by Joe Cosentino
Interview with Nicky Abbondanza, Noah Oliver, and Taavi Oliver Abbondanza, the leading characters in Drama Faerie, the 9th Nicky and Noah mystery by Joe Cosentino now an audiobook performed by Nick Reinhardt.
Hi, Nicky, Noah, and Taavi. Congratulations on the release of the audiobook of the ninth novel in your award-winning and popular Nicky and Noah gay cozy mystery series.
Taavi: Shouldn’t we call it the Taavi, Nicky, and Noah mystery series?
Noah: Our son, the ham.
Taavi: My dads taught me everything I know.
Nicky: And that makes Noah and me happier than a teacher in the end of June.
The novels in the series have been called “laugh out loud funny,” “sexy shenanigans,” “brilliant brain teasers,” “sweet romances,” and “a combination of Murder She Wrote, The Hardy Boys, Hart to Hart, and a British farce.” 
Nicky: Stop, I’m getting a big head.
Noah: If you read the series, you know he already has one. Actually two.
Why are your books called gay cozy mysteries?
Nicky: Because readers get cozy with Noah and me.
Noah: And we like it! Our books include romance, humor, mystery, adventure, and quaint and lovable characters in uncanny situations.
Taavi: I’m the most lovable, and I love it.
Nicky: 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, and so are the plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages turning. No matter what is thrown in our path, Noah and I always end up on top.
Noah: At least Nicky ends up on top, which is just fine with me.
Taavi: What are you guys talking about?
Noah: Talk about the books, Nicky.
Nicky: Many of our novels take place in Vermont, a cozy state with green pastures, white church steeples, glowing lakes, and friendly and accepting people. 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.
For anyone unfortunate enough not to have read them, tell us a bit about the series.
Nicky: I’ll take this one, since I’m so long-winded.
Noah: That’s not the only thing long about you.
Nicky: In Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Novel of the Year) college theatre professors are dropping like stage curtains at Treemeadow College, and college theatre professors Noah and I have to use our theatre skills, including impersonating other people, to figure out whodunit while I direct the school play.
Taavi: I’m not in that one.
Noah: Next are the capers we call Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau.
Taavi: When I enter the picture!
Nicky: Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance.
Noah: And now Drama Faerie. It’s summer at Treemeadow College’s new Globe Theatre, where we are doing a musical production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream called It Takes a Fairy for Love in the End? With an all-male, skimpily dressed cast and a love potion gone wild, romance is in the starry night air. When hunky students and faculty in the production drop faster than their tunics and tights, Nicky and I need to use our drama skills to figure out who is taking fencing to the extreme before we end up foiled in the forest.
Taavi: And I save the day in the end!
Do you guys take on roles in the play?
Taavi: I’m the star!
Nicky: And he’s incredibly modest.
Taavi: Like my dads.
Nicky: I direct and star as Oberon, the Faerie King.
Noah: Opposite me as Titania, the Queen of the Faeries.
Nicky: No pun intended.
Taavi: And I play Oberon’s mischievous servant Puck.
Nicky: Our best friend and department head Martin is Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazon, and his husband Ruben plays Theseus.
Noah: Since it is Treemeadow College after all, there are lots of comical hijinks, particularly among the theatre students cast in the show—with their muscles rippling out of their tunics, and bulges expanding their tights. Gender role reversals and comical musical numbers add to the hilarity.
Nicky: And, of course, there are more murders than conservative politicians owned by the NRA. Once again Noah and I use our theatrical skills to trap the murderer in a shocking climax—no pun intended.
Can you give us a run down on some of the other characters?
Nicky: Old beloved cast members are back, including my best friends the comically cantankerous Martin and Ruben, Martin’s sassy office assistant Shayla, my droll nemesis Detective Manuello, and our both sets of riotous parents.
Noah: New characters include hunky theatre majors Ray Zhang (Demetrius), Elliot Hinton (Lysander), and graduate assistant Yates Aldrich (Lysander’s understudy). True to the play, the three guys are all hot for raven-haired Braedon Walsh (Hermia) to the chagrin of Braedon’s best friend Enoch Grayson (Helena). Rounding out the cast are punk rocker Talvin Moore (Demetrius’ understudy) who has caught the attention of Ganesh Ghosh (Titania’s boy).
Nicky: Add to the mix a clumsy prop girl who can’t keep the swords (or the actors) straight. Not to mention Detective Manuello (Bottom/Pyramus) may have an admirer in Associate Professor of Fencing Hank Brickman (Flute/Thisby). With Congressman Christian Evangelica determined to close down the show for including faeries and bottoms, havoc certainly ensues.
I’m sure you’ve 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.
Noah: Come on, TV producers, make your offers! Joe has written a teleplay pilot of the first novel and treatments for the remaining novels!
Taavi: I’m waiting to be discovered.
How would you cast the TV series?
Nicky: Here’s Joe’s 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, Joe himself 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.
Taavi: And me as Taavi.
Noah, please describe Nicky.
Noah: Nicky is handsome with dark hair and long sideburns, emerald eyes, a Roman nose, muscular, smart, and charming. And his enormous manhood doesn’t hurt (or maybe it does at first). He has a never give up attitude and sense of humor in the face of adversity. And I love how he is genuinely concerned for others. Finally, he’ll do anything to solve a murder mystery. Oh, he’s a one-man man, and I’m proud to admit that I’m the man.
Nicky, please describe Noah.
Nicky: Noah is gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed, lean, handsome, smart, and devoted to his family and friends. He 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, Noah is quite gifted at improvisation, and he creates wild and wonderful characters for our role plays to catch the murderer. He’s also a terrific father to Taavi.
Taavi: And I help my pop and my dad solve the mysteries.
In addition to young Taavi, it’s nice to see an older couple in the series.
Noah: Martin Anderson (our department head and best friend) is loyal and supportive of Nicky and me. His one up-man-ship with his office assistant Shayla is a riot. I’ll admit that Martin is a bit of a gossip. It’s great when Ruben keeps Martin’s theatricality in line with hysterical barbs. The older couple stay sharp by engaging in their verbal warfare, but it’s all done in deep admiration and respect. Finally, it’s wonderful to see an elderly couple so much in love, and how they can read each other like a book—no pun intended. I hope Nicky and I age to become just like them.
Nicky: Both of our sets of wacky parents are in the series, too.
Noah, who was your favorite new character in Drama Faerie?
Noah: Sharon Delwab, our props girl, told the most hysterically funny “horror” stories about doing props gone wild for past shows.
Nicky, which new character do you like the least in book nine?
Nicky: I started out not liking Ganesh Ghosh, a young visitor from Noah’s hometown in Wisconsin. The young man definitely grew on me as I cast him in the play and helped him come out to his father. It was also great to see Ganesh fall in love with someone in the cast.
Which new character in book nine was the sexiest?
Nicky: Probably sweet raven-haired Braedon Walsh (Hermia).
Noah: Hunky Ray Zhang (Demetrius), Elliot Hinton (Lysander), and Yates Aldrich (Lysander understudy) couldn’t help fighting over Braedon.
Taavi: My favorite character was Tia.
Nicky: We’ll keep her a surprise for now.
How does it feel to have your ninth audiobook?
Nicky: Like I found my voice.
Noah: Nick Reinhardt really makes our stories come to life.
Nicky: He’s more like me than me!
Noah: And he captures each of the other voices perfectly as well.
Taavi: Especially mine!
Nicky: I’ll admit I get aroused when hearing Noah’s sexy voice.
Noah: And I can’t help smiling when hearing Nicky’s comical asides.
Nicky: Yes, Nick has a terrific sense of humor—like mine! He really gets me. Bravo Nick!
Noah: And Bravo Nicky and Noah!
Taavi: And Bravo Taavi!
How can your readers get their hands on the audiobook of Drama Faerie, and how can they contact you?
Noah: The purchase links are below, as are Joe’s contact links, including his website. Joe tells us everything, so message us through him. We love to hear from readers!
Thank you, Nicky, Noah, and Taavi for interviewing today.
Nicky: It is our joy and pleasure to share the audiobook of this ninth novel in the series with you. So take your seats. The curtain is going up on faeries, bewitched lovers, an Amazon queen, a hungry Bottom, and of course hilarity, romance, and murder!
Drama Faerie, the ninth Nicky and Noah mystery,
a comedy/mystery/romance novel by Joe Cosentino.
The audiobook is performed by Nick Reinhardt.
Click on the below link for a preview:
Audible: Drama Faerie
Time: 6 hours
Language: English
Genre: MM, contemporary, mystery, comedy, romance, Shakespeare, college
Cover Art: Jesús Da Silva
Amazon: Drama Faerie
It’s summer at Treemeadow College’s new Globe Theatre, where theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is directing a musical production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream co-starring his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, their son Taavi, and their best friend and department head, Martin Anderson. With an all-male, skimpily dressed cast and a love potion gone wild, romance is in the starry night air. When hunky students and faculty in the production drop faster than their tunics and tights, Nicky and Noah will need to use their drama skills to figure out who is taking swordplay to the extreme before Nicky and Noah end up foiled in the forest. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, sidesplittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining ninth novel in this delightful series. Take your seats. The curtain is going up on star-crossed young lovers, a faerie queen, an ass who is a great Bottom, and murder!
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up this week.
An episode featuring one of Joe Cosentino’s Player Piano mysteries went up last month. You can find the episode here or listen in the player below.
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