ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, but PI Franki Amato has too many problems to celebrate. A proven Sicilian lemon tradition hasn’t landed her a proposal, so her nonna has amped up the meddling to get her married, and pronto. Franki’s also under pressure to solve the strange murder of a family friend’s nephew, Nick Pescatore, who was found on a Mississippi River steamboat rumored to be haunted. When the sinister old boat sets sail on an overnight gambling cruise, Franki goes undercover with a motley crew, including a Mark Twainophile captain with a murderous past and a slimy galley chef with a mobster brother, not to mention an ex-stripper landlady with a newfound career as a memoir writer and all-too public speaker. Franki has to figure out what missing Civil War gold, a playing card, and a mysterious woman on roller skates have to do with Nick’s death. If she doesn’t, it’s anchors aweigh for Franki—down to Davy Jones’ locker.
Series: Franki Amato Mysteries book 5
Publisher: Limoncello Press (October 1, 2019)
Print length: 340 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
ALL ABOUT FRANCESCA LUCIA AMATO
Basic
Name: Francesca Lucia AmatoNickname: Franki
Age: Almost 31—but not there yet
Height: 5’10”
Weight: Around 170, give or take ten pounds
Hair color: brown
Hair style: long and straight
Eye color: brown
Relationship status: she’s happy to be in one.
Name of romantic partner: Bradley Hartmann, but it’s complicated.
Neat or messy dresser? Franki is a casual dresser. She’s a PI, so she doesn’t want to stand out.
Does she have any mannerisms? She will occasionally do the scongiuri, and Italian gesture to ward off back luck. It looks like the Hook ‘em Horns gesture, but upside down.
Does she have any quirks? Lots. But who’s counting?
Does she have any speak with an accent? No, but her meddlesome Sicilian nonna does. Is this a main character or supporting character? Franki is the main character in a cast of, well, characters.
Personality
Is she an introvert or extrovert? As a PI, Franki is an extrovert with some introvert tendencies.Does she have any bad habits? She has a touch of hypochondria, although she doesn’t think so.
What is her motto? When life gives you lemons, make Limoncello. And drink it.
What is her sinful little habit? Drinking and eating sweets, often in large quantities.
What sense does she most rely on? Her gut.
What is her obsession? Nutella.
What is her pet peeve? Her family coming to visit.
Where’s her favorite hangout place? Thibodeaux’s Tavern, a bar across the street from her apartment.
Is she superstitious? Her Sicilian nonna taught her to be superstitious, but she doesn’t want to be. Nor does she want to believe in the supernatural, but some spooky things happen down in New Orleans.
Is she a messy or a neat housekeeper? Neat, but that’s because she’s not home much. And her mom and Nonna often drive down from Houston. When they do, they have a tendency to take over her apartment and run the show.
Describe her home. Franki rents a furnished apartment in a New Orleans fourplex owned by Glenda O’Brien, a sixty-something ex-stripper who dresses like she’s still onstage. The fourplex is across the street from a bar and a creepy cemetery. Her home can best be described in an excerpt from Limoncello Yellow, book 1 in the Franki Amato mysteries: “The room was the home-decor equivalent of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. The walls were covered in fuzzy, blood-red wallpaper with shiny gold fleurs-de-lis, and hanging from the ceiling was a baroque red-and-black crystal chandelier. The couch was a rococo chaise lounge in velvet zebra print, and next to it was a lilac velour armchair with gold fringe that matched the drapery to perfection. On the opposite wall there was a mahogany wood fireplace with a hearth covered in white candles of various sizes and shapes. In front of the fireplace, a bearskin rug replete with a bear head covered the hardwood floors. The only thing missing was the red fluorescent light in the living room window signaling my availability for prospective clients.”
Is she serious or laid back? She’s both, depending on what kind of character or crime she’s dealing with.
What does she do first thing on a weekday morning? Go back to sleep.
What does she do on a Sunday afternoon? Sleep a lot more.
Does she prefer alcohol or soft drinks? Franki often drinks the Italian liqueurs and wines mentioned in the book titles.
Friends and Family
What is her perception of family? Frank is Italian-American and has a crazy family that she loves…most of the time.Does she have any pets? She has a Cairn “terror” named Napoleon.
Who are her enemies? Detective Wesley Sullivan. He appears in books three through five, which are Amaretto Amber, Campari Crimson, and my new release, Galliano Gold. Whether he returns depends upon your interpretation of the Galliano Gold ending.
Is she in a relationship? Yes, with Bradley Hartmann, a banker by profession.
Has she ever had her heart broken? Twice, once by Todd in college and then by Vince after college. Both of them cheated on her, and she hasn’t forgotten that.
Does she have a sidekick? Franki has several sidekicks because she often investigates with other characters in the mysteries. But Veronica Maggio, her best friend and the owner of Private Chicks, Incorporated, the PI firm where Franki works, is her primary sidekick.
Conflict
How does she respond to a threat? She gets scared, but she leaps into action nevertheless.What are her phobias? Health problems.
What is her choice of weapon? Her mouth.
Is she confrontational? When she’s confronted, which is often in New Orleans.
Does she carry a weapon? A purple Ruger. She thinks pink is too girly.
Work, Education and Hobbies
What is her current job? Franki is a private investigator in The Big Easy, which is hard.What she think about her current job? She loves working for her best friend, and after her experience with her partner, Stan, as a rookie cop in Austin, being a PI is a thrill.
What are her hobbies? She doesn’t have time for hobbies. Investigating crime is a 24/7 job.
What is her educational background? She went to the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘em), where she studied criminology and Italian.
Does she have any special training? As I mention above, she was a rookie cop, but she didn’t last long.
Does she have a natural talent for something? Eating, and poking her nose in other people’s business.
Possessions
What is in her fridge? An open bottle of Chianti and some pasta sauce. In her pantry is a year’s supply of Nutella.What is on her bedside table? Her alarm, her gun, and her phone.
What is in her car? Nothing. It’s a 1965 cherry red Mustang convertible, and she’s afraid someone will cut open the top.
Miscellaneous
Is she comfortable with technology? Franki knows how to use her phone and laptop, but there are two Computer Science students from Tulane working at Private Chicks—David Savoie and Standish “The Vassal” Standifer—so she doesn’t have to be too tech savvy.If she could call one person for help, who would it be? Her dad, but he’s busy running the family deli, Amato’s, in Houston.
What would she do if she won the lottery? She would move out of her bordello chic apartment and buy a house.
What is her idea of perfect happiness? An evening with her love, Bradley, and a candle-lit Italian dinner.
What would she ask a fortune teller? Whether Bradley will ask her to marry her before the Sicilian lemon tradition her nonna tricked her into runs out . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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