A Release Day Interview with Nicky Abbondanza and Noah Oliver

the leading characters in Joe Cosentino’s Drama Oz,

the 14th Nicky and Noah mystery/comedy/romance novel

 

Nicky and Noah, you are an adorable couple.

 

Nicky & Noah: We agree!

 

Congratulations on the release of the fourteenth novel in your award-winning and popular Nicky and Noah gay cozy comedy mystery romance series.

 

Nicky: Try saying that three times fast.

 

Since the readers can’t see you, tell them what you look like.

 

Noah: Nicky is a gorgeous hunk.

 

Nicky: And Noah is always honest.

 

Noah: Nicky is tall with dark hair and sexy long sideburns, a cleft chin I love to kiss, Roman nose, emerald eyes, and a muscular body thanks to the gym on campus.

 

Nicky: I call it the chamber of horrors.

 

Noah: Best of all, Nicky has a huge heart. And something else that is huge.

 

Nicky: And Noah likes that.

 

Noah: It sure doesn’t hurt. Well, not too much anymore. (He blushes.)

 

Nicky: Noah is tall, with silky golden blond hair, true-blue eyes, milk and honey skin, and a body I love to hug all night long. And Noah always cares about others. Especially me. And I adore him.

 

Nicky & Noah: And we both love solving mysteries!

 

Nicky: Talking together is a cute couple thing we do.

 

Tell us about Drama Oz, the fourteenth novel in your popular, award-winning series.

 

Nicky: It stars me!

 

Noah: And me!

 

Nicky: A killer is loose in the Wizard of Oz theme park theatre in Key West, Florida.

 

Noah: Where we are staging an original musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz entitled, Friends of Dorothy.

 

Nicky: The young actress cast as Dorothy is quite the diva. Why are so many actors full of themselves—like me (smile).

 

Noah: The young actors cast as Toto, the Munchkin Leader, and the Winged Monkey Leader fully inhabit their roles and their G-string, chaps, and loincloth respectively.

 

Nicky: Noah and I use our drama skills, including playing wacky characters in investigative role-plays with the suspects, to catch the killer before the witch’s fireball sends us up in smoke.

 

As usual, calamity ensues in book fourteen.

 

Nicky: More calamity than when a past Republican president ordered a terrorist takeover of the Capitol. But let’s talk about me. I play wizard onstage and off, doing double duty as show director and taking on the role of the Wizard. After all, “It takes a wiz!”

 

Noah: Nicky cast me as the Scarecrow sitting on a long pole.

 

Nicky: Pun intended. Our teenage son, Taavi, plays the role of the Tinman with a large can of lube, and his best friend, Ty, counters as the Lion with a playful tail.

 

Noah: Our best friends, older couple Martin and Ruben, join the cast playing Aunt Em and Uncle Henry “going down on the farm.”

 

Nicky: Martin and Ruben also double as Glinda who does it good and the Wicked Witch of the wild West.

 

Who are the new characters in book fourteen?

 

Noah: Adorable actor Pip Manning plays Toto in the show. His affections (and dog collar) waver between handsome Mormon Drew Gateway the stage manager and bodybuilder Detective Rick Boulder.

 

Nicky: Gymnast with a secret Topper Tucker, who plays the Winged Monkey Leader, has his wings set on stocky Taz Zaman, who plays the Munchkin Leader.

 

Noah: A crew of woman technicians and the diva starring as Dorothy have more baggage than an airport.

 

Who was your favorite new character?

 

Nicky: Noah.

 

Noah: New character, Nicky.

 

Nicky: Oh, Topper Tucker goes through quite a journey in the story. He finds out a great deal about his family, and he also finds true love. Topper’s good humor, kindness, and compassion make him quite a likeable guy—like me.

 

Noah: My favorite character is Nicky.

 

Nicky: New character, Noah.

 

Noah: Oh, Pip Manning won’t compromise in finding the love of his life. He also calls out “religious” hypocrisy. I admire both of those things.

 

Which new character do you like the least?

 

Nicky and Noah: Everyone who is murdered. (smile)

 

Which new character is the sexiest?

 

Nicky: Bodybuilder Detective Rick Boulder had a great sense of humor—and a great set of pecs. Unfortunately, or fortunately, his detecting skills were sketchier than a Republican governor’s voter redistricting map.

 

Noah: So we stepped in as theatre chair sleuths a la Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

 

What makes the Nicky and Noah mystery series so special?

 

Nicky & Noah: Us!

 

Nicky: Actually, 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 faster than a priest chasing a new altar boy into the Confessional. At the center is the touching relationship between Noah and me. You watch us go from courting to marrying to adopting a child, all the while head over heels in love with each other.

 

Noah: 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 Joe is “a master storyteller.” Who am I to argue?

 

Nicky: Even though Noah and I tell Joe everything to write.

 

How are the novels cozy?

 

Noah: 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.

 

Nicky: This novel in Key West is cozier than a Republican legislator and the CEO of a polluting corporation. The popular and picturesque vacation site is loved by so many. Key West, Florida is one of my favorite places. It’s a peninsula with white sandy beaches laden with foamy waves tickling jagged rocks under an azure sky dotted with marshmallow clouds. Gorgeous white seagulls and towering lighthouses herald gorgeous pink, violet, and gold sunrises and sunsets. Quant guesthouses, theatres, and restaurants inhabited by people open and affirming to all line the shore. So in this novel, we thespians from Treemeadow stage an original musical adaptation of the much-loved classic in Key West, Florida.

 

Why do you think there aren’t many other gay cozy mystery series out there?

 

Noah: 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.

 

Nicky: So are the plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages turning over like an anti-gay politician in the back room of a gay bar. And no matter what is thrown in my path as a sleuth, I always end up on top.

 

Noah: Which is just fine with me.

 

For anyone unfortunate enough not to have read them, tell us the titles of the novels in the series.

 

Nicky: The Nicky and Noah mysteries are Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance. Take it, Noah, while I catch my breath.

 

Noah: Drama Faerie, Drama Runway, Drama Christmas, Drama Pan, Drama TV, and now Drama Oz. Phew!

 

Joe is a college theatre professor/department chair like Martin Anderson in your series. Has that influenced the series?

 

Noah: As a past professional actor and current college theatre professor/department chair, Joe knows first-hand the wild and wacky antics, sweet romance, and captivating mystery in the worlds of theatre and academia. The Nicky and Noah mysteries are full of them! He never seems to run out of wild characters to write about.

 

Nicky: His faculty colleagues and students kid him that if any of them tick me off, he’ll kill them in his next book. And he probably will. The little guy is fearless!

 

What do you like about the regular characters in the series?

 

Noah: I love Nicky’s never give up attitude and sense of humor in the face of adversity. He’s genuinely concerned for others, and he’ll do anything to solve a murder mystery. He’s also a one-man man, and I’m proud to admit that man is me.

 

Nicky: Noah makes the perfect Watson to my Holmes. (I always thought Holmes and Watson were a gay couple.) Noah also has a large heart and soft spot (no pun intended) for others. Finally, like me, Noah is gifted at improvisation, and creates wild and wonderful characters for our role plays to catch the murderer.

 

Noah: I think it’s terrific how Martin and Ruben throw riotous zingers at each other, but they’re so much in love. You don’t see a lot of older gay characters in books nowadays. Of course Martin’s administrative assistant, Shayla, thrives on her one-upmanship with Martin, and he thrives right back.

 

Nicky: And our son, Taavi, fits into our thespian crime-solving group perfectly. So does Martin and Ruben’s son Ty.

 

How about your parents?

 

Nicky: They’re hilarious. I love Noah’s mother’s fixation with taking pictures of everything, and his father’s fascination with seeing movies and television. I also love how Noah’s father is a ham and an amateur sleuth like me. As they say, men marry their fathers.

 

Noah: Nicky’s mom’s Mafia ties and addiction to church Bingo are also a riot. Both sets of parents fully embrace their sons and their sons’ family, which is refreshing.

 

I’m sure Joe has been told that the books would make a terrific TV series.

 

Nicky: 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! Joe has written a teleplay of the first novel and treatments for the remaining novels!

 

How would you cast the TV series?

 

Noah: Here’s my wish list: Matt Bomer as Nicky, Neil Patrick Harris as me, Rosie O’Donnell and Bruce Willis as my parents, Valerie Bertinelli and Jay Leno as Nicky’s parents, Joe as Martin Anderson (nepotism!), Nathan Lane as Martin’s husband Ruben, Wanda Sykes as Martin’s office assistant Shayla.

 

Nicky: And Luke McFarlane as my brother Tony.

 

Joe has written other mystery series: the Player Piano mysteries and the Jana Lane mysteries. There are mystery elements in his Cozzi Cove series and Found At Last series. A story in Joe’s Tales from Fairyland Anthology is a mystery.

 

Nicky: They’re great stories, but Noah and I aren’t in them. Next question.

 

What’s next for the Nicky and Noah mysteries?

 

Nicky: Whatever we whisper in Joe’s ear.

 

How can your readers get their hands on Drama Oz, and how can they contact you?

 

Nicky: The purchase links are below, as are Joe’s contact links, including his web site.

 

Noah: Nicky and I love to hear from readers via Joe! He tells us everything you say about us!

 

Thank you, Nicky and Noah, for interviewing today.

 

Nicky and Noah: Our pleasure.

 

Noah: We know you’ll laugh, cry, feel romantic, and love delving into this crackling new mystery with more plot twists and turns than a past Republican president’s bankruptcies, affairs, and illegal charities (as Nicky would say).

 

Nicky: We’re more excited than the Supreme Court taking away LGBT rights under the guise of “religious freedom” to share this fourteenth novel in the series with you.

 

Noah: So follow the yellow brick road to a girl with a dog who is one hot bitch, a wicked witch who would kill for a new pair of shoes.

 

Nicky: A sexy Wizard who wants to bang the Scarecrow’s brains out, a Tinman and Lion embarking on a mixed marriage, plenty of monkey business.

 

Nicky & Noah: And murder!

 

DRAMA OZ (the 14th Nicky and Noah mystery)

a comedy/mystery/romance novel by JOE COSENTINO

E-book and Paperback: 215 pages

Language: English

Genre: MM, contemporary, mystery, comedy, romance, theatre, musical theater, Wizard of Oz, theme parks, Key West

Cover Art: Jesús Da Silva

Release date: June 1, 2022

The Treemeadow College theatre crew stage an original musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, entitled Friends of Dorothy, at a summer theme park in Key West. Quickly cast and crew members melt away like a witch submerged in water. Nicky, as the Wizard on stage and off, must save the show and figure out whodunit. Once again, our favorite thespians will need to use their drama skills to catch the killer before a witch’s fireball sends them up in smoke. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining fourteenth novel in this delightful series. It’s a scorcher! So follow the yellow brick road. The stage lights are coming up in Oz on a girl with a dog who is one hot bitch, a wicked witch who would kill for a new pair of shoes, a sexy Wizard, a Scarecrow sitting on a big pole, a Tinman with a giant can of lube, a Lion with a long tail between his legs, plenty of monkey business, and murder!

 

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Excerpt of Drama Oz, the 14^th Nicky and Noah mystery novel, by Joe Cosentino:

Topper Tucker, incredibly cut with adorable mocha-colored eyes and hair, sat on the floor nearby. The twenty-five-year-old cast as the Winged Monkey Leader spread his legs, wrapped them behind his head, and bent down to touch his forehead to the floor.

A tent formed in Taz’s chaps. He rose, adjusted himself, and said to Topper, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

Topper smiled. “Not when you’re double-jointed.”

Taz returned the smile. “Ah. Are you a gymnast?”

I was thinking porn star bottom.

Topper replied, “I competed in gymnastics for a couple of years. A theatrical producer at one of my competitions asked me to join a tour of the musical Barnum. After that, I got hooked—and not only onto the trapeze.”

“Ah, that’s how come you fly so easily in our show as the Winged Monkey Leader.”

“Not so easily.” Topper rose and rubbed his pelvis. “The flying harness hurts like hell.”

“But you’re a trooper.”

“And the Wicked Witch of the West would have it no other way.”

They shared a chortle.

Taz licked his thick lips at the sight of Topper’s maroon loincloth and long tail. Clearly realizing he was staring, Taz came to by asking, “Where are your wings?”

“I’m no saint.”

Taz snickered. “I mean, where are your monkey wings for the show?”

“Ava is repairing them.” He raised his eyes to the green ceiling. “If our star leaves Ava alone long enough for her to finish them.”

Taz nodded. “Bria is really something.”

“And Ava is really sweet. Bria needs to stop pushing her around.”

“Did you know Ava before doing this show?”

Topper shook his head and then adjusted his monkey cap. “But I feel like I do.”

Taz sat on the arm of a green sofa. “Are you from Florida?”

Topper perched himself on an adjacent green easy chair. “Georgia. I’m a farm boy.”

“What was that like?”

“I woke early each morning to do chores like milking, feeding, and pitching.”

“That sounds pretty normal.”

A crease formed between his dark eyebrows. “But something really strange happened to me on that farm.”

“What was it?”

“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Taz rubbed his square jaw. “Are you teasing me, young man?”

In more ways than one.

Topper cocked (no pun intended) his head at him. “Where are you from, Taz?”

“Right here in Florida.”

“Key West?”

Taz sniggered. “Not exactly.”

“Now who’s teasing?”

“I’m from Jacksonville, Florida’s Islam headquarters.”

“Are you a member?”

“I was born into the faith.”

“Do you believe in the Quran?”

“It’s a beautiful book calling for peace and harmony.”

“Do you support the parts about women being subservient to men, and the call for every man to marry a woman?”

Taz sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Not to me.”

“That’s because you aren’t a Muslim.”

“You’re right.”

“My religion isn’t so different from all the others. I took a Comparative Religion class in college. Every holy book includes at least one creation story, a flood, destruction and migration, one or more tragic saviors, and hope for the future.”

Topper asked, “Does the Quran have an Adam and Eve story?”

Taz nodded. “They’re called Pbuh and Hawwa in my religion.”

Topper groaned. “That nonsense was drummed into my head by my parents and Sunday School teachers ever since I was a kid.”

“I think the concept of the creator making man in his own image and then crafting woman from the man’s rib is a beautiful metaphor. I drew quite a number of sketches on that theme in my art classes at college.”

“I believe in science and evolution, not metaphors. And I think all ancient holy books were written by homophobic, sexist straight men. Screw Adam and Eve. No pun intended. And screw religion. We should all just be who we are and love who we love with nobody owning anybody else.”

“That’s a nice goal.”

“But you don’t believe it.”

Taz replied, “I’ve had many discussions about this with my parents.”

“How’d it go?”

“Not too well. My folks are really conservative. They live by every word in the Quran.”

“Did you tell them the passages casting women as second-class citizens and the ones demonizing gay men are totally insane?”

“I don’t talk to my parents that way.”

“Maybe you should.”

Taz grimaced. “You don’t know my parents…or me.”

“We agree there. And since you believe people like me are evil sinners, let’s keep it that way.” Topper leapt to his feet and hurried out of the room.

Taz scratched his thick dark locks, looking as if he’d been hit by a gay pride banner.

 

Post a comment on what you love most about The Wizard of Oz. The one that tickles our inner straw the most will win an Audible gift code for one of the first three Nicky and Noah mystery audio books: Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, or Drama Cruise.

https://www.audible.com/search?keywords=Nicky+and+Noah+mysteries&ref=a_hp_t1_header_search

 

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; 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

 

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