I first met Megan in A Muddied Murder and fell in love with the character, her friends and her hometown of Winsone, Pennsylvania and have followed her journey ever since.

So, let’s meet Megan.

What is your name?
Megan Sawyer.

How old are you?
Mid-thirties, although some days I feel eighteen and others eighty.

What is your profession?
Organic farmer and businesswoman. Once upon a time I was an environmental attorney. Sounds noble, right? I went to law school to protect the environment, but my journey led me to a large Chicago law firm where I defended big companies from environmental claims. Not quite the path I had envisioned. When my father decided to move away—leaving behind my eighty-five-year-old grandmother and the ramshackle farm and store our family has owned for generations—I knew I had to go home.

Do you have a significant other?
I do!

What is his name and profession?
Dr. Daniel “Denver” Finn. He’s the town’s (very handsome) veterinarian. Think James Herriot meets a young Paul Newman—with a Scottish brogue.

Any children?
No children. I was married to my childhood sweetheart, Mick Sawyer. Sadly Mick died in the military before we started a family. Maybe someday.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I’m an only child.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Of course! What would a farm be without animals? My grandmother and I have two dogs, Sadie and Gunther—both rescues. Sadie is a mixed breed and Gunther is a pure Polish Tatra Sheepdog. He looks like a large, white Golden Retriever. We also have a cat named Mutton Chops and two pygmy goats, Heidi and Dimples (can you tell which of us named the goats?) and about a dozen chickens. We raise the chickens for eggs, although they live with us until they meet a natural demise. No stew pots for our hens. Slight spoiler alert: a new rescue farm animal may be joining us in book five, Ripe For Vengeance. I can’t tell you anything about her other than her name (Camilla) and her size/shape (large and, shall we say, rather porcine).

What town do you live in?
The fictional Bucks County, Pennsylvania town of Winsome.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
My grandmother and I own our home—it’s a farm called Washington Acres. Supposedly George Washington stayed here during the Revolutionary War.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The kitchen. It’s old and large and drafty and has an impractical layout, but so many wonderful memories were made there. It is truly the heart of our home.

Who is your best friend?
My grandmother, Bonnie “Bibi” Birch. She’s my best friend, surrogate mother, and hero. Don’t tell her, though. It will go to her head. She’s difficult enough as it is.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur sleuth.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Depends on the case. I have a great relationship with the town’s young, inexperienced police chief, Bobby King. Aside from King, sometimes Bibi joins me, sometimes Denver or my farm manager, Clay Hand, and sometimes I find myself very much on my own.

Favorite meal?
I like simple food, preferably fresh from the garden. My absolute favorite comfort meal is Bibi’s homemade bread (slathered with butter) and a large tomato and fresh mozzarella salad with tomatoes and herbs from the farm (I like it so much that I included a recipe in the back of Rooted In Deceit). I also love Alvaro’s cooking—he’s the chef at my organic café—and his huevos rancheros (with eggs from our hens) is another favorite.

Favorite dessert?
Sour cherry crumb pie with vanilla ice cream!

Favorite hobby?
Between the farm and the café, there’s not a lot of time for hobbies. I enjoy spending time with the animals and, when I can, shopping for vintage clothes—especially in New York City.

Favorite vacation spot?
My favorite place so far has been Teton National Park in Wyoming. Scotland’s beautiful as well. It’s hard to travel when you’re a farmer; there’s never a good time. I’ve made a promise to myself to make the time.

Favorite color?
Turquoise. Mick’s eyes were blue-green, and the color reminds me of him in the best way possible.

Favorite author?
Elizabeth George.

Favorite sports team?
Go Eagles! Once a Philly girl, always a Philly girl.

Movies or Broadway?
I love New York City, and a live show is, in my view, always better, so I’d choose Broadway. That said, I love movies and sometimes cuddling up with Denver and watching a movie is the only real down time we get together.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning. I’m always up before dawn to tend to farm chores. I adore the farm that time of day; I love watching it awaken.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I’m up at the crack of dawn. I check on and feed the animals, have coffee and breakfast with Bibi and Clay, and then I prepare my checklist of to-dos for the day. I spend some days exclusively on the farm, and the work varies with the season. In the spring, we plant seeds and get the beds ready. In the summer it’s a constant rotation of weeding, watering, harvesting, and planting. Fall is the big harvest—and getting the farm ready for winter. Even in winter, we don’t stop; we plant tender greens in our greenhouses and low tunnels for the café and local restaurants. Other days I work at the store and café in Winsome, filling in as line cook, waitress, cashier—whatever’s needed. It’s a busy life, an honest life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

And then there are the days the bodies show up. Those days, all bets are off.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Rooted In Deceit. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends September 8, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read more about Megan in Rooted In Deceit, the fourth book in the “Greenhouse” mystery series.

It’s summertime in Winsome. Washington Acres is abloom, Megan is preparing for the grand opening of their wood-fired pizza farm, and things with Megan’s beau, handsome Dr. Finn, are getting as hot as the August temperatures. But when Megan’s ne’er-do-well father arrives in Pennsylvania with his high-maintenance Italian wife, Sylvia, and announces they’re staying at the new yoga retreat center a town away, a sweet occasion sours.

Eager to secure pieces for her Milan boutique, Sylvia finagles a meeting with up-and-coming artist Thana Moore, whose work is showing at the retreat center. After their explosive encounter, Thana is murdered and Sylvia becomes the prime suspect. Only Sylvia isn’t the only one with ties to the artist—once upon a time, Thana Moore had been Megan’s best friend. As Megan delves into Thana’s past, piecing together the years since their falling out, she realizes that something sinister is afoot in Bucks County. Unless Megan can find the killer, this idyllic summer will turn nightmarish. Innocent people may be imprisoned—and even more could die.

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About the author
Wendy Tyson is a writer, lawyer, and former therapist whose background has inspired her mysteries and thrillers. Wendy writes two mystery series, the bestselling Greenhouse Mystery Series and the popular Allison Campbell Mystery Series. Wendy’s short stories have appeared in literary journals, and she has short fiction in two anthologies, Betrayed and The Night of the Flood. Wendy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Penn Writers, and International Thriller Writers, and she’s a contributing editor and columnist for International Thriller Writers’ online magazines, The Big Thrill and The Thrill Begins. Wendy and her family live in Vermont.

Connect with Wendy at watyson.com.

All comments are welcomed.