Poppy McAllister first appeared in Class Reunions Are Murder and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Poppy.

What is your name?
Poppy Blossom McAllister

How old are you?
43

What is your profession?
I make gluten free goodies for the local coffee shop, La Dolce Vida. I’m also trying to get the Butterfly Wings Bed and Breakfast off the ground to support Aunt Ginny and keep her out of Old Lady Lockdown. If Sunset Hills knew what was in store for them, they’d send me baskets of twenties to keep Aunt Ginny safe at home.

Do you have a significant other?
Um. . . well. . . I don’t know. There are two men that I’m crazy about, but no one has exactly tried to force a ring on my finger. I’m trying to take it slow, but if Aunt Ginny get’s married before me I’m packing it in and moving to Alaska.

What are their names and professions?
There’s Gia who owns the coffee shop I work for. Man is he sexy! And what a kisser. Then there’s Tim. He’s a chef and has his own restaurant, Maxine’s. He was my high school sweetheart. Our relationship derailed in my first year of college. Don’t ask.

Any children?
No. No children.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Nope. I’m an only child. If I’d had a brother or sister my mother would have had that nervous breakdown a lot sooner.

Do your parents live near you?
My father passed away when I was very young. Cancer. I have no idea where my mother is. She dumped me on Aunt Ginny’s doorstep and checked out years ago. Aunt Ginny and my late Grandma Emmy raised me. “You hear that Aunt Ginny, you’re to blame for this mess!”

“Plbbbbtttt!”

Who is your best friend?
Sawyer Montgomery. She’s been my bestie since an unfortunate bowl haircut Aunt Ginny gave me in the fifth grade brought us together. She’s the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. Just don’t ever make a pinky swear with her. I’m 34 years in on one and she’s not letting it go.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
One very naughty cat, Sir Figaro Newton. He’s a black smoke Persian and he’s devious. We may as well have a raccoon in the house.

What town do you live in?
I’m back home in Cape May where I grew up. Same house even. I tried to escape, but fate and a disastrous High School Reunion sucked me back in a few months ago. If I had realized Aunt Ginny was certifiably crazy I might have come home sooner.

“I am not crazy!”
“You’re wearing a bathing suit and it’s twenty-nine degrees outside.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of nut? I turned the heat up to ninety on the porch.”
“You can’t. . .”

I’ll be right back.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
Aunt Ginny put her grand Victorian Manor House in my name shortly after I returned home to keep “Big Brother out of her business.” Since she’s known for sneaking off to the casinos that’s probably for the best.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
Depends. Sometimes it’s the kitchen. I love to bake. It relaxes me, and baking cookies is cheaper than therapy. Sometimes it’s the attic where I wouldn’t say I’m hiding exactly, but there is a feeling of calm in between the fur coats and the Christmas ornaments that I can’t get around certain eighty year-olds in the kitchen.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Lasagna! I found a fabulous gluten free pasta, so I can make it for special occasions. Or whenever I’m stressed. Or every Tuesday. What’s today? I love all desserts, who doesn’t? I could eat ice cream in the dead of winter sitting in the snow. Milky Way has the best soft serve with crunch coat I’ve ever had! I wish they were open.

Favorite hobby?
I love to watch cooking shows. The good old days of the Food Network. Julia Child wiping flour onto the floor, Ina Garten in her chambray shirt making something fabulous from stuff she grew in her yard. Jamie Oliver whacking stuff into a pan. Those were the days.

Favorite color?
Tiffany blue and teal.

Favorite author?
Jude Deveraux. She’s a fabulous romance writer. I hear she’s started writing mysteries. I wonder if I could get into mysteries. I’ll have to try one.

Favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere but the beach. Seen it! I want to be in Paris at a Café or on a Gondola in Venice. Or the Great Wall of China. Somewhere far away. Figaro would have to be able to fly. I can’t leave him home alone. He’d terrorize a house sitter.

Favorite sports team?
Uh. . . Cupcake Wars?

Movies or Broadway?
My late husband, John and I used to go to the theater. I love musicals. Judging from the vein that stuck out of his neck I’d say they weren’t his favorite, but he endured them for me. Of course, Sawyer and I have a girl’s night movie marathon once a month. We used to have it over the phone but now that I’m home its more fun. Aunt Ginny always picks old movies we’ve never heard of that scare us half to death. They’re starting to grow on me.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Definitely a night person. Getting up at six am to make breakfast for the B&B guests is killing me. I’m going to have to buy stock in coffee beans.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Extremely unlucky with a side of crazy old lady.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Well, there’s Aunt Ginny who has years of experience watching Columbo and the Rockford Files, so that’s super helpful. Then there’s the Old Biddy network of spies that run Cape May from the Bingo Parlor at the Fire House. And of course, Sawyer who’s a social media guru. You don’t want to see the hideous picture she tagged me in on Facebook.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
If I don’t have to make breakfast for guests, my alarm clock usually meows at me around seven to get up because his belly feels a quart low. I get myself together with yoga then a shower and maybe some makeup. Well, it’s more makeup then it used to be. Then Figaro leads me downstairs like I forgot the way. Aunt Ginny and I have coffee and she fills me in on the Young and the Restless. Either that or the doings at the Senior Center which is more terrifying. After breakfast I’ll head over to La Dolce Vida where I concentrate on work.

“Then why are you blushing?”
“I am not blushing! And this is my interview. Shouldn’t you be back in your makeshift sauna on the porch?”
“I ran out of lemonade.”

Anyway, I make up a bunch of gluten free muffins and brownies for Gia to sell to people with food allergies. We. . . hang out for a while. . . then I take lattes across the courtyard to visit Sawyer in her bookstore. About that time, I’ll get a 911 text from Aunt Ginny that she’s caught in a net or trapped by some bees and will I come home and get her out.

“I’ve only been trapped by bees once! You’re being dramatic.”

Well, dinner is me eating a salad while Aunt Ginny hides a cheeseburger behind a book like I can’t smell it from across the table. I’ll get a phone call from Tim between his lunch and dinner shift where he’ll tell me he misses me, and we’ll make plans to go to lunch on his day off. Then I’ll put on my pajamas and get ready to spend a cozy night reading in front of the fire. Around now the Biddies will show up and invite Aunt Ginny out clubbing or cruising or karaoking and I’ll have to go change so I can be their designated driver. They aren’t planning on drinking. I’m the only one who can see at night.

If I’m lucky I’ll be in bed by two where Figaro will snuggle into me and smash his face into my neck to sleep. So long as he is comfortable. He is the boss.

You can read about Poppy and Aunt Ginny in Restaurant Weeks Are Murder, the third book in the “Poppy McAllisters” cozy mystery series, released February 26, 2019.

Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out. . .

Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it’s coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancée, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy’s specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it’s Poppy.

Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim’s accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy’s cannoli—making her the chef suspect. . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

Purchase Link
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About the author
Libby Klein graduated Lower Cape May Regional High School sometime in the ’80s. Her classes revolved mostly around the culinary sciences and theater, with the occasional nap in Chemistry. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that forced her to remove gluten from her kitchen and adopt a Paleo Diet. Now her life revolves around coffee and bacon. When she’s not feeling sorry for herself that she can’t eat bread, she writes from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her cat Figaro off her keyboard. Most of her hobbies revolve around eating, and travel, and eating while travelling. Visit Libby at libbykleinbooks.com.

All comments are welcomed.