Mallory Shepard first appeared in Engaged in Death and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Mallory.
What is your name?
Mallory Shepard.
How old are you?
Thirty.
What is your profession?
I run a wedding planning business and own a bed and breakfast. Recently, at the nudging of my sister, I’ve begun to plan events such as showers and retirement parties in addition to a full calendar of weddings. Once upon a time I was an attorney. There is a surprising amount of overlap between practicing law and putting on weddings.
Do you have a significant other?
I’m happily with my boyfriend of a year and a half, Garrett Davies. At least I used to think so. The way things are going this rocky holiday season, I’m not sure we’ll be smooching under the mistletoe forever.
What is his name and profession?
Garrett is an attorney with a bustling small town practice. Some of his cases involve defending the accused. His father Truman is the Chief of Police, so they get into some knotty conversations!
Any children?
Not yet.
Do you have any sibling(s)?
My sister Rachel is my business partner and partner in crime. She’s pretty zany and fun, and always up for a good time. She’s also an awesome baker. We have a blast planning weddings together. We complement each other. I keep her grounded, and she encourages me to fly high.
Does your parents live near you?
My mom and stepdad just moved to Port Quincy last week from the Emerald Coast of Florida. I’m thrilled to be able to spend more time with them. My mom is a champion meddler, though, so she’ll keep me on my toes.
Who is your best friend?
Besides my sister Rachel, my best friend is a former co-worker, Olivia March. She might be relocating to Port Quincy after her wedding, and I’m so excited about the possibility of spending more time with her!
Cats, dogs or other pets?
I have two cuddly cats, Whiskey and Soda. Whiskey is an ornery but sweet little calico, and Soda is her daughter, a tiny, high-octane orange fluff-ball.
What town do you live in?
Port Quincy, Pennsylvania.
House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I inherited a crumbling and once-grand mansion, Thistle Park, from my ex’s grandmother. I lovingly restored it and turned it into a B and B and wedding venue.
What is your favorite spot in your house?
I love to drink coffee in the window seat in the library. I can gaze out over the lawn and take in the changing seasons, the deer and birds that visit my property, and the rising and setting sun.
Favorite meal?
I love concocting special dishes for the brides and grooms that marry at Thistle Park. But my absolute favorite food has to be of the comfort variety. I adore the mac and cheese casserole at the Greasy Spoon diner here in Port Quincy.
Favorite dessert?
My sister’s red velvet torte with cream cheese icing.
Favorite hobby?
I like to curl up when the day is done with a good book.
Favorite color?
Pink. It’s fun and fresh, and I’m surprised less brides choose it for their color schemes.
Favorite vacation spot?
My mom and stepdad’s house in Florida, located on the Gulf of Mexico. It’s peaceful and relaxing and warm!
Favorite author?
Mary Roberts Rinehart. I don’t miss practicing law in Pittsburgh, but I do miss the city itself. It’s fun to delve into an old mystery written long ago featuring my former hometown.
Favorite sports team?
The Pittsburgh Steelers. Many a wedding that would have been scheduled for a Sunday afternoon is stymied by the football schedule!
Movies or Broadway?
Broadway. My mom used to take my sister and me to musicals growing up.
Are you a morning or a night person?
A morning person by necessity but secretly hankering to be a night person.
Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur.
Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
My sister is usually my sidekick. We sometimes dress in black and channel Charlie’s Angels. It’s all good fun until something serious happens.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
First thing, I will rise before dawn to cook a giant gourmet breakfast for my guests at the B and B. Then I’ll turn to tasks planning weddings. I might meet with brides and their families, attend a dress fitting, or use my old skills as a former attorney to negotiate a vendor contract. In the evenings I’ll get together with my boyfriend, Garrett, and his daughter Summer. There’s always something fun going on in Port Quincy, and I love traveling downtown to grab a bite to eat, hear some gossip, and view the Monongahela River. Oh, and sleuthing. I don’t intend to insert myself into Chief of Police Truman Davies’s cases, but somehow it always seems to happen!
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Gown With The Wind. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends December 23, 2018. Good luck everyone!
You can read about Mallory in Gown With The Wind, the fourth book in the “Wedding Planner” mystery series.
Professional wedding planner Mallory Shepard knows her job is challenging under any circumstances. But when the groom is your ex and someone invites murder, there may never be another tomorrow . . .
Mallory’s fine—really—handling the wedding arrangements for her ex, Keith. But his fiancée, Becca, has at the last minute decided to switch from a Japanese-cherry-blossom theme to a Gone with the Wind theme. She wants to honor her ailing grandmother, who owns an impressive collection of GWTW memorabilia—and who is fiercely at odds with the groom’s mother over the nuptial plans.
But among other complications, Becca gets into a fight with an old childhood rival over a replica Scarlett O’Hara wedding gown. She wins the dress—but soon becomes a murder suspect when the other woman is found dead in Becca’s swimming pool. And it’s up to Mallory to solve the mystery behind this unhappy occasion, before a different kind of civil war breaks out . . .
Purchase Link
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About the author
A native Pittsburgher, Stephanie Blackmoore now lives in Missouri, with her husband, son and two spirited cats. She was an attorney in Pittsburgh and a librarian in Florida before becoming a writer. Stephanie is a fan of snow, pierogis, and everything black-and-yellow. She is hard at work on her next Wedding Planner mystery. Readers can visit her website at StephanieBlackmoore.com.
All comments are welcomed.
Sounds like a good read. Thanks for the giveaway.
I loved reading this interview. I love stories of weddings.
A must-read for me!!!!!
Thank you for the giveaway……
Love 💕 the cute cover on this new book! It sure sounds like a really awesome and exciting mystery! Can’t wait to read it! Thanks so much dear Dru Ann and Stephanie for the chance to win! 😊
What a great title!
Thank you for the chance to win this!
Love the title. Planning weddings sounds like a great premise for drama.
Sounds like you have found another fun series. Thanks.
Never read her book thanks for the chance.
Great interview! This sounds like a fun series – and I would love to spend time in Mallory’s bed and breakfast.
I think I want to be Mallory 🙂
After dealing with my wedding 33 years ago, I would have loved to have had a wedding planner to take some of the stress away. Much like the holidays, a wedding can make you or break you. But 33 years later, my husband and I are still together and have two children too. Thanks Dru Ann for hosting Stephanie Blackmoore on your blog.
Thanks for the chance
This book sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win. I love learning about new to me authors.
What could possibly go wrong planning a wedding for an ex?
Ohhh, this sounds great, thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
Gown With The Wind sounds like a great cozy mystery. Thanks for introducing us to Mallory Shepherd and for the giveaway!
I enjoy this series! Thanks for a chance to win a copy!
Good morning Dru. I’d love to win this book for my growing home library. Please toss my name into the Magic Contest Hat.
I also wish you a Very Merry Christmas.
Sounds like an intriguing series. Would love to win.
Interesting peaked my interest
Gone with the Wind and Gown with the Wind……I love it!!!
I love this series; and the names of the cats, Whiskey and Soda, are adorable.
Love the wedding planner storyline. Looking forward to reading.
Love the Q&A.
A great title for a must read.
Great title, sounds fun. New to me. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love the title of this book and would love to win it!!
What a beautiful cover! I am looking forward to reading this-among other things, I want to learn how the ex’s grandmother left the property to Mallory!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! I’d love,to win but so would everyone else…lol! So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Wow, Mallory must be super busy running a wedding planning business & owning a B&B.
I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read of this series and can’t wait to see what else Mallory and everyone ends up getting into. Thanks for the chance to win.
Yes, please, I want this one!
I loved to read that interview from a fellow Pennsylvanian. I live about 80 miles from Pittsburgh. I live in Ohio now. But travel through Pittsburgh to get back to where I’m from. I also love the Steelers. Would be cool to win a copy of this book and hear about things related to Pittsburgh. I also love a good mystery.
**** WINNER ****
Gown With The Wind is Nora-Adrienne
Congratulations!