by Tracy Condie

The week we have a review of Trap, Neuter, Die by Sharon Marchisello, the first in a new series, along with an interesting interview with Sharon. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Trap, Neuter, Die: A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery by Sharon Marchisello
Review by Tracy Condie

This book grabs your attention with snark and honesty within the first few pages. Delores Diane Myer-Johansson has been sentenced to 40 hours of community service for having that second glass of wine before driving home. Better known as DeeLo, she is very recently divorced and has relocated to Pecan Pointe, where her mom is in a memory care facility. DeeLo has real life challenges, like workplace drama and crazy family members. She also has a new boss/boyfriend/lawyer, Barry, who has some unresolved emotions about his ex-wife, Victoria. Working with Catherine Foster is one more challenge for DeeLo. Catherine, aka Cat, is the person in charge of TNVR; Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. DeeLo is pretty sure that Catherine prefers cats to people. Catherine becomes a possible suspect after she and DeeLo find Azmina Patel strangled in the back of her bookstore, Black Cat Books.

Who killed Azmina and why? Was it Nick Norton, director of the Pecan Creek Nature Foundation and feral cat colony opposer. José Garcia, the owner of José’s Mexican restaurant, also in favor of ridding the greenbelt of the feral cat community. Or is it Officer Fiendly, I mean Officer Friendly, who has a serious problem with Catherine and she with him.

Even though Catherine is surly, DeeLo can’t help herself and tries to clear Catherine of the crime. DeeLo also takes on the county commissioners (aka the good ole boys club). She wants to change the rule that says when the volunteers release a cat after neutering it, they are abandoning it and are subject to arrest.

I found myself caught up in the story before I had finished the first chapter. I was also intrigued by all the steps that DeeLo took to get her proposal ready for presentation while she continued to hunt down clues and cats. That’s right, she continued to help with TNVR duties, fed Catherine’s cats, did her day job, and even found time for a girls’ night-in with niece Demi and friend/journalist Jill.

This is a very good series starter, with real themes and real people. I am looking forward to the next DeeLo rescue cat mystery.

Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

Interview with Sharon Marchisello:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Sharon: All my life. Even before I knew my alphabet, I told stories to myself, often sequels to books my mother had read me or movies I’d seen, before fan fiction was a “thing.”

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

Sharon: My first novel, Going Home, was published in 2014 by Sunbury Press. It was actually the fourth novel I completed, and I’d started and abandoned many more. Going Home is a whodunnit inspired by my mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which prompted me to wonder what it would be like to interview a witness or a suspect who couldn’t rely on her memory.

The story opens when the protagonist, Michelle DePalma, comes home to check on her mother (who has Alzheimer’s) and finds her standing over the bludgeoned body of her caregiver. Her mom can’t give a straight answer about what happened, and because she was alone, she becomes a murder suspect. Michelle has to step into the role of caregiver and be the amateur sleuth to prove her mother’s innocence.

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Sharon: No, my first few novels were not mysteries; they didn’t fit into a genre. One tried to be a romance but failed miserably. If I ever go back and try to publish it, I’ll call it women’s fiction.

I didn’t read many mysteries when I was growing up and didn’t think I could write one. Then one night, I was working late at the LAX airport, which was under construction at the time, and I got this creepy feeling… someone could get killed out here. And I got the idea for a murder mystery that took place at LAX (Murder at Gate 58A). I had so much fun writing it, I decided to write more. That one never sold, but I did have an agent for a while.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Sharon: The setting for Trap, Neuter, Die is a fictitious small town in Georgia called Pecan Point, the seat of Pecan County, which is near Atlanta. I like setting stories in fictitious towns so readers can’t accuse me of getting location details wrong. Pecan County has antiquated animal ordinances that resemble the real ones in Fayette County, Georgia, where I live. Unfortunately, they’re not unique in this country.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Sharon: I mainly write to entertain, but I like to think readers can learn something too. In Trap, Neuter, Die, I try to educate readers about the devastating pet overpopulation problem that results in 3-4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs being killed in shelters every year. Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return has proven to be an effective, humane way to manage the overpopulation of stray and feral cats, but it’s not embraced by everyone.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Sharon: I try to write for a couple of hours every morning, at least during the week. It doesn’t always work out.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Sharon: I do a write-in almost every morning – Monday through Friday – via Zoom with several author friends. We hold each other accountable and try to send each other pages for critique every Friday.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Sharon: I wish I could outline, but I don’t. When I wrote my nonfiction book, Live Well, Grow Wealth, I created an outline and worked from it. The book was so easy to write! But that skill hasn’t translated to my fiction.

After I’m in about 30,000 words, I make a sort of reverse outline. It’s a spreadsheet detailing what is in each chapter – date and time, who’s there, what happens. It helps me keep track of what day it is in the story and is useful when doing revisions.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Sharon: Yes. As I mentioned, I wrote three novels before Going Home and was never able to get any of them published. Going Home went through seven drafts and received countless rejections over a ten-year period before I got a publishing contract with Sunbury Press.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Sharon: I just got a rejection letter from an agent I queried over a year ago about Trap, Neuter, Die.

KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

Sharon: Not really a book signing story, but my husband and I were on a cruise in South America, and we met a couple over drinks in the lounge. The woman said she was a big mystery fan, so I told her about my book Going Home. She was excited to read it and said she’d download it at the next port. I saw her the following night, and she said when she tried to download my book, she got a message from Amazon that she already owned it! Apparently, she’d responded to one of those “If you liked this, then you’ll enjoy this…” ads, and it was already in her library. She read it while we were on the cruise, loved it, and she even wrote me a very nice review.

KRL: How fun! What are your future writing goals?

Sharon: Write more books. Sell more books.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Sharon: I admire authors who are successful but generously share their knowledge. I’ve met many through Sisters in Crime. For example, Jane Cleland gives great free webinars for authors in addition to writing a popular, long-running series.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Sharon: I joined Sisters in Crime because our chapter invited subject matter experts, e.g. detectives, medical examiners, arson investigators, gun experts et al, to present at our meetings.

It’s great to make contacts who can answer technical questions when I get stuck.

For Secrets of the Galapagos, I took a Galapagos cruise; I’d find it hard to write about a place where I haven’t been. Unfortunately, I took the cruise about six months before I decided to write the novel, so I didn’t get to deduct my travel expenses from my income taxes. I wanted to go back when I started writing the sequel, but then the pandemic hit. So, I relied on my notes, photos, Trip Advisor, and Google.

KRL: What do you like to read?

Sharon: Mainly fiction. I read a lot of mysteries these days. Also, women’s fiction and psychological thrillers. I joined a book club which helps me read out of my comfort zone sometimes.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Sharon: One of my all-time favorite movies is The Princess Bride. So many great phrases came out of it. I like Dateline, Law & Order, Forensic Files, and most crime shows. Reruns of Columbo and Perry Mason are always fun. And since I love to travel, I enjoy The Amazing Race.

One of my college professors told the class that the best way to learn to write suspense is to watch soap operas – especially on Friday afternoons. I am now hooked on The Young and the Restless. I’m also a closet watcher of The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

I think I just figured out why I’m such a slow writer.

KRL: LOL. Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Sharon: Don’t give up. Seek feedback but learn to sort through it and take what is useful. Don’t let criticism or rejection hurt your feelings; it comes with the territory. Study your craft and write as much as you can.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Sharon: I speak French and lived in Tours, France, for a year on a Rotary scholarship. One of the best years of my life, and I made some lifelong friends.

KRL: Do you have any pets?

Sharon: Unfortunately, I lost my seventeen-year-old cat several years ago, and my husband is resisting getting another. However, I foster cats quite regularly for the Fayette Humane Society. I must have cats in my life.

KRL: Sorry to hear that. Is there anything you would like to add?

Sharon: Like any author, I hope people will read my book, and if they enjoy it, write reviews and recommend it to their friends.

KRL: Where can our readers find you online?

Sharon: Website: sharonmarchisello.com
Social Media Links:
facebook.com/SLMarchisello
twitter.com/slmarchisello
goodreads.com/author/show/4297807.Sharon_Marchisello
instagram.com/slmarchisello
bookbub.com/profile/sharon-marchisello
amazon.com/stores/-/author/B00NH6N4WK?

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Trap, Neuter, Die, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “trap” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 7, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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