Sophie 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?
Sophie Medina (Canning)

How old are you?
39

What is your profession?
Professional photographer/former photojournalist for International Press Service, an international news agency.

Do you have a significant other?
My husband Nick was killed 2 years ago in an auto accident while he was in Europe.

What was their name and profession?
Nicholas (Nick) Canning, Ex-CIA Agent.

Do you have any children?
No.

Do you have any siblings?
A half-sister Alexandra—Lexie—Wyatt; a half brother (Dr.) Thomas—Tommy—Wyatt.

Are your parents nearby?
My mother lives nearby in Middleburg, Virginia with my stepfather Harry Wyatt; my biological father, Antonio Medina, lived in Madrid, Spain, before he was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Who is your best friend?
I have two: Grace Lowe, a journalist with the Washington Tribune, and Father Jack O’Hara, a Jesuit who is an ethics professor at Georgetown University Law Center—Grace, Jack, and I went to high school together; Jack and I used to date in high school and college before he decided to become a priest.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Not at the moment.

What town do you live in?
Washington, D.C.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I rent the two upper floors of a Victorian rowhouse in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington. The house was built in the 1890s and it’s gorgeous.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
A comfortable armchair pulled up in front of a big bay window that overlooks my street.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
I have traveled all over the world for my profession so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I love the cuisine of the Mediterranean countries—Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey.

Do you have any hobbies?
I like to run and I love taking photographs (even though that’s also my profession).

What music do you listen to?
Jazz, classical, instrumental—I like to listen to music while I am editing my photos so instrumental music is best.

What is your favorite color?
All of them! I’m a photographer!!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Any beach.

Are you a morning or night person?
Yes!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Something involving being with friends or family and a good meal—I love to cook and experiment with new dishes from other parts of the world. I also love to travel, especially to really exotic places.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Picture This.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur sleuth: I usually talk things through with Grace and Jack, but I don’t really work with anyone officially.

What is a typical day in your life like?
I don’t really have a typical day, which is why I like what I do so much—every day is different. The jobs I take on are different and so are the people I work with. In an ideal day I will be on a photoshoot, either taking photos or doing advance research to get to know my clients or the location. Occasionally I’ll take on an assignment for International Press Service, the news agency I used to work for, and then it’s a matter of being at the right place in time to get the photos I need for the story. I also have a studio in an old carriage house behind my home where I work on editing my photos and occasionally doing inside shoots.

Blow Up, A Sophie Medina Mystery Book #3
Genre: Traditional
Release: May 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Photojournalist Sophie Medina must figure out how the death of a Supreme Court justice and the murder of a homeless man are related before she becomes an assailant’s next target.

International photojournalist Sophie Medina and her old school friend Father Jack O’Hara are out for a run on Capitol Hill when they find the body of Associate Supreme Court Justice Everett Townsend lying in an alley, barely alive. Townsend, a diabetic, later dies in the ER from complications due to hypoglycemia.

His tragic death has unexpected repercussions for Sophie when Javi, a young homeless man of Sophie’s acquaintance, is murdered. Before he died, Javi told her a shocking story about Townsend that could have a devastating impact on the nation’s highest court – and on the American justice system – if word got out.

Unable to persuade anyone that what she learned is true and on the run from whoever is protecting Townsend’s dark secret, Sophie searches a collection of her photographs of Washington D.C.’s homeless community, looking for evidence before everything blows up in her face . . .

About the author
Ellen Crosby is the author of the Sophie Medina mysteries, the Virginia wine country mystery series, and Moscow Nights, a standalone mystery. Her books have been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award; The French Paradox was chosen as one of The Strand Magazine’s Top 20 Mysteries of 2021. Previously she worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post, Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News, and as an economist at the U.S. Senate. She is currently writing the 4th Sophie Medina mystery.

All comments are welcomed.