In 2009, Teresa Michael’s thesis project for graduation from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, was to write three interconnected short stories. Mariposa Café and Bakery was the first. Dancing in Flippers and Butterfly Beach completed the trilogy. After she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, these characters stayed with her and, nine years later, Murder in Mariposa Beach was published. In 2020, during the pandemic self-isolation, she pulled out the old stories, revised, and updated them. Mariposa Café and Bakery is the origin story of Murder in Mariposa Beach, the first book in the Mariposa Café Mystery series. While healing from the physical and emotional wounds Libby sustained before arriving in Florida, she meets Mimi in Mariposa Beach, where they become partners and friends in the establishment of the Mariposa Café and Bakery. Dancing with Flippers has a connection with Deception in Mariposa Beach. David Bailey, Libby’s cousin, is a working actor in New York. He discovers his director was romantically involved with his mother many years ago and the relationship didn’t end well. On a Thanksgiving visit to Florida, he reunites with his cousin in Mariposa Beach. Butterfly Beach is the third story in the trilogy. A few months after the Mariposa Café opens, Libby’s ex-husband, Tony Cassinelli, obtains an early release from prison and makes an appearance in Mariposa Beach. (Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t read the first three books in this series, especially the third one – Deception in Mariposa Beach – Teresa recommends you read them before you read these origin stories. There could be major spoilers for you — if you’re a reader who cares about those things. Don’t say she didn’t warn you. Lol!) PRAISE FOR THE MARIPOSA CAFÉ MYSTERIES: “One of my favorite things in life is to read a Teresa Michael Mystery! She’s a master storyteller and wow does she know how to twist a plot in all kinds of interesting ways! I also love her characters, and the fantastic beach town that serves as the setting in the Mariposa Café Mysteries. In this incredible collection of what she calls the Mariposa Beach “Origin Stories,” Teresa treats us to the three short stories that served as the origin for each of the first three novels in this series. I just love these!” --- D. D. Scott, International Bestselling Author ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Teresa Michael has always loved a good mystery and has turned her love of writing and mystery stories into her first mystery novel. She loves to travel and has visited forty-nine states. She recently retired after a career in health information management and technology. She returned to college in her fifties, and instead of following the healthcare informatics path, she followed her passion and earned a degree in Creative Writing from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. She also spent many years as the Team Manager of the U.S. Archery team for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia as well as other international tournaments all over the world. She lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband and two cats, Lily and Lido. She enjoys visiting her children and grandchildren and loves spending time with her family creating new memories. She’s busy working on the next Mariposa Café mystery, developing a new mystery series, planning her next trip, and still trying to get to that fiftieth state.