Tish Yearly first appeared in An Unseen Current 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?
Tish Yearly. Technically, it’s Patricia, but I won’t answer to that.

How old are you?
28

What is your profession?
I guess I’m a small business owner now. I just started Yearly Events. We host weddings and events on Orcas Island. Oh, and I also work with my grandfather at Yearly Investigations. I wouldn’t call that working exactly. Mostly, we just ask people questions, annoy half the island’s populace, and solve the occasional murder.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes.

What is his name and profession?
Sheriff’s Deputy Emmett Nash. He’s employed by Island County as part of the Orcas Island police force.

Any children?
No, but. . . Nash has a daughter, Claire. I really love her, but quasi-step-parent is a hard role to be in.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Nope.

Do your parents live near you?
My father died in a car accident when I was a kid and my mom lives in Seattle, which is about two hours away including ferry time.

Who is your best friend?
Sarah Brook. I used to work with her at Winthrop Architecture. Now she’s the head of marketing. She is absolutely the most reliable, nicest best friend I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t have gotten my business off the ground without her help.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I live with my Granddad who owns a black lab named Coats. Lab Coats, get it? Yeah, I know. I shake my head too.

What town do you live in?
I live on Orcas Island, in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The nearest town is Eastsound, but you can walk around it in less than twenty minutes.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live with my grandfather Tobias Yearly. That wasn’t what I set out to do. I got fired from my job as a marketing assistant at an architectural firm in Seattle and then came home and found out that my roommate/cousin/drug addict hadn’t been paying the rent and I was evicted. I thought I’d only be staying with my grandfather until I got back on my feet, but things got complicated and now I’m opening my own business on the island and it doesn’t make any sense to move.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Easy. The Chesterfield in the formal living room. It’s an A-frame house and it has magnificent floor to ceiling windows with a soul-soothing view of the trees and a peek-a-boo view of the Puget Sound.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Orcas Island is full of ridiculously good food. The Brown Bear Bakery makes this sandwich with ham and apples that literally makes me drool just thinking about it. It costs an arm and leg, but oh, man is it worth it. The bread is durable enough for the sandwich, but the crust is soft enough that you want to eat it too. Who has that? No one. It’s delicious. If you’re ever in town – go there, stuff your face. You won’t regret it. And favorite dessert? Is wine a dessert? Granddad is a wine collector and it always seems like he comes up with the best stuff.

Favorite hobby?
Honestly, between keeping track of Granddad, solving murders, and trying to get my business up and running I haven’t had time to have a hobby. Am I boring? Have I become that boring person who only talks about work? I swear I used to like doing other things.

Favorite color?
Navy blue.

Favorite author?
Tough call. Granddad and I read a lot especially while waiting for the ferry and we like crime novels. I guess I’d have to pick Dashiell Hammett as sort of the winner of that genre, but there’s a lot of really good writer’s out right now. My current mission is to get Granddad reading more women authors. He seems to like Karin Slaughter and Lisa Scottoline pretty well.

Favorite vacation spot?
Vacationing is something people with money do. I’ve been a starving actress since I was 18. There’s a couple of spots in California that I went to on a weekend get-away, and I’m living in one of Washington’s best vacation spots, but I actually haven’t been on a proper vacation since I was a teenager.

Favorite sports team?
Umm. . . Yeah. Probably the Seahawks. I guess. I’m a drama club nerd. Sports are not really my thing.

Movies or Broadway?
What? I have to choose? As a former actress I would have killed to be on Broadway. I was in a couple of low budget movies, but I think the less said about those the better. I don’t think I’ll ever get over my movie obsession though. I’ve seen every Best Picture Academy Award winner for the last fifty years and I probably could win at any trivia night as long as the topic was movies.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Night person.

Amateur or professional and whom do you work with?
Ha! I am so not a professional. My grandfather got his P.I. License and yeah, I read through most of the course work, but no, I don’t know what I’m doing. Which is what I could also say about the rest of my life. I work with Granddad. Tobias Yearly, ex-CIA agent, ex-test pilot, current nosy bastard, and all-around curmudgeon.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Usually, Granddad and I get up and putter around the house for a bit, then I’ll go over to Reginald’s (where my business is located) and work on getting ready for the next wedding or event. Then usually we pop in to town for whatever or I’ll take Granddad over to Shaw Island for his physical therapy. Granddad hates doing PT in a yurt, but the therapist is really good and he’s closer than going to the mainland. Anyway, then Granddad heads home for some Matlock on VHS and a nap and I’ll go back to work or off to see Nash. That’s the average day. But then an event will happen and it’s a mad dash to get everything done. And as long as no one finds a dead body then everything turns out fine.

An Unfamiliar Sea is the third book in the “San Juan Island” mystery series, released January 21, 2020.

In a storm, you never know which way is home.

Tish Yearly is about to open a wedding venue on Orcas Island, in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. All she wants is to sail through her first wedding, figure out why her best friend isn’t talking to her, and tell her grandfather she’s dating someone he doesn’t approve of, but before she can get to any of that, Tish’s favorite employee turns up dead—apparently drowned in four inches of water. Now Tish is wading through the suspects including a meth-cooking uncle, a brother with anger-management issues, and the mysterious island drug kingpin, who may or may not be going straight. Tish is attempting to navigate this unfamiliar sea, but she may not be able to weather the storms and find her way home.

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About the author
Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

All comments are welcomed.