1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Misty Divine, an upcoming London drag queen finds her drag mother poisoned in her backstage dressing room. Can she catch the killer before they strike again?
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I set it in Soho in London because that’s where I work for the majority of my performing. I love the drag and cabaret scene so that was my inspiration.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes, definitely! Fiery while in drag and kind and caring out of drag… they’re a great personality.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Determined. Loyal. Strong.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about the editing and publishing processes that I didn’t know before, and that there are so many people involved in getting to the final product!
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A bit of both – I like being able to write without too much editing on the way, but sometimes it’s necessary to go back.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Foxes Party Rings – a British biscuit classic!
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I have a little desk in the corner of the living room and a laptop. Because I travel quite a bit for shows I’m used to working on the go so I don’t feel attached to a specific space for my writing – usually I’m in a café.
10–Who is an author you admire?
I think Stephen King does incredible world-building.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero – I love a personal development book, especially when there’s swearing.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Well it was very exciting! A couple of weeks before the book went out on submission, I invited publishers to attend one of my stand-up comedy shows and they received the book the following day. Then there were presentations and kind letters with an auction a couple of weeks later. My agent, Hayley Steed at Janklow and Nesbit, called me to tell me the news and I remember jumping up and down!
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Crime/thriller is probably my top genre. I also love queer history and sometimes a self-help.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Anything with Sandra Bullock – perhaps you’ll guess from my own writing that I like a bit of camp, so the Miss Congeniality movies stand out to me, as well as Speed 2: Cruise Control, an underrated masterpiece.
15–What is your favorite season?
Spring – us Brits love to complain about the weather, especially about whether it’s too hot or too cold. So spring is the perfect time for me.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t usually celebrate it at all, not in a big way. A dinner out with a couple of friends and an early night is good enough for me!
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved Agatha All Along! Great queer representation, exciting stories and amazing costumes. Could watch it all day long.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
English pub grub – pie and chips, lasagna and chips, curry and chips… there’s a theme with the chips.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Panic that I should be busy writing instead of watching reality television shows from the 2000s on YouTube. I’m not very good at relaxing and am always thinking about the next thing.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
Hopefully readers enjoyed MURDER IN THE DRESSING ROOM and will be pleased to know there are more Misty Divine Mysteries on the way! I’m currently finishing up Book 2 and plotting out Book 3 so we haven’t seen the last of her yet.
MURDER IN THE DRESSING ROOM by Holly Stars
Misty Divine Mystery #1
A poisoned chocolate. A stolen dress. An elusive catburglar. Drag’s not just dramatic, it’s deadly.
By day, Joe is a hotel accountant, invisibly sitting behind their desk and playing by the rules. By night, donned in sequins, they take to the stage as Misty Divine, a star of the London drag scene.
But when Misty’s drag mother, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room beside a poisoned box of chocolates, Misty and her fellow performers become the prime suspects.
Heartbroken by the loss, and frustrated by the clear biases of the police, Misty must solve the crime before the culprit strikes again. Among the drop-dead gorgeous lurks a cutthroat killer, and Misty Divine won’t rest until she finds out who it is.
LGBTQ Mystery | Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: January 14, 2025, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593816714 / eISBN: 9780593816721]
The show must go on – with a murder backstage
Buy MURDER IN THE DRESSING ROOM: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Holly Stars
Holly Stars is a drag stand-up comedian and writer. She is the writer of the smash-hit drag murder mystery, Death Drop, a play that has had three runs on the West End and a UK and Ireland tour. Holly has two seasons of her own television series, Holly Stars: Inspirational, produced by Froot TV and Tuckshop. She is also the producer and cohost of murder-mystery book review podcast, Read to Death, and is currently completing an accredited qualification in professional investigation, which will make her the world’s first drag queen private detective.
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