The Secret on Rum Runner's Lane Interview

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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery by Melissa Bourbon. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery

by Melissa Bourbon

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The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Mini Mystery #1
Publisher: Lake House Press (November 10, 2020)
Print length: 104 pages

The Lane women are bibliomancers, but Cassie sees her divination not as a gift, but as a curse–one from which she desperately wants to escape. It turns out, though, that running from her fate isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. When a woman goes missing, and a neighbor turns up dead, Cassie turns to the books she’s always avoided to help her find the truth.

The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane: Character Interview

Hello, Cassie! Thanks for being with us today!

Please tell us your full name?

Cassandra Annabel Lane. My middle name is my mother’s name.

Tell us a little about your immediate family: Do you have siblings? Are your parents living? Still together?

I have one sister. She’s three years younger than I am. Our parents died too young. Our mother died giving birth to Lacy. Until then, she thought she could beat the curse of the Lane women, which says the Lane women will die in childbirth, and the Lane men will be taken by the sea. It was true for my father.

Lacy lives in Laurel Point on Cape Misery, in Oregon. We grew up there, raised by our Aunt Rose. I recently left, made my way across the country, and ended up on the island of Devil’s Cove on the Outer Banks.

What is your profession?

I don’t exactly have a profession. I guess you could say I’m trying to find my way. I have always worked at nurseries and garden centers. Whatever I end up doing, it will include plants.

So, you are a bibliomancer: What exactly is a bibliomancer, and how did you discover that you were one?

It’s a gift and a curse. I have no idea when the Lanes were burdened with the divination, but it’s taken too many people in our family. My Aunt Rose taught Lacy and me how it works. Basically, books provide us with messages or information. If I were to place a book on its spine and let the pages fall open, something on those open pages would reveal something to me. Lacy has always loved practicing, but I’ve always been skittish. I don’t want to know what the future holds, and the past is the past.

Have the women in your family always been bibliomancers?

To our knowledge, yes. Our grandmother was one. Our aunt was one. Out mother wasn’t, as she wasn’t born a Lane, but the curse still took her.

What was the first mystery you solved using your specific skill set as a bibliomancer?

The first mystery was just after I moved to Devil’s Cove. I rented a room from Hattie Juniper Pickle. Right across the street is a beautiful old beach house that I fell in love with immediately. There was something very mysterious about the woman who lived there. It led me to a mystery that made me happy about my divination for the very first time. I was able to help, and that was a good feeling.

Now for some fun questions!

Coffee? Tea? Both? Neither?

Tea. Hot tea in the fall and winter, and on cool spring nights. Iced tea as soon as the weather turns warm.

Do you have any pets you want to tell us about?

I don’t have any pets, but Hattie has a cat named Cucumber. A nod to her last name. She’s a sweet kitty and I’ve grown really fond of her.

What is your favorite way to unwind?

Living on the beach, you might think I’d enjoy swimming or even just laying on the sand with the crashing waves in front of me, but the Lane curse makes me too nervous to love the beach. Ironic that I can’t escape it then.

As I said earlier, I love plants, so digging my hands into the earth puts me at ease. I also am learning to knit.

Do you like to watch television? If you do, do you have a favorite show that you think we need to watch?

I’m not much of a TV watcher. Hattie loves all the cop shows, especially Cagney and Lacey! She rattled off a bunch of shows recently, wondering what I’ve watched. I confess, I hadn’t seen any of them.

Do you like salty or sweet snacks? And what’s your favorite snack?

Peanut butter cups. They’re my all-time favorite.

What is something that can always be found in your refrigerator?

Because I live with Hattie, you’ll always find opened cans of cat food! In my refrigerator, you’ll always find a jar of mayonnaise. I love a lot of mayo on my sandwiches, and I love egg salad.

Finally, is there anything else my readers should know about you?

I just met the man I think is going to be the love of my life. I never thought I’d fall in love. I never wanted to take a chance that I’d fall in love. I don’t want to fall victim to the Lane curse. But I met Leo Hawthorne and, well, I don’t know. There is something about him. He’s a fisherman, so lives on the sea—not what I want in a man, also given the curse. And he loves books—something I steer clear of.

Still, there’s something about him…

Thanks again for taking time to answer my questions!

Thanks! I’m off to plant some flowers and listen to the Go-Go’s. They are my current favorite band.

About Melissa Bourbon

Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of nineteen mystery books, including the brand new collaborative Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time.

Melissa, a California native who has lived in Texas and Colorado, now calls the southeast home. She hikes, practices yoga, cooks, and is slowly but surely discovering all the great restaurants in the Carolinas. Since four of her five amazing kids are living their lives, scattered throughout the country, her dogs, Bean, the pug, Dobby, the chug, and Jasper, a cattle dog/lab keep her company while she writes. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and their youngest son. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams.

Author Links

Website – https://melissabourbon.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/melissabourbonbooks/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookWarriors

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks

Purchase Link – Amazon