Hello Lovely Readers,

Today on the blog, Kari Lee Townsend has dropped off some of your favorite characters from her Kalli Ballas Mysteries in celebration of the newest installment, Trouble for your Thoughts! For fans of the series, these ladies need no introduction, but we’ll let Kalli have the honors even so.

Hi there. My name is Kalli Ballas, and I was adopted into a Big Fat Greek Family. I’m a fashion designer with slight OCD germophobic tendencies. I live in the small town of Clearview, Connecticut with my fiancé, Detective Nik Stevens, who’s half Greek with a Viking father. After a freak accident, I have the ability to read minds when touching someone—a nightmare for someone like me—but only Nik and my best friend Jaz know about it. Recently, after Nik’s father shows up in town, the woman who follows him gets murdered and he’s the prime suspect. On top of that, there’s an infestation of snakes in town reminiscent of an ancient Greek legend, which brings a lot of publicity and shines a spotlight on the Greek mamas. I was asked to interview Ophelia Ballas (Ma to me), Aunt Tasoula (my ma’s sister), and Chloe Pagonis (Nik’s Ma). As you will see, the Three Act Mamas are full of drama and always entertaining.

What’s the first thing you do when snakes appear at the church?

Ophelia: “Light a candle!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Grab a broom!”

Chloe: “Hide the good shoes! I no losing another pair to wildlife!”

Ophelia: “And pray! You forget pray, Chloe!”

Chloe: “I prayed to the gods for better friends. Look where that get me.”
How do you feel about Nik living with me before marriage?

Ophelia: [gasping] “Sin! SIN!”

Aunt Tasoula: [waving a hand] “They practically married.”

Chloe: “As long as they happy. And she iron his shirts. Somebody have to.”

Ophelia: “I light candle for both they souls.”
[I resist an eye roll] Favorite Greek saying for times like these?

Ophelia: “You play with snakes, you get bitten!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Better bitten by snake than by you mama-in-law.”

Chloe: “Speak for youself, Tasoula.”
Who’s really in charge around here?

Ophelia: “Me!”

Aunt Tasoula: “In you dreams, Ophelia!”

Chloe: “Please. You two couldn’t run a lemonade stand without me.”
[I resist a grin.] Advice on clearing Nik’s father’s name?

Ophelia: “Interrogate everyone.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Bribe them with koulourakia.”

Chloe: “Smile sweetly and pretend you no know what ‘obstruction of justice’ mean.”
How do you spot something suspicious?

Ophelia: “Twitching eye.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Tingling elbow.”

Chloe: “Tasoula talk to goats, that how.”

Aunt Tasoula: [defensively] “And the goats usually right!”
[I swallow a chuckle.] What would you do if you met a pirate today?

Ophelia: “Feed him and call cops.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Depends … is he rich?”

Chloe: “Whack him with purse!”
Biggest fear for Nik and Kalli’s future?

Ophelia: “No wedding!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Tacky wedding!”

Chloe: “They move to New Jersey. I can feel it.”
[I shake my head.] What’s worse: murder or running out of baklava?

Ophelia: “Murder. Barely.”

Aunt Tasoula: “You say that now, wait ‘til you run out of honey.”

Chloe: “Both. Same day? I canceling life.”
One word to describe Nik’s father?

Ophelia: “Trouble.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Charming.”

Chloe: “Ex. That my word. Ex.”
[I can’t help nodding.] How do you prepare for a snake emergency?

Ophelia: “Worry loudly!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Wear boots!”

Chloe: “Vodka.”
Secret weapon during a family crisis?

Ophelia: “Food.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Better hair than everyone else in the room.”

Chloe: “Loud opinions.”
[I do roll my eyes this time.] Who wins in a Greek mama showdown?

Ophelia: “Me.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Pffft. Not even in Monopoly, Ophelia.”

Chloe: [filing her nails] “Already did. Stay jealous.”
Guilty pleasure?

Ophelia: “Soap operas.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Ouzo shots when no one looking.”

Chloe: “Ordering two desserts and lying about it.”
Thoughts on my “quirks”?

Ophelia: “Bless her! She come organize my pantry.”

Aunt Tasoula: “I love it. I exploit it. I leave fingerprints on her fridge once just to watch.”

Chloe: “She perfect. But I do move her forks just to stir things up.”
[I gasp over their answers.] Key to surviving a murder investigation?

Ophelia: “Act normal.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Over my dead body!”

Chloe: “Wear black. It slimming and mysterious.”
Favorite part of Greek family life?

Ophelia: “Everyone together!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Loud arguments!”

Chloe: “I get five casseroles anytime I cough.”
Least favorite part?

Ophelia: “Everyone too together!”

Aunt Tasoula: “Sneeze once, you cousin in Athens know.”

Chloe: “Privacy? Never heard of her.”
[I couldn’t agree more.] Advice for young couples living together?

Ophelia: “Hide the sweets.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Say sorry first. Even if you right.”

Chloe: “Two bathrooms. Non-negotiable.”
One wish right now?

Ophelia: “A giant Greek wedding!”

Aunt Tasoula: “A vacation with no snakes, gossip, or Chloe’s exes.”

Chloe: “Wine, sunshine, and no drama for one blessed day. Though I probably miss it.’

[All three, leaning in together at the end]:

Ophelia: “You no can pick you family.”

Aunt Tasoula: “Ah, but you can pick who sit next to you at dinner.”

Chloe: “And if you smart, you sit by the wine.”

Want to know more about Trouble for your Thoughts?

Living with outgoing Detective Nik Stevens has been a smoother transition than OCD fashion designer Kalli Ballas ever imagined, making her worry that her life is too good to be true…

Every year at the church of the Virgin Mary in Markopoulo village, Greece, little snakes appear in the summer, then disappear at the end of the day. Legend says when pirates attacked the monastery, nuns prayed to be rescued and snakes appeared, chasing the pirates away. When snakes appear at the Greek orthodox church in Clearview, Connecticut, Kalli and Nik’s families take it as a sign that danger is headed their way.

Nik’s father arrives in town, deciding he wants a second chance with Nik’s ma, Chloe. Meanwhile Chloe is dating Nik’s captain, which puts Nik in the awkward middle. When a woman from his father’s past follows him there, they argue, and she winds up dead. His father becomes the number one suspect in her murder, making Nik question if he ever wants to get married.

Nik and Kalli work together to try to clear his father’s name, leaving them both wondering what the future has in store for them.

Meet Kari Lee Townsend:

Kari Lee Townsend is a National Bestselling Author of mysteries & a tween superhero series. She also writes romance and women’s fiction as Kari Lee Harmon. With a background in English education, she’s now a full-time writer, wife to her own superhero, mom of three sons, one darling diva, one daughter-in-law & two lovable fur babies. These days you’ll find her walking her dogs or hard at work on her next story, living a blessed life.

You can find her at her website, on Instagram, on Twitter here and here, on Facebook here and here, and yes, even on TikTok!