A chat with Starla Cupp, a sweet detective!

Starla Cupp is a character created by Willow Monroe

Good morning, my cozy friends! Sorry for not posting in a while, but here we are today with a brand new interview. At the end of this post, there's a message from Matt, so make sure you read it. Today we're talking to my dear friend Starla Cup. Tell us, Starla, what was the first investigation you did?  What was the last?  Do you expect to do more investigations in the future?

My first investigation came completely out of the blue when hateful old Nadine Crump went and got herself killed--right behind the diner on the railroad tracks.  At first Poppy, my best friend was a suspect and then the police focused on her fiance, Tom Brown.  Well, there was no way I could stay out of that!  The last investigation was when one of our own, famous country music legend, Jimmy Bones died right on stage in front of the whole town.  Some said he was killed by his severe peanut allergy but I disagreed, hence, my own investigation.  And it turned out that I was right, even if I did have to jump out of a window to prove it.  I'm pretty sure there will be more investigations, especially if it might harm someone I care about.  Small towns like Sugar Hill hide many secrets and sometimes those secrets come to light causing people to react in ways they never dreamed they would.

Skeletons in the closet, like they use to say. What is your daytime occupation?  How does it relate to your investigations?

I own and run the Dixie Cupp Diner with my best friend Poppy Wendell (soon to be Brown if she has her way about it).  That's where we spend most of our days.  I live in an apartment over the diner so my commute consists of not falling down the stairs.  It relates to my investigations in a couple of ways.  First, I'm an upstanding businesswoman, turning the diner into pretty much the social hub of the community.  Secondly, people know and feel comfortable with me and that gives me the opportunity to talk to them and, sometimes, get information they didn't even know they had.

You grab them by the stomach, am I right?! And what can you do that the police can't?

I can talk to them as their friend and neighbor.  Yeah, Tucker has that ability, too, but he wears a uniform.  I don't.  And owning the Dixie Cupp Diner allows me to interact with most everyone in town on a daily basis.  You'd be surprised at the stories that play out right there in the diner.  Anyway, everyone has known me since I was a kid and, sometimes, I think they still see me like one so they trust me with information that I probably shouldn't have, if you know what I mean.

Yes, I do! People are keen to open themselves to people who know how to listen. What do you know about the psychology of a criminal?

What I know about people, period, is what I learned from my grandmother.  She taught me to respect everyone but take everything I hear with a grain of salt.  And, really, all you have to do is pay attention to what's going on, quietly watch people and how they interact with others.  Now, that hasn't helped me pick out a criminal until it's almost too late but it keeps me on my toes. 

And how do you deal with authorities during your investigation?

Well, since the authorities in question here just happens to be one of my best friends, it's pretty easy to deal with him.  And giving out free coffee to the rest of the officers on our small force is also a plus.  They'll willingly share information with me.  Is that bribery?  Tucker worries about me getting myself into trouble, of course, and sometimes those conversations get, um, loud, but generally, he's on my side.

Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn't want others to know.

I am madly in love with Tucker Ash, our new chief of police.  Oh, Tucker and I have been best friends, buddies, since we were children but I've just come to realize my feelings for him go deeper than that.  Have I told him?  Nope.  I'm just now admitting it to myself.  You're the first person I've told although Poppy suspects it.

That's between the three of us. Do you have a favorite quote?  

"The secret is to live life on purpose." Starla Cupp in Pumpkin Spice and a Body on Ice.

Thank you for dropping by, Starla! I hope to see you again soon. 

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About Willow Monroe
I'm Willow Monroe, and I have a reading problem. And a scribbling problem. I spend my time reading, writing, dancing (sometimes by myself), and poking at the characters in my head to see if they have a story to tell. When they do, I write it down. Then I mess with it, because characters are terrible storytellers. They're too involved. Too close. Too profoundly damaged by their experience to get the story right. So I help:) 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Willow-Monroe/e/B00J3IIYAI/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Website: www.Pinwheel-books.com.
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Instagram: @pinwheelbooks.  

Hey, everyone, Matt here. Just a heads up: I'm going to Costa Rica for two months, with a scholarship to write a book about the endangered jaguar. This is a huge opportunity for me, and I'm going to focus 100% on it, so until I'm back, the blog won't be updated. If you're an author wishing to be interviewed, please wait until next year to contact me. Thanks a bunch!