Sharon Marchisello, author of Trapped and Tested, the latest novel in the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Sharon.

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

Trapped and Tested is book two in my DeeLo Myer cat rescue mystery series, published by Level Best Books. The first book, Trap, Neuter, Die, was released in November 2024. The story began when a thirty-year-old divorcee, DeeLo Myer, was sentenced to community service with the Pecan Point Humane Society and assigned to the Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR) program to help control the overpopulation of free-roaming cats. In the course of her rescue work, she discovered a draconian county ordinance that thwarts the efforts of animal advocates, and she vowed to get it changed. She also finds a few dead bodies along the way.

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

I’ve been involved with animal rescue for over a decade, and I wanted to incorporate this passion—along with some information about pet overpopulation and spay/neuter—into a mystery novel. Also, the animal ordinance that DeeLo is trying to change is based on the one in the county where I live (which, unfortunately, is not unique). Several years ago, volunteers from my rescue group tried to work with our county commissioners to get this ordinance updated—and we encountered some of the same drama that DeeLo experiences in the series. (Fortunately, no one was murdered.)

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

Trapped and Tested tackles the issue of using animals for medical research. Like DeeLo and my character Eddie Fenton, I’m on mailing lists from numerous animal advocacy groups speaking out against this practice. After looking at some of those gruesome photographs, I decided there must be a better way. In this book, the murder victim is the CEO of a lab that tests its products on cats.

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

When I first started writing, I based my characters on people I knew, or composites of several acquaintances. Now, most of my characters are imagined, although I’m sure I get ideas from observing people. I suppose my favoritecharacter in this series is Catherine Foster, the curmudgeon TNVR guru who prefers cats to people. Through her voice, I can say things that could be considered politically incorrect or even misogynistic.

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

Pecan Point is a fictitious Georgia suburb of Atlanta. It’s similar to the town where I live, but since it’s not a real place, I can move buildings around and change things up a bit to suit the story. Because I write contemporary fiction, I think it’s easier to make the setting realistic; it just requires observing my surroundings.

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

Even though I have a lot of experience fostering cats, owning cats, and volunteering for an animal rescue group, I didn’t have hands-on experience with TNVR. Prior to writing the first book, Trap, Neuter, Die, I went out trapping feral cats with one of our seasoned volunteers, and she served as a beta reader for the final draft. I also reached out to several other trappers for war stories and tips.

I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, and one of the reasons I joined was for the connections with subject matter experts. We often have guests in the crime investigation field: police detectives, medical examiners, prosecutors, arson investigators, gun shop owners, etc. Most are generous with their time and will answer technical questions for writers.

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

I hope readers of the series will come away with a greater understanding of the pet overpopulation problem: how three to four million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are put to death in shelters every year simply because there aren’t enough homes. And hopefully, they’ll embrace programs like spay/neuter and TNVR as part of the solution.

In Trapped and Tested, I hope readers will be more aware of the suffering we subject animals to in laboratories, often unnecessarily.

But most of all, I hope they will enjoy reading the stories.

Thank you for answering my questions, Sharon, and good luck with Trapped and Tested, the latest book in the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Sharon Marchisello by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, BookBub and LinkedIn pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X.

The novel is available at the following online retailers: Information coming soon.

About Sharon Marchisello: Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer cat rescue mystery series, which began with Trap, Neuter, Die. She is a long-time volunteer and cat foster for the Fayette Humane Society (FHS) with a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She also published three mysteries with Sunbury Press—Going Home (2014), Secrets of the Galapagos (2019), and Murder at Leisure Dreams – Galapagos (2025). Sharon has written short stories, a nonfiction  book about personal finance, training manuals, screenplays, a blog, and book reviews. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, the Atlanta Writers Club, and the Hometown Novel Writers Association. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, and serves on the board of directors for the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.