Kat Stanford first appeared in Murder at Honeychurch Hall and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Kat.

What is your name?
Katherine Stanford but my friends call me Kat.

How old are you?
40 . . . but I’m told I look 39.

What is your profession?
I’m an antique dealer who specializes in bears, dolls and toys. For many years I was the TV host of an antiques roadshow called Fakes & Treasures. I really enjoyed the work but I didn’t like being a celebrity especially when my numerous wardrobe malfunctions would appear on the front page of trashy tabloid magazines like Star Stalkers. For the last year or so I’ve been living in the West Country, two hundred miles from my old life in London. I started my own business called Kat’s Collectibles & Mobile Valuation Services and I also have an antique stall in the Dartmouth Antique Emporium.

Do you have a significant other?
Ah . . . now that’s a good question. Up until last summer I lived with the infamous international art investigator David Wynn but that’s over now. I’ve just started seeing a naval helicopter pilot but it’s very early days.

What is his/her name and profession?
Squadron Leader Guy Evans and he really is gorgeous. The downside is that my mother Iris and his mother Delia (the housekeeper) have been scheming to get us together for weeks so it could be awkward if it doesn’t work out.

Any children?
Not yet and yes, my biological clock is ticking. I definitely would love to start a family.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
No, I’m an only child.

Do your parents live near you?
Dad passed away about 18 months ago which was why my mother decided to start a brand new chapter and up sticks and move from London to a remote part of Devon. I couldn’t understand why she would do that but apparently it’s where she used to set up camp as a child with Bushman’s Traveling Fair and Boxing Emporium.

Who is your best friend?
It’s probably my mother although I have made friends with a couple of the antique dealers at the Dartmouth Antique Emporium. It takes a long time to make friends as an adult, especially moving to a new town.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
A bay mare called Jupiter—at least, I like to think she’s mine. The dowager countess, Lady Edith Honeychurch (a formidable woman in her mid-eighties who can still do 100 push ups . . . and yes, I’ve seen her do it) very generously told me I could ride Jupiter any time I like.

What town do you live in?
Little Dipperton, a tiny village in Devon. At first I couldn’t get used to the silence since my flat was next to Putney underground station—but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I run my business from the gatehouse but I live in a former hunting lodge called Jane’s Cottage on the Honeychurch estate. It’s actually haunted.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
I love sitting out on the terrace with a glass of Prosecco on a summer’s evening. The views are spectacular.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Eton Mess. I just love meringue!

Favorite hobby?
Riding Jupiter.

Favorite color?
Teal.

Favorite author?
Krystalle Storm—aka Iris Stanford . . . in other words My Mother.

Favorite vacation spot?
I’m still pretty new to the West Country but I love some of the remote beaches in North Cornwall.

Favorite sports team?
I’m afraid I don’t watch sport.

Movies or Broadway?
Both! The newly renovated cinema in Totnes shows a lot of old black and white movies. Mum and I go there a lot.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Definitely a morning person.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
A reluctant amateur sleuth! I don’t know how I get caught up in all the dramas here. Life in London was so quiet and uneventful!

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
My mother. She can’t help getting involved so I have to make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I get up around 7.30 and head to my office in the gatehouse. Every day is different. Some days I’ll be on the road doing mobile valuations; other times I’ll be at an auction either buying or selling. I usually stop by the Dartmouth Antique Emporium in the afternoons to. I always pop in to see my mother at some point during the day. Someone has to make sure she’s behaving herself! I feel I’m really fortunate to have such a wonderful life.

You can read about Kat in Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall, the fifth book in the “Honeychurch Hall” mystery series, released April 16, 2019.

All’s fair in love . . . and antiques wars!

Things are going well for Kat Stanford; not only is her antiques business thriving, she’s also got a new date: Piers Carew, Viscount Chawley, who owns the estate next to Honeychurch Hall.

Unfortunately, Kate has a rival. Impossibly beautiful Cassandra Bowden-Forbes is also in town, conducting valuations at the same fairs as Kat – and she makes no secret of the fact she’s got her eye on Piers . . .

And then things start to go wrong: Kat finds herself at the scene of not one but two mysterious deaths, and local tongues are wagging – is it coincidence, or murder? As Kat’s fortunes nosedive it becomes clear that unless she can solve these unexplained deaths then she may just be the victim of the next accident . . .

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About the author
Hannah writes The Vicky Hill Mysteries and the Honeychurch Hall Mysteries (Constable Crime/Little Brown), both set in the wilds of the Devonshire countryside in England. Hannah has been an obituary reporter, antique dealer, private jet flight attendant and Hollywood story analyst. She has served on numerous judging committees for Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Hannah enjoys all country pursuits, movies, theater and seriously good chocolate.

To learn more about Hannah, visit her website at hannahdennison.com.

All comments are welcomed.