I first met Jessie in Playing with Poison, the first book in the series and I laughed and laughed at the hilarious situations she and her friends found themselves involved in. Ever since, I’ve enjoyed every caper.

So, let’s meet Jessie.

What is your name?
You’d think that’s an easy question, but I have several! Most people call me Jessie Hewitt, but I also have a pen name—Adele Nightingale, and back when I was putting myself through college sharking at a pool table, I was known as Little Girl Cue-It. Oh, and I’m married to Wilson Rye, so some people call me Jessica Hewitt-Rye. Perhaps we should move on?

How old are you?
I’m in my fifties. My early fifties, thank you very much.

What is your profession?
In my former life I was a pool shark, but nowadays I write historical romance novels. Okay, so some people might call them hysterical romances, and some might label them cheesy romance novels. Say what you will, but the hapless heroes and heroines in Adele Nightingale’s masterpieces have an uncanny knack at helping me out whenever I set about to solving a murder.

Do you have a significant other? What is his name/profession?
Believe it or not, I’m a newlywed. His name is Wilson Rye, and he’s a cop. Wilson and I met a couple years ago when he accused me of murder. Don’t ask. But if you’re dying (no pun intended) to know more, Playing With Poison will give you all the details on our altogether inauspicious first encounter.

Any children?
None.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I have an older brother Danny. My daddy, Leon Cue-It Hewitt, assumed my big brother would follow in his pool-sharking footsteps, but I did that instead. Thus my nickname, Little Girl Cue-It.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Cats! Snowflake, my solid white cat, was mine before I married Wilson, and I swear she and I can read each other’s minds. And Wilson brought two cats into our marriage. Wally is solid black and just loves to play, and Bernice, our fatter-than-fat calico loves to nap. In Six Easy Pockets, I met a horse named Maybelline. I kept telling her I’m a cat person, but Maybelline would hear none of it, and somehow we did bond. Snowflake did not approve!

What town do you live in?
Clarence, North Carolina. Clarence is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and reminds people of Asheville, North Carolina.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I own a condo in a converted old warehouse in downtown Clarence. Open floor plan, brick walls, huge windows. I love it! Come see it sometime, Dru Ann!

What is your favorite spot in your house?
My desk, located in the corner of the living room, and overlooking Sullivan Street below. From my desk, I get to watch the comings and goings across the street at The Stone Fountain—my favorite neighborhood bar and the place you’re likely to catch me shooting pool when I’m not working. And if I get bored looking down, I can look out toward the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance. Adele Nightingale stares at that view a lot when she’s working on the unlikely details of her intricate plots!

Who is your best friend?
I have two! Both Candy Poppe and Karen Sembler have condos in the same building as I. Candy just turned thirty, tends toward mini-skirts and stilettos, and is the world’s best bra saleswoman. Karen’s in her forties, likes jeans, tee-shirts and work boots, and is the world’s handiest handywoman. Karen can build or fix anything! Oh, and Karen gives all of us all a real scare in Six Easy Pockets. She has a new boyfriend, the millionaire Pierpont Rigby, and— Well, it’s a rather long story to go into here. . .

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur, as my altogether annoying husband Wilson Rye the homicide guy likes to remind me.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Candy and Karen help me out a lot, much to Wilson’s chagrin. The poor man is surrounded by us amateur sleuths!

Favorite meal?
Anything Wilson cooks. He does great Italian. I don’t cook, so when Wilson isn’t around I make myself a green salad. Wilson calls it rabbit food.

Favorite dessert?
I actually don’t eat a lot of sweets, but my favorite beverage is bubbly. My fridge is always well-stocked with Korbel Brut!

Favorite hobby?
Shooting pool! Wilson would tell you driving him crazy runs a close second, and between you and me, he’s probably right.

Favorite vacation spot?
I’ve only been there once, and there was a murder to be solved, but I just loved Hawaii! Three Odd Balls will tell you all about that vacation.

Favorite color?
Yellow. I adore yellow roses.

Favorite author?
Other romance authors. In Five Spot I got inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame with some real greats. It was quite an honor, and yes—Wilson and I ended up solving a murder at that convention.

Favorite sports team?
I’m a Duke alumna, and I love basketball, so I follow Duke basketball every season on my seriously outdated black and white TV. Back in our youth, my big brother Danny got a scholarship to play on Duke’s team. I didn’t get an athletic scholarship, so that’s why I decided to shoot pool to pay my tuition.

Movies or Broadway?
Broadway! My altogether hyperactive literary agent, Louise Urko—lovingly called Geez Louise by her devoted clients—lives and works in Manhattan. Louise and I always take in a show when I visit.

Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m menopausal, which means I don’t sleep much at either end of the spectrum! But I get up by five every morning to write in bed. Snowflake helps me until Wilson wakes up, and then he always offers ideas and opinions about my latest masterpiece.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Well, as just mentioned, I write in the morning, but it seems that I’m always getting involved in my husband’s murder investigations, so in the afternoons I sleuth! Evenings? That’s when I play pool. Stop by The Stone Fountain sometime Dru Ann, and I’ll teach you. As I keep telling my friends, just think of a pool table as Six Easy Pockets!

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a kindle copy of Six Easy Pockets. The giveaway ends September 3, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Jessie in Six Easy Pockets, the sixth book in the “Cue Ball” humorous mystery series.

Pool shark Jessie Hewitt likes to call the shots. But apparently her two best friends didn’t get that memo. Candy Poppe has taken up with the wrong man. And Karen Sembler? She’s been kidnapped! Jessie’s no-nonsense husband, Wilson Rye the cop guy, suggests she leave the crime-solving to the experts and the love lives to those involved. Does Jessie listen? Take a guess.

Six Easy Pockets is loaded with all the humor, mayhem, and mystery Cindy Blackburn’s fans have come to expect. But this one also includes a millionaire, a mansion, and a princess! Enjoy!

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About the author
Cindy Blackburn writes cozy mysteries because she thinks grim reality is way overrated. When she’s not thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks of all her lovable characters in the Cue Ball Mysteries and Cassie Baxter Mysteries, Cindy enjoys spending time with cute hubby John and fat cat Betty. Officially, Cindy lives in South Carolina, but come summer you’ll find her on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Cindy’s favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is purple. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans.

Find out more at cbmysteries.com, on Facebook or see what Cindy’s up to over at Twitter @cbmysteries.

All comments are welcomed.