Good morning My name is Charlotte James, but I prefer to be called Charley. A year ago a day in my life would have consisted of sitting at my computer and grinding out my latest thriller, which I write under the pen name of C.J. Barrett. However, thanks to a severe attack of writer’s block, that has changed considerably!

I moved back to my hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania and ended up in business with my BFF, Zane. We rent a double storefront – her bakery on one side, my mystery bookshop on the other. For a while we wondered if we’d ever get to start out businesses, thanks to finding her former partner’s dead body in the store basement but…things had a way of working out! (To find out how, you’re going to have to read MURDER ON THE BOOKS!)

What’s a typical day in my life like now? Well, once I get up and have breakfast with my newly adopted cat Poe, we head over to the store where Poe checks to make sure there are no mice around and I check my stock. I shelve new books, take care of inventory and any incoming orders, until the enticing smells from Zane’s bakery lure me over there for a doughnut—or two.

If I need a jolt of caffeine in the morning, I can be sure to get it at Phyllis Wooster’s Jumpin’ Beans café. Phyllis is not only a great coffee maker, she’s also one of the best sources of information around! So is Betty Stubing, the owner of the local ice cream parlor (which I confess I visit a lot more than I should!)

It’s been said that I have a flair for solving mysteries – most notably by Detective Ian Grant. I have a feeling that Detective Grant has an inkling that I’ve done this before – even though it’s been on paper – but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn’t figure out my true identity – at least, not too soon! If Barbara Jeanne Donaldson, aka Barbie, my nemesis from high school and now a detective on the Austin police force has anything to say about it, she’d be sure he had absolutely nothing to do with me! Detective Grant and I do share a common interest other than detective work – food – we both like to eat it LOL. Going out to a restaurant has been mentioned a few times, but so far no definite date. But who knows what the future – or our next adventure – might bring? One thing though…he insists on calling me Charlotte. That’s gonna have to change!

Giveaway: Toni has generously offered to give away a $15 Amazon Gift. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person. Giveaway ends July 3, 2025. Good luck everyone!

Murder on the Books – A Cozy Bookshop Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: July 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Newly retired mystery writer Charley James returns to her small hometown only to find herself amidst a real-life murder mystery in this first book in the brand new Cozy Bookshop mystery series by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte James, better known to her mystery fans as C.J. Barrett, decides to take a break from writing her popular Steve Sheppard mystery series. Leaving New York City, she moves back to her hometown of Austin to wind down, recuperate, and maybe come up with some new ideas for her books.

Settling into her new life, Charley reunites with her long-term friend and baker Zane who is about to open a charming double store front. But while Zane is ready to open her café, her business partner Sheila unexpectedly departs town, bailing on her bookshop and leaving nothing but a note behind.

Charley is more than happy to take over, but when she finds Sheila’s body in a chest in the store’s basement, things take a dramatic turn. Now Charley has to juggle the opening of her bookshop, a stoic but attractive Philadelphia detective, and a stray cat, all while solving Sheila’s murder Sheppard-style before the killer can strike again!

About the author
While T.C. Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She and her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery series originally from Berkley Prime Crime and now with Beyond the Page Publishing. They also write the Pet Shop Series and the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger series.

You can cat-ch up with them at ROCCO’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com or her website at www.tclotempio.net.