Forensics show that Gerry Gallagher was poisoned and that the fatal coq au vin came from Billy's restaurant. Gerry had an impressive list of women in his black book--and a news assignment in Afghanistan had plunged the TV exec into the heart of a violent international secret. Now unsavory characters are coming out of the woodwork, and another murder strikes the show's inner circle. Billy knows that someone's trying to frame him. He also knows that a ruthless international assassin has just arrived in New York City. And suddenly, for the most trusted guy on TV the ultimate career move is not about ratings. It's about staying alive--and stopping the next murder from becoming tomorrow's breaking news.

ITW Contributing Editor Cathy Clamp sat down to talk to the two authors separately to find out just how this collaboration came about and what the future holds for their new sleuth.

Obviously, you both have the "write what you know" part down pat with this book. Did you have a difficult time creating characters that WEREN'T derivative of the people we see on television every morning?

AR: I tried to stay away from the stereotypical, egotistical, preening, bubble heads usually portrayed whenever someone writes about tv news types. I still have to work with these folks AFTER the book comes out.

DL: I think most fictional characters are mashups of aspects drawn from people we knew in school or worked with or maybe just saw for a second getting off a bus. It's always difficult to make sure the final result is original and, in our case, a little moreso. Because Al has worked with or is friends with so many TV folk, all very identifiable, we had to be a little more creative than usual.

Is this book intended to be a standalone, or will there be future books starring Billy?

AR: I hope people are reading about Billy solving mysteries from the kitchen of the nursing home he's retired to. Seriously, it would be beyond my wildest dreams to have a successful detective series starring Billy Blessing.

DL: The Morning Show Murders was designed as the first of a series and, if the early reviews are any indication, Billy Blessing will be appearing on camera every morning and stumbling over bodies into the future.

What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching for this book?

AR: The mercenary aspect of the war in the Middle East. It's amazing just how much money there is going back and forth. And the inherent danger that lurks in places and people you might not be expecting.

DL: Billy is a celebrity chef who operates his own restaurant in Manhattan (in addition to appearing on TV). I have trouble opening a can of tuna, but, since Al knows his way around a kitchen and has even written cook books, food research was minimal. Neither of us was that up on poisons, however, and once I got into it, I became fascinated by the subject.

Amateur sleuth novels are often deemed to be "cozies" but the reviews say what a thrilling book this is. Are you comfortable stepping outside the bounds of the typical formula for a cozy into something more intense?

AR: It's something I do on the Today Show on a regular basis. Our executive producer, Jim Bell, encourages us to step outside our comfort zone to report on people and places that the audience might not expect us to. It really is part of my DNA. Folks don't expect me to be a television producer, but I am. Outside what some would consider my comfort zone? Sure. But that's the fun of it.

DL: I don't know if I agree with the premise that amateur sleuth equals cozy. I understand there are novels about this Harvard symbologist named Robert Langdon who solves mysteries that are definitely more thriller than cozy. And you wouldn't call Hitchcock's movies cozies, but a lot of them feature amateurs forced by circumstance into sleuthing. My favorite is North By Northwest. I think Morning Show Murders resembles that a little. It's a fast and funny thriller in which a smart, urbane hero gets caught up in the middle of a devious scheme and had to work his way out.

I write with a co-author, so I know how much fun the collaborative process can be. Is this the first co-authorship for both of you? How did you like the process? Did the two of you know each other before you started on the novel? What was the most challenging part of writing with someone on a new reality?

AR: I found it very reassuring to know there was a real pro who had my back and wouldn't let me make a fool of myself first time out of the gate. Even though we've never had lunch together, it was so much easier than I thought. The give and take was pretty easy and we each had areas that we backed off of, and others that we felt more strongly about. In the end, I think we recognized the value in each other's choices.

DL: I'd written a series of legal thrillers with attorney Christopher Darden. We got along fine. Like Chris, Al is pretty easygoing. And he likes a good joke, so Morning Show is a bit more humorous than the Darden novels. The big difference in this collaboration is that Al and I are on opposite coasts. Hooray for the Internet.

Tell us a little about Billy's background that might NOT have made it into the book.

AR: As a consequence of a run in with the law, Billy was sent to prison. That's where he was mentored by an older prisoner who was a cook in the prison kitchen. His natural talent blossomed and he funneled his energies and his ability to charm people into learning the ins and outs of running the prison commissary. At first, as an ex-con, the only job he could get was washing pots and pans. Eventually, he got a gig as an assistant sou chef and the rest is history.

DL: That prison and post-prison backstory is the big thing we'll be referring to in later books.

If you were to give new writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

AR: Have fun. It's your world. Enjoy it.

DL: Along those same lines, write the kind of book you like to read. Don't write for the mass market. Don't follow trends. Don't write for the bestseller lists. Write for yourself.

I presume there will be a signing tour. Where can readers find a list of locations and dates?

AR: I'm guessing on the publisher's web site and on http://www.alrokerentertainment.com

What "usual haunts" can you both be found at? Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, websites, etc?

AR: I deactivated my Facebook. Too much work. I am on Twitter.

DL: I'm on Twitter, too, though I'm still a little vague about how it works. My wife is giving says she's giving me a Lowe Tech t-shirt for Christmas.

Which authors inspired you both to decide to write thrillers?

AR: My mom was a rabid mystery/thriller reader. I guess I inherited her love of reading and specifically of that genre. One of my first books was The Hardy Boys The Secret of The Old Mill. So, Franklin W. Dixon, Arthur Conan Doyle. Contemporary authors would include Stephen Carter, Harlan Coben, James Patterson, Walter Mosley, Janet Evanovich, and Linda Fairstein.

DL: My first and strongest influence was Leslie Charteris and his novels about Simon Templar, The Saint. Then came Craig Rice and her screwball crime novels about lawyer John J. Malone. But it was reading Raymond Chandler in my teens that made me want to write fiction.

Anything else you'd like readers to know about the book that they won't find anywhere else?

AR: I want a normal everyday guy to play my alter ego in the movie. Not too good looking or handsome. If I had to name a couple of actors, I'd go with Will Smith, Denzel Washington or Jamie Foxx.

DL: I'm surprised. I see Billy as more of a Wayans.

Thanks so much for dropping by to tell us about the new book. I'm sure readers will be flocking to the stores to pick up this perfect Christmas gift!

USA Today bestselling author Cathy Clamp has co-authored over a dozen award winning paranormal romantic thrillers for Tor Books with C.T. Adams, along with multiple short stories and outdoor articles for magazines and anthologies. The duo's latest paranormal thriller, COLD MOON RISING, hit the shelves in August. They will release the first of a new urban fantasy series with Tor, "The Blood Singer" starting with BLOOD SONG, in summer 2010.  She and her husband live in the Texas hill country where they raise goats--which (usually) keeps her out of trouble.