The entry begins:
Hot Wings and Homicide is the second book in my food truck cozy mystery series, set in the fictional Bay Area town of Clementine. Beth Lloyd and her twin brother Seth run a chicken food truck, Kluckin’ Good, that already attracts enough chaos on a normal day. Unfortunately, things escalate quickly when a local food festival ends in murder—and Beth’s ex-boyfriend, celebrity food critic Brad Dawson, winds up dead.Visit Carmela Dutra's website.
If the book were adapted into a movie or streaming series, I’d want it to fully lean into cozy chaos: colorful food festivals, quirky small-town personalities, fast-paced banter, and a mystery that unfolds somewhere between a fryer and a crime scene tape line. And, of course, one very opinionated, emotional-support chicken named Teriyaki.
The funny thing is, I didn’t write these characters with actors in mind. They existed fully formed in my imagination long before I ever considered casting them, which makes this both fun and slightly impossible. But after much consideration, there are a few actors who match the energy I picture on the page.
Beth, our fiercely loyal and perpetually in-over-her-head protagonist, immediately brings to mind Zoey Deutch. She has the perfect mix of comedic timing, warmth, and “trying desperately to hold it together while everything spirals out of control” energy. Beth is impulsive, stubborn, and just reckless enough to walk directly into situations she absolutely should avoid.
For Seth, Beth’s calmer (younger) twin and long-suffering business partner...[read on]
Q&A with Carmela Dutra.
Writers Read: Carmela Dutra.
My Book, The Movie: Hot Wings and Homicide.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
