Ivy Culpepper first appeared in Kneaded To Death and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Ivy.

What is your name?
Ivy Culpepper.

How old are you?
32.

What is your profession?
That’s a developing question. I am a photographer, but I closed my business when I relocated from Austin, Texas (where I went to college) back to my hometown of Santa Sofia in California. Now I’m starting again, establishing my business, but slowly, because I also spend as much time as possible at Yeast of Eden working as Olaya’s unofficial apprentice and helping out with everything I can.

Do you have a significant other?
I do. And if there is such a thing as a soul mate, he’s mine. We were together in high school. I moved to Texas for college after we split up, and he left Santa Sofia, too. Now we’re both back and rekindling what we had now that we’re adults.

What is his name and profession?
Miquel Baptista. He runs the family restaurant, Baptista’s Cantina and Grill, on the pier in Santa Sofia. After his father died, he took it over.

Any children?
Nope.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I have one brother, Billy.

Do your parents live near you?
My dad lives in Santa Sofia, in the house where I grew up. My mom died, which is part of why I came back home. Now it’s my brother, my dad, and me.

Who is your best friend?
Emmaline Davis. She’s the sheriff here in Santa Sofia. . .and she and my brother are finally together! For so long, they were ships that passed in the night. No more.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
AGATHA! She’s my fawn pug, is precious, and is the best four-legged sidekick a girl can have.

What town do you live in?
Santa Sofia, CA.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I was lucky enough to be able to buy a tudor house in the historic district of town, and I adore it.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
Definitely the kitchen. I take everything I learn from Olaya and apply it at home as I try to hone my bread baking skills.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Anything with bread!

Favorite hobby?
Baking, especially bread. I’m getting pretty good at it, too!

Favorite color?
Yellow, like the sun. There is nothing better than the morning bathed in ethereal light.

Favorite author?
Agatha Christie, of course! Agatha, my pug, can attest.

Favorite vacation spot?
Any beach, anywhere. The coast is my happy place.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies, though I love the theater the few times I’ve gone. That feels like a huge splurge.

Are you a morning or a night person?
I like mornings, just not the 4:30 AM mornings that Olaya does, but that’s the life of a bread shop owner. But yes, mornings. The beach. The light. The promise of a new day.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur sleuth.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Penelope Branford is my two-legged sidekick. She’s eighty-something, as spry as they come (except when she uses her cane, but that’s mostly a prop she puts into action when it suits her-or her end goal, which is usually getting information in an investigation she and I are in the thick of). I want to be just like Mrs. Branford when I’m her age.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Lately, it seems there is always some mischief going on in Santa Sofia. If there is, then I seem to be in the thick of it. I will always help a friend in trouble. The longer I am in Santa Sofia, the more friends I have, and the more trouble I get involved with. On an ordinary day, though, I love to go for a walk with Agatha at the beach, followed by the morning at Yeast of Eden. I am not the early riser that Olaya is, so I come in mid-morning, help in the kitchen, run the register, and generally just love my time with Olaya. I work on the new blog we’re setting up, and in between all of that, I work on building my photography client list. If only taking photos of Olaya’s bread paid the bills. In the evenings, Miguel and I try to spend time together. All in all, it’s a great life.

You can read about Ivy in Flour In The Attic, the fourth book in the “Bread Shop” cozy mystery series, coming August 27, 2019.

Ivy Culpepper keeps the ovens hot at Yeast of Eden, a Northern California bakery that specializes in traditional breads. But now she has to deal with a stone-cold killer . . .

Just as Ivy’s brother Billy is about to get engaged to his beloved, a tragedy interrupts the happy moment. The body of longtime Santa Sofia resident Marisol Ruiz washes up on the beach—and it’s even more heartbreaking since Marisol’s father also recently died. But Marisol was a strong competitive swimmer. It seems unlikely there’s even a grain of truth to the theory that she accidentally drowned.

As Ivy gets to work helping her mentor, Olaya Solis, with the catering for Marisol’s funeral, she also teams up with her partners in detection—because if they want to prevent someone from getting away with murder, there’s no time for loafing.

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About the author
Melissa Bourbon, aka Winnie Archer, is an avid reader, passionate knitter, and unabashed fan of pumpkin spice lattes. She lives lives in inspiring North Carolina, and fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams. Melissa is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mystery Series, by Winnie Archer.

To learn more about Melissa, visit her website at misaramirez.com.

All comments are welcomed.