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

What is your full name?
My name is Tally Holt. When I was a young child and I watched a British fox hunt on television and I could have sworn they were all calling my name.

How old are you?
Let’s say I’m in my mid-thirties. That’s becoming a bit of an issue with my parents, who have been happily married to each other for about a hundred years, since marriage and children are not on my horizon.

What is your profession?
As of one year ago, I can say I’m the proud owner of Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets. I know, it’s kind of a. . . well, it’s a name people remember. Let’s say that. I make and sell candies from my childhood and from my grandmother’s childhood. I inherited her recipe file. I took her death hard, but the little metal box was a wonderful consolation. I feel close to her when I’m using her recipes to create old-time treats, like Mary Janes, Malomars, Whoopie Pies, and more.

Do you have a significant other?
Please don’t ask that. I’m never sure about what to answer. I thought I did, very recently, but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll click better with someone else soon.

What is their name and profession?
The one that got away, literally, was a handy man who told me once that he thought he was a tumbleweed. Turns out that’s exactly what he was. He blew in and blew out.

Do you have any children?
No. See above.

Do you have any siblings?
I do. My brother Cole, whom I love dearly. We’ve always been close, having to rely on each other for most of our odd upbringing. That consisted of traveling the country and performing in the shows our parents gave, never settling anywhere for very long until we went to live with our grandmother.

Are your parents nearby?
Absolutely not. They are often on the opposite side of the globe. We’re close, in that we communicate whenever we can, but they but they’re not home in Texas very often. In fact, they’ve been getting themselves into all kinds of scrapes and worrying me and Cole no end.

Who is your best friend?
That one’s easy to answer: Yolanda Bella. She’ s my best friend from childhood and is the person who persuaded me to return to Frederickeburg and open up my shop next door to her successful giftbasket place, Bella’s baskets.

Do you have any pets?
He’s mine now! My brother, who goes through women like, well, like a fickle man, inherited Nigel, a huge, cuddly, wise Maine coon cat when a girlfriend left him with Cole as she was becoming another ex. Cole had no idea what to do with a cat. I didn’t either, really, but now I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s my buddy.

What town do you live in?
Fredericksburg, Texas. It’s a darling little tourist town, a gem of a place set among vineyards and farms.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
It’s not big, but it swells with tourists for parts of the year.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I’m renting a house from Mrs. Gerg. She’s a local character. An older woman who shuffles around town from yard sales to church rummage sales. For some reason, she thinks she has to pick up trinkets, useless trinkets, for me quite often. I don’t know where I’ll store all of them if she keeps this up much longer.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I love the whole thing. My little house has a nice shady yard, a comfy living room couch where I snuggle with Nigel at the end of my workday, my lovely bed that I share with Nigel, of course, my nice big tub, and the kitchen where I sometimes try things out.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I can’t name a dessert, since I create dozens of them every day and they all have to be my favorite, in order to sell them to my customers. Lately, my favorite meals are those I eat with a certain someone. I won’t name him, in case it doesn’t work out. But I hope it does.

Do you have any hobbies?
Maybe Nigel? I’ve been so super busy trying to get my shop up off the ground and running that, honestly, I haven’t had time for much else. There have been other problems, too. Pretty terrible ones. My favorite people keep getting suspected by the police of, well, killing people who end up very close to me. In my shop, in fact. Maybe I should become a PI.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I don’t really have time for an actual vacation, but I love to go hiking at Enchanted Rock, a local park just outside of town. Its history is loaded with Native American lore. I love the place.

What music do you listen to?
Anything with a good rhythm. I’m not really very musical.

Do you have a favorite book?
I love reading cozy mysteries!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
This might sound dull, but it’s so much fun when my shop is busy and lots of people are buying boxes of what my employees and I create every day in my wonderful smelling kitchen, in the back of the shop.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hmm, it’s important to me now that I’m settled in my parents’ hometown. Maybe just Settled.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m strictly an amateur and only because my favorite people keep getting accused of terrible things. Yolanda is my partner in anti-crime. The police force is small and we end up working with Detective Jackson Rogers. Have I told you how mesmerizing his gray eyes are, or how good-looking that hard body is?

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I’m often awakened by Nigel. He knows when he’s hungry and wants me to know it, too. I get ready for work and, if it’s nice, I walk the few blocks to my shop. If it’s not, I drive my trusty little powder blue Chevy Sonic. I open up the doors and my helpers arrive, sometimes on time. Then we get busy baking, stirring, putting our wares together and getting them out onto the sales floor. At the end of busy day, I love coming home and cuddling with Nigel.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
I still have the shop to run, so it’s not much different. But, if I currently am employing someone I can trust, I can take off and scout out people and places. In the evenings, Nigel is a big help as I’m talking things through. He seems to understand what I’m saying. He’s a wise cat.

Into the Sweet Hereafter, A Vintage Sweets Mystery #3
Genre: Cozy
Release: March 2021
Purchase Link

Tally Holt is thrilled to see her new replicas of vintage sweets displayed in the window of Bella’s Baskets, a gift basket shop owned by her friend, Yolanda Bella. There’s just one problem—the creations appear to be melting. The ladies assume the culprit is the broiling heat of the Texas sun—until that night, the store window is smashed, and there’s only one thing missing: the replicas.

Tally is positively stumped. Clearly, the useless fake candies are more special than she bargained for—but why? When a rash of seemingly unrelated burglaries sweeps through the area, Tally is determined to sleuth out the answer—and stop a thief from killing more than the town’s appetite . . .

About the author
Kaye George is a national-bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of pre-history, traditional, and cozy mysteries (her latest is the Vintage Sweets series from Lyrical Press). She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Smoking Guns chapter (Knoxville), Guppies chapter, Authors Guild of TN, Knoxville Writers Group, and Austin Mystery Writers. She lives and works in Knoxville, TN.

All comments are welcomed.