BOOK TOUR
When a nighttime soap opera comes to town to film an episode, no one’s more excited than Nora Charles, who’s landed the contract for catering the shoot. But if she thought the show’s plotlines were full of drama and intrigue, that’s nothing compared to what she witnesses among the cast and crew. With half of them sneaking off for secret liaisons one minute and at each other’s throats the next, it’s all a titillating behind-the-scenes look for Nora—until she stumbles across the body of the show’s slain director.
It’s not long before the local authorities finger the brother of Nora’s good friend for the evil deed, and it’s up to Nora and her sidekick Nick to get him off the hook. As she begins to sort out the cast’s romantic entanglements and professional rivalries looking for a motive, she also discovers that the victim was involved in the mysterious death of the show’s previous director. And then another member of the crew is found murdered, and Nora knows she’ll have to act fast to figure out who’s playing the part of the killer, before she’s cast in the role of the next victim . . .
Includes scrumptious recipes!
LKBR: Hi, T. C. Thank you for being with us today! Please tell us about your newest book series.
TCL: Thanks for having me, Lisa! I write the Nick and Nora mysteries, published by Beyond the Page. Our latest adventure is the sixth in the series, A Purr Before Dying. Nora’s thrilled to land a catering contract for a soap opera filming in Cruz, but the excitement turns sour when the director is found dead and my best friend’s, Chantal’s, brother is suspected of the crime! Can Nick and Nora find out who’s playing killer before they’re the next victims?
LKBR:
Readers always have a favorite character. Do you have a favorite from this series?
TCL: That’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is LOL. However, if I had to choose, I’d say my favorite character is Nick. I put a lot of my cat Rocco into him!
LKBR: Once you’re finished writing a book, how long is it before you start writing the next?
TCL: Oh,
about ten minutes. J
Seriously, I do take a short break but not long in between books. I’m
currently writing three series so usually once one is done, I start in on the
next.
LKBR: What is your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite part?
TCL: To
paraphrase the late George Peppard from The A-Team, “I love it when a plot
comes together!” I think that smoothing
out all the rough spots in a tale and making it the best it can be is a source
of pride for me. I would hate to tell you
how many starts and stops I have before the book is running in what I consider
smooth fashion.
The least favorite part? The dreaded first sentence. Once I get that down, everything seems to flow better. Well, usually. Pretty much. J
LKBR: Where do you do your best writing?
TCL: In my
den. I write for three hours every morning, seven days a week, and longer if
I’m on a deadline.
LKBR: What are the different ways you research for your books?
TCL: My
favorite form of research is Google.
It’s true, you can find out practically everything about everything on
the Internet (and some things you never imagined as well).
LKBR: Have you ever started writing a story just to find the idea simply isn’t working?
TCL: Oh my
goodness, yes. Many times. I either work
through it till it flows just right or I scrap it. I have scrapped many
plotlines and just started fresh.
LKBR: Any new projects in the works?
TCL: I have
a new series coming out in April from Severn House, the Tiffany Austin Food
blogger series, about an ex-chef turned food blogger who keeps running into
dead bodies.
From the back cover:
Food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin has the best job in the world: she gets to eat for a living. At least, she hopes she has a job. Her trial period at Southern Style magazine is up - and rumors are swirling that management are making a choice between Tiffany and a rival columnist: the ambitious Jenny Lee Plumm.
Former chef Tiffany knows she has a battle on her hands . . . but she didn't
realize it was to the death! When her rival's body is discovered after the two
have a very public argument, Tiffany finds herself the prime suspect in a
murder investigation. The lead detective might be very hot - but Tiffany's
definitely not ready to go down for a crime she didn't commit.
Ably assisted by Hilary, her best friend and partner in (non) crime, and
bolstered by the unconditional love of her Siamese cat Lily and King Charles
Cavalier puppy Cooper, Tiffany plunges into an investigation of her own. After
all, she has a degree from the CIA - the Culinary Institute of America - and
she's not afraid to use it. But can she find the real killer before she's
served up to the cops on a silver platter?
LKBR: What do you love to do in your free time? LOL Do you get much free time?
TCL: Not a lot, but when I do, I read other cozy mysteries! Some of my favorite authors are Laura Childs, E. J. Copperman, and Diane A.S. Stuckart. I’m also a big JD Robb and James Patterson fan.
LKBR: Where
can readers go to learn more about you and your books?
TCL: My website, www.tclotempio.net and Rocco’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com are two good places. On my website you can sign up for my newsletter. I try to send it out every three months to keep everyone apprised of what’s happening!
LKBR: Thank you so much, T.C. for letting us get to know you better!
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 her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery series originally from Berkley Prime Crime and now with Beyond the Page Publishing. They also write the Cat Rescue series from Crooked Lane and the Pet Shop series, originally published by Midnight Ink and rebranded last year as “Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries.” Book six in the Nick and Nora mysteries, A PURR BEFORE DYING, is released this February from Beyond the Page. There is also a new series, Tiffany Austin Food Blogger, coming out in April.
Blog Website Facebook Twitter: @RoccoBlogger
Purchase Link -
Amazon - B&N - Apple - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords
Thanks, Lisa.
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday!
Pat T
Thank you for hosting A PURR BEFORE DYING, lisa! T.C., ROCCO, Nick and Nora
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting us! Hope everyone will enjoy the book! T.C., ROCCO, Nick and NOra
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading the interview with T.C. LoTempio. It's always fun to find out more about the author behind the books I enjoy reading. I can't wait for the opportunity to read and review A PURR BEFORE DYING.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks Kay. Always enjo interacting with readers
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete