Ten years ago on December 2, 2014, a little cozy mystery called Meow if its Murder made its debut from Berkley Prime Crime. The story centered around a former true crime reporter, Nora Charles, investigating a cold case about a wealthy woman's drowning. Along the way she meets a tubby tuxedo cat she names Nick - and a new mystery solving duo was born!
I first got the idea for this series one day when I was watching THE THIN MAN on Turner. My twenty-five pound tuxedo cat ROCCO jumped on my lap and I thought - what if Nick Charles died and came back as a cat? Hence the first incarnation of Nick and Nora was born.
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In the first draft, Nick actually talked! But only Nora could hear him. When my agent submitted it, though, the powers that be at Berkley liked the story, but they didn't want the cat talking. i imagine it was because that might have taken it out of the cozy category and made it more of a fantasy. Anyway, I went back and rewrote the book, giving half Nick's dialogue to Nora's BFF Chantal and the other half to a completely new character, PI Ollie. My agent resubmitted it and thankfully, Berkley bought it! That was back in January of 2013. Then I was informed that the book would debut in December---of the following year!
Well, that gave me time to start writing the next two books I was contracted for :)
Nick and Nora debuted on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 and within two weeks made the national bestselling list. Two more novels from Berkley followed: CLAWS FOR ALARM and CRIME AND CATNIP. Then came the Random House/Penguin merger, and alas, Nick and Nora were dropped along with many other excellent cozy mysteries.
Over the next five years we tried unsuccessfully to place Nick and Nora elsewhere. finally another author told me about Beyond the Page. We sent a proposal to Bill Harris who accepted it, and Nick and Nora came back to life with volume #4, HISS H FOR HOMICIDE, on February 9, 2021!
I never gave up on Nick and Nora....and thankfully neither did their fans!
Here's a list of all the Nick and Nora's to date
#1 - Meow of its Murder - Nora Charles, an ex true crime reporter, gets involved investigating the cold case murder of a wealthy woman - with a tubby tuxedo cat named Nick as her partner.
#2 Claws for Alarm - Nora and Nick investigate when Nora's sister Lacey is accused of the murder of her art professor.
#3 Crime and Catnip - Nora and NIck deal with a missing person case and a murder
#4 - Hiss H for Homicide - Nora and Nick help clear an old friend of her mother's of the murder of her writing partner.
#5 Murder Faux Paws - Nora and Nick investigate the shady death of a PI and end up following a trail that leads to a shady conspsiracy.
#6 - A Purr Before Dying - Nora's catering gig for a nighttime soap opera filming in Cruz leads, inevitably, to murder. and when Chantal's brother is accused of the crime Nick and Nora find themselves working overtime to clear him.
#7 - Bell, Book and Corpses - Vampires in Cruz? It seems that way when a body, drained of blood, turns up at the site of Cruz's Halloween gala and Nick and Nora investigate.
Beyond the Page has contracted me for four more Nick and Nora's, so that means that this duo will be sticking around till 2028 at least for adventures 8 through 11!
Nick, Nora and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your support! As long as you keep reading, we'll keep writing!
T.C.
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