Lisa Ks Book Reviews

BOOK TOUR

I'm excited to be a stop on the

blog tour for author

T. C. LoTempio

and her new book

DEATH BY A WHISKER

Book 2 in the Cat Rescue Country Store Mysteries

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 in Death by a Whisker by national bestselling author T. C. LoTempio.

LKBR: Thank you for being here today!

TCL: Thank you for having me!

LKBR: Please tell us a bit about the Cat Rescue Series.

TCL: The Cat Rescue series is published by Crooked Lane. It centers on Sydney “Syd” McCall, an advertising executive who gives up her cushy NY job after a broken engagement to come home to Deer Park North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter. I’d like to take full credit for the concept of having it set in an animal shelter,\ but I have to give credit where credit is due. Matt Martz, the editor at Crooked Lane, wanted the series set in an animal shelter. I have to admit it was a good idea.

LKBR: How did you come up with the idea for your latest Cat Rescue mystery.

TCL: For DEATH BY A WHISKER, I got the idea from watching my own favorite shopping channel. There is one particular merchant on there that gets on my nerves whenever she’s on. She just doesn’t shut up and talks right over the hosts. There have been many times when I thought I could cheerfully strangle her, so I just morphed that into the character of Ulla.

LKBR: Do you have a favorite character in either of your series?

TCL: In the Cat Rescue series, I think my favorite character, which may surprise some people, is the character of Syd’s sidekick, Leila Addams. Probably because I always wanted to be a reporter and I always wanted to have red hair! In Nick and Nora, unquestionably it’s Nick!!!!!!!

LKBR: Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? Love, action, death, etc?

TCL: I find the grand finale, the climax, in every book, whether it be Cat Rescue or Nick and Nora, challenging. It’s always an adventure to get your hero/heroine into trouble up to their necks and then figure an ingenious way out

LKBR: In your writing, have you ever used experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

TCL: Well, the entire concept of having a cat as a sidekick came from my adopting cats. I adopted my first cat, Zee, after my mother passed away. Zee passed away a year later from cancer and then I overcompensated by adopting three: Trixie, Phyllis, and Misty, my “girls”. Phyllis and Misty, the two calicos, passed away in late 2007 and 2008 and I adopted Maxx and ROCCO in 2008. They will both be ten this year. My other tabby, Trixie, passed away in 2015 at the ripe old age of 19. I miss her every day. I miss all my girls!!!!

LKBR: When you’re in the process of writing/creating a book, do you use a computer, typewriter, dictate, or use pen to paper?

TCL: Pen to paper? With my handwriting?????? I do make notes in longhand and then it’s and adventure to decipher them LOL. Computer, definitely!!!!!!!!!!!

LKBR: Do you have any writing quirks or rituals that you do before, during, and/or after writing a new book?

TCL: I always have to have ROCCO somewhere in the room, usually by my feet. He’s my “muse”. I also have to have something constantly playing in the background or I can’t concentrate. If it’s not t he TV, then it’s the CD player blasting out the score of “Phantom of the Opera” or the soundtrack from “Music and Lyrics”. I still can’t believe Hugh Grant can sing.

LKBR: What does your family think about your writing? How important is their support?

TCL: Unfortunately, my parents died before I had my first book published, but they were always very supportive of my writing. My cousins are supportive, though! And all my friends show up when I have a booksigning!

LKBR: Who/What inspired you to write your first book?

TCL: I started out writing horror, and finally I was told that unless you were Stephen King, there was no market for it. So I switched to Paranormal Suspense and self-published a few books and had a few picked up by a small press (WhiskeyCreek). After I got my agent he said mysteries were a better m arket so I went home and thought about that. I was watching Turner Classic Movies and the Thin Man was on, and halfway through my cat ROCCO jumped onto my lap. I thought, what would happen if Nick Charles was murdered and came back as a cat? And Nick and Nora was born!

LKBR: What was one of the most surprising thing(s) you learned when trying to get your first book published?

TCL: It still surprises me – that no matter how good you think your book is, it WILL get changed. Every one of mine so far has.

LKBR: What book are you reading?

TCL: Right now, Secrets in Death by J. D. Robb. Love that series!

LKBR: Do you have any advice for aspiring cozy writers?

TCL: Read, read, read, and keep at it. I got my first book published when I was 59 years old, so never give up. It can happen. I’ve grown fond of this quote: She believed she could, so she did!

LKBR: Where can readers go to learn more about you and your books?

TCL: Readers can find me at my website, www.tclotempio.net.

Also on ROCCO”s blog: www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

We interview authors and host giveaways monthly! Also ROCCO reviews the monthly Penguin cozies!

You can also connect w/ me on Facebook!

LKBR: Thank you so much for letting us get to know you better!

TCL: You are very welcome! Thanks for hosting me!

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

Winners will be chosen after February 26

at the end of the tour

1 lucky reader will win a

$25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

USA only

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

www.escapewithdollycas.com

MY REVIEW

Author T. C. LoTempio is a fabulous writer. Her Nick and Nora Mysteries won me over, and made me a true fan of hers. So, reading her Cat Rescue Mysteries was a no brainer for me.

I really enjoyed DEATH BY A WHISKER though I will admit it was a little slow going at first, maybe the first couple of chapters. But sticking with it was completely worth it!

It was good to be back in Deer Park, North Caroline with the fun characters of this series. And it was wonderful to see the growth in them since the first book. As in the previous book, the relationship between Sydney and Toby made me smile. He’s a cat with his own mind for sure!

The mystery was well done. Very nicely plotted by author LoTempio. There were plenty of suspects to consider in the murder, and they successfully led me to the wrong conclusion.

A purrfectly delightful second installment in this great new cozy series. I’m looking forward to book three!

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 – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuted Dec. 2, 2014. Followed by #2, CLAWS FOR ALARM. #3, CRIME AND CATNIP, was released in December. She, Rocco and Maxx make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.tclotempio.net and www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Where to find them: ROCCO’s blog: www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com Website: https://www.tclotempio.net/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5 Twitter: @RoccoBlogger - https://twitter.com/@RoccoBlogger

Purchase Links:

Amazon B&N Google Play

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 12 – Mochas, Mysteries, and Meows - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 12 – Books Direct – GUEST POST
February 13 – Mysteries with Character – INTERVIEW
February 13 – La libreria di Beppe – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – My Reading Journey – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
February 15 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
February 15 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – GUEST POST
February 16 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
February 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 18 – Varietats – REVIEW, GUEST POST
February 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
February 19 – Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf – INTERVIEW
February 20 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
February 20 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 21 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – GUEST POST
February 17 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
February 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
February 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy –REVIEW, GUEST POST
February 23 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
February 24 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
February 24 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
February 25 – The Montana Bookaholic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 26 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW