Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, where you can learn more about what makes them tick. Let’s see who we have today.

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What is your name?
– – Irem Madigan

How old are you?
– – I’m thirty-two. And single. I shouldn’t be single. I should be married, but I broke it off because he cheated. And so I bought a plane ticket and went to Italy.

What is your profession?
– – I am an archivist at the Field Museum in Chicago. I love history. Friggin’ love it. I specialize in documents, but anything historical trips my triggers. I have a master’s degree from Purdue University and I started work on my doctorate. I’d like to land a big job at one of the big museums in NYC or at the Smithsonian. We’ll see. I have a line on another opening in a big city, but I can’t tell you about that. You’ll have to read The Bone Shroud if you’re that curious.

Do you have a significant other?
– – I did, as I mentioned with the thirty-two comment. His name is Ronnie and he’s a hapkido instructor in Chicago. His name should be scumbag. I have a wedding dress in a box at the top of my closet. I threw out the invitations. Thank God my bridesmaids were able to get their money back on those Chicago Bears blue dresses. I’m not giving him the ring back either. I’m not the one who cheated. And . . . maybe I’m getting a new significant other. It depends on what happens in Rome.

What is his name?
– – The scumbag? Ronnie, like I mentioned. My new potential significant other is a police detective. Italian. Good looking. Holy crap, do I really want to get involved again?

What is his profession?
– – He’s a police detective . . . the Italian I mentioned. I met him when I had my purse stolen. I’d managed to chase down the pickpocket; I knocked the guy out. Remember me mentioning that I used to hang with a hapkido instructor? Well, I have a black belt in hapkido. I knocked the pickpocket into next Christmas, and this Italian police detective showed up to pick up the pieces.

Any children?
– – No . . . but my biological clock is ticking. I better start thinking about it, eh?

Cats, dogs or other pets?
– – I need a cat for my apartment in Chicago. I lived with my ex- for a couple of years. My apartment feels real empty now. A cat would be nice. I’ll probably go to the Humane Society to adopt one.

What town do you live in?
– – Chicago, the city with big shoulders, toddlin’ town. I was born there. My dad came from Ireland, my mother from Turkey. They met over here, married, and had me and my younger brother Levent. My folks run a bar in the Loop called Mad Madigan’s. I used to help out there on my days off and some nights, but I had a falling out with my folks and so I don’t stop by there very often. My brother’s gay, and when he came out to them, they sent him away. Pissed me off. I love my brother. He moved to Italy, fell in love, and was set to get married. That’s why I ended up going to Rome. For his wedding. At least someone in my family was going to walk down the aisle.

Do you rent or own?
– – I rent. Are you kidding? Me, able to buy a place in downtown Chicago on an archivist’s salary. Ha! Renting is just fine, though. Don’t have to set your roots too deep if you rent, and you can’t accumulate too much stuff if you rent a little place.

What is your favorite spot in Chicago?
– – I love most all of Chicago, the museums especially. I’m a museum junkie. I am also into black and white movies, so I like the old theaters that show them. The lakefront is great, I go to watch people fly kites and see the old men playing chess. I love the Blues Festival. I HATE THE SUBWAY. I was mugged one night and ended up in the ER. Which led to me taking hapkido classes, meeting Ronnie, falling in love, getting engaged, then getting dumped for a younger hapkido student.

Who is your best friend?
– – Levent. I have a lot of friends, but I’d say my brother is my best buddy. He’s got an amazing soul. He’s beautiful and kind, always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses. An eternal student, he’s forever taking art courses. His paintings are gorgeous. His grin is infectious. I was broken when he moved to Italy. But I’m glad he’s found someone. Now, it seems, he’s trying to play matchmaker for me.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
– – Strictly amateur. And I don’t consider myself a sleuth. But I’m curious, and that’s my big problem. When something niggles at my brain, I have to figure out the puzzle. I am presented with a couple of puzzles in Rome, and I can’t tell you about them. If I told you, it would ruin the plot of The Bone Shroud, my Roman holiday story. Suffice it to say that my amateur sleuthing takes me on a wild and dangerous adventure.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
– – Me, myself and I. But there is that handsome Italian policeman who hangs around and pokes his long nose into my current mystery. He’s got good eyes, and a nice voice.

Favorite meal?
– – McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. I like fast food. I don’t have to eat it fast. In fact, I like to sit for a while and savor it. I am especially fond of quarter pounders with cheese and fries, a tall soda to go with them. I’m rather plain. I don’t care for fancy items on the menu with ingredients I can’t pronounce. And I certainly am suspicious of soup . . . geeze, they can throw anything in a soup. Give me my cheeseburger and I’m happy.

Favorite dessert?
– – I like desert. Cake. I suppose cake is my favorite. The cake at my brother’s wedding was friggin’ delicious. I had to exert a lot of willpower to keep from going back for seconds. And since I was in Rome, I gave gelato a try. That was pretty good.

Favorite hobby?
– – Watching black and white movies, walking down by the lake shore, going out drinking with some gal pals after work.

Favorite vacation spot?
– – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Me and my gal pals were making an annual late-summer pilgrimage to Lake Geneva. Sitting by the lake, sipping something fruity and alcoholic with little umbrellas in it, staring at the sun painting the water. AWESOME. Fun and fellowship, and it was after the summer tourists went home so rates were cheaper. This year, however, I went to Rome for my brother’s wedding. It was a lot more expensive than my Lake Geneva jaunt. No fruity drinks with umbrellas when I was in Rome. But there was wine. It was good.

Favorite color?
– – Red.

Favorite author?
– – Mike Resnick. I like science fiction. My brother was always into mysteries, but I like the escapist stuff. I have dog-eared copies of Joe Haldeman books, Gene Wolfe books, and lots of Resnick. I got hooked on him with his first Santiago story.

Favorite sports team?
– – CHICAGO. Chicago Bears, the Bulls, the White Sox. The Cubs are okay, but I’d pick the White Sox over them. I’m fortunate Chicago has so much professional sports. Sitting in the stands with a hot dog and soda on a summer day, waiting for someone to hit a home run. Yeah, Chicago.

Movies or Broadway?
– – Movies. Black and white . . . well, movies, but I’m into the graininess of the old B&Ws. Discovered that that Italian policeman likes old movies too . . . old monster movies.

Are you a morning or a night person?
– – Morning. Have to be to get up and get into the Field for my shift. Sometimes I stay out late at night, though. If I go out for drinks with my gal pals. I have a couple of late nights in Rome, too. But for the most part, I’m a morning person. Everything looks brighter and prettier in the morning.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
– – In Chicago . . . get up, go to work at the Field, go out to dinner . . . usually McDonald’s on the way home. Put my feet up, read a book, watch a little TV, go to bed. Get up, go to work . . . you get the drift. In Rome? Get up at dawn and go under the city to be part of a wholly remarkable archaeological dig. Stay under all day. Crawl out exhausted. Go out to dinner. Get chased, shot at. Repeat.

My adventures appear in the novel The Bone Shroud by Jean Rabe.

Irem Madigan’s wedding trip to Rome turns into a desperate search for historical relics, and a struggle to stay ahead of a killer. Irem, an archivist at the Chicago Field Museum, flies to Italy to be the “best man” in her brother’s wedding. He’s marrying an archaeologist who lures Irem into a centuries-old mystery. Unfortunately, there are other players in the game, and some of them are playing deadly. Can she survive and uncover the ancient secrets?

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Meet the author
My home is filled with dogs and books. Lots of dogs and books. I wear bedroom slippers or worn out sandals to work everyday. I’m a mystery writer living in a tiny Midwestern town that has a gas station, a Dollar General, and a marvelous pizza place with exceedingly slow service. Always working on a new project or three. I have three dozen books published in the fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy and mystery genres. But I’m concentrating on mysteries now.  In my spare time I dabble in roleplaying games and boardgames.

All comments are welcomed.