Book Title: SUMMER COVEN
Character Name: Salvatore Conte
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
With as little detail as possible. My biological family isn’t important, and who can remember their childhood after so many centuries?
What was your greatest talent?
I have so many, it’s simply impossible to narrow it down to one. Obviously, dancing. Flying, flirting, karaoke, creative storytelling, mixology, astrology, paleontology, Pelatonology [this answer has been edited for time].
Significant other?
Arthur Miller, my very handsome and clever husband.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
Being a vampire means I outlive any mortal, and other immortal people tend to come and go from my life. But that’s not a problem anymore, because my wonderful husband Arthur is both immortal and a homebody!
Where do you live?
Trident Falls, Oregon. Tiny. Dreadfully boring. Lacking in pizza options. Could use more drama.
Do you have any enemies?
None who are still alive. Oh, unless you count Sheriff McMartin as an enemy, but I’ve always thought of him more as an annoyance.
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
I am most attached, of course, to my dear Arthur, who loves this little town despite its shortcomings.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Arthur and I have a beautiful daughter named Rumble. She’s a black cat we rescued from the evil clutches of a murderer. Our family is expanding! We recently adopted another child, Grumble. She’s a goldfish. I won her at the summer solstice festival! Hopefully, we’ll get a dog next.
What do you do for a living?
Arthur and I run a charming little bed and breakfast, and we solve murders on the side. Though now that I think about it, no one seems to pay us for the sleuthing. I’ll have to send a bill to the town.
Greatest disappointment?
When the Spice Girls broke up… No, I cannot say more. It’s still too raw.
Greatest source of joy?
My own sparkling personality and sense of whimsy. It’s everyone else’s greatest source of joy, too.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
Anything and everything. Though I may be dead, I’m the life of every party. I bring the fun wherever I go.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
I fear that my accomplishments and charm are so overwhelming that other people might feel less than in comparison.
What keeps you awake at night?
Being nocturnal, mostly.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
My darling husband is being so silly and won’t let me help him do all his little tasks. He’s going to crash and burn, just like all those cars he hates so much.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
Yes! Thank you so much for asking. If you could tell Kenny Ortega and impart upon him the vital importance of renewing Julie and the Phantoms, that would be most appreciated!
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
The people at Netflix are evil and they must be taught a lesson. Not by me, though. I’m busy.
SUMMER COVEN by Kat Hillis, Rosiee Thor
Everyone’s favorite vampire odd couple is back for another bloody good time in this new supernatural mystery from the authors of Dead & Breakfast.
Arthur Miller (no relation to the playwright) and his beloved, Salvatore Conte, are settling into their (para)normal lives in Trident Falls. Finally, everything seems to be going swimmingly…business is booming at the inn and Arthur is hard at work on his first case as a private detective: finding their friend Brody’s missing mom.
But when a pet psychic is felled by a poisoned potion she (somehow) didn’t see coming, Arthur’s investigation takes an enchanting turn – and not in a good way. It turns out the psychic was a member of the Celestine Coven, a powerful group of witches who sell their charms for a price. Did the pet psychic find herself on the wrong side of the coven? Or did she trigger someone’s pet peeves with her predictions? It will require all of Arthur’s wit and Sal’s whimsy to solve this murder, find their missing person, and avoid becoming part of the witches’ wicked brew.
Humor | LGBTQ Mystery [ Berkley, On Sale: August 25, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593952733 / eISBN: 9780593952740 ]
Buy SUMMER COVEN: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Kat Hillis
Kat Hillis (she/he) is the author of offbeat queer science fiction, fantasy, and cozy mystery that makes readers ask, “What the heck did I just read?”
She earned her BA in English Literature from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She still lives in Alabama, where she enjoys the two weeks of tolerable weather a year.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably thinking about it or talking about it—she has been described as a jock whose sport is writing. If she’s procrastinating, she can be found drawing, reading, or binge-watching TV shows. A lifelong narrative enthusiast, she enjoys all types of gaming (tabletop RPGs, video games, board games). Her hobbies include getting emotional when she thinks too much about quantum physics, and crafting handmade soap.
Dead & Breakfast
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
About Rosiee Thor
Rosiee Thor began their career as a storyteller by demanding to tell their mother bedtime stories instead of the other way around. They spent their childhood reading by flashlight in the closet until they came out as queer. Now, they write stories for all ages, including young adult novels Tarnished Are The Stars and Fire Becomes Her, the picture book The Meaning of Pride, and tie-in novels for franchises like Life is Strange and Firefly. Their short fiction appears in many anthologies, including the Lambda award nominated Being Ace, and they are the editor of Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology. Their debut cozy mystery, The Dead & Breakfast, is forthcoming from Berkley Press. Rosiee lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and an abundance of plants.
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