Shell sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know her better.

What is your full name?
My parents couldn’t decide between Christine and Shelley, so they decided to combine them into Crishell. I got the nickname “Shell” in grammar school and it stuck. When I broke into acting I adopted the name Shell Marlowe (Marlowe is my mother’s maiden name). My legal name is Crishell McMillan, but no one, and I mean no one, not even Gary, calls me Crishell!!!!!!

How old are you?
Let’s just say I’m on the sunny side of thirty. The VERY sunny side LOL. 🙂

What is your profession?
I used to star in the hit TV series same time Spy Anyone, but when the network had second thoughts about renewing the series, I had second thoughts about staying in Hollywood. I’d had a lot of success acting and it was a good life, but it’s also very easy to burn out on the Hollywood nonsense. As it happens, it was at that that my Aunt Tillie passed away and left me her pet store in a small town in Connecticut in her will. I decided I was ready to get out of show business for good and lead a simpler life, so I jumped ship and made the move. Now I’m a pet shop owner in Fox Hollow, Connecticut, and couldn’t be happier.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes, Josh Bloodgood. Josh is just about the most caring. most thoughtful man I’ve ever met (nothing like the leeches and pests I used to meet in Hollywood), and lucky for me me he’s also the kind of man that keeps me from ever even thinking about looking at other men. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months now, and things seem to be heating up for us.

If so, what is his name and profession?
Homicide Detective at Fox Hollow, CT. Just the perfect profession for an amateur sleuth’s boyfriend, wouldn’t you say? He’s Ned Nickerson to my Nancy Drew.

Do you have any children?
Do furbabies count? If so, I currently have two: a pure bred Siamese that was a birthday gift from my mother, Kahlua, and a one-eyed Persian, Purrday, that I inherited from my Aunt Tillie. Note: Purrday is a pretty good detective himself!

Do you have any siblings?
I do have an older sister, but we are NOT close.

Are your parents nearby?
My parents are divorced. My dad lives in California with his new wife, Darlene, who was my mother’s best friend!!!???? And my mother, Clarissa McMillan, has a home in California but she’s currently shuttling back and forth between there and Fox Hollow, thanks to her becoming a silent partner in my boyfriend Josh’s sister’s business. What I find disturbing is that she’s taken a bit of a liking to Fox Hollow, making my life. . .interesting?

Who is your best friend?
My bestie, Candy Clarkson, is still acting in California. I made a new best friend when I moved here, Olivia Niven, who runs the local dance studio. But if I’m being totally honest, my very best friend is my former co-star, who is now my crime solving buddy: Gary Presser. Believe it or not! And I have to count Purrday and Kahlua as my pals also.

Do you have any pets?
See my answer to siblings above

What town do you live in?
Fox Hollow, Connecticut

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Fox Hollow is definitely small and quite a change from the hustle and bustle of LA, but it was a very welcome change. (Aside from being suspected of murder right after I moved in, of course!)

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
My Aunt Tillie left me her ginormous Victorian mansion and thank goodness since I have Gary as well as the cats currently living with me! (and my mother was living there too, for a little while) She also left me the Urban Tails Pet Shop as well as a very nice portfolio of stocks and bonds!

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My den. I have it fixed up with wall to ceiling bookshelves, a few SPY ANYONE posters mixed in with my aunt’s collection of antique movie posters. I also have a giant flat screen tv in there along with a complete collection of all the seasons of Spy Anyone (Gary spends a lot of his time watching himself in there, LOL)

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Believe it or not, I love a good IN N OUT burger or fried chicken! As for dessert, anything with frosting, preferably strawberry!

Do you have any hobbies?
Does solving mysteries count? I also enjoy reading, and I tried my hand at script writing once. I have also loved animals, so taking care of the cats and the pet shop also counts as a hobby for me!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t had a vacation in ages, but I would really love to go back to Hawaii. We filmed a couple of episodes of Spy Anyone there, and both Gary and I loved it! I think a week on Maui would be a really romantic getaway with Josh. . .

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Getting that final clue that breaks whatever mystery I’m working on wide open!

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
From Diva To Detective

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Definitely amateur! Olivia and my other friends Rita and Ron help out on mysteries, but my real helper would have to be Gary. He’s the Watson to my Sherlock. . .or maybe the other way around? And let’s not forget Purrday! He’s almost like Nick in that other series. . .

What is a typical day in your life like in general and when you are on a case?
In my life: wake up, discuss current events with Gary, put in a full day at the Pet Shop, come home, discuss with Gary over what’s for dinner, eat dinner that Gary prepared, feed the cats, more discussion with Gary, retire to bed with the cats and a good book!

On a case: follow the clues and discuss them with Gary: Do we see a pattern here?

Killers Of A Feather, An Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: June 2022
Purchase Link

Shell McMillan and her feline friends must unravel a mystery where everyone’s a suspect and no one’s to blame . . .

With the grand re-opening of her Urban Tails Pet Shop just days away, Shell McMillan has her hands full planning entertainment for the festive event, including a fortune-telling parrot. But her jubilant mood is soon threatened by ominous rumors of the return of Johnny Draco, a former investment guru who swindled money from most of the residents of Fox Hollow and then vanished without a trace. And when the parrot predicts a dire future for Draco and his dead body is found just hours later, no one can say they’re surprised—but no one will say who did it.

With virtually everyone in town a suspect, the police turn their focus on a good friend of Shell’s who was seen arguing with the victim shortly before his death. Determined to clear her friend’s name, Shell begins investigating Draco’s past, his former employer, and everyone who lost money to him. And when the trail of clues suggests there may have been a completely different motive for the murder, Shell suddenly realizes she’s uncovered a secret someone would kill to keep hidden—and that if she’s not careful, the parrot may be predicting she has no future at all . . .

About the author
T.C. LoTempio is the national bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, and while she doesn’t commit murders in real life, she has no problem doing it on paper. T.C. also pens the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries and the Pet Rescue Mysteries. She resides in Phoenix Arizona with her cat, ROCCO, the inspiration for Nick in the Nick and Nora mysteries and who also writes his own blog. Cat-ch up with them at ROCCO’s blog: catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com, or visit her website, tclotempio.net.

All comments are welcomed.

GIVEAWAY: T.C. has generously offered to give away a $10 Amazon gift card. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person. Giveaway ends June 26, 2022. Good luck everyone!