Interview with Micki from A Village Shattered
December 11, 2008 by Lillie
I’m honored to be hosting a stop on Jean Henry Mead’s blog book tour for A Village Shattered
One of the secondary characters especially interested me, and I jumped at the chance to interview her. Please welcome retirement village resident and Portugese dairyman’s widow, Michelle Lugundos, known to all as Micki.
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye. Thank you for agreeing to answer questions about yourself and the murder mystery you found yourself entangled in. I understand your name is Michelle though most people call you Micki. Is Michelle a common Portugese name?
Micki: No, it isn’t. My parents came to this country from the Azore Islands just before I was born, and they wanted to give their first born child an American name. When they learned there were so many other Portuguese families living here in the San Joaquin Valley, they gave my seven younger sisters all latin names.
Lillie: It must be strange to read about yourself. The author, Jean Henry Mead, portrayed you as someone who is witty, perceptive, and distrustful of authority. Did she describe you accurately? If not, how did she get it wrong?
Micki: I don’t think I’m so witty. Sometimes my club members laugh because they think I say strange things, like the time I compared the sheriff’s investigation of the murders to gigging a tadpole instead of a frog. You know, he grabbed the first suspect that walked by instead of waiting for the real killer. I didn’t trust the sheriff at first, but then I learned that his only experience was training police dogs. He was trying his best but it just wasn’t good enough.
Lillie: Tell me about your experiences helping your husband run a dairy farm.
Micki: Oh, my, I had to get up every morning at four o’clock and cook a big breakfast before I helped with the milking. I was glad when we could afford milking machines because I had such calluses on my hands. I also helped him buck 100 pound bales of hay. See, I still have big muscles on my arms. I’ll never forget the night the hay caught on fire and burned for two days. That was the most exciting thing to happen at the dairy, except when a heifer gave birth to a calf.
Lillie: A Village Shattered takes place in a retirement village. Where is the village located? What attracted you to it? What is it like to live there? Did you and your husband retire there together or did you move there after Antonio died?
Micki: I moved to the village after Antonio died. It’s a mile from the city of Modesto in the northern San Joaquin Valley. I had some Portugese friends who lived in the village who talked me into moving here. If I had known that a serial killer was going to start murdering my club members alphabetically, I would not have sold the dairy. I used to love living here and going to Sew and So Club meetings. But now it’s too dangerous to even open my door.
Lillie: You were devoted to your husband but even more to your father. What made these two men so special to you?
Micki: Antonio was my first and only love and he reminded me of my father. They were both good, hardworking men. My mother died when my sister Phillipa was born and Papa raised his eight daughters by himself. He never looked at another woman. Not that we would have accepted a surrogate mother. I took over that job until I married Antonio, then my sisters in turn looked after the younger girls.
Lillie: Did you feel safer after your sisters arrived from Fresno to stay with you? What did you think when the sheriff told them to leave?
Micki: I could not believe how bossy my younger sister Josephina was. She made me crazy. I used to spank her when she was little and maybe she was getting even with me. I was glad when the sheriff told them it was too dangerous for them to stay in the village and they had to go home. Sheriff Grayson gave me another partner after he arrested Nola and put her in jail. She didn’t do the murders but she did set fire to Pat Wilson’s house. The sheriff kept taking my partners away or they got killed, so I did miss my sisters when they left.
Lillie: You are obviously a good cook. Describe some of your specialties, especially linguisa. How did you feel seeing the deputy squirming on the floor in pain after eating one of your brownies?
Micki: Everyone loves my brownies and linguisa, which is Portugese sausage. It’s mighty tasty but my friend Carole said there’s too much fat and calories in the food I cook. She only weighs 97 pounds so she doesn’t know what good food tastes like. I baked a batch of brownies the other night and one of the deputies guarding us ate one and fell on the floor. We thought he was dying. I was afraid that everyone thought I had poisoned him.
Lillie: What do you think of Sheriff’s Grayson’s investigation of the murders?
Micki: I know he tries hard but he doesn’t have enough experience. When he was elected, half his sheriff’s department quit and went home, so he doesn’t have anybody to advise him. I think he wishes he was still training police dogs.
Lillie: I understand that A Village Shattered is the first of the Logan & Cafferty Mystery Series. Do you think Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty should be the ones getting top billing? Do you think the author will give you a larger role in future books?
Micki: No, the author put Dana and Sarah in a motorhome and took them to Wyoming to investigate the death of Dana’s wealthy sister. I don’t think they’re ever coming back to the San Joaquin Valley, except for maybe for a visit. I will miss them.
Lillie: What else would you like us to know about you or the story?
Micki: I feel like I’m running a boarding house. My friends are dying and just when I get used to a partner living here with me, the sheriff takes her away. He finally gave me a deputy to protect me but he’s having woman problems and can’t stay awake 24 hours a day, so I have to stand guard with Antonio’s hunting rifle so young deputy Dalton can get some sleep. I hope the sheriff finds the killer soon so we can all stop being afraid.
Lillie: Thank you, Micki. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and am sure my readers did also. I’ll miss you in the next book. Please check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions. And bring your author along, too. Readers may have questions for her.
Micki: Thank you, Lillie. You must stop by for some linguisa and brownies. The author is allergic to both of them.
===========================================================================
Comments are open. Say hi to our guests and ask questions for either Jean or Micki.
Micki,
Since things have settled down in the retirement village and you won’t be going on the next adventure, have you thought about doing your own cookbook? Sounds like you have some good recipes!
Helen,
A cookbook from Micki sounds like a great idea. I’d rather have her serve her delicious food already prepared, but that might be hard to do so a cookbook would be a good second choice.
I think it is so much more interesting on a virtual tour to break up the interviews and do interviews like these with the characters. Jean has created a wonderful cast in Shattered. Good job on this one with Micki! I really enjoyed my interview with Sarah yesterday on Free Spirit also.
Marvin D Wilson´s last blog post..Sarah Cafferty Comes From a Village Shattered
Marvin,
I enjoyed your interview with Sarah—though I would join with her in hitting you with a rolled up newspaper over that weight question. Also enjoyed your post at Helen’s blog today. I’m swamped with work right now and behindin reading blogs so didn’t take time to comment.
A Portugese cookbook is a great idea for anyone suffering from anorexia. You’ve all given me a great idea about importing Micki from California to Wyoming to cook for Dana and Sarah in the mansion Dana inherits from her sister. Novel #2, Diary of Murder, is already at the publisher, scheduled for early next spring, but I’m working on #3, Died Laughing, so I might bring Micki back.
Jean,
I’d like to see Micki back in the next book. As you know, she’s one of my favorite characters.
Uh, oh, Micki just whispered in my ear that she doesn’t want to leave the San Joaquin Valley because it’s her home and her large family lives there. But she’s not opposed to going to Wyoming for a visit.
Jean,
I hope Micki visits Wyoming … or maybe Dana and Sarah will go back to San Joaquin Valley some day.
The book sounds intriguing and I love the interview format. I really liked the “gigging a tadpole instead of a frog” expression as well. That is a great one!
Brad,
Glad you enjoyed the interview. A Village Shattered is an enjoyable book with an intriguing cast of characters.
Thanks for the kind words, Brad. I lived in the San Joaquin Valley for a dozen years and that expression just seemed to fit the occasion.
I love the character interviews – they’re my favorite kind of blog book tour stop! Thanks for a fun interview.
Dani
http://quickest.blogbooktourguide.ever.com
Dani,
I love the character interviews, too. Next time I do a tour I’m going to try to line up a couple of interviews for my characters.
Thanks, Dani. Character interviews are my favorites too.
And Lillie, thank you for hosting today’s blog visit and Micki’s interview! This was fun!
Jean,
I have to admit I was a little resistant when you first asked me to do a character interview since you were already doing several on other tour stops. I thought readers—and I—might get tired of reading them or that they might be a little contrived. But they’ve turned out very well for you.
Great interview!
It is nice to read about “A Village Shattered”. I must say, Jean Henry Mead has portrayed it very well.
Thanks for sharing the interview.
Andre,
A Village Shattered is an excellent story, and Jean does describe the setting and characters well.
Thank you, Andre and Lillie, for the kind words. You’ve made my day!
I’d love to see a cookbook from her as well! I’m looking to build an eclectic cookbook collection to match my new fascination of cooking. My husband just got me all the goodies, Wusthof Knives, cutting boards, and all the ins and outs! Now its time to cook up some nice home cookings. Great interview Lillie! I really appreciate you bringing us such awesome content.
Lisa,
If you ever need a taster for your cooking projects, I volunteer! I’d rather eat something a good cook whips up than cook myself, and it sounds like you’re going to make some tasty dishes.
Thank you, Lisa, Sounds as though you’re going to make your husbnd very happy with your cooking skills.
WoW, Lillie. You’ve done an awesome job for the interview and I loved this interview very much!
Jean, I’ll spread my words about your book to my family and friends. Remember to keep up the good work
wilson´s last blog post..Do Mind About Your Sleeping Hours!
Thanks, wilson. This was a fun interview.
Your cooking book project sound wonderful, and I enjoyed the interview very much, thanks.
Zeriva,
I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.
Love the character interview for A Village Shattered. Very intreresting.
Gwyn Ramsey´s last blog post..Terrific Times
Thanks, Gwyn. This was a different and fun interview.
Even though I’m just reading the interview, it seem to me that micki is a very amusing woman and she’s fun to talk with. And even with this short interview, you’ll see her as someone who really cares about her family.
Titan,
It’s amazing that a character interview can make the character in a book come alive, isn’t it.
[...] not comfortable with, but be willing to consider other ideas. I was hesitant at first to conduct a character interview, but it turned to be a lot of fun for me and the readers. Some blogs hosted me twice on the same [...]
[...] authors, a delayed series, group writing projects, and several seasonal posts made this thank-you post [...]
Loved the way the interview has been done with nice questions,great job done and thanks for sharing.
Shaw´s last blog post..Third Confirmed Dead From Avian Bird Flu
Shaw,
I’m glad you enjoyed the interview. It was fun to do.
It was truly interesting reading the interview , i gained some knowledge from the interview , which will help me lot of ways.I thank Lillie for sharing and looking forward to see more from you.
Sharon´s last blog post..Best Types Of Aerobic Exercise For Fat Loss
Sharon,
I’ll have to try more character interviews. My goal is to have an author visit (author interview, character interview, review, guest post) at least once a month.
this was nice story. i specially like the interview format story or book. i read the comment and found that Micki’s cooking was appreciated most. i appreciate that too and loved to see a book from Micki on cooking.the interview was very reader friendly and precise. i love it.
Curt´s last blog post..Today was a Tough Day
Glad you enjoyed the interview, Curt.
Lillie , truly appreciate for the time and effort you spent to make the excellent interview shared to us,thoroughly enjoyed reading it and wish to see more from you.
Lyndsey´s last blog post..44th President to Be Sworn In on Tuesday January 20,2008
Lyndsey,
I’m glad you enjoyed the interview. It was fun to do.
[...] is the third Logan & Cafferty mystery. For the first book in the series, A Village Shattered, one of the characters visited this blog. Somehow I missed the second book, Diary Of Murder: A Logan & Cafferty Mystery. Although it [...]