T. C. Lotempio is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Death Steals the Spotlight, her latest novel in the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series.

Welcome, Toni.. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

DEATH STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT is the third in the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series, published by Beyond the Page.  The series centers around Shell McMillan, a former actress who relocates to Connecticut from Hollywood when her spy series is cancelled.  Her recently deceased aunt left her a mansion and a pet shop, and along the way Shell (and her former co-star, Gary) run into more than one dead body.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?

I was watching Entertainment Tonight and the thought occurred to me that probably more than one actor has entertained (albeit briefly) the thought of murdering their director LOL. My imagination took off from there.

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?

I’m a big fan of soap operas, and one thing is consistent – secrets always have a way of coming out.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?

Some of my characters are based on real life persons, others that I make up are people I think I’d like to get to know. I always tell my friends, be careful – you never know you might end up in one of my books LOL.  Asking if I have a favorite character is like asking a parent to name their favorite child.  I love all my characters, but I am partial to the four –footed ones!

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?

I usually try to make the setting one I’m familiar with.  I’ve visited Connecticut, where the Pet Shop mysteries are set, so that came fairly easily.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?

I research pretty much everything, so suffice it to say that Google and I are old friends!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?

DEATH STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT is the third pet shop mystery and features a new feline character, one Facebook fans might be very familiar with!  Princess Fuzzypants kindly gave her purrmission for me to add her to the Urban Tails family, and she’s given a resounding ‘paws up’ to the story!  So I hope all our readers will enjoy it as much as she did!  (You can find her review of DSS on her Facebook blog)

Thanks for answering my questions, Toni., and good luck with Death Steals the Spotlight, the latest book in the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Toni and her writing by visiting her website and Rocco’s blog as well as her Facebook page. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N

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 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.