Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, where you can learn more about what makes them tick. Let’s see what Maggie has to say today.

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What is your name?
– – My name is Maggie O’Malley. Actually, that’s not technically true. My full name is Magnolia (my mom was a proud Southerner), but I go by Maggie. Mom never really approved of that whole “Maggie” business. She wasn’t big on nicknames.

How old are you?
– – I’m 27 years-old, but everyone says I seem older. I guess that’s a compliment?

What is your profession?
– – My profession? Well, this is awkward. I used to be a pharmaceutical researcher, but that didn’t exactly pan out. I decided to leave the corporate world and got a job in a lingerie store. That doesn’t seem to be working out, either. “Things not going as planned” seems to be a theme in my life.

Do you have a significant other?
– – I have a boyfriend. The relationship status is new, but the relationship isn’t. We’ve been best friends since middle school.

What is his name?
– – People who know me know that my best friend is Constantine. It feels strange to say that “best friend” has become “boyfriend,” but it’s true.

What is his profession?
– – Constantine is in IT. He works for a big company that offers tech support for businesses. Basically he puts out fires all day. The digital kind, not the real kind.

Any children?
– – Nope, no kids. No plans for them, either.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
– – I was an only child.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
– – I’ve never had a pet. Pop didn’t want them around the restaurant, and Mom was allergic—or at least said she was. Constantine has a hamster named Miss Vanilla, though. I guess that means I have a pet-in-law.

What town do you live in?
– – I live in a medium-sized town called Collinsburg. Not too big, not too small, not too anything. It just feels sort of temporary, the place where I live rather than “home.”

Do you rent or own?
– – I rent.

House or building complex?
– – It’s an apartment in a converted Victorian house. It’s sort of awful, actually, but it’s cheap.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
– – I love the kitchen. Mostly because I love to eat.

Who is your best friend?
– – Constantine is, and always will be, my best friend.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
– – I don’t consider myself a sleuth. I just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe the right place/right time, if “right” means that a body is present.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
– – Constantine is partner in everything, including crime-solving.

Favorite meal?
– – Besides everything? I’d have to go with a cheeseburger and fries.

Favorite dessert?
– – Butterscotch pudding.

Favorite hobby?
– – Running.

Favorite vacation spot?
– – I don’t take vacations. Work first, work always.

Favorite color?
– – My favorite color is green.

Favorite author?
– – Other than scientific journals, I don’t read much.

Favorite sports team?
– – I don’t watch sports.

Movies or Broadway?
– – Movies! As a kid, the movie theater was my escape hatch. It still is, really. I watch any and all movies, from classics to camp to modern. In fact, Constantine and I have entire conversations only using movie quotes.

Are you a morning or a night person?
– – I’m a morning person, but will pretend to be a night owl if the occasion calls for it.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
– – My life has changed a lot over the past year. I used to get up early, go on a run, head into work. Wash, rinse, repeat. Since I’m no longer at Rxcellance, my days are more unstructured. Empty, even, despite the job at the lingerie store. Hopefully something will happen that changes things up.

You can read about Maggie in 39 Winks, the second book in the “Maggie O’Malley” mystery series, coming May 22nd from Henery Press. The first book in the series is Protocol.

Former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is losing sleep. Her boyfriend Constantine’s aunt is a multitasking sleepwalker who, in addition to wandering her stately home, prepares meals, folds laundry and, one winter night, stumbles across her husband with his throat slit.

It’s a rude and gruesome awakening that’s upsetting to Aunt Polly. And interesting to the police.

Maggie and Constantine work to uncover who killed the cosmetic surgery mogul and why. As they dig into the lives of those who knew him best, they discover that the truth is only skin deep and doctoring perception is a treatment with deadly side effects.

A gripping page-turner with more twists than a surgeon’s suture, 39 Winks is a tale of lies, betrayals and greed that will keep you up at night. And looking over your shoulder.

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About the author
Kathleen Valenti is the author of the Maggie O’Malley mystery series. The series’ second book, 39 Winks, releases May 22nd and follows Maggie in the aftermath of the events of her Agatha- and Lefty-nominated debut mystery, Protocol. When Kathleen isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. She lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running. Learn more at kathleenvalenti.com.

All comments are welcomed.