Tru Beckett sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know her better. Are you ready? Tru, take it away!

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What is your full name?
Hi there! I’m Trudell Becket from the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series. My friends call me Tru. Betty, the local reporter who tries to trick me into giving her crazy quotes, calls me Trudy because she knows it gets me riled.

How old are you?
In the South, you really shouldn’t ask a woman her age. But, no worries, I’m not yet embarrassed by it. But don’t tell that to my mother. She’s embarrassed by my age because I’m not yet married. What? I didn’t tell you my age yet. Well, I’m 37. My birthday is September 15, the same day as the groundbreaking mystery novelist Agatha Christie.

What is your profession?
I’m the assistant librarian at the Cypress Public Library. I grew up in the small town of Cypress, South Carolina and cannot imagine living anywhere else.

Do you have a significant other?
No. . .um. . .absolutely not. Gracious, you’d think I’d be able to answer this question without blushing, you know?

What is his name and profession?
Jace Bailey is on the police force here in Cypress. His daddy got him the position after he got fired from the New York City Police Department for dating a suspect, who turned out to be playing him for a fool. But that’s a story for another time.

Jace has asked me out on a date several times. But he is also determined to figure out the secret I’m keeping from him. Being around him makes me nervous, so I’m not going to date him. Nope. I won’t.

Do you have any children?
Mama Eddy would be thrilled. But, no. No kids.

Do you have any siblings?
Sadly, no. I would love it if Mama Eddy would spend time meddling in someone else’s life like a brother or a sister or ten brothers and sisters. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Are your parents nearby?
Goodness, some days it feels as if they’re living in my house! Mama Eddy and Daddy have been divorced for years, but they’re still battling things out. It can be tiring.

Who is your best friend?
Tori Green has been my best-bestie since kindergarten. She’s always been the popular cool girl, and I was the shy bookworm. But our friendship has always worked. She owns the local coffee shop, Perks, and is always available to help me solve a mystery.

Do you have any pets?
Yes! Dewey Decimal dashed into the library one day and into my heart. He’s a brown tabby cat. Everyone thinks his stripes look like a skull on the back of his head. However, I don’t see it. He’s cute and clever and the best darn cat this side of the Mississippi.

What town do you live in?
I live in Cypress, South Carolina.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
It’s a small town located in the middle of the state. The best part of the town is that it is located on the shores of Lake Marion. It’s a beautiful place to live. But many of the residents are poor because we don’t have enough industry to provide high-paying jobs.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a charming little cottage in the middle of town. It’s the first house I’ve ever purchased. It’s perfect for me, even though there is a gossipy neighbor that lives across the street. She loves to tell everyone about who is visiting me and all my comings and goings.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My living room is so cozy and dear. On the far wall is a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that’s crammed with some of my favorite books. I have bookshelves in every room of my house, but that room has the most! Books served as my friends and a lifeline in high school when my parents were going through an ugly divorce.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Give me greasy food any day of the week. I’ll eat anything deep fried. My favorite dessert is chocolate cake. My mother thinks my eating habits will put me in an early grave. But if I die, I’ll die happy.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reading, of course!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I’m not that well-traveled. I do enjoy going to nearby Charleston, South Carolina or spending time reading while watching the ocean in Myrtle Beach.

What music do you listen to?
Mainly classical.

Do you have a favorite book?
Give me a mystery to read, and you can be my best friend. Do I have a favorite? No. I’m always looking for new books to read and old classics to savor. It would be too painful to pick just one.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I’m not a party girl. I’d rather be home with my cat reading and eating takeout or talking about books with my friends. That’s why I love Tori so much. She drags me out of my comfort zone and out of the house, and I always have a good time with her.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Booked! My Life In The Stacks. While I do harbor a few secrets, my love for books drives my life. I’m a warrior librarian. I fight for my community to have access to books and to the books in the format of their choice.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I don’t solve mysteries by myself. I have a circle of friends who help. There’s Flossie Finnegan-Baker who is a successful novelist. My bestie Tori Green who is the owner of the local coffee shop, Perks, is always available to help with my wild schemes. There’s also socialite Delanie Messervey. She knows everyone in town and loves to help with any mystery that comes our way. We’re not exactly amateurs. We’ve been reading and discussing mystery novels in our book club for years now, making us experts on the who, what, and whys of all sorts of crimes.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Most days are spent at the library. (Heaven!) I split my time between working the front desk, planning children’s programs, and sneaking away to work the secret bookroom located in the library’s basement. Luckily, my friends volunteer their time to work in the secret bookroom when I cannot. If no one is available, patrons can check out their own books on an honor system. I sneak my kitty, Dewey, into the library so he can hang out in the secret bookroom. It’s his favorite place in the whole world. I don’t blame him. It’s my favorite place, too.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Oh dear, when I’m trying to solve a mystery, my schedule becomes so jumbled I can hardly keep it straight. Thank goodness, Mrs. Farnsworth is a forgiving woman. She might be tough-as-nails, but she seems to let me run off and solve a mystery when doing so helps the library.

Since not everyone (gossips and busybodies, I’m looking at you) can be trusted to protect the secret bookroom, I carry a tote bag around of books to lend to those who don’t know about our community bookroom. As I take the books to residents of Cypress, I’ll conduct my investigation. So far, it has worked out well. Also, it’s amazing how much you can learn about suspects just by being a good neighbor.

And my life is by no means all work and no play. I love getting together with my friends to share a meal, watch a movie, and talk about a mystery. Sometimes the best revelations come when we’re relaxed and hanging out and having fun.

I hope you’ll join me as I solve this latest puzzler. A crooked mechanic has been killed in the alleyway behind the library. At the same time, someone has been breaking into the secret bookroom—probably entering through the alleyway—to vandalize the books. Certainly, these two crimes aren’t related. But I worry they might be. I can’t tell the police about the vandals, since the bookroom is, you know, secret? I decide that the best course of action is to investigate a bit, just to make sure the murder outside the library has nothing to do with the troubles happening inside its hallowed halls. If they are related, that’ll be the end of our beloved bookroom.

You’ll have to read A Perfect Bind to find out how it all works out.

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A Perfect Bind, A Beloved Bookroom Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: September 2021
Purchase Link

Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought. . .

Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she’s working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her “real job” upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn’t steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.

A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He’s heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it’s hogwash, but she’s at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it’s not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

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About the author
Dorothy St. James is a lover of puzzles and perhaps a bit too nosy about other people’s lives. Dorothy is a former Folly Beach beach bum. She’s now a hectic suburb mom, living in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, with her husband, precocious daughter, slightly (OK, terribly) needy dogs, and the friendliest cat you’d ever meet. Author of more than a dozen novels, Dorothy enjoys writing both cozy mysteries and romance. Her works have been nominated for many awards including: the Southern Independent Bookseller’s Alliance Southern Book Prize, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, National Reader’s Choice Award, and The Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10! Award.

All comments are welcomed.