Series: Nicky and Noah Mystery #15
Author: Joe Cosentino
Publication Date: December 1st 2022
Print Length: 213 pages
Genre: LGBTQ+ Romantic Comedy/Cozy Mystery
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At a gay fairytale theme park in San Francisco, the Treemeadow College theatre crew stage an original musical adaptation of Cinderella entitled, Let’s Ball. The adorable actors playing Cinder and Prince Charming fear they may not get a happy ending as local detectives drop around them like a royal flush. Once again, our favorite thespians will need to use their drama skills to catch the killer before an explosive pumpkin threatens to make the show a bomb.
You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining fifteenth novel in this delightful series. It’s a blast! So hurry to your seat. The stage lights are coming up in the royal kingdom of Fabulous on a king with a long scepter, a queen who is a real queen, a fairy godmother with a roving wand, a stepmother who grabs them by the crown, a servant left alone to stimulate himself, two stepbrothers demanding full service, a prince with a slipper fetish who is seeking a royal screw, and murder!
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PRAISE:
“Joe Cosentino has a unique and fabulous gift. His writing is flawless, and his 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
“For fans of Joe Cosentino's hilarious mysteries, this is another vintage story with more cheeky asides and sub plots right left and centre….The story is fast paced, funny and sassy. The writing is very witty with lots of tongue-in-cheek humour….Highly recommended.” Boy Meets Boy Reviews
“Every entry of the Nicky and Noah mystery series is rife with intrigue, calamity, and hilarity…Cosentino keeps us guessing - and laughing - until the end, as well as leaving us breathlessly anticipating the next Nicky and Noah thriller.” Edge Media Network
“A laugh and a murder, done in the style we have all come to love….This had me from the first paragraph….Another wonderful story with characters you know and love!” Crystals Many Reviewers
“These two are so entertaining….Their tactics in finding clues and the crazy funny interactions between characters keeps the pages turning. For most of the book if I wasn't laughing I was grinning.” Jo and Isa Love Books
“Superb fun from start to finish, for me this series gets stronger with every book and that’s saying something because the benchmark was set so very high with book 1.” Three Books Over the Rainbow
“The Nicky and Noah Mysteries series are perfect for fans of the Cozy Mystery sub-genre. They mix tongue-in-cheek humor, over-the-top characters, a wee bit of political commentary, and suspense into a sweet little mystery solved by Nicky and Noah, theatre professors for whom all the world’s a stage.” Prism Book Alliance
“This is one hilarious series with a heart and it just keeps getting better. I highly recommend them all, and please read them in the order they were written for full blown laugh out loud reading pleasure!” Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
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EXCERPT:
After the agent disappeared, I called out to the ether, “Everyone, let’s take a fifteen-minute break.” Then I rested my head in my hands and planned my Celebration of Life ceremony. Like a gay angel on a rescue mission, my wonderful husband slipped into the chair next to me. Noah’s milk, honey, and rose-colored skin was draped with a queen’s gold gown and burgundy cape. His silky long blond locks filled the air with the luscious scent of strawberry shampoo. I fell into his welcoming arms like a lost toddler finding a parent in a busy mall. “Can I murder Carl Catalango?”
Noah held me in his warm embrace and stroked my hair. “Nobody in this show is going to be murdered, Nicky.”
I glanced up at his handsome face. “Maybe in our fifteenth caper everyone will take pity and murder me.”
“They’ll have to get by me first. And Watson doesn’t fool around.”
“Except with me.”
We shared a sweet kiss.
He held my face in his hands. “Nicky, do you realize we’ve been together for over a decade.”
And we tell people our ages are the same as when we first met.
Noah’s azure crystal eyes were full of love. “It’s been the best twelve years of my life.”
“Me too.”
“We’ve shown Nicky and Noah can get through anything—together.”
“Noah Oliver is the only man for me.”
“And that’s just the way I like it, Nicky Abbondanza.”
We shared an amorous kiss.
I pouted. “But I’m still feeling sorry for myself.”
“Why?”
“It’s tech dress week. The time directors google ‘assisted-suicide methods.’”
Noah cocked his head at me. “Nicky, for once everything is going perfectly during the final technical dress rehearsal of our show. The acting, singing, and dancing are very strong. There are no divas in the cast. All the costumes look magnificent. Our Taavi is having the time of his life. Every technical element of the show is working perfectly. And nobody has gotten murdered! So why are you so upset?”
“Carl Catalango! He makes me feel angrier than a Republican storming the Capital by order of a past Republican president and then left to his own defense when prosecuted.”
“Our playwright’s agent is upsetting you?”
“Carl is not only Kirk Castle’s agent. He’s Kirk’s stepbrother. And the thorn in my side—and in my top and bottom—and in my other side.”
“What did Carl do?”
“He keeps pressuring Kirk to pull the script before the show opens!”
“Why?”
“Carl says the theme park and the script are beneath Kirk’s talents. But I think there’s more to it than that.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.” I rose shakily, like a wall senselessly built by a past Republican president.
Noah stood and took my hand. “I’ll be backstage if you need me.”
“Holmes always needs his Watson.”
“And his Watson likes that.”
We shared a quick kiss. Then I made my way up the aisle of the appropriately pink theatre and out the double doors to the rainbow-colored lobby. I found Kirk holding an orange juice container at the concession stand. “Is that for Carl?”
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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, Drama Oz, Drama Prince; 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.
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
- Joe Cosentino, welcome on the release of the fifteenth novel in your award-winning and popular Nicky and Noah gay cozy comedy mystery series, Drama Prince.
Thank you. Doesn’t everyone love a gay cozy comedic mysterious prince?
- Is this the last novel in the Nicky and Noah mysteries series?
Drama Prince has a wonderful ending that I won’t spoil here. It could be the last novel. Only the gay muses know for sure.
- You have many other series too. What do you like about writing this series?
As Nicky might say, “I’m happier than a conservative politician removing environmental protections” when I write this series. It’s been such great fun watching Nicky and Noah’s relationship grow as their son grows, laughing at the antics of their best friends Martin and Ruben, visiting cozy Treemeadow College over the seasons, traveling all over the world, and of course reveling in the exciting murder mysteries. The settings have become like home. The characters are my friends and family. Best of all, I can combine my love for theatre and cozy mysteries.
- Why Drama Prince as the fifteenth novel?
After I wrote my Tales from Fairyland Anthology, I realized there was more territory to cover with gay fairytales (pun intended). Since I’m a Cinderella fanatic, I decided to use that classic story.
- Why is the novel set in San Francisco?
Where better to have a gay fairytale theme park theatre? Also, San Francisco is a magical place. We get to visit some of my favorite locations in this book like the Castro Theatre, Pink Triangle Memorial Park, and Faerie Hollow.
- Tell us a bit about the plot—no spoilers.
Nicky, Noah, and Treemeadow College theatre crew venture to a gay fairytale theme park in San Francisco, where they stage an original musical adaptation of Cinderella entitled, Let’s Ball. Once again, our favorite thespians use their drama skills to catch the killer before an explosive pumpkin threatens to make the show a bomb.
- It's great to see our favorite characters back.
Nicky, in addition to being the director, plays King Charming, the king with a long scepter. Noah plays Nicky’s Queen—onstage and off. Their best friends, Martin and Ruben, are along for the wild ride as the Stepmother/Fairy Godmother and the Duke (who wants to grab his brother the King by the crown) respectively—but not respectfully. The two couples’ sons, Taavi and Ty, are cast as Gro and Tesque, the stepbrothers demanding full service from Cinder.
- Who are the new characters/suspects/victims for book fifteen?
Things heat up pretty quickly between the actors playing Cinder and Prince Charming as well as the young men cast as the Footman and the Coachman. However, they may get a royal screw as four local detectives drop around them like a priest’s robe at conventions.
- Why do you think there aren’t many other gay cozy mystery series out there?
Most MM novels are erotica, young adult, dark thrillers, or supernatural. While that’s fine, I think we’re missing a whole spectrum of fiction. In the case of the Nicky and Noah mysteries, they include romance, humor, mystery, adventure, and quaint and loveable characters in uncanny situations. The settings are warm and cozy with lots of hot cocoa by the fireplace. The clues and red herrings are there for the perfect whodunit. So are the plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages turning over faster (as Nicky would say) “than a right wing media outlet spouting fake news.” No matter what is thrown in their path, Nicky and Noah always end up on top. At least Nicky ends up on top, which is just fine with Noah.
- You and your spouse have travelled to Alaska, Hawaii, and Scotland, just like Nicky and Noah. Did those trips inform those novels in the series?
Since my spouse and I have travelled extensively to gorgeous locations, those situations often pop up in my books. I hear other things pop up as well when the readers read Nicky and Noah’s love scenes. (smile)
- When you wrote Drama Queen, did you envision this as a series?
Totally. Though each book has its own complete story and ending, I wrote the first three books together. When they were so popular, I kept writing.
- For anyone unfortunate enough not to have read them, tell us the titles of the series.
Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance, Drama Faerie, Drama Runway, Drama Christmas, Drama Pan, Drama TV, Drama Oz, and now Drama Prince.
- They are all available as e-books and paperbacks. Are they all also available as audiobooks?
Many of the novels are available now as audiobooks. The others should be joining them soon—if the audiobook gods agree.
- How can your readers get their hands on Drama Prince and how can they contact you?
The purchase links are above, as are my contact links, including my web site. I love to hear from readers! So do Nicky and Noah. I tell them everything!
- Thank you, Joe, for interviewing today.
It was my pleasure. As a past professional actor and current college theatre professor/department chair, I know first-hand the hysterically funny antics, sweet romance, and captivating mystery in the worlds of theatre and academia. The Nicky and Noah mysteries are full of them! I know you’ll laugh, cry, feel romantic, and love delving into this crackling new mystery with more plot twists and turns (as Nicky would say) than a Proud Boy hearing real news. I’m more excited (as Nicky would say) than a Catholic adoption agency discriminating against gay families to share this fifteenth novel in the series with you. So wave your Fairy Godmother’s wand, ride coach, and head to the palace for a ball with a charming prince who has a slipper fetish! I promise you a happy ending!
And I love to hear from readers. So drop me a line. I’ll share it with Nicky and Noah!
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