Kate McGuire sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Kate.

What is your full name?
Katherine Summer McGuire. But everyone calls me Kate.

How old are you?
Old enough to know better than to answer that question! Let’s just say late 20’s.

What is your profession?
I’m a pastry chef. And a partner in a great bakery — The Cookie House. It’s at the end of Main Street in Coral Cay, Florida. That’s the pale pink Victorian with white gingerbread trim and all the flowers out front — you can’t miss it.

Do you have a significant other?
No, un-uh, definitely not. I mean, I was engaged up until about six months ago. But I discovered he was cheating. The same day the Manhattan restaurant where I worked folded (because the owner was embezzling) — and my landlord announced my apartment building was going condo. I’d always wanted to visit Coral Cay “someday.” So after all that, I thought, “what’s stopping me?”

Do you have any children?
No. Although a good friend of mine, Maxi Más-Buchanan, has three. They’re really cute — and a handful!

Do you have any siblings?
My big sister, Jeanine. She’s married with twins and lives in New Jersey. But we’re not on the best of terms at the moment. Let’s just say that when I broke off my engagement, she was firmly on “Team Evan.” But I keep hoping she’ll come around. And I have a funny feeling I might be seeing her fairly soon.

Are your parents nearby?
Our folks are gone. Car accident 10 years ago. I think that’s why Jeanine feels compelled to step in and give advice. Even if it’s really bad advice.

Who is your best friend?
I have a lot of really good friends. That’s what Coral Cay is like. But I think I’m closest to Maxi. From the first time we really talked — over Café Cubano and her wonderful lemon cookies — I knew I could tell her anything.

Do you have any pets?
I wouldn’t call Oliver a pet, exactly. More like a dog who adopted me as his human. He’s a big, smart, funny, fuzzy mixed-breed. And I love him.

What town do you live in?
Coral Cay, Florida. It’s a village and an island — just off the coast of southwest Florida. Close enough that we get lots of visitors. Far enough that the cell and Wi-Fi service are kind of wonky on some parts of the island.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Definitely a small town. A village, really. But we have some big, luxury resorts on the other side of the island, so we get a lot of tourists, some big names — and more than our share of big trouble.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Right now, I’m living over the bakery. It’s the same suite where my business partner, Sam Hepplewhite, and his wife Cookie lived when they first opened The Cookie House all those years ago. The funny thing is, the suite is almost as big as my New York apartment and it’s got a much better view. Plus, it smells like a bakery. I can’t think of anything better. And Oliver loves it.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Definitely the kitchen! I’m always there working on cookies or cakes. Or treats for Oliver. And when friends stop by, they end up sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and a few fresh cookies. I love that.

Favorite meal and dessert?
It sounds awful for a professional chef, but some of my best meals aren’t the ones I’ve cooked. I love eating at Maxi’s house with her family at the picnic table under the grapefruit tree in her yard. She and her mom make the best Cuban food. And I love the big brunches that the members of our mystery book club, the Coral Cay Irregulars, pull together. In a town full of great cooks, everyone shows up with a favorite dish, and we eat and talk books. And mysteries. Of course, after what happened with the Duvals, I don’t know that we’ll be meeting at their estate again any time soon . . .

Do you have any hobbies?
Well, I’ve been making bakery deliveries around town on a bike — does that count? And Oliver’s gotten me into Frisbee toss. Anything I throw, he plucks it out of the air. Oh, and I really love Sunny Eisenberg’s early morning yoga class. Especially when she holds it on the beach. After a nice hour or so of stretching as the sun comes up, everybody runs down the sand and jumps into the surf. And then we have hot tea and rolls loaded with butter and local jam. That’s why we call the class “stretch and starch.”

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I’m living in it. Definitely Coral Cay.

What music do you listen to?
A little of everything — pop, R&B, salsa. And sometimes, if I’m alone in the bakery and trying to master a really tricky recipe, a little classical music really helps.

Do you have a favorite book?
A lot of them. Especially my cooking and recipe books. I’ve been collecting them since I was a kid. (Just ask me about my family recipe for chocolate icebox cookies!) When I was locked out of the bakery — after it had been declared a crime scene that one time — those were the possessions that I missed the most.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Anything involving friends and food. Luckily, we have a lot of those occasions on Coral Cay. Beach parties, book club meetings — and definitely the Pirate Festival. In fact, a friend of mine from New York — Desiree Goldsmith — just decided to get married here on the beach. I’m making her a key lime wedding cake. And I know that reception’s going to be a blast!

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
“And Then There Were Crumbs“?  Or maybe “Sugar and Vice“?  Or how about “A Tale of Two Cookies“? That last one refers to the bride and groom cake-toppers for Desiree and Judson’s wedding — a cookie bride and her cookie groom.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m not really a sleuth. I’m just curious about people. But a lot happens on Coral Cay. And I’ve discovered if I work on a puzzle long enough, the pieces eventually come together. With a lot of help from my friends.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
There is no “typical” here — that’s what I love about this place. One day, I’m making a chocolate pirate treasure cake for an anniversary party, while trying to figure out who buried a skeleton in the backyard of Maxi’s flower shop. The next I’m teaching a cookie class on camera to the cast of a popular reality show, while two of my friends scour their house for clues on a missing person. It’s not what I pictured when I moved here, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Whatever else is going on, I know I’m going to be in the kitchen baking cookies. And coming up with new recipes. Because even if you’re craving peanut butter chocolate chip cookies right now, later you might want to sample tangy key lime crisps or praline sandies with melty caramel. And from police detectives to real estate agents, I’ve learned that people love to chat over coffee and cookies. It’s better than truth serum.

A Tale of Two Cookies, A Cookie House Mystery #3
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2021
Purchase Link

In A Tale of Two Cookies, a cozy mystery from Eve Calder, it’s nothing but sugar and spice at The Cookie House, but elsewhere on Coral Cay everything isn’t so nice.

Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts―especially her cookies―life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.

But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.

As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.

About the author
Eve Calder writes the Cookie House Mystery series, featuring pastry chef Kate McGuire. Look for “And Then There Were Crumbs,” “Sugar and Vice,” and — released April 27 from St. Martin’s Press — “A Tale of Two Cookies.” A Florida native, she contends that cookies always taste better when you eat them at the beach.

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