Letitia first appeared in Cookin’ the Books and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Tish.

What is your name?
Letitia Tarragon, but everyone calls me Tish.

How old are you?
Old enough to not want to answer the question. *Sigh* OK, I’m 41.

What is your profession?
Owner and head cook at Cookin’ the Books literary cafe and catering

Do you have a significant other?
We’re in the early stages of the relationship, but I’ve been dating my landlord. I know that might pose a conflict of interest, but well. . .

What is his name and profession?
Schuyler Thompson, attorney.

Any children?
Alas, no. I love them though!

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Nope, just me!

Do your parents live near you?
My mother passed away in my teens and, sad to say, I have a strained relationship with my father, who still resides in New York. (I live in Virginia.)

Who is your best friend?
I’m blessed to have two besties. Mary Jo Okensholt, my roommate from my days at UVA and a great mother to two teenage children. And, Julian Jefferson Davis, our local channel ten news weatherman— another college pal.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Not yet. I’ve been so busy establishing my own business and solving crimes that I haven’t had time. I nearly adopted an orphaned Bichon Frise named Biscuit, but decided that he’d better off with Julian, as Julian has far more time to dedicate to walks.

What town do you live in?
Hobson Glen, Virginia. A small town just north of Richmond.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
As I mentioned above, I’m dating my landlord. I rent the building in which my cafe is located and live in the apartment above the cafe.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The kitchen. I even go there on the days the cafe is closed in order to ponder a case. Nothing’s more therapeutic or stimulating to the brain than cooking.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Schuyler makes this salmon dish with spinach and couscous that’s really quite amazing. Not only does it taste great, but I don’t have to cook it! As for desserts, anything my baker, Celestine, creates is an instant winner. She recently made these dreamy floral scented cakes for a Secret Garden themed luncheon we catered. They were absolutely sublime!

Favorite hobby?
Since cooking is my occupation, I suppose that doesn’t count, even though I still occasionally treat it as one. I love coming up with vegan versions of classic recipes for my new neighbour, Opal Schaffer, our resident romance writer. If cooking doesn’t count, then definitely reading, although I haven’t had much time to sit down with a good book these past few months. I’d also say talking and listening to people is a favorite hobby as well. People are like recipes, really. I like getting to know all the different ingredients in a person’s life that’s contributed to his or her unique ‘flavor.’

Favorite color?
Red. And black. And leopard print.

Favorite author?
Just one? As Cookin’ the Books is a literary cafe with a miniature lending library so folks can read while they eat, that’s a difficult question. I must say I owe a debt of gratitude to Ernest Hemingway for book titles that have inspired some of my most popular menu items (For Whom the Vegan Stuffed Bell Pepper Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea Bass, the Bun Also Rises), but as one who’s been known to read cookbooks like novels, I’d have to say Jacques Pepin. His books are essential parts of my kitchen library because they give you more than just a recipe. When you read a Pepin cookbook and then watch his videos or television shows, you learn how to cook.

Favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t taken too many vacations over the years and with the business taking off, I don’t see many in the near future, but I’d love to explore France, Spain, and Italy through their food. I’d shun the big tourist spots and hop from village to village learning how to cook from the locals.

Favorite sports team?
Can Iron Chef be considered a sport?

Movies or Broadway?
After a long day at the cafe, it’s definitely time to Netflix and chill.

Are you a morning or a night person?
As I start baking for the cafe at 6am, I need to be a morning person, however I’m always up for an evening bottle of wine with my besties or a quiet dinner with Schuyler.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur. Definitely amateur.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Sheriff Clemson Reade, from our local police has been quite gracious about not running me out of town for my sleuthing. I could be wrong, but he actually seems to like the help. Although that could be my ego talking. Jules and Mary Jo have also helped a great deal as well. Jules is great for tracking down people, so long as that tracking doesn’t take him past a Nordstrom’s.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
A typical day sees me up, showered, and down in the kitchen by 6am so I can start the morning bake. As the biscuits, scones, croissants, bread, and muffins— which Celestine and I prepare the day before- are in the oven, I drink some coffee and eat some avocado toast or make myself some scrambled eggs. The cafe opens at 7:30 and Sheriff Reade is usually one of the first customers. He always orders a cup of coffee and his Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ham breakfast sandwich and then goes to work. After him, the usual breakfast crowd shuffles in. That wraps at around ten, and then we prepare for the lunch crowd, which begins around noon and lasts until one thirty. We’re open until four for tea, coffee, and pastries, and we get a fair amount of customers, but the afternoons are when we typically prepare for the next morning. Or, if I’m catering, I prep for for an event while Celestine and Mary Jo take over the daily bake. This is of course, unless the discovery of a dead body intervenes, then, well… all bets and schedules are off!

You can read about Tish in The Garden Club Murder, the second book in the “Tish Tarragon” mystery series, released September 1, 2019.

Tish Tarragon’s preparations for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards luncheon are threatened when one of the prime contenders is murdered.

Literary caterer Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon is preparing her English Secret Garden-themed luncheon for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards, but when she is taken on a tour of some of the top contenders with the garden club’s president, Jim Ainsley, Tish is surprised at how seriously the residents take the awards – and how desperate they are to win.

Wealthy, retired businessman Sloane Shackleford has won the coveted best garden category five years in a row, but he and his Bichon Frise, Biscuit, are universally despised. When Sloane’s bludgeoned body is discovered in his pristine garden, Tish soon learns that he was disliked for reasons that go beyond his green fingers. Have the hotly contested awards brought out a competitive and murderous streak in one of the residents?

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About the author
Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland and Vermont mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After stints as an Operations Manager for a document imaging company and a freelance technical writer, Amy left the bright lights of New York City and headed north to pursue her creative writing career amidst the idyllic beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains. Ten years later, she and her husband and their two cats moved to Virginia before finally settling in Bristol, England.

Amy spends her time writing mysteries with a humorous or historical bent. When not writing, Amy enjoys traveling, testing out new recipes, classic films, and exploring her new home.

To learn more about Amy, visit her website at amypatriciameade.com.

All comments are welcomed.