Mercedes sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about what makes her tick. Let’s see what she has to say.

What is your full name?
Mercedes Spivey. In Cuba, my full name was Mercedes Montero Rojas.

How old are you?
I am 30 years old.

What is your profession?
Bakery owner and chef.

Do you have a significant other?
Not now. My last marriage ended with a dead husband so I won’t be looking for a new one any time soon!

Do you have any children?
No.

Do you have any siblings?
For all I know, I am an only child. My mother disappeared when I was three years old. Right now, I am looking for her. But she might have started a new life when she left Cuba. She may even have other kids…I hope to find out soon!

Are your parents nearby?
My father died in Angola. I am looking for my mother at this point. I have no idea where she is.

Who is your best friend?
Candela, a quirky Tarot-reader and dog groomer. She is Cuban-American, lives in Miami and has come to Cuba with me to help me look for my mother.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Not at the moment, but I plan to have a dog soon.

What town do you live in?
Miami, Florida.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I own a house. My garden is full of herbs and plants that I use in the kitchen.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My kitchen. As a chef, I feel more at home in kitchens than living rooms.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Cuban arroz con pollo—rice and chicken cooked together with onions, garlic, olives and raisins. As for dessert, I love caramel flan.

Do you have any hobbies?
I like to run.

What music do you listen to?
Old Cuban music like Buena Vista Social Club songs.

What is your favorite color?
Pink.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Key West.

Are you a morning or night person?
Mostly a morning person. So many dishes need an early start!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Baking a good chocolate cake and know that people enjoy it.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
In Search Of My Mother.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am very much amateur at this point. If I am able to find my mother, I may call myself a pro!

What is a typical day in your life like?
I get up at seven a.m., take a shower and go to the restaurant that I co-own, called La Bakería Cubana. I cook and bake until five or six o’clock, then come home, go for a short run (or pass by the gym) and finally, watch tv for a while. Or read a good mystery novel. I didn’t use to like reading but now I’m getting fonder of the written word. Who knows, I may write a book about my runaway mom!

Last Seen in Havana, A Havana Mystery Book #4
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: February 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

A Cuban American woman searches for her long-lost mother and fights to restore a beautiful but crumbling Art Deco home in the heart of Havana in this moving, immersive new mystery, perfect for fans of Of Women and Salt.

Newly widowed baker Mercedes Spivey flies from Miami to her native Cuba in 2019 to care for her ailing paternal grandmother. Mercedes’s life has been shaped by loss, beginning with the mysterious unsolved disappearance of her mother when Mercedes was a little girl. Returning to Cuba revives Mercedes’s hopes of finding her mother as she attempts to piece together the few scraps of information she has. Could her mother still be alive?

Thirty-three years earlier, in 1986, an American college student with endless political optimism falls deliriously in love with a handsome Cuban soldier while on a spontaneous visit to the island. She decides to stay permanently, but soon discovers that nothing is as it seems in Havana.

The two women’s stories proceed in parallel as Mercedes gets closer to the truth about her mother, uncovering shocking family secrets in the process . . .

About the author
Writer, translator and college professor, Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of three short story collections, four plays, and twelve novels—including the Havana Mystery series. She lives with her husband, one dog and too many barn cats. Her website is teredovalpage.com.