An Interview with Sherry Harris by E. B. Davis

 

I worked my way through the crowd to the bar and ordered a drink.

I didn’t believe in going into a place and not ordering anything.

It was almost as bad as leaving a library without a book.

Sherry Harris, Rum and Choke, Kindle Loc. 1065

 

The Florida Panhandle Barback Games are coming up and Chloe’s been drafted to represent the Sea Glass Saloon—competing in various obstacle-course events that conclude with rolling an empty keg up a hill. The rivalries are so fierce that some of the participating bars even stoop to bringing in ringers.
 
Meanwhile, Chloe’s friend Ann—a descendant of the famed pirate Jean Lafitte—asks her to come along for a boat ride as Ann dives into the Gulf of Mexico. She’s found some old papers that may identify the location of sunken treasure. Instead, she finds a sunken body—of one of the ringers hired for the Barback Games.  Now that murder is in the mix, Chloe has to figure out whether one of the competitors went overboard . . .

Amazon.com

 

Rum and Choke is the fourth book in the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mystery series by Sherry Harris. Just like writing those stagnant middle chapters, books mid-series can be fraught by few character arcs and not enough series arc. Not to worry with this book. Sherry reveals Chloe and Ann’s characters in surprising ways. Ann is less of a mystery and a much more vulnerable. Chloe is bolder and braver than we’ve ever seen her before. This was a fun read and the book surprised me with its candor and insight.

 

However, what I learned about electronic security was enough to make anyone paranoid. Radio waves and modems are too easy to use by criminals. Replicating key fobs?

 

Please welcome Sherry Harris back to WWK.         E. B. Davis

Thanks so much for having me back to talk about Rum and Choke!

I never heard the term Barback before. Is this a common term in the bar industry? What does it mean? Do restaurants have Barbacks as well or just bars? It is a common term. Barbacks work hard in the background making sure the bartender has everything they need to make a great drink. They carry heavy boxes full of glasses or alcohol. They clean and cut fruit and restock items. I’m not sure if restaurants have them or not.

 

There’s a yearly competition among the various Panhandle bars. Are the competitions real? What events do Barbacks compete in? When I first came up with the idea, I did a search online and yes there are competitions for barbacks. I made up most of my events but there is a race through tires although it’s different than the one in my books. I have the barbacks fixing drinks with mystery ingredients, running through tires with steins full of beer, and pushing an empty keg up a hill among other events.

 

Is winning the competition good PR? Why is it so competitive, enough so that ringers are brought in? People love winning competitions. I’m not sure if it’s bragging rights or just human nature. It’s funny that I didn’t think of this when I was writing the book, but your question made me think of an old Cheers episode. Cheers is playing Gary’s Olde Town Tavern in a three-on-three basketball game. Gary’s brings in ringers so Cheers gets a Boston Celtics player to come.

 

When Chloe goes to the other bars to check out the competition, she drinks Bushwackers. What are they, and why did she choose them to drink? A Bushwacker is like a milkshake for adults. Chloe thinks the milk/cream in them will coat her stomach so she doesn’t get tipsy.

Is a Panhandle, Florida accent unique or just Southern? The part of the Panhandle where the book is set is right below Alabama. The area is not only called the Emerald Coast, but often called LA or Lower Alabama. So the accent is mostly like an Alabama accent.

 

Everyone suspects Chloe’s drinks were drugged. Is there really a coaster that can be used to discover drugs in drinks? There really are. There are also straws and fingernail polish that will change color if certain drugs are present.

 

Ann is related to the pirate and war hero John Lafitte. How could he be both a pirate and a war hero? Which war? While John Lafitte wasn’t a good guy, he did help fight the British during the War of 1812. After the war President Madison pardoned him for the smuggling charges against him.

 

Ann asks Chloe to accompany her while she dives. How has Chloe demonstrated to Ann that she is trustworthy? This is such an interesting question. Over the series Ann has had a chance to help Chloe out and observe her interactions with people. Ann realizes that people talk to Chloe a lot and that Chloe doesn’t gossip.

 

Is the Shipwreck Trail real? Yes. Some of the wrecks are vessels that have deliberately been sunk to make reefs for divers. However, there are over 600 shipwrecks in the Northern Gulf. Some sources say even more—up to 2000.

 

Back home in New Orleans, Ann finds an old treasure map of John Lafitte. She dives to find the treasure, but instead comes up with a Barback competitor’s body. Ann doesn’t want anyone to know about the treasure. Why does Chloe decide to omit the truth for Ann? Ann has helped Chloe out of sticky situations several times in the past so Chloe decides to return the favor. Chloe initially believes that keeping this secret won’t impact the search for the murderer. She does tell Ann that she will tell if it becomes necessary to find the killer.

 

Do you have any good Brussel sprout recipes? My favorite way to prepare Brussel sprouts is to trim them, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast them in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes until they are lightly browned. They also are good on the grill.

 

Why does a life change entail a hair change in Chloe? It’s just one of her quirks. She wants to feel differently physically and mentally.

 

What is a Faraday Bag? Faraday bags block EMF signals. If you keep your electronic car keys in one, no one can clone your car keys. It’s the modern way to steal cars. Some people also keep phones and computers in them.

 

Chloe reveals that Ann is a bit naïve when it comes to technology and relatives. I’m surprised. Why isn’t Ann more savvy in both? Ann is a badass in most things. She’s smart and resourceful, but like all good characters she has flaws and those are two of hers.

 

What’s an angel martini and how does it work? There are all kinds of angel drinks. They signal to the bartender that the person ordering it feels unsafe for some reason and needs help.

 

What are beanbag rounds? Police use them sometimes because they are less lethal than bullets. They are lead shotgun pellets in small cloth bags. The intent is to stop the criminal but not kill them. However, they can cause serious injury and even death.

 

An average tire is twelve and a half inches? Do you mean the open center’s diameter is that size? Yes!

 

When they decide to hire more help, Chloe keeps finding better jobs for the applicants. Why? It’s a good way to show an aspect of Chloe’s personality. She’s kind and has a tender heart, but I don’t have to say that, I can show it through her interactions with the job applicants. Chloe realizes most of the applicants really need a job, but they aren’t right for the position at the Sea Glass Saloon. She decides to help them out by asking what they love to do and being that it’s a small town, it’s easy to find jobs for some of them.

 

Battle ready for women means putting on a whole lot of makeup. Do you think most women feel like that? I think that when you feel good about yourself you are battle ready. It could be makeup. It could be clothes, or it could be a mindset. On one particular day, Chloe decides more makeup and well-styled hair will make her feel more confident as she has to face down Deputy Biffle.

 

What drink would Joaquin make to pair with this book? A Buried Treasure cocktail!

 

Pear, gorgonzola, walnut, and prosciutto pizza? Are you kidding? It is so delicious! You can substitute figs for pears and that’s delicious too. 

 

 

An Interview with Sherry Harris by E. B. Davis

 

Aside from getting swept out to sea and getting

shot at, I liked living down here.

Sherry Harris, A Time to Swill, Kindle Loc. 671

 

Chloe loves her new life pouring beers and mixing cocktails at the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle town of Emerald Cove. But on the job, the only exercise she gets is walking from one end of the bar to the other, so in the mornings she loves to run on the beach. On this morning’s foggy run, she spots a sailboat washed up on a sandbar. Hearing a cry, she climbs aboard the beached vessel to investigate and finds not only a mewling kitten—but a human skeleton in the cabin.
 
The skeleton is tied back to Chloe’s friend Ralph, whose wife disappeared on a sailboat with three other people twelve years ago. Believing his wife was lost at sea, Ralph remarried. Now he finds himself a murder suspect. Chloe is determined to find out who’s been up to some skullduggery, but her sleuthing will lead her into some rough waters and some bone-chilling revelations…

Amazon.com

 

Not only does Sherry Harris’s main-character Chloe find the ghost ship, the tide takes her out to sea on the ship….

 

Ever since 1872 with the appearance of the sailing ship Mary Celeste, which was perfectly intact but missing her crew and passengers, ghost ships provide perfect mysteries, along with a spooky element. Sherry uses that scenario to open a new investigation into the disappearance of the four victims lost twelve years previously. How do people just disappear from a craft that looks normal? Was it murder? Of course, Chloe finds the solution. 

 

This is the second book in the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mystery series. It was released on July 27^th. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, please go to: From Beer to Eternity, which is now on Kindle Unlimited! Please welcome Sherry Harris back to WWK.                                                                                       E. B. Davis

 

Chloe had a professional job as a children’s librarian. Now she works in a bar. She has returned from two weeks in Chicago wrapping up her life there to move permanently to Emerald Cove. What was the biggest factor in her decision to uproot herself? Chloe went to Emerald Cove because of a promise she made to a friend. While she was there Chloe found out that because of budget cuts she’d lost her job as a children’s librarian. She also fell in love with Emerald Cove and the people, so she decided to make it her home.

 

Does Emerald Cove have a tourist season? Is the weather cold there in the winter? Does the Sea Glass close? Emerald Cove has three tourist seasons – summer people, snowbirds, and spring breakers. October is the time for locals to relax and enjoy although even October is getting busy. The Sea Glass never closes – for one thing it caters to locals and another they have to depend on tourists to make money.

Chloe took note that the man who she dubbed “Neptune” quoted Bette Davis. What was the quote? What is it from? The original quote comes from the movie All About Eve. "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night," said by Bette Davis' character Margo Channing. It often gets paraphrased to a bumpy ride which is what “Neptune” says.

 

 

What makes Chloe’s vintage Volkswagen Beetle her vehicle of choice? Chloe inherited the Volkswagen from her grandmother, so it has sentimental value not to mention she doesn’t have a car payment. When I was doing research for the series a friend and I were walking around the town of Grayton Beach. As we were walking to the Red Bar, we saw a vintage silver VW parked right beside it. It was so cute, that I decided it should be the car that Chloe drove.

 

Is it common in beach towns for people to hold more than one job? Why, and why are they one step from being homeless? Beach towns are expensive to live in and are dependent on the tourism industry. If things go wrong, it can really impact the livelihood of the people living there. Some of the people in the series work two jobs because they are workaholics. Some of them are financially secure, but just can’t imagine retiring. Others have to work two jobs to make ends meet.

 

Why the change from Rhett to Rip? Last time I was in Florida I ran into one too many old, scruffy men named Rhett and it didn’t seem to suit my character anymore. Strange how real life can impact my fictional world. I decided to come up with a fun nickname and story to go along with the change.

 

Ann Williams is a milquetoast name, but the woman isn’t. How did Ann acquire her special skill- set as a “problem solver” and who are her clients? Ha! Ann Williams is the middle and last name of one of my dearest friends and she’d kick our butts if she heard that. More of Ann’s back story comes out in the fourth book so I don’t want to give anything away here. As to her clients? Ann isn’t one to talk about who hires her. People find Ann, she doesn’t find them.

 

You mentioned that during the seventies many large boats disappeared in the Gulf. True? Did they discover anything about the boats? It is true. I did a lot of research about piracy in the Gulf of Mexico. They think that boat owners were unknowingly hiring pirates who’d take over the boats.

 

Delores’s Mile High Pie—filling or meringue? Both! Meringue browned or not? Hmmmm, this isn’t something I thought through. I’m going with not browned on the Key Lime, but definitely browned on the banana cream.

How did Vivi overcome her gambling problem? Regret. She brought someone into her family’s life that almost destroyed them.

 

Boone’s father claims he inherited Boone’s house, boat, and half the Sea Glass in a will dated later than the one in which Chloe inherited them. Will fighting his claims bring Vivi and Chloe closer? One would hope it does, but time will tell.

 

Rip didn’t mention that his father disappeared on the Fair Winds, which became the ghost ship. Why? Rip is a bit mysterious about his personal life. There’s a lot Chloe doesn’t know about him and I’m worried this might present a problem in the future.

 

Why did Chloe buy a model cigarette boat made from cigarettes? I found that strange! Chloe felt sorry for the man, and it provided her a bit of comic relief around a serious incident.

 

I love the recipes and history of drinks contained in your books. How can gin be “bruised” by shaking it? Thanks! I had no idea drinks could be so fascinating. The term bruised means something different in the drinks’ world than when a human whacks their arm into something and ends up black and blue. Shaking gin ruins the botanicals and messes with the taste. Here’s a link to an interesting article on the topic: https://talesofthecocktail.org/techniques/scientific-argument-never-shaking-your-gin/

 

The first whiskey sour recipe appeared in 1872, but by mouth, the recipe dates from the 1700s. Why did whiskey sours have egg white in them? What was the original purpose of a whiskey sour? The egg white adds a frothy element to the drink. When scurvy was an issue for sailors or travelers at sea, lime and lemon juice were added to watered-down liquor, which was the origin of the whiskey sour.

 

Why does Joaquin have two jobs? Neither of Joaquin’s jobs—fisherman in the morning and bartender in the afternoon—pay particularly well. Plus, he likes both and he likes to stay busy.

 

Vivi and Joaquin have a contest to make the best daiquiri. What’s the history of daiquiris? It was created by Jennings Cox, an American engineer, at a party when they ran out of gin. It was named for the nearby town of Daiquirí, Cuba. Although some say that it, like the whiskey sour, is actually another very old drink that helped stop scurvy.

 

What would Shari do? LOL—please explain. So you are a reader of acknowledgements! Your very own Shari Randall helps me with the books. Chloe was a children’s librarian, and I am not, but Shari was. Whenever, I have a question about being a librarian I send Shari an email asking, “What would Shari do?” You may have noticed that Shari’s lovely husband, Bill, also helped with this book.

 

What’s next for Chloe? Three Shots to the Wind comes out March 22^nd. I’m writing the fourth Chloe book.

 

 

An Interview with Sherry Harris by E. B. Davis

 

According to my dad, wishes were for the weak. You had to make your own destiny.

Right now, my destiny was here, working in the bar…

Sherry Harris, From Beer to Eternity, Kindle Loc. 1337

 

With Chicago winters in the rearview mirror, Chloe Jackson is making good on a promise: help her late friend’s grandmother run the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle. To Chloe’s surprise, feisty Vivi Slidell isn’t the frail retiree Chloe expects. Nor is Emerald Cove. It’s less a sleepy fishing village than a panhandle hotspot overrun with land developers and tourists. But it’s a Sea Glass regular who’s mysteriously crossed the cranky Vivi. When their bitter argument comes to a head and he’s found dead behind the bar, guess who’s the number one suspect?
 
In trying to clear Vivi’s name, Chloe discovers the old woman isn’t the only one in Emerald Cove with secrets. Under the laidback attitude, sparkling white beaches, and small town ways something terrible is brewing. And the sure way a killer can keep those secrets bottled up is to finish off one murder with a double shot: aimed at Chloe and Vivi.

Amazon.com

In late December, Sherry Harris’s ninth Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery, Absence of Alice, will be released. Meantime—Sherry has written the first book of a new series, From Beer to Eternity, set at the opposite end of the East coast—beachside on the Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle region. Her main character is as different from Sarah Winston as the setting. Chloe Jackson is young, single, and by profession, a children’s librarian. But like Sarah, Chloe is brave, dedicated to the truth, loyal to her friends, inquisitive, and persistent. You’ll like Chloe, even if you want to pour beer over bar owner Vivi’s head now and then.

 

Please welcome Sherry Harris back to WWK.                      E. B. Davis

Is there a country/cowboy flavor to the Emerald Coast, being so close to Alabama and Georgia? How do you know the area? Is Emerald Cove a real town? The Emerald Coast is very southern. It’s often called Lower Alabama and the Redneck Riviera—although they are trying to shed the latter. My parents retired to the area after visiting since the mid 1980s. I’ve visited many, many times, and then we were fortunate enough to be stationed there for two and a half years when my husband was still in the Air Force.

 

Why did Chloe take a leave of absence from her librarian’s job in Chicago to waitress in a bar named the Sea Glass Saloon on the Florida beach? Before Chloe’s best friend, Boone, went on a deployment to Afghanistan, she promised him that if anything happened to him, she’d go help his grandmother (a woman she’d never met) run her bar in in Emerald Cove. One of Chloe’s life mottos is: a promise made is a promise kept. When the worst happened, Chloe felt honor bound to go to Florida.

 

What would possess anyone to wear an armadillo hat? Armadillos carry the bacteria responsible for leprosy, as well as other deadly bacteria. Should Vivi, the bar owner, even allow her patron to enter the bar where patrons drink and eat? This made me laugh! I’m envisioning a shell that has been well-cleaned and sanitized. After I came up with the idea, I Googled armadillo shell hats and some interesting images came up.

 

How does Chloe invoke her librarian persona in the bar? As a children’s librarian in an urban Chicago library, Chloe is used to dealing with a wide variety of people. She thinks drunks and toddlers have a lot in common. Chloe uses the skills she learned as a librarian to deal with the customers at the Sea Glass Saloon.

 

I was surprised at Vivi’s attitude toward Chloe. She was a friend of Boone’s, her grandson. Why does Vivi seem to dislike Chloe? Vivi is grieving the loss of her only remaining heir. I’m not so sure that Vivi dislikes Chloe as much as she doesn’t like the situation, and Chloe is a reminder of that. Vivi’s a very independent woman and doesn’t take to the idea that she needs help.

 

What happened to Boone’s mother and father? Boone’s mother died of cancer and his father? Time will tell.

 

Joaquin, the Sea Glass bartender, is gay, but the ladies don’t seem to know that. What is Joaquin’s background? Joaquin is a happily married man, but also a flirt who loves everyone. One of the things that I found out about Joaquin as I was writing is that he was once a professional backup dancer for people like Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. Now he’s settled down and is a fisherman in the morning and a bartender in the afternoon.

 

What’s a rocks glass? It’s a short tumbler with a thicker than normal bottom.

 

What’s a channel knife? A channel knife is used to cut strips of citrus fruit rind for garnishes in drinks. I have learned a lot about bartending as I researched for this book. I have a new appreciation of bartenders!

 

What are the heritage businesses and why are they called that? They are businesses in Emerald Cove that have been there since at least the 1940s.

 

After Chloe finds the body of a local Sea Glass patron dead by the dumpster behind the bar, Vivi is taken in for questioning by the police. What compels Chloe to investigate? Chloe is doing what she thought her friend Boone would want her to do—which is to help his grandmother out.

 

Due to tourists and expensive short-term rentals, Chloe ends up sleeping in her car or on Boone’s boat. Why does Vivi suddenly give Joaquin the keys to Boone’s house to give to Chloe? Vivi was appalled when she found out what Chloe was doing. When they are together, they do rub each other the wrong way, but Vivi also wants Chloe to be safe for Boone’s sake.

 

You give a history of the word “cocktail.” Please explain the history to our readers, who may never want a mixed drink again. The word cocktail dates back to 1776 and supposedly came about when a woman in New York ran out of wooden stirrers and grabbed the feather of a cock’s tail to use instead.

 

Who is Ann Williams? I made the same mistake Chloe did. Is Ann the reason Chloe stays away from Rhett? Ann is one of the reasons. But Chloe was engaged to someone not too long ago and is leery of jumping into another relationship. Plus, she has unresolved issues relating to Boone.

 

Each of the heritage business owners has a motive to kill. Of all of them, I liked Ralph Harrison, owner of the Redneck Rollercoaster, but he provides more questions than answers. What is the ride, and what were the racial politics of the day? The Redneck Rollercoaster is actually a trolley that takes tourists around Emerald Cove. But originally it started when black people in the panhandle of Florida weren’t allowed to go to amusement parks in the area. Instead they took dune buggies out on the giant dunes and made their own rollercoasters. At some point they realized how much damage that caused and the business evolved.

 

How did the Appalachian Mountain quartz end up on the Panhandle beach? I was so fascinated to learn that the white sand on the Emerald Coast was actually fine bits of white quartz washed down the Apalachicola River to the Gulf Coast. The tides then wash it up and create the beaches. It’s an ongoing process.

 

Why does Chloe lie to children and think it’s a good thing? This is what Chloe thinks about lying: “I was an adept liar. It came from working around kids all the time. My friends gasped in horror when I said that, but I always pointed out that kids get lied to all the time—Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Elf on the Shelf.  I’m proud to say I wasn’t above doing it at the library when absolutely necessary to prevent a catastrophe.”

 

 

What is Crab Island? Doesn’t it ever flood? What do people do on the island? Crab Island is actually a sandbar in Choctawhatchee Bay. It’s a huge attraction for boaters and is a mob scene in the summer. Here’s an interesting article with some beautiful pictures of Crab Island: https://www.destinvacationboatrentals.com/blog-post/crab-island-the-complete-visitors-guide-to-destins-most-popular-hangout/

 

What are Florida Man stories? They are stories about crazy events or strange crimes that occur in Florida. There are websites, Facebook pages, and even Esquire magazine articles devoted space to the Florida Man. For example, a man in Jacksonville, Florida took a five-foot alligator into a convenience store with him when he was on a beer run. That’s a Florida Man story.

 

What is muddling? It’s simply mashing ingredients to release their flavor. A good example is mashing mint leaves for a Mint Julep or a mojito. 

 

Ann William’s real last name is Lafitte. Wasn’t Lafitte a pirate? Jean Lafitte was a pirate, but he was also a war hero during the War of 1812.

 

Although Boone is dead, his character is very much evident throughout the book. Will we learn more about Boone in future books? It’s almost like he could see the future. Will he guide Chloe deeper into his world? I confess I had no idea that Boone would loom so large in From Beer to Eternity when I started writing the book. He’s not a ghost, but he is a presence. Boone will be in future books because he is the reason that Chloe is in Emerald Cove.

 

What’s next for Chloe? I just turned in A Time to Swill which comes out next August. When a ghost ship (which is a term for an unmanned ship) washes up on the beach in Emerald Cove, Chloe’s life and the lives of the heritage business owners takes a turn that no one saw coming. Thanks WWK for having me back to talk about my new series!