Pink Lemonade Diary (Pink Lemonade Memories)
Also available on NOOK!
Murder With My Darling (Bonnie Lou Mysteries)
Also available on NOOK!
Hello, Everyone! Thank you for visiting! This week, I have a very special treat for you—my interview with the one and only Bonnie Lou of Missing County, Tennessee, star of Annie Acorn’s Murder with My Darling (Bonnie Lou Mysteries)!
Juliette: Welcome, Bonnie Lou! I do appreciate you taking time away from your busy schedule at your beauty parlor and helping out that Chunk of Hunk lawman sweetie of yours to speak with us today. Speaking of your shop, Nice ‘n’ Pretty, how’s business going?
Bonnie Lou: Well, Juliette… You don’t mind if I call you Juliette since it’s just the two of us, do you? Well, Juliette, business at Nice ‘n’ Pretty is just booming, thanks for asking. Sue Ellen, our head manicurist, was afraid that Mrs. Hedgewood and her big yellow toenails were going to move in after the story broke about Johnny Brown’s murder, and of course, we’ve had some curiosity seekers.
Juliette: Bonnie Lou, dear, tell us, after assuming ownership of the beauty shop eight years ago from your mother on your 21st birthday, how has that impacted your life as a beauty queen contestant?
Bonnie Lou: I do feel sometimes like I’m burning my candle at three ends, and by the end of a full day my cheeks can be really sore from all of the smiling.
Having said that, though, I do think that as the reigning beauty queen of Missing County, I sort of owe it to my public to share my wealth of knowledge. I mean, some of those gals need all the help they can get if you know what I mean.
Speaking of which, Juliette… [Bonnie Lou fingers author’s hair] You might want to consider stopping by for a touch-up.
Juliette: Moving right along, Bonnie Lou…We realize how close you are to Missing County’s Sheriff, Dave Crockett. How supportive has he been over the years of your career? Rumor has it you helped him with a recent murder case. Does he feel that your talents are better utilized in assisting him in solving crime than in running your business?
Bonnie Lou: Oh, you don’t have to worry about Dave, Juliette. I certainly don’t. His mother and I have had plenty of time to raise him right, and he knows better than to get in either or our ways.
Besides, a happy gal is a happy pal, as I’ve told him a number of times. Although, I always make it a point to be ready for our dates. After all, Rule # 15 in A Southern Gal’s Guide to Keeping Your Man is – Never keep your guy waiting.
Juliette: Very good advice, indeed. Turning back to the subject of your shop, how did you go about selecting Miss Dolly Ferguson as your assistant at Nice ‘n’ Pretty?
Bonnie Lou: Now I’m glad you asked me that one, Juliette, because some folks have said I picked her for her mousy appearance, not wanting to hire anyone who might have been perceived as competition.
In point of fact, I chose her in large part because I hoped some of Nice ‘n’ Pretty might rub off on her. I mean, the child does have nice legs and good bones, and some highlights would go a long way, don’t you think?
Juliette: From what I know of Miss Ferguson, her inner beauty shines brightly. Maybe she has more on her mind than highlighting her hair or catching a man. But getting back to the matter at hand…
You mentioned that you were crowned Miss Candy Cane of 2002, Queen of the Mountain Ramps, and Princess of the Lambs, just to name a few of your achievements. Which one of these titles did you “enjoy” having the most?
Bonnie Lou: Enjoy being the key word in your question, I would have to say being Grand Lady of the Possum Creek Bears. Those guys are a hoot, and they’ve chosen me as their Grand Lady fourteen years in a row now. Having said that, though, being Queen of the Mountain Bucks has been a lot of fun, too, although that title is fairly new. And then, of course, there’s my Queen of the Udder Dairy’s Farm Picnic title. I mean, who doesn’t like a picnic?
Juliette: Bonnie Lou, dear, if you don’t mind me asking–we would all like to know–why haven’t you entered the Miss America pageant?
Bonnie Lou: No comment!
Juliette: Well, we all hope that someday you will share that story with us. And, finally, Bonnie Lou, I understand that you must be getting back to that Chunk of Hunk of yours, Davey. Can you give us some tips from A Southern Gal’s Guide to Keeping Your Man?
Bonnie Lou: Isn’t that book just the greatest? There are so many great tips included within its much-fingered pages, and each one has its time and place.
Rule # 7 – Be prepared at all times to be beautiful in under fifteen minutes in case an emergency arises – is important of course. And Rule # 17 – Always offer to help, especially when there’s no chance of the offer being accepted, is one that everyone should try and remember.
Juliette: Well, Bonnie Lou we’ve run out of time, but this conversation has been most enlightening! Thank you for joining us today here at One Vintage Heart. Please keep us posted on any new developments with your man or murder in Missing County! Good luck to you!
As always,
Juliette
The Christmas Spirit of Starlight Cove
Also available on NOOK!
