Mason sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings.

What is your full name?
My full name is Mason Allen Garrett

How old are you?
I am 52 years old. I can hardly believe that, but I guess it’s true. I’m a lot older than Ditie, and that’s something we talked about when we started to become serious. She claims she’s an old soul and that I’m a young one, so we meet in the middle.

What is your profession?
I’m an Atlanta City police detective. I’ve been with the force for almost twenty years. My father was on the force before me and was killed in action. My mother joined up after his death and became a sharpshooter until she retired several years ago. It seems to be in my blood although I tried another profession in banking before I turned to this one. Nothing gives me as much satisfaction or sense of purpose as my current work does. I know cops can get a bad rap and some of them deserve it. But I also know plenty of good cops—like my dad, my mom and others. I know a lot of cops that live in the communities they serve, and sometimes that makes all the difference. That’s a long answer to a short question. Ditie says I sometimes respond with an encyclopedic answer when a shorter text would do fine. But then she also says she loves to hear what I have to say when she has the time to listen.

Do you have a significant other?
That would be Ditie. Mable Aphrodite Brown, MD. She’s a pediatrician who loves her work as much as I love mine. She’s a crusader who wants to right the wrongs of the world, much of that concentrated on the welfare of children. She works in a refugee clinic and it suits her. She says she’s always learning something new and knows what she does is important. We married recently, and I couldn’t be happier.

Do you have any children?
Ditie and I have two children—Lucie is twelve and Jason is eight. I formally adopted them a couple of months ago. They’ve been through a lot and they are great kids. I also have two grown boys from a previous marriage. Also great kids with kids of their own.

Do you have any siblings?
I have one brother who was killed in a botched robbery attempt when he was a teenager. He fell in with the wrong crowd and was driving a getaway car when he was shot and killed. His death left a scar on all of us. It made me stay away from being a cop for many years, not because the police did something wrong—I mean maybe if it had all been handled differently, my brother would still be alive. But maybe not. What it felt like at the time was that it was a disaster from which my family would never heal. But we did heal. We’ve never forgotten him, but now when my mom and I talk about him, it’s with love and humor and not guilt and anger. When my father died a few years later, we had to grieve all over again for both of them. One of them dying on the right side of the law and the other on the wrong side.

Are your parents nearby?
My mother lives in northern Atlanta, a few miles from where Ditie and I live. It’s the same house I grew up in.

Who is your best friend?
Do you mean besides Ditie? I’d have to say Danny Devalle. He’s a lot younger than I am, but that doesn’t seem to bother either one of us. I suppose I like the fact he looks up to me. He was on the force but left after a few years because he didn’t like the red tape. Everyone was sorry to see him go, but he’s a lot happier being a private detective. He can set his own rules, and when he needs information he has contacts on the police force—people who are happy to give him the information he wants. To be honest I guess I also admire the fact he lives his life the way he wants to. It’s taken me a while to get to where he is.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Ditie provided me with a ready-made family in terms of pets. They include Hermione, the sweetest dog in the world, and Majestic, a cat who seems to tolerate me but also acts like I am an interloper on his territory.

What town do you live in?
Ditie and I live in Atlanta, in an area called Virginia-Highland, which is named for two streets that intersect half a mile from our house. I had a condo in downtown Atlanta when I met Ditie, but it was way too small for our family.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
We own a bungalow built in the 1920s in a neighborhood with similar older homes. A few have been torn down and replaced by more modern and larger structures but many have been preserved and updated.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I guess it would have to be the family room. It’s where we gather to watch TV with the kids. It’s where Jason and I play chess now that he’s taken an interest in the game. It used to be a porch that someone years ago converted into a part of the house, so it still has red brick flooring with French doors that open onto the living room. That means the kids can use it without feeling shut off from the rest of us. It also means we can keep an eye on them should the need arise.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
That’s a tough one. Ditie is a wonderful cook and baker. I’d have to say every meal she makes is my favorite until she makes the next one. Cookies seem to be her specialty, and I’m always happy to try out her latest experiment.

Do you have any hobbies?
I love old cars and have a Jaguar that is my pride and joy. I also love old movies and the game of chess.

What music do you listen to?
I’m pretty eclectic in my music choices. I like everything from classic to country and whatever comes in between.

What is your favorite color?
I’m not sure I have a favorite color. Ditie tells me I should wear more blue. She says it looks great with my gray eyes and bald head, both of which she claims to love.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
That one’s easy. I love the beach and always have. Now it’s the beach on the Gulf of Mexico where Ditie and I were married this past summer.

Are you a morning or night person?
Growing up and in college I was definitely a night person. That’s changed over the years. As a detective I don’t have the privilege of being either one although I am often called out at night or early morning when a murder is discovered. With kids I would definitely call myself a morning person out of necessity.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
It’s pretty easy for me to have a really fun time. In college that often involved drinking, but I no longer need that to have fun. I like to spend time with the kids. I love my time with Ditie and when we get together with Danny and Lurleen. It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hmm, another hard question. I don’t think I’ll ever write a memoir, but I guess if I did, I’d call it A Fortunate Life. I feel really lucky to be where I am today with a woman I love, work that fulfills me and children and grandchildren who make me happy.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I suppose if I have one complaint, it would be the extent to which Ditie gets herself involved in dangerous situations usually related to murder. I have to say I blame her best friend, Lurleen, for many of these encounters. Ditie has a good head on her shoulders but somehow with Lurleen she gets led astray. I know what you’re thinking—that I’m being paternalistic—and I guess in a way you’re right. I’m paternalistic in terms of our children and our responsibilities to them. They lost their first mother, and I don’t want them to lose their second one. Nor do I want to lose the woman I love. Ditie gets angry when I talk this way and says she’s always as careful as she can be. She reminds me she’s been independent and taking care of herself for years. This is something we both have to work on.

What is a typical day in your life like?
That all depends on whether or not I’m actively investigating a murder. If I am, then my time is not my own. Ditie and the kids understand that. Frequently, my mornings are more under my control than anything that comes later. That means I can sometimes take the kids to school. I try as much as possible to be home for dinner even if I have to go out again at night, and I do take vacations. When I’m wrapping up a case, things are sometimes a little more orderly with paper work to handle but no active investigations. Those are what I might call my more reasonable days.

Giveaway: Sarah has generously offered to give away one print copy of Murder And Misdirection. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends September 18, 2023. Good luck everyone!

Murder And Misdirection, A Ditie Brown Mystery Book #6
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Mabel Aphrodite Brown is looking forward to her favorite holiday—Halloween. But while she and her best friend, Lurleen, are dreaming up treats and innocent fun, someone else is concocting a perfect plan for murder!

In late October, Ditie and Lurleen attend a mystery book club given by a new-found friend. The evening turns sinister when a guest sees something terrifying outside a window and is murdered the same night. Lurleen feels compelled to protect her friend from a crime that twists and turns like a skeleton dangling in a storm.

Is the murderer seeking revenge for old crimes or new ones? Do the tarot cards reveal the truth or hide it? So many clues don’t seem to connect. Can Ditie and Lurleen find the missing link before anyone else gets hurt? And what about Mason Garrett, Ditie’s new husband and an Atlanta detective? All he wants to do is keep Ditie safe, and that’s no easy task when Lurleen is sniffing out a murderer.

About the author
Sarah Osborne is the pen name for a physician and writer who currently lives on Cape Cod. She grew up in California, went to college in Ohio and lived for years in Atlanta. She loves every part of the United States and feels lucky to have seen so much of it. Sarah writes cozy mysteries because these are the comfort books she likes to read when she needs a break from the stresses of the real world. She wants the books she reads to be well-written with characters that could be friends and a story that makes sense and keeps her turning pages. This is the kind of book she tries to write—with some humor thrown in whenever possible.

All comments are welcomed.