Sam sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can get to know her better.

What is your full name?
Samantha Reynolds Davies, but I go by Sam.

How old are you?
Mid -fifties. Approaching 56.

What is your profession?
I’m a children’s book author. My first book , Porkchop, the Wonder Dog, has just launched. Porkie and I are busy promoting it. My main income, though, comes from the Do Drop Inn Funeral Parlor that my ex-George and I co-own. I’m more of a silent partner, since it was my inheritance that purchased the Do Drop 25 years ago, allowing the ex to achieve his dream of purchasing his own funeral parlor. Silly me.

Do you have a significant other?
Boy, do I- Detective Hank Johnson, of the Wings Falls Police Department.

What is their name and profession?
His name is Hank Johnson. He’s the lead detective on the Wings Falls Police force. Wings Falls lured him away from Albany PD. He wanted a slower pace of life, but little did he know that murder would follow him to a small town in upstate New York.

Do you have any children?
No, my ex and I were never blessed with little ones. My baby is my reddish-brown dachshund, Porkchop.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope, I’m an only child. As a result, my parents would sent me to Hainted Holler, Tenn, every summer to play with my cousin, Candie, who also is an only child. She’s the closest I have to a sibling.

Are your parents nearby?
No, they live in sunny Florida. They had had enough of snowy winters so the followed their friends Marge and Herb Finestein south to enjoy cocktails on the lanai.

Who is your best friend?
My Southern Belle cousin, Candie Parker, for sure. We were practically raised together on our Memaw Parkers farm in Tenn.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
I have a reddish-brown dachshund named Porkchop. He’s seen me through a lot of down times in my life, especially my divorce from George. Porkchop was a lot smarter in that department. He never did like George.

What town do you live in?
I’ve lived my whole life, except whet I shuffled off to Cornell for college, in Wings Fall, a small town in upstate New York. It lies at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

What type of dwelling do you live in?
After my divorce, my parents signed over the small brick rancher that had been my childhood home to me. Porkchop and I love it.

What is the favorite spot in your home?
I’d have to say curled up on the sofa in my living room with either Hank or Porkchop—preferably both. Especially, on a cold winter’s night with the fireplace roaring.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Hmm, that’s a hard one. As long as it isn’t liver or Brussel sprouts. I like most anything, especially if chocolate is involved. Okay, so I don’t have chocolate on my barbeque or spaghetti. Pizza is a favorite, mainly because I can take it out of the freezer and pop it in the oven. My culinary skills aren’t the best.

Do you have any hobbies?
Oh, yes. I’m a hooker, a rug hooker I mean. I belong to a rug hooking group, the Loopy Ladies. We meet every Monday morning at the Ewe and Me, to gossip and hook.

What music do you listen to?
My cousin, Candie, says I’m an old soul when it comes to my music choices. I love Elvis and Roy Orbison. You can throw in some Donnie Osmond, too.

What is your favorite color?
Blue. Definitely blue. It soothes my soul.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I don’t have to go far for that—Lake George New York. It’s only about fifteen minutes from Wings Falls. A beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. Love it.

Are you a morning or an evening person?
Morning, definitely morning. Unless Hank is over then I’ll manage to stay awake past nine o’clock.

What is you idea of a really fun time?
Any time I spend with Hank. But we have a fabulous selection of restaurants in Wings Falls and Hank and I like to dine at them. A day at the beach watching the boats skim across Lake George is also relaxing and fun.

If you were to write a memoir what would you call it?
The Life And Times Of A Hooker.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Definitely amateur. My cohort is my Southern Belle cousin Candie Parker.

What is a typical day in your life like?
If I’m not stumbling over bodies or a murder suspect, I spend my mornings at my desk in my den writing future episodes of Porkchop the wonder Dog, The evenings are hopefully spent with Hank canoodling on my sofa, he with a Trail’s Head beer, me with a glass of Riesling.

Pups, Pumpkins, And Murder, A Samantha Davies Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Autumn has arrived in the small town of Wings Falls in upstate New York, and children’s book author Samantha Davies couldn’t be happier. She’s excited to attend the town’s annual Taste of Wings Falls craft and food festival with her boyfriend Detective Hank Johnson. The fair features several booths, like the one Sam’s rug hooking group, the Loopy Ladies, have set up as a fundraiser to send underprivileged children to summer camps, as well as home-grown vegetables, like the 2,000-pound pumpkin grown by Farmer Scooter that he’s proudly displayed on the back of his truck. But maybe the biggest draws for the fair is the barbeque cook-off. Samantha is friends with the owners of the three restaurants participating, but she is betting on Franny Goodway, the owner of Sweetie Pie’s Café, taking home this year’s coveted first place prize.

But things take a stomach-churning turn when several fair goers become ill after chowing down on Franny’s pulled pork delight. Franny insists it’s not her fault… but when Sam sees Franny vehemently arguing with the new loan officer at the town’s bank, she knows something is wrong.

Little did Sam know how wrong.

That evening as Sam takes her dachshund, Porkchop, for a stroll, she finds the body of the loan officer…crushed under a 2,000 pound pumpkin and deader than the fall leaves covering the ground! Franny instantly becomes the number one suspect, and it’s up to Sam to prove her friend innocent of the man’s murder. Can she find a killer, and navigate her relationship with her detective boyfriend, and save Sweetie Pie’s Café?

About the author
Syrl Ann Kazlo, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two very lively dachshunds. Kibbles and Death is the first book in her Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing Syrl is busy hooking—rug hooking that is—reading, and enjoying her family. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Mavens of Mayhem.

All comments are welcomed.