—a beautiful baby, loving husband, and a thriving business. Now that she’s a mother, Sal has vowed she’ll stay out of future murder investigations. But when her eccentric father’s friend, mortician Eddie Phibbins, is found dead in one of his own caskets, Sal’s father begs her to help find the killer.

With their famous coffins cookies in hand, Sal and her best friend Josie “undertake” the process of questioning mourners and employees at the funeral home, hoping for a lead to Eddie’s killer. Between a recently fired hearse driver, resentful family members and a wacky, love-struck makeup artist there’s no shortage of suspects. Once again, Sal’s snooping has attracted the attention of a killer, and her good intentions may have only succeeded in digging herself an early grave…

*Recipes Included!*

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About the author
USA Today Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns lives in Upstate New York with her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. She is the author of over 15 novels and four series, including: the Italian Chef, Cookies & Chance, Cindy York and Aloha Lagoon Mysteries. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the 2019 Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense. Get a free Cookies & Chance ebook when you sign up for Catherine’s newsletter here. Visit her website at catherinebruns.net, or visit on Facebook, or on Twitter.

All comments are welcomed.