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I’m happy to welcome T.C. LoTempio back to the blog! She’s celebrating the release of her latest mystery, When Sleuthing Spells Trouble. If you’ve ever wondered how writers dream up unforgettable characters and twisty plots, you’re in for a treat. She’s pulling back the curtain on her writing inspiration today.
If you missed her previous guest posts, be sure to check out A Dish Best Served Dead and Murder on the Books by T.C. LoTempio.
Where do you get those Ideas?
T.C. Lotempio
I’m often asked, ‘where do you get your ideas?’ and my answer is always the same: I have no idea. As any writer will tell you, sometimes they come easily…sometimes not.
Take for example my Nick and Nora mystery series. I got the idea for that when my twenty plus pound tuxedo cat, Rocco jumped on my lap while I was watching THE THIN MAN. That started me thinking: what if Nick Charles died and came back as a cat? A few weeks after that I started the first Nick and Nora mystery, MEOW FTS MURDER. In that, Nick Atkins was reincarnated in feline form and assisted Nora in solivng a cold case of the murder of a wealthy heiress. The cat actually spoke to Nora! Alas, when my agent submitted it to Berkley, they loved it – but they didn’t want the cat to talk! So I had to revisit the concept, create a new character, give the cat’s dialog to him and Chantal…and then the book sold and I’ve been writing the Nick and Nora mysteries (after a five year hiatus when Penguiin dumped it after the merger with Random House) ever since. Fourteen years to be exact.
And the plot for MEOW IF ITS MURDER? Nora was delving into a cold case about a woman who was killed on her yacht, supposedly by her husband, but nothing was ever proven. I’m not ashamed to say that I did base the plot on a story that has always fascinated me – the death of Natalie Wood.
Sometimes the oddest things will start my brain percolating. I got the idea for my Cat Rescue series after reading about a cat café. IN the original manuscript the setting wasa cat café – but the publisher had it in his head that he wanted a series aobut a cat rescue, and so I changed the venue to oblige – and sell the series.
The pet shop mysteries have perhaps the oddest story. The heroine, an ex-actress named Shell McMillan, underwent many careers, including movie shop owner, baker, among others before it was finally decided that she’d own a pet shop where her aunt’s cat, Purrday, could aid her in mystery solving. The series was finally picked up by Midnight Ink and later on Beyond the Page gave it life!
The plots for individual stories can come from anywhere – a séance inspired one, a jewel robbery I read about another. Even old movies can inspire me. Early on, when I wrote paranormal suspense, I was inspired by the address of a friend who had just moved to Arizona! (The House on Moon Hollow Drive, is now sadly out of print)
Yes, ideas can come from anywhere. There’s no exact formula. But as long as they keep popping into my head, I’ll keep on writing!
I love hearing the unique ways stories take shape, especially when they begin with something as simple as a cat curled in a lap or a headline that refuses to be forgotten. A huge thank-you to our guest author for sharing such a fun peek behind the scenes of her mysteries.
I did a brisk seventy all the way back to Hot Bread, cutting our arrival time to nine minutes. We burst into the shop through the rear door and I hurried right over to the table, where Ollie and Louis sat, hunched over Jennifer’s phone, a half-eaten bag of potato chips open between them. “Okay, spill,” I said. “What’s this enlightening information?”
Ollie passed me the phone. “It seems that Mariah’s friend Elle had been serving on the board of the Cruz Historical Society. Following the trial, she took a leave of absence for seven months.”
I’d grabbed a chip and now I nearly choked on it. “Seven months. Don’t tell me . . .”
Ollie shook his head. “No. She didn’t disappear to have a baby. Jennifer obtained records that prove conclusively that Elle spent that time at Hope by the Sea.”
I knew the name. It wasn’t a fancy resort, but rather a rehab center located in San Juan Capistrano that specialized in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. “So Elle had a problem?”
“Apparently a large one. She was addicted to alcohol and painkillers. She registered under her mother’s maiden name of Thorpe, which is probably why nothing shows up in a search. And it also means—”
“That she’s not the pregnant mistress.” I picked up another chip, popped it into my mouth. “That is kind of disappointing,” I said. “I rather liked Elle in the role of murderess.” I looked at Louis. “Cutter said that Jenn got a text that seemed to upset her that night I saw them in the Poker Face. Can you check her texts for the seventh? Around six?”
Louis’s fingers flew over his keyboard, and a few minutes later he glanced up. “She got one from a Maverick107 at six oh-five. It says, ‘Photo under separate cover.’”
I frowned. “Are there any photos in her mail account sent from a Maverick107?”
Louis fiddled some more with the keyboard. At last he looked up. “If she got an email from that person, she must have downloaded the attachment and then deleted the email. I can comb through her trash file, but I took a quick look and there are over two thousand deleted emails.”
I let out a low whistle. “Swell.”
“If it’s there I can find it,” Louis said confidently, “but it’ll take some time.” He tapped at the keyboard again and then said, “I’ve got some free time tomorrow morning. I can do it then.”
“Please,” I said. I looked at Ollie and Hank. “I just have this feeling we’re getting close, but the only thing is, I’m not sure just what it is we’re getting close to.”
Nick had crawled underneath the table. Now I heard a scraping sound, and then some Scrabble tiles flew out. Ollie glanced down at the floor and smiled. “Looks as if little Nick has something to say.”
When the tiles had stopped flying out, I bent down, picked them up, and laid them on the table. There was a J, an A, an E, an S, I, M and an N. I moved them around and then surveyed the word I’d made: jasmine. I looked at the cat. “What’s with the names, Nick? First Violet and now Jasmine. Those names are pretty but they have nothing to do with Mariah’s case.”
Nick poked his head out from underneath the table. “Merow,” he said.
“Little Nick isn’t always that obvious,” said Ollie. “Perhaps violet doesn’t refer to a person’s name, but to something else.”
I gave Nick a stern look, and he ducked back underneath the table. “Such as?” I asked.
“Well . . .” Ollie drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Violet’s a color, right? A purple shade?”
“True,” I agreed. “It’s also a flower. But I can’t see a connection between that and Mariah.”
“Violet and jasmine are both used in perfumes,” piped up Louis.
About When Sleuthing Spells Trouble
When Sleuthing Spells Trouble (Nick and Nora Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date : November 18, 2025
Paperback
Print length : 212 pages
ISBN-10 : 1966322399
ISBN-13 : 978-1966322399
Digital
Print length : 281 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1966322382
ASIN : B0FX5HHY92
When a woman pleads amnesia in the death of her husband, Nick and Nora can forget about playing it safe as they track down the killer . . .
Six years ago, Mariah Blackthorne was found lying on the floor of her home, unconscious, holding the murder weapon that had killed her husband. Swearing she had no memory of the tragic event but insisting she was innocent, she nonetheless agreed to a plea deal and went to prison for the crime. Now, out on parole and desperate to know the truth, she enlists the help of local sleuth Nora Charles to find out what really happened that day—even if it means discovering she was the guilty party after all.
Intrigued by the case and convinced of the woman’s innocence, Nora agrees to investigate. With her trusty sidekick warning her that they were headed for trouble, she unearths no shortage of suspects from the dead man’s past. But as she follows every incriminating clue linking the victim to his fellow doctors and even a long string of mistresses, vicious threats begin piling up telling Nora to back off. Facing down a killer who will kill again to conceal their guilt, she and Nick may end up solving a case they won’t live to remember . . .
Includes mouthwatering recipes!
About T. C. LoTempio
T.C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. Born in New York City, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her two cats, Maxx and Rocco. Rocco prides himself on being the inspiration for her Nick and Nora series! For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco’s blog at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.tclotempio.net
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- November 19 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
- November 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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- November 22 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW – RECIPE
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- November 25 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
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- November 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
- November 26 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
- November 27 – THANKSGIVING
- November 28 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
- November 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT – RECIPE
- November 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
- December 1 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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- December 3 – Bigreadersite – REVIEW
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Thanks so much for joining us today! I hope you loved this behind-the-scenes peek into T.C. LoTempio’s creative world. If you’re in the mood for more cozy fun, interviews, guest posts, recipes, reviews, and all things mystery, take a moment to browse around the blog. There’s always something delightful waiting to be discovered.
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations!
Thank you for hosting my tour! TC, NIck and NOra!
Hope you enjoyed the post! Thanks for hosting! TC, Nick and Nora~!
Nick and Nora are always welcome! It was such a pleasure having you here. Michelle❤️