Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Maggie.


What is your name?
Maggie Lewis

How old are you?
I’m 46.

What is your profession?
Well. . .I’m on suspension right now from my bartending job at the local VFW. Veterans of Foreign Wars in case you didn’t know. I didn’t until I started working there five years ago. As soon as I prove I didn’t kill Korean war veteran Jack Hoffman, I’ll be back to work. I really need this job.

Do you have a significant other?
I’m a widow. But I’ve been working pretty closely with my downstairs tenant on this murder case.

What is his name?
Michael Bradley.

What is his profession?
Former Orlando police officer who will soon get his PI license.

Any children?
No. I can’t keep a plant alive, so definitely shouldn’t be responsible for the care of a child.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
A kid brother Tony. He still lives in Miami near my mom.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Nope. See above about children.

What town do you live in?
I live in North DeSoto, Florida. A very small town not too far from Jacksonville, near the St. Johns river.

House or building complex?
House. A huge dumpy Victorian. My late husband Rob and I completely renovated the downstairs. We were working on the upstairs when he was murdered two years ago.

Do you rent or own?
Own. Well, the credit union technically owns it and I’m doing my best to see they don’t get it back.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
My bathroom. The only room we had finished renovating upstairs.

Who is your best friend?
Brenda Blackwell. Ten years younger and already owns three hair salons. I’m really proud of her accomplishments.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur. This is a one-time case though. I have no intention of playing Nancy Drew once I get my job back.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Michael and Brenda.

Favorite meal?
Anything someone else cooks and I don’t have to pay for.

Favorite dessert?
Key Lime pie as long as the filling is yellow and not that fake green color.

Favorite hobby?
Reading. I love mysteries and autobiographies.

Favorite vacation spot?
Who can afford a vacation?! I guess I’d have to say St. Augustine which is about forty minutes away.

Favorite color?
Purple.

Favorite author?
Just one? Too hard to narrow down. I read cozies all the way up to thrillers.

Favorite sports team?
Boston Red Sox.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies. I check them out from the library for free.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Definitely a night person.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Before this ridiculous suspension from work, all I really did was tend bar at the VFW six nights a week. Now, I’m spending a lot of my time snooping around, asking questions. I’m learning a lot of stuff about people that I really don’t want to know.

Giveaway: Tell us what was the last thing Maggie’s husband did? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Last Call. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends July 11, 2018. Good luck everyone!


You can read about Maggie in Last Call, the first book in the NEW “Maggie Lewis” mystery series.

A bartender at a Florida VFW has to clear her name or she’ll be serving time instead of drinks

Bartender Maggie Lewis can’t hold her beer, her tongue, or her temper. On a bad day at work she’d love to kill a customer or two. On a very bad day she becomes the primary suspect accused of doing just that.

Suspended from her job after being set up for the murder of Korean war veteran Jack Hoffman, Maggie has no intention of letting herself be framed. And since the police have yet to arrest anybody for the last major crime in town—the murder of Maggie’s husband—she’s sure they won’t try too hard to collar the real culprit. So Maggie must produce enough evidence to clear her name, get her job back, and find the killer before she ends up behind the wrong kind of bars.

Purchase Link
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Meet the author
Paula Matter (rhymes with otter) is the author of the Maggie Lewis mysteries which take place in a small town in North Florida. Paula’s short crime fiction stories have been published in USA and German anthologies. After losing her job as a catering server, Paula decided instead of getting yet another job as a waitress/bartender/activities director/etc., she’d tackle her mystery novel again. Originally from Miami, FL, Paula kept moving north until she settled in north central Pennsylvania. A proud mom of one son, she lives with her husband The Saint, and worthy-not-spoiled rescue dog in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains.

All comments are welcomed.