Laura Bishop first appeared in Staging Is Murder and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Laura.

What is your full name?
Laura Bishop

How old are you?
Early forties

What is your profession?
Professional home stager and small business owner

Do you have a significant other?
No. I’m a widow and happily on my own. Based on my experience with good-looking men in the past, I have an aversion to them. If only the police detective and real estate agent I deal with weren’t so handsome.

Do you have any children?
No

Do you have any siblings?
No

Are your parents nearby?
My mother is deceased; my father disappeared after my parents were divorced. My Aunt Kit tries to fill in for both of them.

Who is your best friend?
Nita Martino. We have been friends since the second grade when her large and loving Italian-American family befriended me.

Do you have any pets?
I have a small black cat, Inky. I hadn’t planned to get a black cat, preferring one with lighter fur, but at the shelter he latched onto my pant leg with a look of such desperation, I couldn’t say no to him.

What town do you live in?
Louiston, Pennsylvania.

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Louiston is a small (fictional) college town in the lovely Allegheny Mountains.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a craftsman style bungalow. It was my childhood home, and I moved back there to care for my mother when she became ill. After she died, I decided to stay and painted the inside a soft yellow to brighten it up. Life with her there had been gloomy.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
On the sofa in the living room, where I curl up with Inky and an Aran wool afghan to read.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I love going to an Indian buffet so I can try different dishes that I probably wouldn’t make for myself. Chocolate pie for dessert, especially on my birthday.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reading—primarily mysteries, both contemporary and historical.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere I could use a passport. My first passport expired without a single stamp in it. My late husband didn’t like to travel. Once I make enough money to travel, I plan to make up for lost time.

What music do they listen to?
Oldies and some classical music. But I mostly listen to audiobooks instead of music.

Do you have a favorite book?
Any book by Jacqueline Winspear.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Sunday dinners with Nita’s large Italian-American family. The bigger the crowd, the better.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
** Surviving a Gloomy Childhood **.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m not only an amateur sleuth, I’m also a reluctant amateur sleuth. When I’m pulled into investigating a murder, I’m usually aided by my BFF Nita Martino; my young college-age assistant, Tyrone Webster; and his elderly grandmother, Mrs. Mariah Webster. At times, their antics have nearly gotten me killed.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Since I own a fledgling home staging business, my days are fairly stressful with me trying to balance getting homes staged to meet deadlines while trying to corner a killer—before he or she corners me.

Staging Wars is the second book in the “Laura Bishop” cozy mystery series, released April 28, 2020.

Laura Bishop’s new home staging business is growing in popularity, though not with her nemesis. Laura has long suspected established interior designer Monica Heller of sabotaging her fledgling company—and having an affair with her late husband.

When the ultra-chic Monica is caught at the scene of a murder, Laura is plenty happy to imagine her languishing in a prison cell with bedsheets far from her normal 600-thread Egyptian cotton. But her delight is short-lived.

When Laura’s friends land on the police’s radar, Laura must overcome her dislike of Monica to help solve the crime. Not an easy task since Laura and Monica have been at war since the second grade.

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Meet the author
Grace Topping is a recovering technical writer and IT project manager, accustomed to writing lean, boring documents. Let loose to write fiction, she is now creating murder mysteries and killing off characters who remind her of some of the people she dealt with during her career. Fictional revenge is sweet. She’s using her experience helping friends stage their homes for sale as inspiration for her Laura Bishop mystery series. The series is about a woman starting a new career midlife as a home stager. The first book in the series, Staging is Murder, is a 2019 Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. Grace is the former vice president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of the SINC Guppies and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.

You can reach out to Grace at her website at gracetopping.com, or on Facebook, or on Twitter.

All comments are welcomed.