Deborah Sharp

1 - What's your latest?

Deborah Sharp: My latest is MAMA GETS HITCHED, the third book in the funny, Southern-fried 'Mace Bauer Mystery' series.

2 - Assuming I haven't read it, why should I?

Deborah Sharp: The humor is probably the best reason to read MAMA GETS HITCHED. I love that my readers can escape for a few hours into a part of Florida the tourists never see; meet some offbeat characters; and celebrate Mama's 5th try at tying the sacred knot. It's a murder mystery, all wound up in the Wedding of the Century -- which, of course, goes terribly awry. The world is filled with sad stories (as a former reporter, I know this firsthand). Who doesn't need a laugh now and then?

3 - What can you tell us about your main character that you hadn\'t realized until you answered the question?

Deborah Sharp: Mace Bauer -- tomboyish, fiercely independent, and the foil to her mama's foolishness -- is not nearly as tough as she thinks she is.

4 - What's your favorite scene and why?

Deborah Sharp: Hands down, my favorite scene in MAMA GETS HITCHED is a rolling-in-the-food fistfight at Mama's bridal shower. The frilly setting is already rife with conflict, since it's the last place on earth her tomboyish middle daughter, Mace, wants to be. An excerpt from Chapter 32, just after the battling gals topple a punchbowl full of Nuptial Nectar:

'' . . . A fruity smell rose in the room. Globs of lime sherbet dotted Betty's carpet, like green islands in a lilac sea . . . The two women went next, coming off the table only to lose their footing in frosting, sherbet, and bridal shower punch.

''Make them stop, Sal!'' Mama's hand clutched her throat. ''They're ruining my shower.''

As I watched Alice and C'ndee tumbling across the floor in white frosting and pink punch, I had to disagree with Mama. This was the best bridal fete ever.''

5 - What's next?

Deborah Sharp: I'm almost done writing the fourth book in the series, MAMA SEES STARS. When a Hollywood movie company comes to tiny Himmarshee, Fla., Mama snags a part. She thinks it's her star-crossed destiny, but will the movie role mean curtains for Mama? MAMA SEES STARS comes out in Fall 2011.