Kate Fox sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know her better. Are you ready? Kate, take it away!

What is your full name?
Kate Fox. Well, Katharine. I was named after Katharine Hepburn, the best actress the year of my birth. All my eight brothers and sisters were named that way, too. Can’t tell you what my folks were thinking but I’m sure by the time they got to number nine, they were happy to not worry about names.

How old are you?
I’m 33.

What is your profession?
I’ve recently started a new career as the county sheriff. Believe me, I’d have happily stayed married and running a ranch. Caring for critters, even on blizzardy nights, is much easier than sheriffing. But I’m warming to the position.

Do you have a significant other?
You, too? Seems everyone is trying to hook me up since my divorce from my sorry excuse of an ex husband. Actually, in the new release, Easy Mark, there might be an answer to this question.

Do you have any children?
You just keep at it with that one-two punch, don’t you? No kids, not from design. With so many brothers and sisters providing me with nieces and nephews, who needs one of my own? Of course, I do sort of have one of my own, since I practically raised my niece, Carly.

Do you have any siblings?
More than a sane person needs. But I love them all, even Jeremy, who is neck deep in trouble in this book.

Are your parents nearby?
Mom and Dad’s house in our small town of Hodgekiss, Nebraska, is Command Central for our clan. Mom and Dad love it this way, but when I had to bunk there for a few months, it wore pretty thin.

Who is your best friend?
I’ve known Sarah since we were in kindergarten. We grew up riding horses and roping cattle, had our share of laughs and heartbreaks, and then, to seal our friendship forever, she ended up marrying my favorite brother.

Do you have any pets?
I didn’t set out to own any pets but I’ve somehow ended up with a silly standard poodle that a sister dumped off for me to keep while she had a fence installed. She never came back for him, so now I feed Poupon and let him ride in the cruiser with me. He sleeps on my couch, even though dogs are not allowed on the furniture. He’s not much of a cow dog, but I guess that’s okay, since I don’t have cows anymore.

What town do you live in?
I live just outside the thriving metropolis of Hodgekiss, Nebraska, population 500. There’s just me, Poupon, the coyotes, ducks, and deer.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I sort of got badgered into buying this old bungalow on the edge of a shallow lake. I wouldn’t admit it to my bossy older sister, but it suits me just fine.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Hands down my favorite spot is sitting on my front deck in my Griffith chair and watching the lake. Old cottonwoods give me shade in the mornings and this time of year, with only me and the big sky, I don’t even need to wear clothes if I’ve a mind not to.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I’m a Nebraska girl, so there’s nothing like a juicy ribeye, just the pink side of medium rare. And there’s nothing like my Grandma Ardith’s chocolate cake with fudge frosting. It tastes like birthday, childhood, and love.

Do you have any hobbies?
For the longest time I’ve wanted to learn to scuba dive but every time I plan to go, something comes up. I guess you could say my hobby is helping out my family, which takes most of my time.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Can we go back to that front porch spot again? I don’t get much chance to travel so I take my vacations with my feet up watching the clouds go by. But I’m itching for that scuba vacation someplace sunny and warm with palm trees and a healthy reef.

What music do you listen to?
Pretty much anything except country. Living in the Nebraska Sandhills makes it pretty hard to avoid that.

Do you have a favorite book?
I’ve got a penchant for mysteries. Right now I’m looking forward to the new releases by Jess Lourey and Rachel Howzell Hall.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Don’t laugh at me, but some of the best times I’ve ever had were on cattle drives. Every summer my family used to help a relative move his herd to the summer pasture. It took four days and we’d camp out. One of the aunts would drive a decrepit Airstream camper and that was the cook’s wagon. All of us together, horseback by day, campfire by night. And with nine kids, plus cousins, and friends, there was always some mischief afoot.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hard on Horses and Women

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m the lone law officer in my county the size of Rhode Island. But cattle outnumber people by more than 60 to 1, so most days I’m not too busy. I’m in a co-op with three other counties, also with one sheriff each, so we spell each other if someone needs to get away.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
My frog-turd of an ex husband—who is also a sheriff—told me being sheriff is 95% boring and 5% “oh shit.” That 5% can involve some quirky characters, some rough country, an unpredictable and interfering family, and always, something surprising.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Since I’m the only officer in my county, working a case means I do it all. From investigating, interviewing, sleuthing, and ending up in the thick of it. That can involve a lot of driving thither and yon and putting myself in some pretty dicey situations.

Easy Mark, A Kate Fox Mystery #4
Genre: Traditional
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

With her ex-husband, Ted, working nearby in an adjoining county, Kate Fox is eager to prove she’s the better sheriff. And when the less-than-popular ex-foreman of a local ranch is found dead, Kate gets the opportunity she’s been looking for.

But as it turns out, the case hits a little too close to home. The dead man’s body is discovered in Kate’s brother Jeremy’s truck—and her brother is missing. Evidence left at the crime scene leads Ted to suspect the ranch’s new foreman, but Kate isn’t convinced he’s responsible for the crime.

Kate dives into her own investigation. But the mystery only deepens when a herd of horses disappears and threatening strangers are seen in the Sandhills. It seems like everyone close to the ex-foreman has secrets to hide and reasons to kill—including Jeremy.

As Kate races to eliminate suspects, a shocking realization leads her to the truth. But is she too late to prevent the next murder?

About the author
Despite nearly daily declarations she’s giving up writing forever, Shannon Baker has managed to have published ten novels in three mystery series, two stand-alone dark suspenses, and a few contemporary romances. A winner of the 2019 New Mexico/Arizona book award and two-time Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year, Baker loves a cold cocktail at sunset on her Tucson deck, but is, and always will be, a Nebraska Cornhusker.

All comments are welcomed.