Come join Son and dru’s book musings as we sit down for a Q&A session.

What is your full name?
Sonya Frances Perlman-Dokter, but you can call me Son.

How old are you?
How dare you?! A lady never tells her age! I’ve never been so insulted in all my life!
JK, I’m 34.

What is your profession?
I’m the sous chef and loyal consigliere of Delilah O’Leary. We run an upscale, deep-dish pizzeria called Delilah & Son. If you’re in the know, you know that the “Son” is pronounced “Sohn,” as in Sonya.

Do you have a significant other? / Most recent romance
Delilah likes to say that my romantic track record is on par with the Detroit Lions’—i.e., one long, ugly losing streak. But last year the Lions won almost half of their games, so hope springs eternal!

I’ll admit that my most recent relationship was a pretty epic disaster. That one involved an affair, and me getting fired from my previous job and ending up with a full pan of jellied veal demi-glace dumped over my head during service. Oh, and it also kind of indirectly resulted in a murder. So, yeah, maybe Delilah has a point.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope. My mom says they broke the mold when they made me. Not sure if she means that as an insult or a compliment.

I have a big extended family, though, and we’re extremely close. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have relatives who aren’t fully inhabiting your business hole twenty-four-seven-three-sixty-five. My mom texts me a picture of her breakfast every morning. My uncle Avi forwarded the results of his colonoscopy to the family group chat the other week. I mean, talk about a business hole.

What town do you live in?
Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. It’s a postcard-perfect resort town with a long history as a mobsters’ hideaway, millionaires’ playground, and vacation mecca.

Are your parents nearby?
I grew up in the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago and my parents still live there. I’m pretty sure my mom thinks me being an hour and a half outside the city in Geneva Bay is the equivalent of me working on the International Space Station. She keeps sending me care packages, like I’m at wilderness camp.

Who is your best friend?
Delilah O’Leary. We became insta-friends in culinary school and now we’re each other’s ride or die.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Delilah’s cat, Butterball, has a big enough personality for us all to have a claim on him. Plus, he weighs sixteen pounds, so there’s plenty of feline real estate to go around. Honestly, Delilah could sell shares in him and make a fortune.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Right now, I rent the guesthouse behind one of Geneva Bay’s mega-mansions. Someday, I’d like to get a place big enough for a dedicated dressing room. I’ve got a LOT of shoes. And vintage fashion. And make-up. And, well, you get the picture.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I’m never there. Delilah and I put in long hours at the restaurant and, when we’re not working, we hang out at her place. It’s bigger and she cooks for me.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
For holidays, I make my legendary brisket. I start by searing a marbled, succulent cut of beef. Then I slow-cook it with caramelized onions, garlic, herbs, and red wine until everything mixes with the meat juices to form a rich glaze. You end up with luscious, mouthwatering meat bathed in a velvety sauce and the whole thing is tender enough to fall off your fork. If I’m making the brisket, it’s probably Hanukkah, so I’d make sufganiyot—homemade filled donuts—for dessert. Traditionally, these are filled with jelly, but I’d pipe in an eggnog-flavored crème patisserie. Okay, I need to stop. I’m making myself hungry.

What music do you listen to?
Delilah and I have an epic Chop n’ Bop playlist that we use during prep. You can listen to a bit of it here.

What is your favorite color?
Purple! Or fuchsia! Or electric blue! Anything bright. I wouldn’t be caught dead in baggy jeans or anything grey.

Are you a morning or night person?
Night owl, for sure. I love baking, but I don’t want to get up at baker o’clock every morning. Working in a deep-dish pizza place lets me bake without having to get up at zero-dark-thirty.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Swing dancing to some rockabilly tunes with a mysterious redhead then cooking her a yummy carbonara back at the restaurant.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Delilah is the sleuth. She’s not content to leave well enough alone, which gets her into all kinds of trouble. But when she’s sleuthing, it’s my duty as her BFF to try to help. I guess I’m more of a…sous sleuth.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Even though my last name is Dokter, I come from a family of lawyers. They weren’t too thrilled when I decided to become a cook instead of going into the family business. If I were going to write about all of that, I’d call the book: So Sous Me.

Public Anchovy #1, A Deep Dish Mystery Book #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley’s delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

About the author
Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series, and her short stories have won awards, including the Artemis/Lightbringer Prize. Her non-writing career has been stranger than fiction—she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep and as project manager for a research clinic founded by J.K. Rowling. She lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.

You can find out more about Mindy at mindyquigley.com or by following her on Facebook or Instagram.