Blog Tour & Giveaway: Meow If It’s Murder by T.C. LoTempio

Hello.  My name is Toni LoTempio, and I’m the proud HUMAN to Rocco!

As some of you may or may not know, ROCCO not only runs his own blog, but he is also the “honorary spokescat” for KIDS NEED TO READ, a charity co-founded by Denise Gary, PJ Haarsma and Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly)  In addition, he’s also the inspiration for the feline character NICK in the Nick and Nora mysteries, coming this December from Berkley Prime Crime!
ROCCO has interviewed many authors on his blog, but no one to date has ever interviewed him!  So now…it’s his turn. I interview ROCCO!

TLT:  Hey, ROCCO!  For all our interested readers out there, describe a typical day in your life.

R:  Thank you,  my Human.  Well, I’m usually very busy as you know, what with coming up with authors to interview for the blog, as well as ideas for that new mystery series you have coming out in December.  That takes up a great deal of my time.  My morning usually begins at around 3 a.m. when I start knocking everything off your dresser so you are sure to get up and feed myself and my siblings: brother Maxx and sisters Trixie and Princess.  Once that’s done, I usually bother you whilst you are getting dressed to go to your day job and once you’re out the door, I take a mid-morning nap to regain my strength.
Later, if I am so inclined, I amuse myself by playing with my favorite toy – my ballies! I love to lose them underneath large pieces of furniture so that you can get on your hands and knees and find them for me!  Then when you come home, I meow loudly to remind you that we all still need to be fed! Once that’s done, I trot myself into the den where you are working on one of your (our!!!) books and finagle you into spending at least twenty minutes playing “catch”.  After that, I take my evening nap (usually at the foot of your bed, sometimes next to you) until it starts all over the following day!

TLT: How did you become the spokescat for KIDS NEED TO READ?

R:  You and I were surfing the web one day and came across the charity.  It looked worthwhile, and you were travelling to Arizona that year on vacation, so you set up a meeting with Denise Gary and then we hit upon the idea of having an Ebay auction, publicized by moi on my blog, every summer.  So far we have run two very successful ones and will be doing our third this September.

TLT: What’s the story behind your name? Are you a Sylvester Stallone fan?

R:  Ah, my name has nothing to do with the ROCKY movies.  The lady at the Clifton Animal Shelter, where you adopted me, named my sister Pebbles and me ROCCO. Even then she could see I was a feisty devil.

TLT: I’ll definitely agree with the devil part…..

R:  Moi? Devilish????????? You betcha!

TLT: What do you love most about me?  Dislike most?

R:  Love is an extreme term.  I love the fact that you know to feed us on time.  If I had to hone in on one dislike, it would be you do not play “catch” enough with me.

TLT: Now, suppose you explain how you became the “inspiration” for our new mystery series debuting in December.

R:  With pleasure!  If you will recall, my Human, I have meowed many times to you that you should concentrate on writing stories about a cat such as myself and give up on the vampires and other such supernatural creatures.  After your supervisor concurred with my assessment one day, you came home and after watching a “Thin Man” movie on Turner Classic, got all fired up and started calling me “Nicky”.  Thus was born the Nick and Nora mysteries! My only regret is it had to be rewritten to eliminate my “talking”, MOL! (Meow Out Loud)
And I did come up with the title…MEOW IF ITS MURDER…although to date I have received absolutely NO credit for doing so, hisss!!!!!!!!!

TLT:  Just for fun…
Catnip or scratching post?   Scratching the arms of your couch!
Tabbies or Tuxedos? Both are equally fine.
Fish or Steak? Sardines

TLT:  Rocco, where can readers find out more about you and our mysteries?

R:  My human has a website www.tclotempio.com  and one can always check my blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com  Not only do we have at least 3 author interviews/giveaways per month, we also post news about the Human’s upcoming books!

The first Nick and Nora mystery, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, for which I am the inspiration for the tuxedo cat Nick, will be available December 2 from Penguin/Random.

TLT: Any last words?

R:  Pad softly and carry a big fish.

About the Author:

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 lists among her favorite mystery/suspense writers Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson, as well as EJ Copperman, Steve Hockensmith, Victoria Laurie, Ali Brandon, Rita Mae Brown, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly to name only a few! Toni is also passionate about her love for animals, as demonstrated with her four cats: Trixie, Princess, Maxx and, of course, ROCCO, who not only provided the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat in the Nick and Nora mystery series, but who also writes his own blog and does charity work for Nathan Fillion’s charity, Kids Need to Read!   Toni’s also devoted to miniseries like The Thorn Birds, Dancing with the Stars, reruns of Murder She Wrote and Castle (of course!). 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, debuts Dec. 2, 2014. She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York.

Nora Charles doesn’t believe in fate, even if she is a crime reporter who shares a name with a character from The Thin Man. In fact, she’s moving back to Cruz, California, to have a quieter life. But after finding an online magazine eager for material, and a stray cat named Nick with a talent for detection, Nora’s not just reporting crimes again. She’s uncovering them…

Back in her hometown, Nora reconnects with old friends and makes some new ones, like Nick, the charming feline who seems determined to be her cat. But not everything about Cruz is friendly. Writing for a local online magazine, Nora investigates the curious death of socialite Lola Grainger. Though it was deemed an accident, Nora suspects foul play. And it seems that her cat does too.

Apparently, Nick used to belong to a P.I. who disappeared while investigating Lola Grainger’s death. The coincidence is spooky, but not as spooky as the clues Nick spells out for her with Scrabble letters—clues that lead her down an increasingly dangerous path. Whether fate put her on this case or not, solving it will take all of Nora’s wits, and maybe a few of Nick’s nine lives.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Meow If It’s Murder

Review (4.25 Stars): Nora Charles has moved back home to take over the family business, Hot Bread and is ready for the simple life.  She had her share of excitement as an investigative reporter back in Chicago and can’t help but get involved when she reads about the murder of local socialite, Lola Grainger.  Lola used to be a customer of Nora’s restaurant and Nora feels that her accidental death looks more like murder.  With her new furry companion, Nick, she sets out to find answers but finds herself in hot water because someone wants Lola’s death to remain an “accident” and will stop anyone determined to discover the truth.

Nick and Nora Charles have always been one of my favorite crime-fighting couples and I’m delighted to have a new mystery series with fun characters of the same name.  Nora was such a smart, sassy heroine who was used to getting what she wants after everything she learned as an investigative reporter in Chicago.  I loved the idea of her returning home to run her mother’s restaurant and she was a character that you could instantly relate to.  Her cat, Nick, was an entertaining sidekick for this mystery and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble he can get in next.  The murder mystery in this book was well-written and engaging and will definitely keep readers on their toes.

Meow If It’s Murder is a charming cozy mystery that will have readers clamoring for more of Nick and Nora.  This is the first book in a brand new series and I have to say this crime-fighting team is a real winner.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Meow If It’s Murder. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by December 18th, answer me this question:

Who is your favorite literary or TV detective?