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

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What is your full name?
Rhett Hugo Baxter, Hugo for my dad.

How old are you?
Late thirties, closing in on forty. I’ve got the wrinkles around my eyes to prove it. Every person in my family is a smiler.

What is your profession?
I own a French bistro called Intime in Crystal Cove. My parents own a similar restaurant in Napa Valley. Intime finally found its legs and is quite popular. I’m very proud of it. Prior to this I owned a sporting goods shop. That was a result of losing my job as a chef at another good restaurant in town that succumbed to fire.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes

What is their name and profession?
Jenna Hart. She owns the Cookbook Nook, a culinary bookshop, as well as the Nook Café.

Do you have any children?
Not yet. Jenna and I are engaged and looking at wedding venues.

Do you have any siblings?
Yes, two sisters, Scarlett and Ashley, and yes, if you must know, my mother’s favorite book was Gone with the Wind, controversy be darned. 

Are your parents nearby?
They live in Napa Valley. I see them every couple of months. It’s a two- to three-hour drive, depending on traffic.

Who is your best friend?
Jenna, not even a question. The moment we met, we connected. I can reveal everything to her, as she can to me. Our relationship is based on trust and honesty. I love the way she laughs and listens.

Do you have any pets?
Yep, Rook. A beautiful Labrador retriever. Jenna has an frisky ginger cat named Tigger.

What town do you live in?
Crystal Cove, California

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
It’s a small, tourist-driven town, on the central coast of California. Drinking in the scent of the ocean inspires me. I also love the scent of the pines at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains that border our town.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I own a cabin in the mountains. Jenna and I are refurbishing a house next door to her aunt, down by the beach, that we will live in after we’re married. But I’ll still keep the cabin, as a retreat.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
At the cabin, it’s the porch, so I can sit outside and hear the birds and critters move about. At the new house, it’s the quick walk to the beach so I can walk on the sand.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Let’s start with French onion soup or an asparagus tart, then move on to beef bourguignon or steak au poivre. Yes, I love red meat. For dessert, I enjoy crêpe Suzette, but I have a passion for homemade pie and homemade ice cream.

Do you have any hobbies?
I love to fish. In a stream. In a lake. I crave the serenity. When I owned Bait and Switch, I enjoyed going out on a boat early, around four a.m., before reporting to work. I often took out groups for deep sea fishing.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I love going to Napa, but because it’s home to my family, it’s not really a vacation. I have taken some great trips to France and Italy. I am a foodie, and fine dining is a passion. Jenna and I have been talking about going to Hawaii and tasting authentic Pacific Rim food.

What music do you listen to?
I often listen to French ballads, but I also enjoy a good jazz saxophone.

Do you have a favorite book?
It’s not Gone with the Wind. Let’s see. I really enjoyed the Three Musketeers. Action packed and filled with history. For contemporary books, I’m a big fan of Daniel Silva’s thrillers.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Jenna and I like to take hikes in the woods. Often we’ll take a picnic. It’s casual, but with our lives being as busy as they are, just sitting and being together is important. I also enjoy stand-up paddle boarding. Jenna wants to learn.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hmm. Good question. I was trapped in the restaurant, due to the arson. Surviving that changed my perspective on life. So perhaps Coming through the Fire or Forged by Fire or Unscathed by Fire would be a good title. Enduring that as well as the fallout afterward—being a person of interest; fortunately being found not guilty—helped define me as a person. I learned what mattered most—family and friends. And I learned forgiveness.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am not a sleuth. Nope, no way, but Jenna . . . now that’s a different story. She cares about people, especially friends and family, and she loves our town so much that sometimes she will take particular interest in either solving a mystery or proving a suspect isn’t guilty. As an amateur sleuth, she earns the ire of our chief of police. The two can lock horns at times, but they’re also friends, so respect is growing on both sides. I can be a good sounding board for her when she wants to share her theories.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Right now, I get up around nine. Feed and walk the dog. Go to work and prep for the lunch and dinner crowd. Manage my staff of twenty. Make sure the orders are all in and fulfilled. Check the menu. See if the executive chef needs anything from me. I’ve hired the best, and the respect the bistro has earned from locals as well as tourists makes me swell with pride. I get home around two or three in the morning.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Like I said, I’m never on a case, though when Jenna is, I might have to weigh in. We have weekly family dinners on Sundays, and often the entire family is giving their two cents to Jenna. She accepts others’ thoughts gracefully. But she’s stalwart and smart and she knows how to defend herself. I don’t worry about her . . . too much.

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Wining And Dying, A Cookbook Nook Mystery #10
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2021
Purchase Link

The Agatha Award–winning author of Shredding the Evidence returns to the Cookbook Nook, where it will take a stroke of genius for Jenna Hart to solve the murder of a local artist . . .

Crystal Cove is buzzing with the launch of its fifth annual Art and Wine Festival, when local wineries are paired with local artists to show off their latest creations. Jenna’s thrilled to be showing one of her own amateur paintings at the fair, but her excitement quickly fades when an up-and-coming artist is murdered. What’s more, all the evidence points to a good friend of Jenna’s as the culprit, and she’ll have to use all her wits to prove his innocence before he paints himself into a corner.

Certain that her friend is being framed, Jenna tries to blend in as she starts digging into an array of colorful suspects, including a tech guru with a penchant for stalking women, the mayor’s wayward son, and an older art instructor who might have been closer to the victim than anyone would have guessed. Jenna will have to wine and dine her way through all the clues before she can see the full picture and put the real killer behind bars—all the while avoiding her own brush with death . . .

Includes tantalizing recipes!

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About the author
Daryl writes the bestselling the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Fairy Garden Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she wrote the Cheese Shop Mysteries. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She has also jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and hitchhiked around Ireland by herself.

All comments are welcomed.