Interview with Amateur Sleuth, Sarah Blair

By Lynn McPherson

Today on the Stiletto Gang, I'm interviewing Debra H. Goldstein's protagonist in the Sarah Blair Mystery Series... Sarah Blair!

Can you tell us a little about yourself and where you're from?

I was married at eighteen, divorced at twenty-eight, and all I got out of the marriage was my Siamese cat, RahRah. Starting over, having gone from a life of luxury to an efficiency apartment here in Wheaton, Alabama, the town I've lived in since I was born, is difficult. Luckily attorney Harlan Endicott have me a job as his receptionist/secretary, and I've got the support of my twin sister, Emily, and my mother. Family and friends are important to me.

I've read that you don't cook. How did you end up owning a restaurant?

I find being in the kitchen more frightening than murder. My twin sister, Emily, is a gourmet chef. Between take-out and her cooking, I eat fairly well. When her boyfriend, Chef Marcus, and Chef Emily wanted to open their own white-tablecloth restaurant, their loan application was denied. It took time, but we got that straightened out. At that point, they needed a building from my late husband. The only way they would put their restaurant in my building, was for me to agree to be a partner. Believe me, they don't let me anywhere near the kitchen.

Where did your cat, RahRah, get his name?

RahRah was rescued from the swirling waters after Hurricane Katrina be my now ex-husband's mother. He was just a kitten. She named him RahRah in celebration of his survival. What do you do for fun? I have a bluff that I love to go out to and sit and meditate, looking at the beautiful water. I also volunteer weekly to walk dogs at the local animal shelter, plus I've been in charge of fundraising efforts for the shelter.

What qualities do you have that make you such a great amateur sleuth?

I don't know that I'm a great amateur sleuth. I'm more of a plodder who goes by the facts.

Who do you turn to when you're in trouble?

My family or my boss, Harlan Endicott. Mother, Emily, and Harlan are the people I'm loyal to who are my rocks. They are always there when things go bad for me--and they are the same people I turn to when things go right.

What's next for you, Sarah?

Four Cuts Too Many, which features me, came out May 25, 2021. Five Belles Too Many, the tale of a New York sponsored television show wanting to throw a perfect Southern wedding by having a competition in Wheaton, Alabama will be out in June 2022. Look for Mother-Maybelle and George to be two of the finalists while I'm going to be Mother's chaperone.

Debra H. Goldstein, author of The Sarah Blair Mystery Series.

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Cuts-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496732219

Four Cuts Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)