The lovely Joe Cosentino is back with us today, following the publication of the 12th Nicky and Noah mystery “Drama Pan” in audiobook format. I’m always glad to see him here at the blog, and today he comes to answer questions, taking his place in the hot seat of why-what-where questions shot at a favourite author in the hope I can learn something from his success. Settle back, and enjoy…
Q&A with Joe Cosentino
Author of Drama Pan, the 12th Nicky and Noah mystery/comedy/romance novel, now an audio book performed by Brian Cheney
Joe Cosentino, congratulations on the release of the twelfth audio book in your award-winning and popular Nicky and Noah gay cozy comedy mystery series.
Thank you. I’m cheaper by the dozen. (smile)
So many readers loved your Jana Lane mystery series (The Wild Rose Press) and Player Piano mystery series (Dreamspinner Press). What do you say to readers who might be surprised that the Nicky and Noah mysteries are quite different?
I’d tell them that my Nicky and Noah mysteries have won many awards, and they sell just as well if not better. I’d ask them to give Nicky and Noah a chance, as my mother said to me as a kid about pea soup—now my favorite soup (though to my mother’s horror I no longer put bacon in it, so she calls me a Communist).
What makes the Nicky and Noah mystery series so special?
It’s a gay cozy mystery comedy series, meaning the setting is 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 (as Nicky would say) “faster than a Republican president removing environmental regulations.” At the center is the touching relationship between Professor of Play Directing Nicky Abbondanza and Associate Professor of Acting Noah Oliver. We watch them go from courting to marrying to adopting a child, all the while head over heels in love with each other (as we fall in love with them). Reviewers called the series “hysterically funny farce,” “Murder She Wrote meets Hart to Hart meets The Hardy Boys,” and “captivating whodunits.” One reviewer wrote they are the funniest books she’s ever read! Another said I’m “a master storyteller.” Who am I to argue?
How are the novels cozy?
Many of them take place in Vermont, a cozy state with green pastures, white church steeples, glowing lakes, and friendly and accepting people. Fictitious Treemeadow College (named after its gay founders, couple Tree and Meadow) is the perfect setting for a cozy mystery with its white Edwardian buildings, low white stone fences, lake and mountain views, and cherry wood offices with tall leather chairs and fireplaces.
Tell us about Drama Pan, the twelfth novel in the series.
I always loved the story of Peter Pan, the boy who could dance with his own shadow, fly, save mermaids and Native American princesses, and protect his band of lost boys from pirates. I’ve read the original J.M. Barre play countless times, and each theatrical, film, and television version has delighted me. So after writing eleven popular Nicky and Noah cozy comedy mystery MM novels, I decided the twelfth novel would center around a very unusual production of Peter Pan.
In Drama Pan the merry theatrical crew at Treemeadow College create their own musical version of Peter Pan entitled, Every Fairy Needs a Big Hook! Enter the belligerent Couture family of avant-garde technical designers as guest artists. In no time the Coutures are hung out to dry by a mass murderer. For the twelfth time our thick as thieves thespians (Try saying that three times fast while eating peanut butter) Nicky and Noah use their drama skills, including playing outrageous characters, to catch the killer before they get thrown to the crocodiles.
It’s great to see our favorite characters back.
Of course! Hunky and hilarious Nicky Abbondanza, Professor of Play Directing, does double duty (Try saying that three times fast wearing dentures) as Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. Nicky’s loving and loyal husband Noah gets the title role of Peter Pan. Their witty and wild best friends Martin Anderson, Theatre Department Chair, and his husband Ruben camp it up as a tiger of a Tiger Lily and swarmy Smee the pirate respectively. Nicky and Noah’s stagestruck son Taavi tries to steal the show as Michael Darling, and Martin and Ruben’s cocky son Ty holds his own as John Darling. Martin’s sassy secretary Shayla plays Mrs. Darling, and Nicky’s longsuffering detective Manuello hits the ground as Nana and the Crocodile. Nicky has his hook full as technical dress rehearsals for the show get off to a start more rocky than Captain Hook’s boat, and Taavi and Ty fall unrequitedly in love with the same person.
Who are the new characters/suspects/victims for book twelve?
Graduate assistant and technical director Jax Jun insists the play violates his “religious freedom.” Santino Thirio, senior theatre major and stage manager, pumps his muscles while pumping others to invest in his dream to become a producer. Twink Tripp Taleb, the sophomore theatre major playing Tinker Bell, has his fairy dust aimed at Santino. Oscar Romero, tall and brawny sophomore theatre major with the loud singing voice playing the Merman, has his fins in the water over Tripp. All of the actors are exasperated over the avant-garde technical aspects of the show, none more than Tiara Moore, junior theatre major playing Wendy.
And now Drama Pan is an audio book performed by Brian Cheney. How did that come about?
Readers told me the novel came to life on the pages, and they heard the voices of the characters. This made me realize an audio book had to follow. Thankfully gifted actor and audio book performer Brian Cheney agreed to do the audio book. He is a master at comic timing and character voices that tickle the tummy, is a top audio book performer (no pun intended), and he did a fabulous job with the Drama Christmas and Drama Pan audio books. I’m more excited than an anti-gay politician on Grindr about this terrific audio book in my series.
For anyone unfortunate enough not to have read them, tell us the titles of the first eleven novels in the series.
You don’t need to twist my arm. I’m already twisted. (smile) The titles are Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Novel of the Year), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Dance (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Faerie (Rainbow Award First Honorable Mention), Drama Runway (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Christmas.
Many of your characters are of various ethnicities and sexual identities. Is that deliberate on your part?
Sure. We live in a diverse world. A story taking place at a college would be unbelievable if everyone were the same.
I’m sure you’ve been told that the books would make a terrific TV series.
Many many times. 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! I’ve written a teleplay of the first novel and treatments for the remaining novels!
How would you cast the TV series?
Here’s my wish list: Matt Bomer as Nicky, Neil Patrick Harris as Noah, Rosie O’Donnell and Bruce Willis as Noah’s parents, Valerie Bertinelli and Jay Leno as Nicky’s parents, me as Martin Anderson (nepotism!), Nathan Lane as Martin’s husband Ruben, Wanda Sykes as Martin’s office assistant Shayla, and Joe Manganiello as Nicky’s brother Tony.
You’ve written other mystery series, haven’t you?
Yes, my Player Piano mysteries center around a young music teacher, Andre Beaufort, who buys an antique player piano inhabited by the ghost of a wealthy, handsome, playboy from the Roaring Twenties, Freddy Birtwistle. Andre and Freddy fall in love and solve mysteries in exotic locations like Key West and Tuscany. My Cozzi Cove series has some mystery elements in it as well. It takes place on a gorgeous cove at the New Jersey shore, where ex-football player Cal Cozzi runs a gay resort. The Found At Last series also includes some mystery, since it revolves around new young lovers, Theo and Jamison, searching for and reuniting elderly gentlemen who were young lovers separated as youths due to homophobia. And there’s a mystery story in my Tales from Fairyland Anthology. Finally, my Jana Lane mysteries feature a former child star and gay advocate, Jana Lane, making a comeback as she solves murder mysteries on film, television, and theatre sets.
How can your audio book lovers get their hands on the audio book of Drama Pan, 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. 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 audio book with more plot twists and turns than a treasonous and terrorist ex-president. I’m more excited than a Republican governor banning drag and LGBT books to share this twelfth audio book in the series with you. So take your seats and throw the fairy dust. The stage lights are coming up in Never Land on a lad who won’t grow up without Viagra, a pirate with a huge hook, a twink called Tink, a Lily who’s a tiger, a Merman perplexed at what’s between his legs, and murder!
And I love to hear from readers. So drop me a line. I’ll share it with Nicky and Noah and Brian! http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Drama Pan (the 12th Nicky and Noah mystery novel) by Joe Cosentino now an audio book performed by Brian Cheney
Listen to an excerpt
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About The Book
It’s spring break at Treemeadow College, and Theatre professors and spouses Nicky Abbondanza and Noah Oliver, their best friends Martin and Ruben, and their sons Taavi and Ty are sprinkling on the fairy dust in an original musical extravaganza of Peter Panentitled Every Fairy Needs a Big Hook! Pirates shout more than “Yo, ho!” when a family of visiting technical designers, the Coutures, drop like yesterday’s fashions. Once again, our favorite thespians will need to use their drama skills to catch the killer before they get the hook. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining twelfth novel in this delightful series. So take your seats and believe in fairies. The stage lights are coming up in Never Land on a lad who won’t grow up without Viagra, a pirate with quite the hook, a twink called Tink, a Lily who’s a tiger, a Merman surprised at what’s between his legs, and murder!
Praise for the Nicky and Noah mysteries
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
Joe
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, Drama Merry, Drama Daddy (novelette), Drama King;
- 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 emeritus theatre professor residing in New York State.
Web site: https://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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joecosentinoauthor
Anna Butler 