Character Interview – Dorotea Rosa Pepe (Dora to her friends)
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself—both something we learn
from the Cozy Homeswappers Mysteries and something that readers might
not guess?
I’m a 60-something-year-old newly
retired teacher. I’ve spent most of my life taking care of my old father – a
rather stubborn man, may he rest in peace, but I knew how to handle him. Well, almost,
as he somehow managed to lose all the family’s money, and our beautiful house.
But I didn’t really mind as I’ve always worked and earned my own living. It was
only when I received the letter from the Italian Institute for Social Welfare
and saw the paltry pension I would get that all my dreams of a decent life,
maybe taking a trip every now and then, collapsed and fell miserably at my feet.
But life is like that: after a storm, there’s always a rainbow. And from despair,
my life took a turn for the better when I teamed up with my two best pals, my former
colleague, Etta, and Napoleon, the Basset Hound.
2)
How did you first meet your writer?
That is a good question. Adriana’s always so busy, either shut up at
home, writing, or working in her shop, so it’s not easy to meet her. I knew I
had to get to speak to her, though, because she had always dreamed about
writing a series set across Europe, taking the readers to small towns they
probably wouldn’t be familiar with, and Etta, Leon and I were perfect to lead
them on that journey. But she kept avoiding me. It was my friend, Etta, who stopped
Adriana as she was driving home and told her bluntly – as only Etta can – that
she had to listen, that we have a fabulous old Fiat 500 and were desperate to
travel to Germany, Denmark, Scotland and Sweden. Etta kept on until Adriana
gave up searching for other characters and decided to give us a try. When she
introduced Etta and me in a novella Castelmezzano, the Witch is Dead, she
had to acknowledge that the readers were really enthusiastic about us, so she
finally made up her mind to sit down and write what she had to write – the
first three books in the series. Good girl!
3)
Want to dish about him/her?
I’ll tell you a
secret, I’m afraid she can be as stubborn as my friend Etta, and that alone
tells you all you need to know!
4)
Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
Because
well-meaning children think that once their parents or aunties get into their
60ies, they’ve had their life and are no longer good for anything beyond tending
to their geraniums, cooking and watching TV. That’s not so! Etta and I show that
two independent women can do plenty of things at 60+, despite not being rich.
As one reader wrote, we’re still on the ball!
5) Who’s your favorite character? Why?
No doubt about that, it has to be my
darling Leon, the lovable but stubborn Basset Hound we met in quaint Rothenburg
ob der Tauber in the first book of the Cozy Homeswappers Mysteries. It was
love at first sight. And as is often the case with love, there’s very little I can
do to explain why that was; I just took one look into his heart-melting eyes
and knew we’d be friends forever. It took a bit longer for Etta to accept how
things were. But only a tad longer.
6) Who’s your least favorite character? Why?
Etta would say that I love everyone
in the whole world, that I can never find fault with anyone, that I’m a people
pleaser. But although I’m not as opinionated as Etta is, I’m sure there’s
something good in everyone, even the human bison as large as wardrobes – double
doored wardrobes – who frequent the terrifying Devil’s Ale Pub in Rothenburg.
That’s where we met the Barbarossa Gang, all bald heads and tattoos and bulging
biceps like melons under their skin. But I was sure there had to be a good side
to them. Was I right? That would be telling!
7) What’s next for you?
I’m delighted to let you know that
our first homeswapping experiment in Rothenburg was a huge success, and both Etta
and Leon have agreed with me that we should continue our trip and visit
Mecklenburg-Pomerania, the region of 1,000 lakes in Northern Germany. We’ve been
invited to stay in a historic mansion. Can’t wait to get there! And as if
that’s not exciting enough, we’ll be attending a wedding – the son of our homeswap
partner is getting married so we will have a taste of an authentic celebration
in rural Germany. And you can come along too later in the year, when Adriana
publishes our next adventure in A Wedding and A Funeral in Mecklenburg.
But there’s one more surprise for
2020: a Christmas mystery, set on the quaintest of Danish islands thrown far into
the Baltic Sea. Lots of hygge, mulled
wine, a traditional Christmas Market and, my goodness, a cruel murder!
Come along, if you dare! All will
be revealed in An Aero Island Christmas Mystery
Please leave a message
in the comments and we will pick a winner for an eBook of The Watchman of
Rothenburg Dies.
About The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: The Hometravellers Press (September 1, 2020)
~180 Pages
Digital ASIN: B08DD8C46D
A holiday is a time to relax, unwind and see the sights. But for two adventurous sexagenarians, the sights have a tendency to include dead bodies.Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.
When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?
Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?◆◆◆ Pack your bags, jump into the backseat of Etta and Dora’s old Fiat 500, and join them on their travels around Europe. There’ll be mystery, murder and mayhem aplenty wherever they go. ◆◆◆
REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Welcome to the start of a new travel cozy mystery series. We meet Etta and Dora two retired teachers that share a home to save on expenses. They sign up for a house swap with their first one sending the to an adorable town in Germany while the swapping family stays at the home in Italy. On their first day there they find the house, meet the neighbors, and go on an evening your they were given tickets to. The tour goes great until the end when they find the leader murdered. They can't help but to get involved when the neighbors son is the main suspect as well as them taking in the man's awesome dog Leon.A second murder just makes it that much more intriguing. This is great story overall but I was especially enjoying the descriptions of the German town mixed with the inhabitants. It is also quite fun to have two main characters in their sixties which gives the story a different vibe and feeling to it in a good way. Leon was just the thing to really bring it all together making for a fun read. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
About Adriana Licio
> Get a taste of Adriana's world reading And Then There Were Bones the prequel to her An Italian Village Mystery series, exclusive to the subscribers on her mailing list - https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub
Author Links
Free Prequel: https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub
Website: https://adrianalicio.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-licio
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/program
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalicio.mystery/inbox/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianalici
Purchase Link -
Amazon FREE on Kindle Unlimited
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