My Best Friend

Hello mystery and coffee lovers. My name is Alexandra Walters and I am the creation of mystery author Lorie Ham. Here I am again to share with you a little more about myself and the little town of Donlyn where I live.

My best friend is Stephen Carlucci, but he was around long before I was ever created. Stephen was created when Lorie was a teenager as part of some of her first attempts at writing a mystery novel. His first name came from actor Stephen Nichols of Days of Our Lives, one of her favorite shows and her favorite character-Patch. His last name came from a street sign. From the beginning, Stephen was created as a Private Investigator and most of his character was formed over those first few years-his love for Opera, his half Italian/half Spanish heritage, his dislike for his Mafia father, ability to play the piano, and his love for beautiful cars and Italian suits.

Among his first stories was one involving the murder of a hockey player-Lorie can’t remember the rest of them but none of them was ever finished. During those same years, she and her brother Christopher Lewis began writing and putting on their own mystery parties for their friends (you can actually find some photos on Facebook). Stephen and some of his ancestors found their way into the mystery parties and were always played by their friend Don Reimer-quite a handsome young man from what I hear. His portrayal at these parties helped my friend Stephen continue to grow and change.

In 2000, Stephen finally made his way into a book that was published-my first book Murder In Four Part Harmony. We met for the first time at the Classic Theater in Donlyn-we literally ran into each other and sent popcorn flying everywhere. While he never made it in a book of his own, he has continued to be an important part of my series and he has continued to grow and change. He was also a key player in Lorie’s stand-alone mystery Deadly Discrimination, as Pastor Mike Raffles best friend. If there’s one thing Stephen knows it’s how to be a friend-he’s never failed me once. Sadly, he wanted more from me than just friendship, which caused some tension after the introduction into the series of Sergeant of Detectives William Knight in The Trouble With Tenors-to see how that all came out be sure and read The Final Note due out this winter. I finally have to choose between.

Throughout all of these books you learn more about Stephen-like how he plays songs on the piano to suit his moods, how he dropped out of Julliard after his brother was killed in a mob hit, his allergy to cats, he makes his real money from stud fees on a beautiful black stallion, his aversion to religion because of his family, and more.

If I had to describe my friend I’d use words like loyal, handsome, funny, charming, a smile that would melt any girls heart, blond hair, intense gray eyes, Italian suits, OrangeUp, Opera, always driving a different car, and the most wonderful guy you could ever meet. If you’d like to get to know him better, you can read Lorie’s books and you can get a sneak peak by checking out a short story featuring he and I on her website http://www.lorieham.com/

Here is a taste of Stephen’s first appearance in this series-

Stephen sat on the couch with Jess on his lap. His blond hair fell over his eyes as he leaned forward to listen to Jess' excited chatter. The incredible gray eyes that had first attracted me were hidden from my view. His build was similar to Jerry's, tall and slender. Just like my dream hunk, Pierce Brosnan. I’d never tell Stephen, but I intended to buy the Pierce Brosnan calendar I'd seen in a catalog. He'd think it childish but so what? I was entitled, I sacrificed most of my childhood to life on the road.
He'd been home long enough before I called to change from his normal work clothes, a fine Italian suit, to Levi's and a black Los Angeles Kings T-shirt. Two more things that had attracted me to him; I loved men in quality suits, and hockey was the only sport I got excited about. Though of late the Kings hadn't been very exciting.


Well that’s it for this time around folks; hope you enjoyed getting to know my best friend. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series. www.LorieHam.com

Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth