Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery)
by Maria DiRico
Four Parties and a Funeral (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – New York
Kensington Cozies (March 28, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback : 304 pages
In this fresh and witty cozy mystery series set amid an extended Italian-American family in Astoria, Queens, catering hall owner and amateur sleuth Mia Carina must solve a murder on the set of a reality show.
The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .
Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . .
Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .
Italian recipes included!
Interview with Maria DiRico
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
It’s my pleasure!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a native New Yorker but I moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to transition from writing plays to writing for TV. I became a writer-producer on shows like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. I worked in TV for 25 years before transitioning to writing mysteries. I live in Studio City with my husband daughter. Our rescue dog recently passed away and we’re waiting until summer to adopt again.
How long have you been writing?
Professionally? Since – gulp! – 1982.
Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
I didn’t think I could write books! I thought I could only write scripts. During a break from TV work, I challenged myself to write a mystery, since that’s what I loved to read. I didn’t set out to write cozies, but I like to read mysteries where there’s no excessive violence and justice is always served, that’s what I wound up writing.
Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?
My absolute favorite genre is historical mysteries. I can’t get enough of them. Right now, though, I’m reading an advance copy of Murder Uncorked, the first book in Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell’s new Cece Barton Mystery series. It’s wonderful!
Do you have a favorite place to write?
My office. I share it with my husband, which I thought would be a challenge when we were both working at home, but it hasn’t been. He’s back at work three days a week now, though, so I do get total privacy those days.
What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
OMG, so much I can’t list it all! I am NOT a minimalist, lol. Family photos, copies of my book covers, office stuff, and lots of good luck charms from New Orleans and also L.A.’s Chinatown.
What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
It’s not the first book I read but the book Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager was an absolute favorite. It was set in both the past and present and had a dry sense of humor that really made an impression on me.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I like physical books the best. My auditory sense is my least developed. My mind drifts too easily. And I honestly don’t love my Kindle Fire.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
NEW ORLEANS FOR SURE!!!!!!
What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
I think my life in general has. I’m constantly recalling events from my past that end up in my books. When I teach writing, I tell participants they are their own treasure chest of experiences and feelings they can tap into as writers.
Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?
I belong to several groups, none of which are writing groups. I blog with 7 other authors at chicksonthecase.com and belong to the Cozy Mystery Crew, a Facebook group featuring 12 cozy authors. I also do a wonderful once-a-week Zoom with
Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m writing the draft for my first Golden Motel Mystery, A Very Woodsy Murder. A burned-out sitcom writer buys a mid-century motel in a bucolic village in the foothills of Gold Rush Country and the Sierra Nevadas. It’s Hacks meets Schitt’s Creek!
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
About Maria DiRico
Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award-winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father’s side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother’s family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She’s a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Author Links – Website – Chicks on the Case – Facebook – Twitter
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound – Kensington
Enter the giveaway
Four Parties and a Funeral TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 29 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 29 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
March 30 – I’m Into Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 30 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
March 31 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 31 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
April 1 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
April 1 – Mythical Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
April 2 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
April 2 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – FUONLYNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
April 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 4 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
April 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 6 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 6 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT
April 7 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
April 8 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
April 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
April 10 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
April 10 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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Thanks so much for interviewing me!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping!
This looks like another fantastic giveaway!
Sounds like a great cozy. I love the title!