Pippin Lane Hawthorne sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Pippin.

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What is your full name?
Pippin Lane Hawthorne

How old are you?
29

What is your profession?
I run the brand new Sea Captain’s Inn. I converted the old house into an inn/Bread & Breakfast, and now I’m figuring out how to run it efficiently.

Do you have a significant other?
My family is cursed. The women die in childbirth, and the men are swallowed by the sea. I stay away from romance, because, as happened to all my ancestors before me, any relationship I have will surely end in tragedy.

I do kind of have a little crush on Jamie McAdams, who owns The Open Door Bookshop in town. I really love his John Lennon glasses 😉 But we’re just friends.

Do you have any children?
No, and I have no plans to unless I can break the curse.

Do you have any siblings?
I have a twin brother, Grey, who was born 73 seconds before me. We haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately. I hope that will change because I miss the way we were.

Are your parents nearby?
My parents are both gone. My mother, Cassie, fell victim to the Lane curse. My father was a victim of the curse too because he was trying to break it. He died before he could succeed.

Who is your best friend?
Grey, my brother, is my best friend. He’s the only person I truly trust one hundred percent. I’m opening up and learning to make friends, though. Daisy Santiago at the library, Ruby Monroe, who runs Devil’s Brew, Hattie Juniper Pickle, who lives across the street, and yes, Jamie McAdams are all becoming part of my circle of friends.

Do you have any pets?
I do! I recently adopted a stray Vizsla. She was mangy and hanging around the house. I finally coaxed her out of hiding and she’s already learned to trust me. She is deaf, so we’re learning sign language together.

You asked if I have a best friend. Sailor is definitely one of them.

What town do you live in?
Devil’s Cove. It’s an island between the mainland and the barrier islands in North Carolina on the Outer Banks.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Our island is a small, quaint town filled with history. I adore it more every day.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Grey and I inherited our parents’ old house on island. It was built by an old sea captain and stayed in his family until he had no more family left. That’s when my parents, Cassie and Leo, bought it. With Grey’s help, I turned it into Sea Captain’s Inn.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Without question, it’s my father’s secret study. I discovered it a short while ago. His books and maps and ships in bottles are all there. It’s the place I feel closest to him.

And with the clues he left, I hope I’ll break the curse once and for all.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Give me any Outer Banks seafood any day of the week. Shrimp and grits is one definite favorite. I’m not big into dessert. I’m more of a charcuterie girl, but I won’t ever turn down sweets from the Chocolatier in town. 😉

Do you have any hobbies?
I don’t have time for hobbies! I do love getting my hands dirty in the soil, planting flowers though. I’ve been working in the front yard and planting pots to pretty things up at the inn.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
That’s a good question. I don’t know. I haven’t been on many vacations in my life. Right now, living on Devil’s Cove, the island, in Devil’s Cove, the town. . .well, it feels like I live in a vacation spot.

Do you have a favorite book?
Not exactly. I’m pretty sure I have a reading disability, but the irony is, I’m a bibliomancer. So, reading—or at least trying to understand books is kind of important. I recently sort of read Homer’s The Odyssey, but I wouldn’t call it a favorite.

Oh! I read To Kill a Mockingbird with Heidi, one of Jamie’s daughters. It was quite good! We’re a little book club of two, she and I. She reads circles around me.

Heidi is going to introduce me to all kinds of books. She can’t wait. I’m a little scared!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I think a day on the beach with my new friends would be pretty great. I haven’t had the opportunity for that much, what with converting the old house into the inn. We’ll get there, though.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hmm. Maybe The Bibliomancer’s Tale.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur all the way, and completely driven by the need to stop the curse plaguing the Lane family. Mr. McAdams—that is Cyrus, Jamie’s Granddad—is an amazing man. He knew my parents. He tried to help them. And now he’s trying to help me.

Also Hattie Juniper Pickle. She’s a hoot and a half. And she isn’t afraid of anything.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Since opening Sea Captain’s Inn, much of my day is spent cleaning, prepping food, serving breakfast, and learning how to run a business. Zoe, my one employee, is a Godsend. So helpful. Lately, after the death of one of my guests, I’ve been spending time trying to figure out what happened. She died at the inn. Not good for business, and there are a lot of things that don’t make sense. By the end of the day, I’ll have walked Sailor at least once, usually twice, and often on the beach. By the ten o’clock, I’m pretty beat. Early to bed for me because I have to get up the next day and do it all again.

What does a typical day look like when you are on a case?
The reality is, I only have one case—breaking the curse so Grey and I can live normal lives like normal people. I use my gift of bibliomancy to help me figure out what to do, or how to proceed. It’s a divination I’m working on perfecting. Slowly but surely, I’ll get there.

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Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn, Book Magic Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: July 2021
Purchase Link

Generation after generation of Lane women die in childbirth, while the sea claims the men.

Pippin Lane Hawthorne’s grand opening of Sea Captain’s Inn is tainted when a scholar studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke is brutally murdered. Like the black crow that hangs around the old house, could the untimely death be a harbinger of dark things to come?

When her twin brother, Grey, begins bucking the curse by risking his life in the waters of the Outer Banks, Pippin lives in terror that he’ll be the next Lane male to be swallowed by the sea. Now she must use her gift of bibliomancy to save her brother, solve the murder, and end a two thousand year old pact.

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About the author
Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams. Learn more about Melissa at her website, melissabourbon.com, on Facebook @ MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks, and on Instagram @ bookishly_cozy.

All comments are welcomed.