Come join Maddie and dru’s book musings as we sit down for a Q&A session.

What is your full name?
Madison Swallows, but everyone calls me Maddie.

How old are you?
I’m 43 years old.

What is your profession?
I’m a psychologist. I used to be a psychology professor at a university, but I left that job when I was in the middle of a difficult divorce. I have since moved back to my hometown and opened my own therapy office.

Do you have a significant other?
I do!

What is their name and profession?
His name is Benji. He’s our local handyman, but he’s also an amazing musician.

Do you have any children?
I have two awesome kiddos, though they’re not so little anymore. My oldest, Lilly, is leaving home soon to pursue a career in photography. My youngest, Flash, is brilliant at computer coding (AKA, hacking) and is graduating high school early to start working with cyber security at a big company. I’m both so proud of them, and terrified for them to head out on their own.

Do you have any siblings?
I’m an only child. My dad left when I was a baby and my mom was always too busy working to worry about things like dating.

Are your parents nearby?
I don’t know where my dad is, but I do live close to my mom. I spent a lot of years away and our relationship suffered for it. We’re trying to mend that now that I’ve moved back.

Who is your best friend?
I feel like I have to give two answers for this one. My best friend, Trish, left the university at the same time I did. She moved to my hometown to help open the therapy office with me. She also moved into the same house with me and the kids and has been able to help out as needed.

Now that I’m engaged to Benji, that relationship looks a bit different. Benji was both my best friend growing up, and he’s my best friend now. I’m still trying to figure out how to make space for both of them in my life.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
I don’t have any pets, but Trish brought her cat, Ava, with her when she moved in. That cat has been more than enough. For whatever reason, Ava seems to have a personal vendetta against me. She’s constantly sneak attacking me, whacking me for no reason, and hiding my keys. That being said, I think I might actually miss that dang cat when Trish moves out.

What town do you live in?
I live in Amor, New Mexico.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I own a two-floor family home. It’s not as common to have a house with two levels here, but I felt like we needed the space with two adults and two teenagers. Plus the cat.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The kitchen. I don’t love cooking, and actually hadn’t learned how until we’d moved away from the big city. But I do love eating. A lot. As do my kids, especially my son. Now, I enjoy both cooking and eating it.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
My favorite meal is anything with green chile in it. Seriously, you throw some green chile on top of my pizza, into my lasagna, onto my burger…I will love you forever. I’m still not convinced about green chile ice cream, but I haven’t ruled it out. My favorite dessert are brownies with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Best combination ever.

Do you have any hobbies?
Honestly, I need to make more time for hobbies. Between working as a therapist and being a single mom, I don’t have much time left over for ‘me’ time. And that’s not including all of the town events I’m expected to take part in. There’s also this thing where dead bodies keep showing up. I don’t know what that’s about, but murder investigations have become something of a family affair.

What music do you listen to?
Anything that came out of the 1990s.

What is your favorite color?
Blue. But not baby blue. I like the darker shades.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love visiting places I’ve never been before and the excitement of discovering something new. Of course, I recently took my family on a vacation to Carlsbad Caverns and we ended up trapped a thousand feet below ground with a murderer. The vacation we took before that, we attended the hot air balloon festival and saw someone fall to their death.

Maybe we should take less vacations.

Are you a morning or night person?
Definitely a morning person. I do all my best thinking then. By the time eight-thirty at night rolls around, I’m ready to call it a day.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
My kids would say that I don’t know how to have fun anymore. Of course, that’s not true. I’m loads of fun. Being a working single mom who routinely gets pulled into murder investigations hasn’t affected me at all.

Let’s see. Fun. I…there has to be something…oh, I know. Every Sunday the kids and I turn off our phones and play board games. No distractions. I love that time with them.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Beyond The Couch: A Psychologist’s Memoir of Murder and Motherhood.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur sleuth. Believe it or not, I never intend to get involved with these murder investigations. Especially because inevitably my whole family will become involved, which is the last thing I want. But between Flash and his computer skills, Lilly and her photography skills, and my meddling mother who has no problem driving them to crime skills, it’s nearly impossible to keep them away from it as this point. Even our local sheriff, Sheriff Danielle Potts, has learned to accept it.

What is a typical day in your life like?
I’m usually running late in the mornings, but not for lack of trying. I’m not used to my kids being old enough to be self-sufficient, so I find myself making sure they wake up on time for work and seeing if they need anything before I head out. Then there’s the cat. Ava has usually hidden my car keys, making my two options to half-run the three blocks to the office, or waste more time trying to get her to play nice.

I spend most of the day trying to solve local disputes. The problem is that I’m hearing only one side of the story in my therapy sessions, and no one seems to want to work on themselves. They want me to fix the other person.

By the time I get home at night, it’s either take-out for dinner or a simple meal I can throw together, then settling down with a good book. When I’m lucky, I get to spend time with the kids, Trish, and Benji, or a combination of the four. It seems like everyone is so busy nowadays.

And then there’s the times when we find ourselves entangled in a murder investigation. When that happens, everything gets thrown out the window. There are no schedules. No rules.

It’s survival.

Dead in the Dark, A Maddie Swallows Mystery Book #6
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Marriage is scary. Dead bodies are worse.

Newly engaged Maddie Swallows has done the marriage thing before, and she’s terrified to do it again. Even with someone as perfect as Benji.

In an attempt to help calm her nerves, Maddie’s mother arranges for Maddie, Benji, and the kids to go on a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns.

But what begins as a wonderful adventure quickly takes a horrifying turn when, at the bottom of the caverns, the lights go out. When they turn back on, their tour guide is dead.

Trapped with a murderer in the deepest part of the caverns, with no ability to contact help, Maddie and her family must pull together to find the killer so their group gets out safely, and there isn’t a second victim.

About the author
Kat Bellemore is a small-town romance and cozy mystery author. Deciding to have New Mexico as the setting for two of her series was an easy choice, considering its amazing sunsets, blue skies and tasty green chile. That, and she currently lives there with her husband and two cute kids. They hope to one day add a dog to the family, but for now, the native animals of the desert will have to do. Though, Kat wouldn’t mind ridding the world of scorpions and centipedes. They’re just mean.

You can visit Kat and receive a free book at kat-bellemore.com.