An Interview with Joe Cosentino
at the release of the Drama Castle,
7th Nicky and Noah mystery, Audiobook
Hello, Joe Cosentino. Thank you for talking with us today about the release of the audiobook of the seventh novel in your award-winning, popular, laugh out loud funny, sexy, Nicky and Noah cozy mystery series.
I
couldn’t have said that better myself. (wink) Nicky and Noah are always in my
mind and on my computer. Now they are in my Audible too!
Why did you create an audiobook for Drama
Castle?
As a holiday gift for Nicky and Noah fans, old and
new. You can take a wonderful trip to a Scottish castle for the price of an
audiobook! Like all the other Nicky and Noah mystery novels, the 7th
novel is full of humor, drama, mystery, and romance. It lends itself perfectly
to audio. Since this novel is set in a Scottish castle, you can hear the sights
and sounds of gorgeous and magical Scotland.
This is the fourth Nicky and Noah mystery audiobook performed by Griswold Addams.
Yes, I hope people don’t start talking about us.
Actually, I hope they do! Griswold Addams is a phenomenally talented performer
with what seems like dozens of different, captivating, and entertaining voices
at his fingertips. He has perfect comic timing, and he really understands the
comic, mysterious, and gay (in more ways than one) world of the Nicky and Noah
mysteries.
Griswold Addams did an amazing job portraying
the Scottish characters in the story. Is he Scottish?
His ancestry is part Scottish. My guess is the part
is his voice. (smile)
You used your trips to Alaska and Hawaii in
the third and fourth Nicky and Noah mysteries. Did you travel to Scotland for
the seventh book?
It’s one of the perks
of being a novelist. While visiting Scotland, my spouse and I had the
incredible experience of staying in a real castle. When I say “castle,” I don’t
only mean a beautiful hotel. I’m talking about a stone bridge over a moat
leading to a sprawling stone structure from the 1700’s with turrets,
fireplaces, knight in armor, and coat or arms. The Great Hall (dining room)
inside was full of wait staff serving us the most delectable meals we had ever
eaten. Our room included an enormous canopy bed, stone fireplace, a wardrobe
out of C.S. Lewis, a turreted window seat, burgundy curtains, and leather
chairs (no pun intended). From our enormous windows, we could see a turquoise
lake swirling through an emerald-green meadow, a steep cliff towering over the
white-capped ocean, and violet fields of heather. We truly felt like the lords
of the castle! Our experience provided the perfect atmosphere for Drama Castle. Griswold Addams captures
that feeling perfectly in the audiobook!
Shame on anyone who hasn’t yet read your wonderful Nicky and Noah mystery series. As I weep with laughter, become titillated by the romance, and scratch my head over whodunit until the last chapter, I wonder how you think up all these fabulous stories!
I’ve always had a vivid
imagination. I remember as a kid doing a one-man show of Peter Pan in our
living room, playing all the characters, and making my poor sister walk the
plank (a coffee table). So it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when I majored in
theatre at college and went on to act opposite stars like Rosie O’Donnell (AT&T industrial), Nathan Lane (Roar of the Greasepaint musical
onstage), Bruce Willis (A Midsummer
Night’s Dream onstage), Charles Keating (NBC’s Another World), Jason Robards (Commercial Credit computer
commercial), and Holland Taylor (ABC’s My
Mother Was Never a Kid TV movie). I then began writing plays and
ultimately writing novels. Since I’ve read hundreds of cozy mysteries, it makes
sense that I write in that genre. With such a lack of gay cozy mysteries, I was
happy to fill the bill—or in this case the castle—with quant and wonderful
characters.
For anyone unfortunate enough not to have read them, tell us a bit about the first six novels in the series.
The settings are warm
and cozy, the clues and murders (and laughs) come fast and furious, and there
are enough plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages
turning faster than a priest heading for altar boy orientation (as Nicky would
say). At the center of all the stories is a sweet romance between Nicky and
Noah.
In
Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s
Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary
Novel of the Year) college theatre professors are dropping like stage curtains
at Treemeadow College, and college theatre professors Nicky and Noah have to
use their theatre skills, including impersonating other people, to figure out
whodunit. In Drama Muscle (Rainbow
Award Honorable Mention) Nicky and Noah don their gay Holmes and Watson
personas again to find out why bodybuilding students and professors at
Treemeadow are dropping faster than barbells. Also, Nicky and Noah’s
relationship reaches a milestone by the end of the novel. In Drama Cruise it is summer on a ten-day
cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and back. Nicky and Noah must figure out
why college theatre professors are dropping like life rafts as Nicky directs a
murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship starring Noah and other college
theatre professors from across the US. Complicating matters are their both sets
of wacky parents who want to embark on all the activities on and off the boat
with the handsome couple. In Drama Luau,
Nicky is directing the luau show at the Maui Mist Resort, and he and Noah need
to figure out why muscular Hawaiian hula dancers are dropping like grass
skirts. Their department head/best friend and his husband, Martin and Ruben,
are along for the bumpy tropical ride. In Drama
Detective, Nicky is directing and ultimately co-starring with his husband
Noah as Holmes and Watson in a new musical Sherlock Holmes play at Treemeadow
College prior to Broadway. Martin and Ruben, their sassy office assistant
Shayla, Nicky’s brother Tony, and Nicky and Noah’s son Taavi are also in the
cast. Of course dead bodies begin falling over like hammy actors at a curtain
call. Once again Nicky and Noah use their drama skills to figure out who is
lowering the streetlamps on the actors before the handsome couple get
half-baked on Baker Street. In Drama
Fraternity, Nicky is directing Tight
End Scream Queen, a slasher movie filmed at Treemeadow College’s football
fraternity house, co-starring Noah, Taavi, Martin, and Shayla. Rounding out the
cast are members of Treemeadow’s Christian football players’ fraternity along
with two hunky screen stars. When the quarterback, jammer, wide receiver, and
more begin fading out with their scenes, Nicky and Noah once again need to use
their drama skills to figure out who is sending young hunky actors to the
cutting room floor before Nicky and Noah hit the final reel.
Which brings us to Drama Castle.
In
Drama Castle, Nicky is directing a
historical film co-starring Noah and Taavi at Conall Castle in Scotland: When the Wind Blows Up Your Kilt It’s Time
for A Scotch. Rounding out the cast are members of the mysterious Conall
family who own the castle. When hunky men in kilts topple off the drawbridge
and into the moat, it’s up to Nicky and Noah to use their acting skills to
figure out whodunit before Nicky and Noah land in the dungeon. By the end of
the novel, Noah also makes a shocking personal revelation.
Can you give us a run down on some of the characters?
Nicky
and Noah are joined by their best friends and fan favorites Martin and Ruben,
and by Noah’s eccentric parents. And book seven adds a number of captivating
new characters like Brody Naughton, the hunky head of Housekeeping with a red
beard and roving eye for the oldest Conall brother, Barclay, and for Donal
Blair a waiter in the castle’s Great Hall dining room. Each of the three hunky
Conall brothers (Barclay, Magnus, and Fergus) have a surprising secret. Ewan
Baird, the elderly caretaker, provides Nicky with information about the last
generation of Conalls, which blows the story wide open.
Now for the question everyone has been waiting
for, who would you cast in the (hopefully) upcoming Nicky and Noah Mysteries
television series.
I’ve
written a teleplay of the first novel! I want to play Martin Anderson, the
department head. At this moment, I can see Matt Bomer as Nicky. Actually, I can
see Matt Bomer anywhere. Neil Patrick Harris would make a good Noah. Rosie
O’Donnell and Bruce Willis could play Noah’s funny parents. I can also see
Valerie Bertinelli and Jay Leno as Nicky’s parents. Nathan Lane could be Ruben,
Martin’s spouse. Wanda Sykes would be a riot as Martin’s office assistant,
Shayla. Joe Manganiello would be perfect as Nicky’s brother, Tony (or in any
role). Rather than Logo showing reruns of Golden
Girls around the clock, and Bravo airing so called reality shows, I would
love to see them do The Nicky and Noah Mysteries.
Come on, TV producers, make your offers!
Are you Martin Anderson in the novels?
Yes. Martin
Anderson, Nicky and Noah’s department head, is a loyal, hardworking department
head and professor who fully supports his faculty colleagues, office assistant,
and the students in his department. Like me, he is also a little bit, well
quite a bit, of a gossip. His spouse, Ruben, is based on mine. I love Martin’s
paternal instincts toward Nicky and Noah, sense of theatricality, and his
inquiring mind. I also like how Ruben keeps Martin in line with hysterical
barbs. The older couple stay sharp by engaging in their verbal warfare, but
it’s all done in deep admiration and respect. Finally, it’s wonderful to see an
elderly couple so much in love (uncommon in the entertainment field), and how
they can read each other like a book—no pun intended. The other characters are
a conglomeration of people I’ve met, spiced up by my vivid imagination. My
faculty colleagues kid me that if anybody at my college ticks me off, I kill
him/her in the series? Hah. To be honest, I like my colleagues and students too
much to murder them in my books. So far!
Nicky is described as tall, handsome with a
Roman nose and dark hair, muscular, and having an enormous manhood. Is he based
on anyone in particular?
Like most
of my characters, Nicky is a combination of a few people I’ve known. It doesn’t
hurt (or maybe it does) that Nicky has those attributes. However, what I admire
most about Nicky is his never say die attitude, wit, smarts, and perseverance
in the face of adversity. He is genuinely concerned for others, and he will do
anything to solve a murder mystery. Finally, he is a one-man man, and Nicky is
proud to admit that man is Noah Oliver. Nicky is also incredibly devoted to his
family and friends.
Since both you and Nicky are of
Italian-American decent, are Nicky’s parents like yours? Are Noah’s parents
like your spouse’s parents?
Both Nicky’s
parents and Noah’s parents have many of the traits of my parents. They’re absolutely
hilarious. I love Noah’s mother’s fixation with taking pictures of everything,
and his father’s fascination with seeing movies. I also love how Noah’s father
is an amateur sleuth like Nicky. As they say, men marry their fathers. Also,
both sets of parents accept their son’s spouse as part of their family. Kudos
to them for always being loving and supportive.
Who was your favorite new character to write
in Drama Castle?
Donal
Blair, a waiter in the Great Hall dining room is sweet, adorable, and
incredibly in love with the hunky head of Housekeeping, Brody Naughton who
carries many secrets from his past.
Which new character do you like the least in
book seven?
I started
out not liking the burly red-bearded Brody, but like Donal, I soon fell in love
with Brody for his devotion to his daughter Lairie and for his strong sense of
right and wrong.
Which new character was the hardest to write?
Ewan
Baird, the ancient caretaker. I had to do a lot of research to get his
vocabulary and phrasing right. Ewan is also quite a bit of a drinker and I
don’t drink.
Which new character was the sexiest?
The
second Conall brother, Magnus, wore his kilt well with his strapping build,
wide nose, and forceful manner.
How do the Nicky and
Noah mysteries differ from your other mystery series?
My
Jana Lane mysteries (about an ex-child movie star making a comeback while
solving murder mysteries on the set in the 1980s) have straight leading
characters and gay supporting characters. My Player Piano mysteries have a
supernatural flair as a dapper ghost from the Roaring Twenties materializes
from an antique player piano and solves mysteries (and finds love) with the
young male music teacher who owns it.
How can your readers get their hands on the Drama Cruise audiobook, and how can they contact you?
The
purchase links are below, as are my contact links, including my web site. I
love to hear from readers! So do Nicky and Noah!
Thank you, Joe, for sharing with us today.
It was a joy. It is also
my joy and pleasure to share the audiobook of this seventh novel in the series.
So everyone, take your seats. The curtain is going up on steep cliffs, ancient
turrets, stormy seas, misty moors, malfunctioning kilts, and murder! Happy
listening!
DRAMA
CASTLE (the seventh Nicky and Noah mystery)
a
comedy/mystery/romance novel by JOE COSENTINO
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/910555
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1129964877?ean=2940155897439
audiobook performed by
Griswold Addams:
Click on the Audible
link for a free preview!
Theatre professor Nicky
Abbondanza is directing a historical film at a castle in Scotland, co-starring
his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, and their son Taavi. When historical
accuracy disappears along with hunky men in kilts, Nicky and Noah will once
again need to use their drama skills to figure out who is pitching residents of
Conall Castle off the drawbridge and into the moat, before Nicky and Noah land
in the dungeon. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s
fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining seventh
novel in this delightful series. Take your seats. The curtain is going up on
steep cliffs, ancient turrets, stormy seas, misty moors, malfunctioning kilts,
and murder!
“Joe Cosentino has a unique and fabulous
gift. His writing is flawless, and his use of farce, along with his convoluted
plot-lines, will have you guessing until the very last page, which makes his
books a joy to read. His books are worth their weight in gold, and if you haven't
discovered them yet you are in for a rare treat.” Divine Magazine
“a combination of Laurel and Hardy mixed
with Hitchcock and Murder She Wrote…
Loaded with puns and one-liners…Right to
the end, you are kept guessing, and the conclusion still has a surprise in
store for you.” “the best modern Sherlock and Watson in books today…I highly
recommend this book and the entire series, it’s a pure pleasure, full of fun
and love, written with talent and brio…fabulous…brilliant” Optimumm Book
Reviews
“adventure, mystery, and romance with
every page….Funny, clever, and sweet….I can’t find anything not to love about
this series….This read had me laughing and falling in love….Nicky and Noah are
my favorite gay couple.” Urban Book Reviews
About the Author:
Joe Cosentino
was voted Favorite MM Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year by
the readers of Divine Magazine for Drama Queen, the first Nicky
and Noah mystery novel. He is also the author of the remaining Nicky and Noah
mysteries: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama
Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance, Drama Faerie, Drama
Runway, Drama Christmas, Drama Pan, Drama TV; the Player Piano Mysteries: The
Player and The Player’s Encore; the Jana Lane Mysteries: Paper
Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag
Doll; the Cozzi Cove series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Moving
Forward, Stepping Out, New Beginnings, Happy Endings;
the In My Heart Anthology: An Infatuation & A Shooting Star;
the Tales from Fairyland Anthology: The Naked Prince and Other Tales
from Fairyland and Holiday Tales from Fairyland; the Bobby and
Paolo Holiday Stories Anthology: A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect
Gift, The First Noel; and the Found At Last Anthology: Finding
Giorgio and Finding Armando. His books have won numerous Book of the
Month awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions. As an actor, Joe appeared in
principal roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce
Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Jason Robards, and Holland Taylor. He
received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College, Master’s degree
from SUNY New Paltz, and is currently a happily married college theatre
professor/department chair residing in New York State. http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino
Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino
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