ABOUT THE BOOK
As owner of The Berry Basket, Marlee Jacob has learned a thing or two about surviving summer tourist season in Oriole Point, Michigan. So she gladly agrees to help run the road rally in honor of the local Blackberry Art School's centenary celebration. While alumni arrive from around the country, Marlee hopes the Sanderling farm will make an appropriate starting point for the race - despite rumors that the land is haunted.
But when Marlee surveys the property, she stumbles upon a long-dead body hidden in the bramble. It's a horrifying mystery to everyone except her baker, who's convinced the skeletal remains belong to a former student who went missing twenty years earlier. As the Fourth of July activities heat up, Marlee must rush to catch an elusive murderer before the next "blackberry victim" is ripe for the picking!
LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH SHARON FARROW
A few of your favorite things:
Books, photography, dogs, coffee frappuccinos, Lake Michigan, Halloween, New York City, rainy days, autumn.
Things you need to throw out:
Stacks of magazines that I will never get around to reading. The numerous copies of all the drafts of all my old manuscripts that I print off. I need to stop doing this. I’m killing far too many trees.
Things you need in order to write:
My laptop, a comfortable chair, a mug of tea or vanilla latte.
Things that hamper your writing:
Phone calls, Facebook, Twitter .
Things you love about writing:
The satisfaction of telling a story the way I originally envisioned.
Things you hate about writing:
Composing a long, detailed synopsis before I’ve written a single word of chapter one.
Hardest thing about being a writer:
Getting a thumbs up from my inner critic .
Easiest thing about being a writer:
Hearing from readers and becoming friends with other authors .
Things you love about where you live:
Being only a few minutes drive from Lake Michigan.
Things that make you want to move:
I don’t. I love my lakeshore village. However, I wouldn’t mind a shorter winter.
Favorite foods:
Dark chocolate, pizza, blueberries, most cheeses, roast chicken, ice cream, mashed potatoes, omelettes. And honeydew melon at the perfect stage of ripeness!
Things that make you want to throw up:
Grapefruit, rice pudding, pea soup.
Favorite music or song:
Movie soundtracks, the Top Hits of the 1980s, Celtic music, Broadway show tunes, “You Got Me” by The Kinks, Prince, Streisand, lots more.
Music that make your ears bleed:
Heavy metal.
Favorite beverage:
Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino with whip .
Something that gives you a pickle face:
Grapefruit.
Favorite smell:
Lilacs .
Something that makes you hold your nose:
Barbecue sauce.
Something you’re really good at:
Defending myself in an argument .
Something you’re really bad at:
Being patient .
Something you wish you could do:
Dance like a ballerina.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do:
Algebra.
Something you like to do:
Climb the Great Pyramid of Giza .
Something you wish you’d never done:
Taken an algebra class in high school.
Things you’d walk a mile for:
Tickets for Hamilton and an autographed first edition of any book by Ray Bradbury or Agatha Christie.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:
Anything to do with football, TV shows about demon possession (ugh!).
Things you always put in your books:
Descriptions of food .
Things you never put in your books:
Cruelty to animals.
Favorite books:
Mysteries and historical novels. Current favorites are Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books, and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga.
Books you would ban:
I’d never ban a book.
People you’d like to invite to dinner:
Tina Fey, The Obamas, Fran Lebowitz, Martin Short, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Meryl Streep, Stephen Sondheim, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bill and Melinda Gates, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Louise Penny and Prince Harry. I’d love to extend the guest list, but that would turn this dinner party into a state banquet.
People you’d cancel dinner on:
Most politicians.
Things that make you happy:
My family and friends.
Things that drive you crazy:
The current political scene.
Biggest lie you’ve ever told:
I can’t remember offhand, but I’m sure it involved how much I weighed.
A lie you wish you’d told:
I wish I’d told my cousin that I was busy the night she fixed me up on the one and only blind date I’ve ever gone out on.
Best thing you’ve ever done:
Raised my daughter.
Biggest mistake:
Buying a shirt with fringe along the sleeves. In my defense, it looked great on QVC.
The last thing you did for the first time:
Going under general anesthesia.
Something you’ll never do again:
Ride on a roller coaster. My stomach is no longer roller coaster ready.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In her former life, Sharon turned her hand to a variety of endeavors from principal investigator on an archaeological site, college history instructor, caterer’s assistant, and dancing in a giant dog costume for a non-profit company (it’s a long story). Although Sharon has lived in Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, she calls Michigan home, specifically the beautiful coastline of Lake Michigan. She is so enamored of the sand dunes, orchards and beaches of western Michigan, she set The Berry Basket mysteries in a town similar to the one she is lucky to live in.
Connect with Sharon:
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
