And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Our Mystery Author this round is Michael Lee West. She's a girl with a boy's name and a city girl living on a farm. Michael is also the author of several best selling and highly enjoyable novels. Join us below as Michael talks about everything from her name to her writing. When you are done, you should visit her at her website:

http://michaelleewest.com/content/index.asp

Thanks, Michael!

1. First, the obvious - were you named after your dad?

No, I was named after another girl-named-Michael, a girl my mom baby-sat decades ago in Liberty, Mississippi.

You have to admit, it's not every day you see a lady named Michael. ;) How often are you asked if that is correct?

Should it be Michelle or Michaela? 99.9% of the time.

2. I understand you live on a farm. Had you ever experienced farm-living when you moved there or was this all new to you?

I'm a city girl with Yorkies. I had many misgivings. What is the best part of living there? The view, sunsets, watching the ducks on the pond, wonderful neighbors. The hardest? Mending the fence and catching escaped goats.

3. And the animals? The miniature billy goats pictured on your website are the cutest things! What does a person do with a mini goat?

They're pets, African Pygmy Goats.

4. I get the impression you like to cook.

True. Oh, but my hips wish I craved celery.

What is your favorite thing to whip up?

Buttermilk pie.

5. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get started?

For as long as I can remember, I wrote short stories. One summer I got sick at a Girl Scout Camp and was put to bed for a few months (a lung infection). I discovered Louisa May Alcott; when I was able to go to the library, I checked out Dr. X and Peyton Place. In college, when I declared my major as English, my mother threatened to withdraw support, so I ended up getting a BS in Nursing. But I kept writing, writing, writing. Publication was a long, weedy road. My first novel hit the shelves in 1990.

6. Tell us about your new book: GONE WITH A HANDSOMER MAN

The idea for the book came to me in a dream, and during my waking hours, Teeny Templeton became a stronger and stronger voice in my head. I've never felt this close to a character—and yet, she's not like me at all. She's not based on anyone I know. Teens (as she calls herself) is an out-of-work Charleston pastry chef who finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. Teeny has brown eyes, naturally curly (way too curly) blonde hair, and she's barely 5' 2" tall. She loves bulldogs, Jack Daniels, Jesus, Elvis, Red Velvet cake, and Coop O'Malley, a lawyer who broke her heart a decade ago. I had a blast writing this book, more fun that I've had in decades.

7. And what is next? Any works in progress?

I'm revising the second Teeny Templeton novel, A TEENY BIT OF TROUBLE, and I've started working on the third book. I'm having fun with Teeny & Co..