Sarah Blair first appeared in One Taste Too Many and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Sarah.
What is your name?
My name is Sarah Blair.
How old are you?
I’m twenty-nine, but thirty is rapidly approaching. It doesn’t particularly bother me, but the idea of having twin daughters who are thirty is something my mother is trying to deny.
What is your profession?
After my divorce, I had a hard time finding a job. Harlan Endicott gave me the chance to be the secretary/receptionist for his law firm.
Do you have a significant other?
In the past, I’ve had lousy taste in men. After my divorce from Bill Blair, the rat, I swore off dating. My boss, Harlan, is a great guy and cares about my future, but we’ve agreed our relationship is simply professional. Recently, though, I met two men who intrigue me and seem reciprocally interested, but I’m still a bit gun-shy. Maybe it’s best to say my significant other is my Siamese cat, RahRah.
What is his/her name and profession?
I never thought I’d meet two men on the same day I’d call hunks, but Clifford or Cliff Rogers can only be described as a blue-jeaned windswept hunk. He’s rugged looking and a very talented construction contractor. The other man I find interesting is Thomas Howellian. He owns the new Howellian Hotel in Birmingham. Although he’s tall and athletically built, it’s his hands that attract me. He has long beautifully tapered fingers. Oh, and RahRah? He’s a chocolate point Siamese cat who lays around and lets me wait on him.
Any children?
Unless you count RahRah, my Siamese cat, the answer is no. I wanted children, but my ex, right up to the time we were divorced, didn’t think it was the right time for them.
Do you have any sibling(s)?
Seeing my blond cheerleader sized sister, Emily, you’d never guess we’re twins. We’re opposites in looks and attitudes. Em always knew she wanted to be a professional chef and she didn’t let anything get in her way. To me, I don’t think there is anything more frightening than the kitchen – even murder.
Do your parents live near you?
My dad died a few years ago, but my mother, Maybelle, as she recently started insisting Emily and I call her, lives fifteen minutes away in Birmingham, Alabama. There may be fifteen minutes and a lot of highway between us, but she always seems to know what is going on in Wheaton, where I live, before I do.
Who is your best friend?
That’s an easy question – my best friend is my twin sister, Emily. We may not always agree on everything, but we have each other’s backs.
Cats, dogs or other pets?
The only thing I got out of our divorce, probably because the rat was allergic to him, was RahRah, my Siamese cat. Bill’s late mother rescued RahRah when he was a kitten and I’ve pretty much taken care of RahRah since she died. Recently, Fluffy, my neighbor’s dog, has been staying with us, but she knows RahRah rules the roost.
What town do you live in?
I live in Wheaton, Alabama. It’s a small southern town with a white steepled church, a Riverwalk, and a Main Street lined with old homes and giant trees. The big city, Birmingham, is only fifteen minutes away.
House or building complex? Own or Rent?
This is going to sound a little crazy. After my divorce I moved into an efficiency apartment, which was all I could afford, but now I live in a carriage house on Main Street that is owned by RahRah, my cat. If I feed and love him, he’s a pretty good landlord.
What is your favorite spot in your house?
For a person who is petrified of cooking, I must admit it is my kitchen because I love how the sun streams through its large windows. Of course, if I had to turn on the stove with any regularity, I might be more inclined to pick a different room. [Editor’s Note: LOL]
Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Anything Emily or her boyfriend, Chef Marcus, prepare for me. Their food is divine!
Favorite hobby?
Since my divorce, I’ve been too busy working to survive to have a favorite, let alone any hobby except playing with RahRah.
Favorite color?
Blue.
Favorite author?
I don’t have much time to read, so when I do, I want to escape from reality. I particularly liked One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein because it told RahRah’s and my story so well.
Favorite vacation spot?
Bill and I didn’t take vacations. He was too busy. Since we’ve been divorced, I’ve dreamed about going on a cruise or to the beach, but I’ve been too busy working to pay my basic expenses.
Favorite sports team?
That’s an easy question. I live in Alabama where you either favor the Auburn Tigers or Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team. I’ve never been to a game, but I follow Nick Saban and the Tide on TV.
Movies or Broadway?
Broadway – I may not be on key, but I can sing snatches of most of the songs all the way from Oklahoma through Hamilton. That’s another place I’d like to go – New York City – so I could see a Broadway show.
Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m a night person, but my job requires me to be a morning person.
Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m an accidental amateur sleuth. The last thing I want to do is get involved with dead bodies, but members of my family have a habit of finding them. I firmly believe that if I listened to everyone and “left it to the professionals,” either my sister or mother, or both, would be serving time.
Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Some of the time, I work with my twin, Emily, or my mother, Maybelle, and occasionally, if they let me, I share information with the proper authorities. Most of the time though, I’m on my own.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Monday through Friday, I’m up early to take care of RahRah and Fluffy before I go to the office. I try to have the coffee going before Harlan gets there, but if he beats me, he makes it. For the next eight hours, I type pleadings and letters, answer the phone, do whatever tasks Harlan assigns me, and take care of his waiting clients. Until recently, when Cliff and Thomas came into my life, when I left work, I was pretty much a homebody with my cat until the next morning unless Emily needed me to help as a server on one of her restaurant’s jobs. Saturdays, I wake-up a little later and feed RahRah, but then hurry to the animal shelter where I walk dogs for four hours. On Sundays, I rest. At least that was my schedule until people started being murdered and the Wheaton police chief’s main suspects were my family members.
Giveaway: What is your favorite breed of cat? Leave a comment below with your answer for your chance to win a print copy of Two Bites Too Many. Giveaway ends September 28, 2019 and is limited to U.S. residents. Please leave comment in box below. The winner will be notified by email (so check your spam folder). Good luck everyone!
You can read about Sarah in Two Bites Too Many, the second book in the “Sarah Blair” cozy mystery series, released September 24, 2019.
Far from a domestic goddess, Sarah Blair would rather catch bad guys than slave over a hot stove. But when a dangerous murder boils over in Wheaton, Alabama, catching the killer means leaving her comfort zone . . .
Things are finally looking up for Sarah Blair following her unsavory divorce. Settled into a cozy carriage house with her sassy Siamese cat, RahRah, she has somehow managed to hang on to her modest law firm receptionist job and—if befriending flea-bitten strays at the local animal shelter counts—lead a thriving social life. For once, Sarah almost has it together more than her enterprising twin, Emily, a professional chef whose efforts to open a gourmet restaurant have hit a real dead end . . .
When the president of the town bank and city council is murdered after icing Emily’s business plans, all eyes are on the one person who left the scene with blood on her hands—the Blair girls’ sharp-tongued mother, Maybelle. Determined to get her mom off the hook ASAP, Sarah must collect the ingredients of a deadly crime to bring the true culprit to justice. But as neighbors turn against her family, can she pare down the suspects before another victim lands on the chopping block?
Includes quick and easy recipes!
Purchase Link
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About the author
Judge Debra H. Goldstein is the author of Two Bites Too Many, as well as One Taste Too Many, the first of Kensington’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series. She also wrote Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories, including Anthony and Agatha nominated “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. Debra serves on the national boards of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and is president of the Southeast Chapter of MWA and past president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter. To learn more about Debra, visit her website at DebraHGoldstein.com.
All comments are welcomed.
Other people’s cats….
I’m allergic to cats….
Thank you for the giveaway…..
Even though you’re allergic, I can promise RahRah is hypoallergenic.
Thank you for the chance
Dru, thanks for giving Sarah a chance to tell all today!
My favorite of cat is a manx cat. I had one who was named Stubby. She was so smart and one of her favorite thing to do is to hide in the closet on the top shelf. She and my other pets 4 dogs would follow my husband who was my boyfriend at the time to the bathroom when he had to use it.
Any cute kitties are my favorite. Thank you for the chance.
I’m partial, but I think RahRah is adorable. A little secret, he is modeled after a dear friend’s cat. She gave me pointers about her Siamese cat, so when Kensington asked me for ideas, I described her cat and they caught the image perfectly.
Sounds like a very wise cat. RahRah is, too. Now, Fluffy may not be the wisest dog, but she adores RahRah.
I guess my favorite type is Tuxedo -Maine Coon . A have a cat with those markings and he is part Maine Coon. He weights 20 pounds but he is really sweet and cute too.He looks exactly like the cartoon bird Sylvester in the old Tweety Bird cartoons. We named him Sylvester of course. Thank you for this chance to win.
Sounds like a big, but beautiful cat. Thanks for stopping by today.
I love all cats but my favorite breed is the Abyssinian. So pretty. I loved Book 1 in this series. Thanks for the chance to win the second one.
Carol,
Thank you for your kind words about One Taste Too Many. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy Two Bites Too Many soon.
I would probably have to go with a Siamese cat. That’s pretty much the only kind of cat I’ve been around. I really enjoyed book 1 and am looking forward to reading book 2!
I’m so glad you enjoyed One Taste Too Many. Hope you find Two Bites Too Many fun, too. I’m really enjoying writing this series.
I think the Rag Doll cats are beautiful. With two family members who are allergic to cats, I have never owned one.
Love the cover art-Westies are my favorite dogs.
We’ve always had to go the hypoallergenic way, too. I also love the cover art – I think Kensington has caught the animals in this series perfectly.
Thanks for featuring Getting to Know Sarah Blair on your blog, Dru Ann, it’s always fun and interesting to learn more about a book’s character. My favorite kind of cat is a black Persian ~
Celia,
I agree with you. That’s one of the things I’ve liked about reading Dru Ann’s Getting to Know features — as well as her Day in the Life columns.
Darn you Dru… you got me so interested in the book that I’ve placed a hold on BOTH of them from the Howard Beach Library near me. I would always rather own a book I like. So toss my name into the Magic Contest Hat please.
I love all cats but am partial to Siamese–like Rah Rah.
Sharon… glad you are partial to RahRah. Hope you enjoy Fluffy, too.
Nora-Adrienne … I’m glad we got you interested in this series. Good luck on the contest, but if not… thanks for asking your library to get the books for you. I love new readers…. and that’s one of the best things about dru’s book musings — she introduces readers to so many authors
Maine Coon is hands-down my favorite (although I love them all). I have 3 of them. They’re very affectionate and I’ve trained them to come when called, and do a few other tricks.
3 — are they big like the reader above described or are yours smaller than 20 lbs each. How did you do the training?
My favorite cats were cats which we rescued. I then rescued a wonderful dog from lap dog rescue and he and the cat get along.
First, only good things to say about rescues and those who are rescuers. Secondly, glad they get along. I think RahRah will always be the alpha male, but they seem to be getting along in Two Bites Too Many (and Three Treats Too Many which will come out next September).
I love all cats, especially rescue ones.
People who rescue animals are special… and the animals know it.
I love all cats – particularly rescue ones. I have had a couple long hair cats and a couple of calicos, some tiger striped ones and one who chose me!
Isn’t it nice when an animal chooses its owner?
I do not have a certain breed of cats that I like. Instead I love the Kitler kitties and torties!!!
good choices
I like all cats but when I own a cat I get cats from litters of my neighbors or cats that need a home when their owners can no longer care for them.
Sounds like you rescue or adopt… and are generous about it.
I don’t have a favorite breed. My sweet kitty is black & white.
Wish I could see a picture. I can tell by your description that your kitty is special.
I like any cats, though I am partial to my cat’s unique calico tabby and Bengal coloring.
Thank you, this book sounds really good.
Thank you. I’m really enjoying writing this series. Not only am I able to include animals that interest me, but I’m being given the chance to develop wonderful characters in Sarah Blair, her twin sister, their mother – Maybelle, and their friends.
I currently live with 2 rescue cats! I have had several different kinds of cats! I prefer long haired cats!
I love all cats, but I am especially partial to long haired fluffy kitties. Thanks for the chance!
**** WINNER ****
Two Bites Too Many is Alicia
Congratulations!