by: T.C. LoTempio
Series: Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
It’s exit stage left, permanently, for a big-time director who lands the starring role in an unscripted death scene...
Desperate to find a director for their annual production, the Fox Hollow Players have a stroke of luck when Shell McMillan’s actress mother lands a prominent theater director for the job. He’s more gruff and demanding than the small-town cast and crew are used to, but his soft side for animals quickly endears him to pet shop owner Shell. Persuading her to let him use a shed on her property where he can work in peace, Shell is horrified when she finds his dead body there. And with obvious signs of foul play, she can’t help but investigate the murder.
As she digs into the man’s past, it becomes apparent that at one point or another he was romantically entangled with just about every woman involved in the play. And just when Shell discovers he may have been blackmailing one of them, other clues surface that suggest a more sinister motive. With her hands already full with a beautiful stray cat she found and christened Princess Fuzzypants, Shell will have to fill two roles, caring for the Maine coon and trying to track down the killer before it’s her turn for a fatal curtain call...
You can call me Toni. T.C. is my ‘nom de plume’
Well, Toni, welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
Tired. LOL. In addition to the blog tour for DEATH STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT, I’ve been working on the next Nick and Nora and Tiffany Austin books.
You are definitely busy. You are a new to me author. Could you please tell me about yourself?
Well, I’m a New York born, Jersey-bred gal who relocated to Phoenix, Arizona three years ago. Under the name T.C. LoTempio I write several cozy mystery series: the Nick and Nora mysteries, the Tiffany Austin Food blogger mysteries, and the Urban Tails Pet Shop mystery series.
Please tell me about your Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series and what readers can expect from it.
In a nutshell, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries chronicles the adventures of Shell McMillan, a former tv actress who relocated from Hollywood to Connecticut after her spy series was canceled. She inherited a mansion from her late aunt along with her business, the Urban Tails Pet Shop, along with a one-eyed Persian named Purrday who seems to have a knack for detection – just like his new human!
Tell me about some of the characters readers will be introduced to in Death Steals the Spotlight and the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series.
Along with Shell there are many characters who aid with the sleuthing. The most prominent one is her former co-star, Gary Presser, who played her spy husband on the tv show. Gary has a big if not bigger knack for detecting as Shell does! There is also Olivia, Shell’s new bestie, who runs the local dance studio and who Gary has a crush on. Speaking of love interests, of course Shell has one! the local homicide detective Josh Bloodgood! They met when Shell was a murder suspect (that story is told in the first volume, The Time for Murder is Meow) and they’ve been sweethearts ever since. And, of course, let’s not leave out Purrday and Kahlua, Shell’s purebred Siamese, a gift from her mother. Clarissa McMillan is a former Shakespearean actress (and social snob) who is appalled by her daughter’s new choice of career, and who figures prominently in her latest adventure. There is also the introduction of a new furry character, a beautiful red Maine Coon cat Princess Fuzzypants, as Purrday’s love interest. (the character is based on the real-life Princess Fuzzypants of Facebook fame).
I LOVE that there’s a love interest in this series. Can you give me a preview of one of your favorite scenes from Death Steals the Spotlight, and why is it a favorite?
Call me crazy, but my favorite scenes are always the ones where the first body is discovered. This time it’s in Shell’s storage shed, and our newest character Princess Fuzzpants, does the honors.
When it comes to writing your stories do you begin writing already knowing who the killer is and why they killed or is it a surprise for you?
I used to be a ‘pantser’ writer, but now I confess I’m more of a plotter. I start each book with an idea of who I want the killer to be, but I confess that as I keep writing, oftentimes that changes. So, to answer your question, I’d say that I start out knowing but more than half the time it ends up being a total surprise- not only to the reader but to me too.
Toni, this interview has been very informative. I’ve learned so much, and my interest is really piqued. Thank you so much for your time, Toni.
Purchase Death Steals the Spotlight from:
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The Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery Series:
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.” Number three in this series debuted June 27, DEATH STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT. Recent other releases include Book six in the Nick and Nora mysteries, A PURR BEFORE DYING, and book one in the new Tiffany Austin Food blogger series, EAT, DRINK AND DROP DEAD.
Places to find T.L. LoTempio:
You can follow the Death Steals the Spotlight Blog Tour here.
Love the cover. Looks great. Sounds like a good mystery.
ReplyDeletethank you Marcy. We try to write good stories! TC
DeleteThanks for hosting me today! TC
DeleteYou're welcome. Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDelete