I'm happy to welcome T. C. LoTempio back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. T. C. pens the Nick and Nora Mystery series. HISS H FOR HOMICIDE is the fourth book in the series and was released last week.
Kathy: Since you write the Nick and Nora Mystery series, I must assume you enjoy the Thin Man series, book and/or film. Are you a fan?
TCLT: Absolutely! As a matter of fact, I watched the Thin Man movie marathon on MOVIES! last week! There are some characters that you just can't imagine other actors in. I confess, I can't imagine anyone else other than William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. William Powell was superb at those one-liners!
Kathy: While the original Nick Charles may have acted like a tomcat at times, your Nick is an actual cat. Why choose a feline partner for Nora Charles?
TCLT: Well, it all goes back to what actually inspired the series. I was watching the Thin Man on Turner one afternoon, trying to think of a good idea for a book. My cat ROCCO, a 25 lb tuxedo cat, jumped up on my chest and I thought, "Gee, what would happen if Nick Charles got shot and came back reincarnated as a cat?" And that was the beginning of Nick and Nora.
Kathy: In HISS H FOR HOMICIDE we meet Nora's friend who writes steamy romances. Back in the day I read many a bodice ripper. Are you a fan of this genre?
TCLT: I read quite a few Harlequin romances when I was in High School, and I even belonged to the Shilhouette Book of the Month Club, but no, not a fan of the romance genre.
Kathy: Nora soon discovers her friend's writing partner had a penchant for digging up dirt and exposing dirty laundry. Are you a good secret keeper or might you be someone who spills the beans?
TCLT: Ha, ha, that's for me to know and you to find out LOL. Seriously, I can keep a secret if its important....but I also love a good gossip.
Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?
TCLT: For this particular story, no. I have thumbnail outlines written for twelve Nick and Noras and I tried to choose plots that I myself would be interested in reading.
Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?
TCLT: I used to be strictly a pantser, but I've since found out that the story goes much better - and faster- when you have a direction. I start out with an outline that gets changed many times, so the finished product nine times out of ten nowhere resembles the outline - so to answer the question, a bit of both.
Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?
TCLT: I can't say as I dislike any particular aspect, as it's necessary for success. I do like interacting with my fans!
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?
TCLT: Next year will see the release of number five in the Nick and Nora series, MURDER FAUX PAWS. I'm contracted with Beyond the Page for four books, which will take Nick and Nora through book seven. Sales will determine if there will be more! Beyond the Page has also picked up the Pet Shop series, and Book two, KILLERS OF A FEATHER, will be out later this year.
You can visit my website, tclotempio.net, and sign up for my newsletter which will keep you apprised of future releases! (Old and new, LOL)
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Hiss H for Homicide (A Nick and Nora Mystery) by T. C. LoTempio
About Hiss H For Homicide
Hiss H for Homicide (A Nick and Nora Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series - 1st with this publisher
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing (February 9, 2021)
Paperback: 224 pages
Nick and Nora are back in a tantalizing new mystery that’s far more dangerous than a game of cat and mouse . . .
Never one to turn away from a challenge—even when it goes against her better judgment—Nora Charles can hardly say no when an old friend of her mother’s comes to town seeking her help. The author of steamy romances has learned that her writing partner is severing their relationship and threatening to reveal dark and dirty secrets in a tell-all, and she pleads with Nora to intervene. Reluctantly agreeing to help, Nora pays a visit to the writing partner, ready to make her case—right up until the moment she discovers the woman’s lifeless body.
With the police convinced that Nora’s friend is the culprit, she and Nick begin delving into the dead woman’s past and her provocative tell-all. It soon becomes apparent that the woman had a knack for digging up dirt and wasn’t shy about exposing skeletons in closets, and before long Nora has a seemingly endless list of suspects who were at risk of having their darkest secrets revealed. With a police force intent on throwing the book at Nora’s friend and time running out, she and Nick must outwit a dangerous killer before they take their own secrets to the grave . . .
About T. C. LoTempio
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 continued in 2021 with book two, KILLERS OF A FEATHER, from Beyond the Page. Catch up with them at ROCCO’s blog, catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com or her website, www.tclotempio.net
Author Links:
ROCCO’s blog: www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com
Website: www.tclotempio.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - KOBO - Google Play -
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