Veronica sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings.
What is your full name?
Veronica Anne Walsh
How old are you?
Since fifty is the new thirty, I’m in my mid-thirties. Ha! I’m 54.
What is your profession?
I’ve enjoyed two careers. I was an actress for thirty years on the soap opera Days and Nights. I loved acting and intended to spend the rest of my life on the show. I figured they’d carry me off the set in a hearse, but the network had other ideas and cancelled the soap after viewership declined and took advertising revenue with it. Because of the state of the industry (and, I believe, my age), I couldn’t find another role, so I returned to my hometown to plot my next move. I was home for only a few days when unusual circumstances gave me the opportunity to buy the All Things boutique. An extreme case of retail therapy! I’ve been running All Things for a year and am content.
Do you have a significant other?
I do. Though I haven’t said that formally yet, if you know what I mean.
What is their name and profession?
Mark Burke is the wonderful man in my life. He’s a history professor at Arden College.
Do you have any children?
No.
Do you have any siblings?
No.
Are your parents nearby?
My father passed away in the 1990s. My mother, Nancy, lives a few blocks from me. She’s also my business neighbor; the bookstore she and Dad opened in the 1960s is on the same street block as All Things.
Who is your best friend?
Carol Emerson. Carol and I met when we were in kindergarten and have been steadfast friends ever since.
Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Not currently. I’m a “dog person” and would be delighted to share my home with a four-legged pal. Maybe soon . . .
What town do you live in?
I live in the village of Barton. We’re located in the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains of New York. Come visit!
What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I own a Folk Victorian house on Willow Lane. The house was a present I gave myself to celebrate my tenth anniversary on Days and Nights.
What is your favorite spot in your home?
My backyard. Mark and I eat dinner at the picnic table almost every night during the summer. We love cooking on the grill and will often have Carol and her husband over for a meal and post-dinner conversation in Adirondack chairs (of course) around the fire pit.
What is your favorite meal and dessert?
A hamburger and fries at the Hearth, my favorite Barton restaurant. And I never say no to cookies or anything in an Entenmann’s box.
Do you have any hobbies?
Can acting be considered a hobby now that I no longer earn a paycheck for it? A few months ago, I participated in a Barton Community Theater production of Blithe Spirit. I received no compensation; to be a part of a talented cast was fulfillment enough. I look forward to participating in future productions.
There’s also my canasta club, which I was invited to join soon after I moved back to Barton.
What music do you listen to?
I love classic rock music.
What is your favorite color?
Blue
What is your favorite vacation spot?
I have an odd answer: Barton. My hometown! For my entire career I lived in downstate New York, in a suburb of NYC. I spent most of my vacation time in Barton, visiting my family and friends. I took three trips with my castmates to France, England, Italy, Spain, and Germany to promote Days and Nights. I’d love to return to Europe for a more leisurely visit and to spend time in Ireland. I want to see the land of my ancestors and do some digging into my family’s roots.
Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning. My acting career required that I wake before dawn to get to the studio to film the soap. As a boutique owner, I have to be bright-eyed for the shop’s opening every morning.
What is your idea of a really fun time?
Being with Mark, whatever we’re doing. We enjoy day trips to historic sites and other nearby attractions. We recently spent a Sunday at the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. It wasn’t all about the learning experience; on the way home we had dinner at an Italian restaurant overlooking the majestic Lake George. And sitting with Mark in my backyard at night, holding hands and counting stars, is all the fun I need.
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
The True Adventures of a Crime-Solving Soap Opera Diva.
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m an amateur. I share information I gather on a case with Tracey Brody of the Barton police department, and I discuss theories and evidence with Mark, Carol, and my friend and boutique manager Claire Camden. The five ladies of my canasta club and I will talk about a case before we start playing cards. Someone in the group always has a helpful bit of gossip or news to share, except for Dotsie Beattie, the conspiracy theorist of the group. She’s more comic relief than reliable sidekick.
What is a typical day in your life like?
A typical day is spent at All Things, from before opening to past our 6 p.m. closing. I love welcoming customers to the shop and helping them find the perfect item for their home or a gift for a loved one. And it’s a pleasure to know and support the local artists whose work we sell. It’s an honor to be a stage for them to display their crafts. On many evenings after work, I have dinner with Mark, my mother, Carol, or Claire. Wednesday nights are reserved for my canasta club.
I’ve also had weird, atypical days since my return to Barton. On those days I played amateur detective and gathered clues to help the police solve a homicide case. Four Barton residents have been murdered in recent months, and I, being acquainted with all four victims, felt compelled to investigate their deaths. The most recent case was the poisoning of psychology professor Derek Morley. His wife asked me to help identify his killer. How could I say no to Derek’s grieving widow?
The Freudian Slip Murder, A Veronica Walsh Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Retired soap opera actress Veronica Walsh returns in her latest adventure to solve a psychology professor’s murder and earn a PhD in Amateur Sleuthing.
After professor Derek Morley dies from ethylene glycol poisoning, his wife, history professor Susanna Rafferty, asks Veronica to apply her crime-solving expertise to the investigation. From the college campus to Derek’s neighbor’s kitchen, Veronica receives a warm welcome everywhere she goes, though Derek’s colleagues, students, and friends are more interested in quizzing Veronica about her acting career than in answering her questions about the professor’s death.
Veronica plays both amateur detective and psychologist as she studies the list of suspects and wonders whether the killer’s motive was professional or personal. Did resentment, anger, or a delusion of grandeur lead to Derek’s poisoning?
About the author
Jeanne Quigley is the author of the Veronica Walsh Mysteries and the Robyn Cavanagh Mysteries. Unlike her fictional sleuths, she has never been a soap opera star, accountant, or professional photographer, but she has worked in the music industry, for an educational publisher, and in a county agency. A lifelong New Yorker, Jeanne lives in her native Rockland County.