Cozy Mystery
Date Published: December 6, 2016
Publisher: Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime
While catering a gala for the Cruz Museum, Nora Charles agrees to look into the disappearance of director Violet Crenshaw’s niece, a case previously undertaken by her frisky feline friend Nick’s former owner, a private eye whose whereabouts are also currently unknown.
As Nora and her curious cat Nick pull at the string of clues, they begin to unravel a twisted tale of coded messages, theft, false identities, murder, and international espionage. Nora dares to hope that the labyrinth of leads will not only help them locate the missing young woman, but also solve the disappearance of the detective. That’s if Nora can stay alive long enough to find him...
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
For
me, plotting out the book from start to finish is always a challenge; I
generally know how it will start and end and that’s pretty much it. Also,
keeping the plots and characters fresh and exciting is a challenge for me as
well.
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
I
love the music from Phantom of the Opera, and often play that when I’m writing,
along with the music soundtrack from the now defunct tv series SMASH.
Do you have critique partners or
beta readers?
I
do have a team of wonderful beta readers who keep me on track as to
contuinuity, whether the story makes sense, etc. when you have a full time job and can only
write at nights and weekends you need an extra pair of eyes!
What book are you reading now?
The
Wrong Side of the Paw by Laurie Cass. I love
cat series (surprise eh????) and the Bookmobile Cat series is one of my
favorites.
How did you start your writing
career?
I
started out writing horror, until I was told that it was a “soft” market unless
you were Stephen King. J So then I switched to paranormal
suspense/romance and self-published several books. I actually acquired my agent with a
paranormal about an allergic vampire slayer that we have yet to sell. In between I wrote the Nick and Nora series
which we sold to Penguin and the rest is history. J
Book
Two in the Cat Rescue series will be out from Crooked Lane on February 13, 2018
(just in time for Valentine’s day!)
Here’s a short synopsis from the jacket cover:
Getting used to life back home in Deer Park, North
Carolina, Sydney McCall and her right-hand tabby, Toby, are helping her sister
Kat run the local animal shelter. Syd and Kat are all excited about the
prospect of the shelter’s newest fundraiser: shopping channel queen Ulla
Townsend. Shelter admin Maggie Shayne vehemently refuses to have anything to do
with the woman, but the fundraiser ensues as planned. That is, until Ulla turns
up dead in the middle of the event.
The cause of death is determined to be an allergic reaction, but Syd and Toby are sniffing out something fishy. When Syd met Ulla, it was clear she was distasteful and rude. And right before the event, Syd spotted some behind-the-scenes drama between Ulla and her manager. As they begin to investigate, they realize there is no shortage of suspects, and Maggie is at the top of the list.
Now Syd and Toby must claw their way to the truth before everything goes paws up at their animal shelter.
The cause of death is determined to be an allergic reaction, but Syd and Toby are sniffing out something fishy. When Syd met Ulla, it was clear she was distasteful and rude. And right before the event, Syd spotted some behind-the-scenes drama between Ulla and her manager. As they begin to investigate, they realize there is no shortage of suspects, and Maggie is at the top of the list.
Now Syd and Toby must claw their way to the truth before everything goes paws up at their animal shelter.
We have our fingers crossed Crooked Lane will want
more in this series! J In today’s volatile publishing
world nothing is a sure thing.
About the Author
While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – and the just released Cat Rescue Mysteries from Crooked Lane! The first volume, Purr M for Murder is out now! She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com or at www.tclotempio.net
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Thank you for posting
ReplyDeleteAn allergic vampire...sounds like a fun read. Hope you get it published.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
it was fun to write! If all else fails, there's always self pubbing!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDelete