Why do you write the genre that you write?
First let’s define my genre: I write culinary cozy mysteries set on Cape Cod. And why do I write culinary cozy mysteries set on Cape Cod? Well, I blame my mother. But in a good way.

I’ve always loved mysteries. From my first Nancy Drew, I was hooked. I was lucky to have a mother who understood my addiction, because she shared it. It was my mother who gave me my first Nancy Drew, my first Agatha Christie, my first Sue Grafton. My mother was also a foodie. She taught me that you cannot put too much butter on anything and when in doubt, consult Julia Child. She also knew that though reading fed the mind, it was a solitary pursuit. But good food — prepared with love and shared with those you loved — was community. And it was my mother who every summer packed me and my four siblings (and various dogs and cats) into our Volkswagen bus and drove usto Cape Cod, where we joined our vast – and extremely loud — extended family sailing, swimming, clamming and, of course, eating.

So, you can see – I really didn’t have a choice.

Tell us how you got into writing.
I always knew I wanted to write mysteries. But after graduating from college, I quickly realized that writing in a garret does not pay the rent on that garret. Luckily, I landed a job in publishing, where I learned about plot structure and the hard work that goes into good writing. I also snagged a gig reviewing restaurants under the tutelage of a future Gourmet magazine restaurant critic. I was all set put to pen to paper. . .

. . . when life and love and two beautiful little boys changed everything. Nobody, I told myself, ever built up a college fund writing foodie mysteries set on Cape Cod (and I suspect I was right about that!). So I moved into speechwriting and consulting on employee communications, working from home until the boys were in their teens, when I signed on to lead employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago (with the final college tuition bill paid!), I waved goodbye to Wall Street for my dream job — writing mysteries full time.

What’s next for you?
Well, I’m currently in the middle of simultaneously doing edits to the second Cape Cod Foodie mystery, An Eggnog to Die For, and writing the first draft of the third book, Murder Is No Picnic. After that, my crystal ball is a little foggy. . .

What are you reading now?
Everything I can get my hands on. Really. Reading is my crack cocaine. But mysteries still lead the list. I love anything by Lucy Burdette or Krista Davis. Or Alexander McCall Smith. Or Louise Penny. Etc. Etc. Most recently I read Edith Maxwell’s latest Quaker Midwife mystery, The Changing Light, which was wonderful! 

Where can we find you?
There’s lots of fun stuff on my website: amypershingauthor.com
I’m also on Facebook: @amypershingauthor
And you can follow me on Instagram: @amypershingauthor

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate:
Chocolate. Duh.

Pizza or burgers:
Can I have both?

Broccoli or squash:
Broccoli, ugh. Squash, yum.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner:
Against all medical advice, I skip breakfast. For lunch, an egg salad sandwich or tuna sandwich on alternate days.
But dinner — dinner is an extravaganza!

Mountain or beach:
Beach, hands down. Preferably on the Cape. Or in the Caribbean. Or in Italy. Really, just any beach is fine.

Introvert or Extrovert:
Card carrying introvert, I’m afraid.

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A Kindle with Wi-Fi access (does that count as one or two?); A Trader Joe’s (often found on deserted islands);
My adorable husband (who will now sulk that he came in third)

My bio:
Amy Pershing is a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith. She was an editor, a restaurant reviewer and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago, she left Wall Street to write full time. A Side of Murder is the first book in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series featuring Samantha Barnes, a disgraced but resilient ex-chef. While Sam tries to balance her new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie” with her complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends, a falling-down house and a ginormous puppy, she also discovers new talents – a propensity for falling over dead bodies . . . and for solving crime.