Nora Tierney sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know her better. Are you ready? Nora, take it away!

What is your full name?
Nora Alicia Tierney

How old are you?
Just turned 30 a few months ago.

What is your profession?
I used to work in journalism, and still do freelance articles, but mainly I write children’s books, a series about a troupe of fairies and elves who live on Belle Isle in the middle of Cumbria’s Lake Windermere.

Do you have a significant other?
I’m engaged to Declan Barnes and should be planning our wedding next spring but it’s slow going at the moment. Once the holidays are done, I can turn my attention to that as it won’t be a large event, just family and close friends.

What is their name and profession?
Declan’s an Oxford detective inspector in line for promotion any day. He’s also a former rugby player with a crooked nose and the most amazing gray eyes that look aqua at times. You can tell I’m smitten!

Do you have any children?
One son, Sean McAllister Tierney, almost 15 months old and very precocious as he’s around adults so much. I’ve enrolled him in a creche so he gets socialization with other toddlers. His bio dad died when I was pregnant; Declan fills that role and is a great dad to him.

Do you have any siblings?
No, I’m an only child. But now I have a stepsister, Claire Scott, and we’re getting closer as she’s doing a Master’s course at Exeter here in Oxford.

Are your parents nearby?
My father drowned in a boating accident when I was a teen. My mom, Amelia, remarried Roger Scott a few years ago and they live in the house where I grew up in Ridgefield, CT. I see them several times a year, either home or in England, and my mom and I talk every week on the phone. Plus I send photos of Sean’s latest antics and she’s learned how to text, too.

Who is your best friend?
That would be Val Rogan. She’s a talented textile artist, does amazing things with vintage linens and trims. She also started an artisan’s cooperative with two other artists, right in the heart of Oxford. She’s Sean’s godmother, too, and I’m happy to report she has her own loving relationship now with Sophie Jordan, an archivist at the Oxford University Press.

Do you have any pets?
We have a puppy, Typo, a little beagle my neighbors were fostering when I first found my house, Haven Cottage. He’s house-trained now and has taken to sleeping in his crate with the door open in Sean’s room.

What town do you live in?
I live in Oxford, England, in a lovely old home we’ve just moved into, tucked away next to St. Giles Church, right around the corner from The Old Parsonage, my favorite place to have High Tea. The house felt like home to me the first time I saw it, from the pale peach color of the outside, to its odd V shape. It has a garden that’s perfect for Sean and Typo, too.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
I suppose Oxford would be termed a city, as we have so many suburbs and lovely large spaces. But if you live in the center of town surrounded by the colleges, as we do, it’s actually more like a village with lots of ancient buildings, students, and tourists!

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I’m only getting my library sorted, and that will become a favorite spot soon, but right now I’d say the kitchen area. The owners before us took down some interior walls so the dining room and living room all look into each other. The kitchen has lovely large windows where I can see out to the garden, too. And it came with an Aga stove I’ve learned to cook in, which at first was a challenge, but easily sorted. YouTube to the rescue! That ubiquitous range you see on British television really is an amazing thing to cook on, and I’m learning how to use the broiling, baking and warming ovens to their best effect. I always have my notebook handy, so I’m jotting story ideas when things are in the oven.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I love a good simmering stew, like my version of a beef bourguignon with plenty of carrots and onions and red wine. Crusty bread and a salad with dates and feta cheese. Perfect meal of different textures and tastes. I’m quite fond of crème brûlée and it’s my go-to dessert but in the fall I’m making apple crumbles, too, with lots of cinnamon. Yum.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reading and eavesdropping would be my hobbies, I suppose, as writing is more of a pursuit. With a toddler and a puppy reading is something I’ve always turned to as my solace and my respite. I always have a book in my bag and read a bit before bed every night. I also have a small notebook I carry around to jot down bits of overheard conversations I may use in a book, or for when I’m on a case and I have ideas or questions to ask.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love the Lake District and more recently, have been exploring Cornwall. Declan and I have been offered the use of a friend’s thatched cottage in Cornwall a block from the sea for our honeymoon next spring and we’ve agreed it’s best to stay relatively close to home with a small child at his English grandparents then. One of these days we’ll take a proper honeymoon and I’m plumping for Paris!

What music do you listen to?
I love jazz and the American songbook. Chet Baker is a favorite, and the songs from then told stories that I like to listen to. I also like classical but then throw in some Adele and Beatles and I’m happy. Big Beatles fan.

Do you have a favorite book?
So tough to choose, isn’t it? I’m a Dickens fan but Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is one that had a huge impact on me that I still love, and probably drove me to creative writing. That gothic stuff is so atmospheric and I love that she wrote an entire book without telling the reader the first name of the protagonist. One of these days I’ll write an adult novel but I’m not there yet.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Being surrounded by people I love, good food, soft music in the background, and lots of laughter. Nothing beats a home party to me, which is why I love the holidays when people gather and reconnect. If you’re talking just me and Declan, we like to take a picnic with Sean and Typo to Christ Church Meadow and people watch. I guess I’m a throwback, a homebody at heart. Simple things make me happiest.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
An Easy Liar. I know Val or Declan would agree, after the murder cases I’ve been involved in. At heart I consider myself really a student of human nature. My years of journalism have led me to be able to easily come up with excuses and ideas to get information quickly. I’ve talked myself into places at the drop of a hat at times with creativity. Needs must as the Brits say!

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Oh definitely amateur. I don’t mean to get involved in murder cases but I do seem to have a nose for it. But now that Declan has seen I can be of help, he’s stopped resisting my efforts so much and seems to respect that I can interview people and sometimes get more out of them than he can. Plus, there is my keen ability to lie and get away with it, using bits of truth and applying them to ferret out information.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
We’re up early, and Declan’s out the door right after breakfast. On days Sean goes to the creche, I turn to my writing when the house is quiet, whether I’m writing an outline for the next book, or working on a freelance article. My day is structured around Sean’s schedule as he’s still young, so after lunch, we may do a bit of training with Typo outside or he may scribble with crayons or play on a blanket if it’s raining, and then it’s Sean’s nap time. That’s when I plan meals and tend to marketing and promo stuff for my books. Once he wakes, if the weather’s fine we might take a walk with or without Typo. Without, if we’re going food shopping, definitely. Baths and reading after dinner, and then Declan and I usually decompress with a glass of wine for me and small Scotch for him in front of the fire. We have an occasional date night with a sitter, too.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
That’s when the schedule gets thrown out the window! Sean still has his schedule, but there are more take out meals or heated leftovers. I may rely on my neighbors, Sally and Neil Welch, for keeping Sean, too. Their young son is a playmate of Sean’s. Or I’ll ask Val to come by. I try to keep him on schedule as much as possible. It’s tough to do that at times, and keep things humming along, believe me.

The Evening’s Amethyst, A Nora Tierney Mystery #5
Genre: Traditional
Release: September 2021
Purchase Link – Book will be available at end of month

Who is Verity? That becomes a central question for American Nora Tierney, who has moved to her new Oxford home with her fiancé, DI Declan Barnes, and her young son. Declan’s new case at Exeter College coincides with a frantic call from Nora’s stepsister, Claire Scott: a fellow graduate student has died in a fall, and Claire begs Nora to help her prove her friend didn’t commit suicide. The sisters conduct their own snooping, while Declan and his team juggle this death with a cold case that proves to be more surprising than Declan could ever imagine.

About the author
Marni Graff is the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. The Evening’s Amethyst is the fifth in the Nora Tierney series. Her short story “Quiche Alain” is in the Agatha-winning Malice Domestic Anthology, Murder Most Edible.

All comments are welcomed.