20 Things about My Sleuth Jade Hicks

I’m currently working on book 5 of the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries, and I’ve been thinking a lot about my amateur sleuth, Jade Hicks, lately. Here are 20 things you may not know about her and her stories.

  1. She’s a redhead.

  2. She drives a lime-green Jeep Wrangler.

  3. Her personalized license plates are “NO GRNCH.” Perfect for the owner of a Christmas store.

  4. Mermaid Bay isn’t a real place. I created my cozy little beach town near the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

  5. She was born in 1985 and graduated high school in 2003.

  6. She graduated from James Madison University in 2007.

  7. Before returning to Mermaid Bay, she worked in Richmond, VA at a marketing firm.

  8. She moved back to the beach when her grandmother passed to take over the store.

  9. Jade originally moved in with her grandparents when her parents were killed in a tragic car accident.

  10. Jade has known Nick Driscoll since middle school.

  11. Right before the pandemic, Jade made a huge investment in the store’s online store, and it paid off when the world went on lockdown.

  12. Jade owns the vacant lot next to her store. She hasn’t decided quite what to do with the property.

  13. There is a lovely hedge of oleanders along the back of her store and the vacant lot, and it plays a key role in Twinkle Twinkle Au Revoir.

  14. Jade attends her first ComicCon with her bestie Amy Pemberton in Life is But a Scream (January 2026).

  15. The beach is Jade’s happy place.

  16. Chloe, the Frenchie, and Neville the Devil Cat pretend to be enemies, but they really are pals and playmates.

  17. Jade loves visiting Amy’s bookstore where Darcy Cat watches over the stacks. The Persian is named for Mr. Darcy.

  18. Jade’s aunt, the free-spirited Lorelei Tucker, keeps a protective eye on her niece and helps her out whenever she can.

  19. In A Tisket A Tasket Not Another Casket, (January 2025) Jade’s a little surprised to learn a secret about Amy’s love life. No spoilers here.

  20. The titles of the books in Jade’s series are named for nursery rhymes gone bad.