Lena London first appeared in A Dark and Stormy Murder and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Lena.

What is your name?
Lena London.

How old are you?
27

What is your profession?
Writer

Do you have a significant other?
Yes, but I won’t say much about him in case you want to start my story from the beginning (A Dark and Stormy Murder).

Any children?
No, but I hope to have them some day.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
No. I’m an only child, with only one living parent, but I’m lucky enough to have a lot of friends that feel like my brothers and sisters. In fact, the longer I’ve been in Blue Lake, the more that “family” seems to grow.

Do your parents live near you?
My mother died when I was a sophomore in high school. My father has retired to Florida with his second wife, Tabitha. They both came to visit me in Blue Lake a few months ago, though, and that was a real treat. I’ll end up seeing them in my next adventure, as well.

Who is your best friend?
My best friend is named Allison Branch. When I started high school I was an introvert who tended to sit around reading books. Allison was one of those drama kids with tons of energy and charisma to spare. She is a talented singer and dancer, and she got the leads in all the school plays. Not long into our freshman year, she walked up to me in the lunch room, where I was reading a book, and basically told me to stop reading so that she could talk to me. We’ve been friends ever since. She is the hyperactive, excited yin to my quiet, contemplative yang.

But if we’re counting best friends from differing age groups, then I will include my older best friend, Camilla Graham. Yes—THAT Camilla Graham—the famous suspense novelist! She’ll be seventy this year, but she and I have become so close since my arrival in Blue Lake that we can almost read each other’s minds. I’m lucky to have her in my life. Every day with her is an adventure.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I have a beloved cat named Lestrade, but since I live at Camilla’s house, I am also a sort of step-mother to her German Shepherds, Heathcliff and Rochester (yes, their names were inspired by Gothic literature).

Some new pets will appear in my life in my latest adventure, Death Waits in the Dark.

What town do you live in?
I live in Blue Lake, Indiana.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
Right now I live in Camilla’s Victorian House on the top of a scenic bluff in Blue Lake. It has the best view of the water, and is in close proximity to the house of someone I care a great deal about.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
I love my room. From the moment Camilla sent me up the stairs to put away my luggage and free Lestrade from his carrier, I fell in love with the airy space, the blue tones of the bedspread and throw rug, the bowl of roses on the table, the huge wooden desk, the private bathroom, and, best of all, the window with the lake view.

My second favorite place is Camilla’s office, where we do all of our collaborating. She sits behind her desk, and I sit in a purple upholstered chair that has become my special place.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I love waffles, as a neighbor of ours will attest, and Camilla and I have been known to indulge in the amazing confections made by Rhonda, Camilla’s cook. One night Camilla and I ate cupcakes together in the wee hours of the morning.

Favorite hobby?
I love to write, of course, and I am lucky enough to be able to do that with Camilla, for a salary. But my other interests are watching old movies (often at the Blue Lake Second-Run theater) and hiking on the scenic overlook in town. Every sky is different, each one a poem about existence.

Favorite author?
Camilla Graham, of course! Camilla and I both love the great Gothic suspense writers, like Charlotte Bronte and Daphne Du Maurier. I also love Shakespeare. What English major doesn’t?

Favorite vacation spot?
My father lives just minutes from the beach in Jupiter, Florida. It’s a lovely place. But now that I’ve lived in Blue Lake for almost a year, I can understand what Camilla means when she says it has a “relentless beauty.” It’s hard to leave Blue Lake once you’ve lived there.

Favorite sports team?
I don’t watch many sports (again, English major). But I do enjoy Wimbledon.

Movies or Broadway?
Both! I love all kinds of movies (especially the oldies, as I mentioned). But thanks to my drama friend Allison, I must know the lyrics to just about every Broadway song. She made me sing them with her at every sleepover, and sometimes she still does, even though we’re both grown up professional women (Allison is an emergency-room nurse).

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning. I like to get up early, have breakfast with Camilla, and then get right to work on our latest project. Then, after a few hours of working, we are free to do other tasks—taking walks or visiting or going to the store.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m an amateur. I only ever wanted to encounter murder in the pages of fiction—either the books I read or the ones I was writing. But Camilla and I seem to have a knack for encountering crime.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
I work with Camilla, but we have built up a sizable team of friends in Blue Lake, from police officers to neighbors to town librarians to a local restaurateur. We’ve become a crime-fighting family of sorts. We support and protect one another.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
As I said, I wake up early, go downstairs and share breakfast with Camilla, who rises even earlier than I do. Sometimes I walk Camilla’s big dogs down the bluff and along Wentworth Street, our main drag. Then we return home along the beach, admiring the view of Blue Lake shimmering under the sky. We climb the red stairs that lead up to Camilla’s back door, and she lets us in, fussing over us all. Then we retire to her office, in which we brainstorm over our work in progress. My name appears along with Camilla’s on the book The Salzburg Train, which I helped her write and edit, and on Death on the Danube, which we wrote together. We just completed a third novel, Death at Delphi.

We work well together, and after a year we’ve been through some significant events together, too—deaths, birthdays, weddings, reunions, even a shared trip to England!

I couldn’t imagine a better job. Since Camilla and I work in the mornings, we often have the afternoon free to wander in a local antique shop or walk down to the coffee shop or Bick’s Hardware (who sell just about everything). Or we’ll separate to spend time with our boyfriends, who claim that Camilla and I have a psychic connection.

Blue Lake is a sort of dream town. Check it out by reading my story, starting with A Dark and Stormy Murder, and working up to the fourth installment, Death Waits in the Dark, which comes out on April 2.

You can read about Lena in Death Waits in the Dark, the fourth book in the “Writer’s Apprentice” cozy mystery series, coming April 2, 2019.

Writer’s apprentice Lena London is back and better than ever when her friend bestselling suspense novelist Camilla Graham needs help solving a town murder that hits a little too close to home. . .

It’s summertime, and Lena and Camilla are busy working away while a town vandal runs amok. Things get even more complicated when Jane Wyland pays Camilla a not-so-friendly visit and gives her an ultimatum: reveal Camilla’s husband James’s family secret, or she will. Lena assures Camilla that nothing will come of the woman’s threats, since the family has no secrets to hide.

When Jane Wyland is later found dead, they’re convinced that whatever secret she was planning to expose led to her death. With Lena’s assistance, Camilla is determined to solve the case before the finger points at her. . .

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About the author
Julia Buckley is the author of the Undercover Dish mysteries and the Writer’s Apprentice mysteries. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Chicago Writer’s Association. She has taught high school English for twenty-nine years. Visit Julia at juliabuckley.com.

All comments are welcomed.