Zoe Faust first appeared in The Accidental Alchemist and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Zoe.

What is your name?
Zoe Faust.

How old are you?
Physically I’m 28, but I was born in 1676, so I’ve been alive for 343 years.
I should explain: I’m an alchemist. Those of us who’ve discovered the Elixir of Life aren’t immortal; we simply stop aging. I can get sick or injured like anyone else, so I have to take care of myself.

What is your profession?
I run a small business called Elixir, selling antique items that weren’t so antique when I bought them.

Do you have a significant other?
I do.

What is his name and profession?
Max Liu. He’s a detective.

Any children?
No biological children, though my young friend Brixton thinks of me as a weird aunt.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I did, but Thomas died from the plague long ago. When I discovered the Elixir of Life, it was because I was seeking a cure for him.

Who is your best friend?
Dorian Robert-Houdin, a living gargoyle.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Does a gargoyle count? I’m kidding! Not about a gargoyle being real, but about Dorian being my pet. He’s as human as you or me – except that he was once a stone gargoyle carved for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris before being accidentally brought to life through alchemy.

What town do you live in?
Portland, Oregon. I’ve been there less than a year. Before that, I was living out of my Airstream trailer, traveling around the U.S. and never staying in one place for too long.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I bought this fixer-upper Craftsman house when I moved to Portland.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
My edible garden in the backyard. I’ve always had a way with plants, and being around them makes me feel at peace with the world – as well as giving me the ingredients for great meals. Especially with Dorian around.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Any plant-based meal or treat that Dorian cooks. Since he’s a gargoyle, he’s had to live in the shadows, but he learned to cook from a blind chef. Here are a few of his recipes: gigipandian.com/recipes.

Favorite hobby?
Gardening.

Favorite vacation spot?
I’ve been all over the world, but I never really take what I’d consider vacations. Max recently took me to Astoria, Oregon, to meet his mom, and it’s a magical place along the water. Seeing the idyllic spot where he grew up and spending time with his family felt like a real vacation.

Favorite sports team?
Modern sports baffle me.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies. They still feel so new!

Are you a morning or a night person?
MORNING. Yes, the capitals are called for. Because I’m an alchemist, my body is in tune with planetary cycles. It’s incredibly difficult for me to stay awake at night, but at first light, my body awakens.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m not a sleuth! Really, I don’t mean to be. I only get involved with a mystery when there’s no other way. Like what’s going on right now, after I learned that a local artist who killed himself last week owned a painting that might hold the clue to the whereabouts of my missing mentor, Nicolas Flamel.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Dorian thinks of himself as a modern-day Poirot. He was forged in gray stone, after all, so he has plenty of “little gray cells” in a far more literal way than Agatha Christie’s character.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I rise at dawn, and after that, lately there’s been no such thing as a typical day lately. Ideally I’d water my garden, go on a long walk, and have breakfast and tea at Blue Sky Teas. But this week? My dear old friend Tobias is in town, Dorian is behaving secretively and sneaking out at all hours, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to convince people I didn’t have anything to do with the mysterious death of the artist who owned a missing painting in desperately need to find to discover the whereabouts of my missing mentor, Nicolas Flamel. Nicolas was like a father to me, and if I hurry, there’s a chance I might save him before it’s too late.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a set of book-themed recipe cards from The Accidental Alchemist mystery series. The giveaway ends January 12, 2019. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Zoe in The Alchemist’s Illusion, the fourth book in the “Accidental Alchemist” traditional mystery series, released January 8, 2019.

The latest alchemical adventure from Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author and winner of the Agatha Award

Centuries-old alchemist Zoe Faust is tired of running from her past. She’s finally got her life on track in Portland, Oregon, gardening and cooking in her fixer-upper house with her mischievous best friend, Dorian the gargoyle chef. It seems like the perfect life for Zoe, until she discovers that her old mentor Nicolas Flamel, who she thought had abandoned her, has been imprisoned.

A local artist holds the secret that could lead Zoe to her mentor, but the artist is murdered and the painting containing the hidden clue is stolen. To rescue Nicolas, Zoe and Dorian must explore art forgery, a transformative process that has much in common with alchemy and cooking—but one that proves far more dangerous.

Like the earlier books in the series, this one includes delicious vegan recipes!

Purchase Link
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About the author
Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha and Lefty Award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. The child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives outside San Francisco with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the garden. Gigi writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and locked-room mystery short stories. Her debut novel Artifact was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant, kicking off the fun.

Learn more about Gigi and her books at gigipandian.com, sign up for her email newsletter for the latest news, and connect with her on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

All comments are welcomed.