Nora Page first appeared in Murder at the Palace and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Nora.

What is your full name?
Nora Paige Bishop. But I’m doing my best to drop the Bishop.

How old are you?
Way too close to forty.

What is your profession?
I manage the Palace, a historic movie theater showing classic Hollywood films.

Do you have a significant other?
It’s complicated. I’m getting untangled from my marriage and not even thinking of getting entangled with an incredibly hot man named Hector. Really, he doesn’t even cross my mind. Seriously. Hector who?

What is their name and profession?
My hopefully-soon-ex-husband is Ted Bishop. He’s an internationally famous movie star and the world’s most charming rat. The new man in my life (maybe) is Hector Acosta, who comes from a family of criminals but who has taken the business legit.

Do you have any children?
Just an unbelievably childish almost-ex.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope.

Are your parents nearby?
Not for years.

Who is your best friend?
She’s Robbie Prowse, the showrunner behind some of the biggest hits on TV. She’s also a one-quarter owner of the Palace and the reason I work there. But since I moved to San Francisco I’ve made a lot of new friends. One of them, Trixie, is the bubbly ghost of an usherette who was killed at the Palace in 1937. I have to say, she’s surprisingly lively for a ghost.

Do you have any pets?
My colleague Marty is pretty shaggy and sometimes growls. Does that count?

What town do you live in?
San Francisco!

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
My neighborhood feels like a small town, but San Francisco is a pretty big city.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Right now I’m crashing in my friend Robbie’s guest house, while trying to find the money that my cheating rat of a husband stole. Did I mention Ted is a cheating rat? Also a liar. And a cheat. What was the question again?

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Anywhere near the wine rack.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Popcorn and popcorn.

Do you have any hobbies?
Don’t tell anyone, but I blog about classic movies under an assumed identity.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Vacation? I think I’ve heard of those. . .

What music do you listen to?
Showtunes!

Do you have a favorite book?
I love autobiographies and memoirs by classic movie stars. One of my favorites is Life is a Banquet by Rosalind Russell – because it is! And, of course, because Auntie Mame can do no wrong.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I get to have my idea of a really fun time every Friday night at the Palace. We show a midnight movie and decorate the lobby and dress up in the theme of the movie. You should have been there for Pajama Game!

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
** Meet Me in the Balcony **

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m a total amateur. I mainly solve crimes with my colleagues from the theater, one of whom is Trixie. For a ghost, she gets around pretty well, and you won’t find a better eavesdropper.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I usually wake up way too early, go to a neighborhood café for the maximum amount of coffee I can possibly drink, and pick up the Palace cookie order. Then I go across the street to the theater and bicker with Marty while we set up for the first matinee. Marty is the theater’s projectionist and is conveniently dating a local homicide cop. They met after I found a body on my first day at the Palace. Assuming I don’t find any more bodies, I usually take a long walk around the city, possibly stopping off to see my friend Monica, who runs a legal cannabis shop nearby. Then back to the Palace in time for the evening rush, where I hang out with Marty, Callie, and Albert, the living members of the Palace family, and with Trixie, the slightly-less-living usherette who only I can see. On a good night Hector will show up to walk me home. On a great night we’ll make out in the balcony.

Murder on the Silver Screen is the third book in the “Movie Palace” cozy mystery series, coming June 23, 2020.

Now showing at the Palace: classic movies, ghostly mayhem, and murder!

When Nora Paige agrees to use the Palace movie theater for the launch of a new online game, she has no way of knowing that the event will end in murder. But when one of the theater’s owners is accused of the crime, the future of the Palace could be in danger.

With help from Trixie, the lively ghost of a 1930s usherette, Nora sets out to solve the crime, all while dealing with the latest manipulations from her lying ex, the meddling of a Hollywood mogul with revenge on his mind, and the mysterious delivery box of classic movie memorabilia.

Oh, and then there’s the séance. Will Nora’s friends be able to contact the ghost of the Palace? Nobody is more excited to find out than Trixie.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Margaret Dumas lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she reads and writes books when she isn’t watching old movies. The first two books in her Movie Palace Mysteries series, Murder at the Place and Murder in the Balcony, are out now. Murder on the Silver Screen is available for preorder and will be out in June. Visit her website at margaretdumas.com.

All comments are welcomed.