Trudy Genova first appeared in Death Unscripted and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Trudy.

What is your name?
Trudy Genova, RN; it’s really Gertrude Sophia Genova, for my German-heritage mother and very Italian father, but who wants to carry a name like that around?

How old are you?
28.

What is your profession?
Nurse consultant for a New York movie studio.

Do you have a significant other?
Oh, yes, he’s become pretty significant.

What is his name and profession?
NYPD detective Ned O’Malley.

Any children?
Nope, but I have time. My sister-in-law is pregnant so I’ll be an aunt soon.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Two older brothers who run the family apple orchard in Schoharie, NY; one married, the other lives with his partner.

Do your parents live near you?
Mom lives in the family home on the orchard and just started dating my high school English teacher; Dad died on my 16th birthday, but I’ve always believed he was murdered.

Who is your best friend?
Meg Pitman, production assistant for the same studio. Meg dates Ned’s partner, Tony Borelli.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I have a ginger cat, Wilkie Collins, named after my favorite gothic author.

What town do you live in?
The Big Apple on the Upper West Side. After growing up in a rural area, I’m still excited with the multi-ethnicities and culture in a big city like Manhattan. And the architecture is to die for.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
My apartment is a sublet condo that belongs to a former boyfriend, now living in Germany. Let’s not go there . . .

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The living room, a multi-purpose space with tall ceilings and huge windows. If I look to the right, I can see Riverside Drive. It holds my futon for guests, my vintage rocker where I read, and my desk where I do schoolwork and also research on suspects for the real-life investigations I seem to get caught up in. On the tall walls are vintage movie posters and blowups of my own photographs of architectural details from Manhattan buildings.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I’m always up for Italian food of any kind; chicken parm is probably my favorite and I’m a pizza slut, thin crust, please. Dessert is a toss up between a fresh cannoli or rice pudding with lots of cinnamon.

Favorite hobby?
Writing and reading crime novels. I’m taking classes at NYU to learn how to write a decent mystery. I play the violin for relaxation and love listening to music, contemporary mixed with opera and jazz. I’m kind of a retro gal.

Favorite color?
Green, the color of my eyes.

Favorite author?
See above; Wilkie Collins. I also love Daphne Du Maurier and lots of modern crime novelists, especially Val McDermid.

Favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t been to too many places yet, but Quebec City was so romantic, I’d love to go back there with Ned. My goal is to travel to England as I want to set a mystery there.

Favorite sports team?
The Yankees, who else? I’m a baseball fan. Nothing like hot dogs, peanuts, and a singing at the 7th inning stretch.

Movies or Broadway?
Ugh, that’s tough. I love attending anything live, from shows to plays to music, but it’s expensive to go often. Movies I do go to often, with Meg or now with Ned. And there’s nothing like watching an old black and white movie on TV at home on a cold day. So that’s a draw.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning. Years of nursing jobs plus life on a working farm has that wakeup time instilled in me. And don’t forget that cat, who sits on my chest when it’s time to feed him breakfast.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Definitely an amateur–as Ned likes to remind me, I don’t have a shiny badge yet.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Ned, to his chagrin at times. I think I may be winning him over to my abilities, though. I have good people sense, and I know the entertainment community better than he does.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
If I have an on set assignment, I arrive in time for rehearsal and stay all day, working with specific actors on how they would react in a particular medical situation, and sometimes butting heads with the director, who often like to overrule what’s realistic for what looks better on camera with a blithe “artistic license.” If it’s a child actor, called baby wrangling, I help them run their lines, pick up their costumes, and bring them up on set. Parents are not allowed on the sound stage. At home, I correct script pages of future medical scenes the studio has sent over, making them as authentic as possible. The bonus is no one is really sick or dying–well, usually–and I get to work in jeans or yoga pants and sneakers instead of a uniform. Plus, the studios have really good catering tables!

You can read about Trudy in Death at the Dakota, the second book in the “Trudy Genova Manhattan” mystery series, released April 1, 2019.

Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O’Malley to the next level, when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can’t even survive?

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About the author
Marni Graff based Trudy Genova on her favorite nursing job. The second Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery is Death at the Dakota; Trudy also appears in “Quiche Alain” in Malice Domestic’s anthology Mystery Most Edible. Graff also writes the award-winning Nora Tierney English Mysteries and is managing editor of Bridle Path Press. She writes a crime review blog at auntiemwrites.com, and is a member of Sisters in Crime, The NC Writers Network, and the International Association of Crime Writers.

All comments are welcomed.