Welcome!
In the immortal words of Julia Child, “People who love to eat are always the best people,” so I’m delighted to meet you! I’m Amy Pershing, the author of the Cape Cod Foodie Mysteries and a pretty dedicated foodie myself!
I’m also an unapologetic cheerleader for Cape Cod, where I spent every summer of my childhood sailing, swimming, and never, as far as I can remember, putting on a pair of shoes from June to September. It was paradise. It still is.
As a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith, I’ve been an editor, a restaurant reviewer and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago (with the final college tuition bill paid!), I waved goodbye to Wall Street to write full time (and spend more time sailing on the Cape!). A Side of Murder, the first of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries, is my first novel.
A little more about me…
Growing up with sand between my toes…
I and my four siblings (and various dogs and cats) grew up in a big old farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but spent every summer on Cape Cod, where we joined our vast extended family in long days sailing, swimming, clamming and, of course, eating. I have lived in many wonderful places in my life, including New York and Rome, but it is the Cape that always calls me back.
Food and books as a way of life …
I was very lucky to have a mother who knew that good food and good books (particularly mysteries!) were what made life sweet. It was my mother who gave me my first Nancy Drew, my first Agatha Christie, my first Sue Grafton. It was my mother who taught me that you cannot put too much butter on anything and when in doubt, consult Julia Child.
After college I landed at Viking Penguin publishers, where I had the privilege of working with wonderful writers as diverse as the prince of horror, Stephen King, and the queen of cookery, Elizabeth David. New York also gave me the opportunity to indulge my inner foodie reviewing restaurants for Playbill magazine (under the tutelage of a future Gourmet restaurant critic, no less!). But it was when my husband, Bill, and I left New York for two years to be journalists in Rome, Italy, that food became the real focus of our lives. Because in Rome, food is the real focus of everyone’s lives.
And then came kids (and the dog) …
Two beautiful little boys and a rambunctious Australian shepherd changed everything (except summers spent on the Cape, of course!). I worked from home as a speechwriter and consultant in employee communications until the boys were in their teens, when I signed on to lead employee communications at a global bank. Mostly I did this to pay the (college) bills, but the real perk was travel to places like India, Singapore, London, and Hong Kong. Food, glorious food!
The Cape Cod Foodie Mysteries …
A few years ago (with the final college tuition bill paid!), I waved goodbye to Wall Street for my dream job — writing mysteries full time (and, of course, spending more time on the Cape). A Side of Murder is the first of my Cape Cod Foodie Mysteries, but keep your eyes peeled for An Eggnog to Die For, coming on November 2!
