CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA ADLER'S JOSIE CALLAHAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan is about to serve up some Lone Star justice in this spicy Taste of Texas Mystery from the author of Here Today, Gone Tamale.

Tourists are pouring into the town of Broken Boot for the annual Homestead Days Music Festival. Opening the celebration at Two Boots dance hall is smooth-talking country singer Jeff Clark, the ex-boyfriend of Josie’s best friend, Patti Perez. When the charming Clark woos Patti onstage in an attempt to rekindle some sparks with his old flame, Josie fears her friend will end up as just one more notch on the singer’s guitar strap.

To impress her editor at the Broken Boot Bugle, Josie and her Chihuahua, Lenny, pursue the singer to Patti’s house, hoping for an interview. Instead, they discover Clark facedown in a bowl of guacamole with a bloodied guitar at his side. With Patti suddenly a murder suspect, Josie must use her reporter skills to find out who had a chip on their shoulder—before the killer double dips . . .

INCLUDES TEX-MEX RECIPES!

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Josie Callahan was living the dream, engaged to a musician while building a career she loved at the Austin Gazette. Then her pitch perfect life hit a sour note. Forced to move home after losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop, she's living above  Milagro, her family's Tex Mex restaurant, and trying to find a new path while delivering plates of delicious Tex Mex to quirky tourists and locals alike.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSIE CALLAHAN

Josie, how did you first meet Rebecca?
She answered an ad in the Broken Boot Bugle. I wanted someone with skills and a sense of humor to tell my story.

Want to dish about her?
All I can say about my author is that woman works harder than any one I've met. How she teaches middle school, directs plays and musicals, and write my books, beats the heck out of me.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
That's easy. First, my fiance deserts me at the altar and then the Austin Gazette lays me off. Sounds like a soap opera. But dwelling on the negative is just not not me, I've got more grit than that. I moved home determined to lay low, lick my wounds, and find my happy place again.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
If I do say so myself, the best part of this book is when I solve the crime with the help of my trusty colleague, Lenny—who's also my pet long-haired chihuahua. I can't reveal any secrets, but I can say there's football, Tex Mex, and country music involved.

Did you have a hard time convincing Rebecca to write any particular scenes for you?
Funny. I tried really hard to convince her to write me a love scene, but she's convinced I'm not ready. Something to do with me being left at the altar and needing to heal.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
I think the guys in this book are hot. She may not have allowed me to have a full-on romance yet with Coach Ryan or Detective Lightfoot, but at least she made them easy on the eyes and full of heart.

Tell us about your best friend.
Patti Perez is my great friend. We've known each other since my parents died and I came to live in Broken Boot with my Uncle Eddie and Aunt Linda Martinez. She may have bottle-black hair and a few tattoos and piercings, but she's a marshmallow underneath. Why else would she run her parents Feed & Supply store?

Beats me. What are you most afraid of?
I'm always looking out for Lenny, my tough as nails chihuahua. He's a brave little tyke, but he's an easy target for folks looking to stir up trouble.

What’s the best trait Rebecca has given you? What about the worst?
I've been told I'm generous and kindhearted and that I look on the bright side. That trait, uh, kind of leads to my worst quality—I can be a bit of a ditz.

What do you like best about Senora Mari?
On good days Senora Mari lets me call her abuela, but she's actually my aunt's mother-in-law.

What's her least attractive quality?
She's prickly as a cactus—or at least she wants me to think so. She runs the kitchen at Milagro with a strict hand; but she secretly loves me and Lenny, which is why we could both stand to lose a few pounds.

What aspect of Rebecca’s writing style do you like best?
She's got a sense of humor--I'll give her that. Plus, she gives me challenging mysteries to solve.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Easy one. America Ferrera, Sandra Bullock, or Mila Kunis are all pretty, intelligent, and funny brunettes. Any of the three would do an excellent job.

Describe the town where you live.
I live in the high desert town of Broken Boot, Texas. It's a quaint place of only 3000 or so, nestled close to the mountains and deserts of Big Bend Country in far West Texas. We have antique stores, novelty shops, art galleries, not to mention the restaurants and Two Boots Dance Hall.

Tell us about an average day in your life.
I wake up and walk Lenny, eat some yogurt, work on a story for the Broken Boot Bugle, walk Lenny, and work the lunch shift at Milagro--my family's Tex Mex restaurant. After a delicious taco salad, I work on Lenny's blog—a killer blog followed by at least three hundred citizens of Broken Boot. Then I walk Lenny, work the dinner shift, and then collapse . . . after taking Lenny on one final walk. It might sound dull, but the town council is always coming up with a bigger and better event, like The Homestead Days Festival, in an attempt to draw more tourists.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
I stand out because I'm down on my luck, but I'm plucky. Not like Supergirl, more like Lois Lane. And even though I've been unlucky in love, I'm not rushing into another relationship on the rebound.

Will you encourage Rebecca to write a sequel?
I didn't have to twist her arm too hard. On my better days, she's my best friend. (But don't tell her I said so.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Adler grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing women's fiction, Gina always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, and playing a giant Furskin in the New York Toy Fair, plus the occasional play and musical.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing her Taste of Texas culinary mystery series. Set in far West Texas, her humorous stories are filled with delicious suspense and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Her alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson, writes sweet contemporary romances with a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.

Connect with Rebecca:
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