Love Bytes says hello to Joe Cosentino and his leading characters Freddy and Andre, who are joining us today to talk about the new audio release of The Player’s Encore.
Welcome Guys!
Interview with Freddy Birtwistle and Andre Beaufort, the leading characters in The Player’s Encore, Player Piano Mysteries Book 2,
a mystery/romance/fantasy novel by Joe Cosentino
now also available as an audio book performed by Brian Cheney
Freddy and Andre, congratulations on the release of your second novel, The Player’s Encore, as an audio book performed by Brian Cheney.
Freddy: Thank you. Brian is a blue Serge.
Andre: Blue Serge means real sweetheart.
Andre, tell us about Freddy.
Andre: Freddy is thirty, tall…
Freddy: Though somehow I managed to fit into the player piano for centuries.
Andre: …with slicked-back jet-black hair, violet eyes, high cheekbones, a thin nose, and rosy cheeks. As every man of wealth in the Roaring Twenties, Freddy wears a pinstriped black suit and vest, white silk shirt, and gray suspenders with matching bowtie and silk pocket handkerchief. His shoes are shiny black patent leather with white spats. More important than his appearance, Freddy has an alluring and joyous bon vivant personality, big heart, keen mind, and he is the love of my life.
Freddy: You’re a lalapazza, Andre!
Freddy, tell us about Andre.
Freddy: Andre is twenty-eight years old, tall and thin with amber eyes, dark hair, milk chocolate complexion, and what you would call a cut body and bubble butt I love to squeeze. He’s the bee’s knees! Andre is a grade school music teacher. He found the player piano in the basement of his apartment building—my family’s city mansion. By pedaling the Pianola and playing famous songs of the Roaring Twenties, Andre can summon me. However, only Andre can see me and talk to me. Actually, we do a lot more than talk. And that makes this ghost very happy.
Andre: Brian Cheney captures both of us perfectly in the audio book.
Freddy: And Brian performs perfect voices for twenty other characters in the audio book as well. He’s magical.
Andre: Just like a ghost (smile).
Freddy, who were some of your friends when you were alive?
Freddy: Cole Porter (who wrote “You’re the Top” about me), Irving Berlin (who wrote “Cheek to Cheek” about me) George Gershwin (who wrote “I Got Rhythm” about me), Henry Ford gifted me with cars, and Thomas Edison phoned me for dates constantly. Flo Ziegfeld offered me a theatre. Louie B. Mayer tried to get me to sign a contract with MGM. J. Edgar Hoover, though a drag, followed me. Joan Crawford wanted to bare my children. Tallulah Bankhead nicknamed me “Darling,” and Mae West said of me, “Never mind about the six feet. Let’s talk about the seven inches.” However, I didn’t find true love until I met Andre.
Freddy, what did you do for a living (no pun intended)?
Freddy: Anything but work! I was a dewdropper, meaning I accepted the kindness of my wealthy family members and friends. My family had made their fortune in the railroad business, which was dreadfully boring to me. After my wonderful parents and dear younger sister died from the influenza, I inherited the city mansion, country estate, beach house, and Italian villa.
How and when did you die?
Andre: Freddy was shot at thirty years old by a misinformed jealous husband.
Freddy: Not mine!
How does it feel to be a ghost?
Freddy: I am definitely light in the loafers.
Did you two fall instantly in love?
Andre: Not exactly. We got off to a rocky start.
Freddy: But after sharing stories about our lives and cuddling on the chaise, we found our way into each other’s hearts.
How did you two become a ghostly Holmes and earthbound Watson?
Freddy: Andre and I solved two murder mysteries together—one in my family’s city home and another at my family’s country estate. With each mystery, we fell deeper in love.
What’s special about this book and audio book?
Freddy: Andre of course!
Andre: Freddy of course!
Freddy: And as in our first audio book, The Player, Brian Cheney is back to tell our stories in this audio book. Brian brings each character to vivid life. Listening to his voices, you’ll feel as if you are sitting right there among our captivating characters in our equally captivating settings. His comic timing is impeccable. His voice is melodious like mine, and he sings too!
Andre: And he sings!
Freddy: Also, the two stories include sexy characters, cozy settings in a beach house and Tuscan villa, my unique sense of humor, surprising plot twists and turns, fun red herrings, a touch of drama, a shocking yet justifiable ending, and of course a great deal of sweet romance.
Andre: And as in The Player book 1, the listener gets two stories for the price of one!
This isn’t Joe Cosentino’s first mystery series.
Andre: Joe wrote the Nicky and Noah Mysteries series and the Jana Lane Mysteries series, both to great acclaim and popularity.
Freddy: But Andre and I aren’t in those.
What can we expect in The Player’s Encore?
Freddy: In part I of The Player’s Encore: The Beach House, I yearn to visit my family’s beach house in Florida. So, Andre and I embark on a vacation to my stunning home which has become a bed and breakfast. Before I can say “zotched,” a young, mysterious houseboy is murdered, the second hunky houseboy to meet the same fate. As it turns out, the suspects are all related to the latest victim: his desk clerk boyfriend, his incredibly handsome cousin who happens to be a doctor, and his feuding parents. Also in the mix are the accountant with slippery books, a studly new houseboy who can’t keep his feather duster in his pants, and a little girl with a secret that changes Andre’s and my lives. Since the detective obsessed with the case has come up with an empty seashell, it’s once again up to lovers Andre and me to find the murderer and save the inn—and ourselves!
Andre: And in part II: The Villa, Freddy and I venture off on a vacation with my uncle, an ex-priest, to Tuscany, where we stay at an inn that was once Freddy’s old family villa. Before the sun sets golden on the hills, a young, handsome, wealthy guest is murdered. The suspects are the victim’s distant father who is his competitor in business, a sexy Italian guide with a secret, two hunky gay travelers connected via a travel app, and a straight married couple who appear ready to embark on new sexual conquests. At the same time, Freddy finds his deceased sister’s diary and makes a surprising discovery that changes his life. When the muscular Italian detective investigating the murder seems lost in his spaghetti, it’s yet again up to Freddy and me to solve the mystery and save the day!
Who are the supporting characters in The Player’s Encore?
Freddy: In Part I at the Key West beach bed and breakfast, we meet hunky houseboys Christian Hart and Nico DeFina, Christian’s parents and his gorgeous cousin Dr. Spencer Hart, Christian’s boyfriend beefy desk clerk Yusef Raji, oily inn manager Troy Grey, and his young daughter Ana Grey. When Christian is murdered, Butch Detective Ken Evans solicits Andre’s help who of course asks for my assistance in catching the murderer.
And in the second story?
Andre: In part II in the Tuscan Villa, we meet my hunky Uncle Darryl right out of the priesthood, the inn’s beefy owner Bartolo Lotto, cute travelling roommates Rai Ming and Felix Gutierrez, young A-lister Colin Maverick and his gray fox father CEO of Maverick Enterprises Julian Maverick, and a straight married couple ready to expand their horizons. Sexy Detective Francesco Ferrari seems more interested in Uncle Darryl and Bartolo Lotto than solving the murder mystery. So, it’s Freddy and me to the rescue.
Who is your favorite new character in book 2?
Freddy: In the first part Yusef Raji is the man everyone would like to marry.
Andre: In part II, Detective Francesco Ferrari is typically Italian in that he insists upon finishing his lunch before questioning the suspects. My Uncle Darryl is also a laugh riot in his newly out persona.
Which character do you like the least?
Freddy: Troy Grey in part I has a lot of secrets up his sleeve.
Andre: In part II, Julian Maverick is the epitome of the arrogant, privileged elite.
How are the stories cozy?
Freddy: They take place in a quaint bed and breakfast on the beach and in a gorgeous Tuscan villa overlooking olive orchards, vineyards, lemon trees, and rolling hills kissed by the sun.
Andre: And Brian Cheney’s voice is incredibly cozy like soft white satin.
Freddy: Like my scarf.
How can listeners get their hands on The Player’s Encore audio book?
Andre: The purchase links are below.
Thank you, Freddy and Andre, for interviewing today.
Freddy: Our pleasure. You’re the Ell’s hips!
Andre: That means, cat’s meow.
Freddy: I guess it’s back to the player piano for me.
Andre: I hope everyone will give The Player’s Encore a listen. I’m sure, like me, you will fall in love with Freddy (and Brian!) and have a great deal of fun trying to solve our mysteries. And Freddy and I love to hear from readers. So go to your magic box and contact Joe at his web site. He tells us everything!
The Player’s Encore, Player Piano Mysteries Book 2
a mystery/romance/paranormal novel by Joe Cosentino
audio book performed by Brian Cheney
Length: 8 1/2 hours
Language: English
Genre: MM, contemporary, mystery, comedy, romance, paranormal, Key West, Tuscany
Cover Art: Fred Wolinsky
Release date: May 28, 2025
Can a man and a ghost be soulmates? When young music teacher Andre Beaufort unleashed the ghost of dapper Roaring Twenties playboy Freddy Birtwistle from his antique player piano, he never imagined they would fall in love and solve two murder mysteries. Now Freddy yearns to visit his family’s beach house in Florida. So, Andre and Freddy embark on a vacation to the stunning home which has become a bed and breakfast. Before Freddy can say “zotched,” a young, mysterious houseboy is murdered, the second hunky houseboy to meet the same fate. Will Andre and Freddy find the murderer to save the inn—and themselves?
A year later, Andre and Freddy venture off on a vacation with Andre’s uncle, an ex-priest, to Tuscany, staying at an inn which happens to have once been Freddy’s old family villa. Before the sun sets golden on the hills, a handsome young guest is murdered. Will Andre and Freddy uncover the secrets of Freddy’s ancestral home, solve the mystery, and find eternal love?
The Player’s Encore, the second installment in the popular Player Piano Mysteries series by Joe Cosentino, includes two cozy mysteries: The Beach House and The Villa.
BUY LINK:
Joe Cosentino was voted Favorite MM Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year and Second Place Favorite MM Romance Author of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine. His Dreamspinner Press titles are the In My Heart Anthology: An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, the Tales from Fairyland Anthology: The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland & Holiday Tales from Fairyland, the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories Anthology: A Home for the Holidays & The Perfect Gift & The First Noel, the Found At Last Anthology: Finding Giorgio & Finding Armando, and the two Player Piano mysteries. He is also the author of the 18 Nicky and Noah mysteries, 5 Jana Lane mysteries (The Wild Rose Press), and 5 Cozzi Cove novels (Ninestar Press). His books have won numerous Book of the Month awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions. As an actor, Joe appeared in principal roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Jason Robards, and Holland Taylor. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College, Master’s degree from SUNY New Paltz, and is a happily married emeritus theatre professor residing in New York State.
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Brian Cheney, hailed by KUSC Los Angeles as the “next great tenor”, protégé of legendary tenor Jerry Hadley, has gained international acclaim for his portrayal of characters such as Radamés in Aida, Don José in Carmen, Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La bohème, the Duke in Rigoletto, and Canio in Pagliacci. “It is tenor Brian Cheney as the brave painter Cavaradossi who really blew me away. Cheney has that terrific tenor sound: the power, richness, and vocal color of a high baritone combined with ringing, awe-inspiring high notes” (Stage and Cinema.) Highlights from last season include Mr. Cheney’s creation of the role of Victor Frankenstein in the world premiere performance of Gregg Kallor’s Frankenstein in New York to critical acclaim and his National Philharmonic debut as the tenor soloist in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass and West Side Story. “Cheney’s ringing tenor voice carried well in the stone catacombs, conveying the fear that the deep bass sound of the monster summoned. And as the section of the sketches went on, Cheney’s voice bloomed to match the action and threats of the creature.” (Operawire) Recent engagements include Radamés in Aida with Virginia Opera, Antonin Scalia in Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg with Toledo Opera, and Salute to Vienna performances in Miami, West Palm Beach, Nashville, and New York City (Lincoln Center). In audio books, Mr. Cheney performed eight of Joe Cosentino’s Nicky and Noah Mystery novels, many of Joe Cosentino’s books published by Dreamspinner Press, All the King’s Men by Scott Leddy, Swarm by Guy Morris, The Last Ark by Guy Morris, and Pressure by Barry Napier. www.briancheneytenor.com