Hi, there, Pup! What is your name and your author’s name?
My name is Bailey, and my author’s name is Joanna Campbell Slan.
Tail wags to you both.
What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
I made my debut in Paint Can Kill: Book #9 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series.
Pawsome! Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.
Set on the Treasure Coast of Florida, this clean series features Cara Mia Delgatto, a spunky entrepreneur who runs a “trash to treasures” shop called The Treasure Chest. Of course, she couldn’t do it without help from a cadre of female friends!
Of course not. Sounds great.
Are you based on a real dog such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
I am based on my author’s RL (Real Life) inspiration, Jax the Havanese. Our breed is named after the city of Havana. We’re actually Cuba’s National Dog. Eleven of us were flown to the United States back in the 70s. Those high-flying pooches were the basis for most of the Havanese here today. Havanese have hair, not fur, which means we don’t shed. Our eye color can range from blue to green to brown. We are smart, happy, and definitely wonderful companions.
Very interesting.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.—
Excerpt from Paint Can Kill by Joanna Campbell Slan
Author’s note: Because the wealthy Mrs. Morrison refuses to pay her bill, Cara Mia decides a personal visit is in order. A truck belonging to Eddie Drake, a painter, is parked outside the Morrison home. Somebody must be there! But nobody answers the door. A determined Cara isn’t ready to give up…
Turning in a tight circle, I called, “Anybody here? Hello?”
Woof! The bark was lonely and half-hearted. It came from the yard on the far side of the house. Judging by the volume, the pet was a small canine, definitely not a guard dog. Woof! Woof! Woof! The pooch had either scented me or heard my approach. The barks were not warning signals. They were plaintive. I moved closer to the source.
I found a metal enclosure, a doggy playpen. Inside, a small white-and-tan dog with curly hair bounced up and down, hurling itself against the wire walls. The nearer I got, the more the puppy wiggled with excitement. When I offered him my outstretched hand with my palm down, the dog’s pink tongue licked my skin with total dedication. I scratched behind his ears. He panted with joy. A quick survey told me, the dog didn’t have any water. No dish and no dispenser. That was odd.
According to the weather report, as the morning went on, the rain would stop and the temperature would climb. This playpen would be in direct sunlight. The poor pooch had no shelter. The fact his fur was light-colored meant he could get a sunburn. Being without water was not good. If it got as hot as predicted, the dog could get heat stroke.
Perhaps someone had gone to refill the bowl of water?
I scanned my surroundings while the dog licked my fingers.
“Hello? Anybody home?” I called out. A prickling at the back of my neck urged me to run. But why? No one was around but me. The place looked like a deserted movie scene. I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. The day was warming up.
The dog panted. I put him back in his playpen.
This was ridiculous. Why wasn’t anyone answering when I cried out? I marched along the flagstone path leading to French doors. One was slightly ajar.
“Hell-ooo? Mrs. Morrison? Eddie?”
Still no answer. In a flash of anger, I gave the door a push. Okay, it was fine to ignore me, but what about the dog? The door flew open to reveal a small mud room. Black and white tiles marked its boundaries. Even though I hadn’t been outside all that long, water dripped off my clothes. Should I step deeper into the house? Seemed silly to turn around and leave now. On the other hand, I didn’t want to create a trail of wetness. I yelled, “Anybody? Hey?”
No one answered. Okie-dokie. Decision time.
Eddie might be on the other side of the house. Or behind the garage. He might even have left already, but I would not go away until the dog had water. Now I was a woman on a mission. I would find a bowl and fill it for the fur-baby. Mrs. Morrison could like it or lump it, tough luck. Even as I stiffened my spine, hairs stood up on the back of my neck. A tingle zigzagged through my body. Something was wrong. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. I decided to enter the house boldly. Rather than be quiet, I made plenty of noise and kept repeating, “You-who?”
An archway opened from the kitchen into a sitting room, a lounge. The molding was exquisite and thicker than any I’d ever seen. Every piece of furniture was decorated with gold trim. Framed paintings aped Old Masters, but on closer inspection, they had to be copies. I’d seen these famous works before in the St. Louis Art Museum. This was a curious juxtaposition of wealthy and cheap decorating. Very odd.
“Hello?” I continued to announce my arrival as I moved deeper into the house. The marble floors amplified my greetings.
“Hello?” My curiosity kept me moving. Another archway beckoned. This one was narrow, almost like a frame. The opening allowed a glimpse of a room decorated in peaceful colors of blue, green, and aqua. The ambiance was soothing. Facing the entry was a large painting of the Loxahatchee River. Immediately this landscape was recognizable as an example of Highwayman art. The dimensions were surprisingly large, making the painting in front of me one of the biggest Highwayman pieces I’d ever seen. To get closer to the picture, I skirted a cream-colored sofa with its back to the narrow archway. The couch was tall, but the tops of a few throw pillows peeked over the back. These decorative accessories matched the colors of the Loxahatchee scene.
Then it hit me. A pecular smell. One I’ll never forget. Inwardly, I groaned.
“Eddie? Mrs. Morrison? Anyone?” I was almost parallel to the sofa when I froze. My senses shouted in alarm as I inhaled the tang of copper and body fluids. I knew that odor. It was the sweet perfume of death.
Oh, crap.
Wonderful excerpt. Thanks for sharing it.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
I love introducing readers to my breed. Although we’ve been around for centuries, we’re fairly new to the United States. Once people meet us, they fall in love with our cheerful personalities.
That’s terrific.
Are you a talking dog in your books or just a silent pet like I am who just meows occasionally?
Actually, we Havanese are incredibly vocal. We communicate a lot with our owners. From a howl of displeasure at having our nails trimmed to a grumble of annoyance when the cat approaches our food bowl, we’re talkative…but we only speak dog. (Although we do have a Spanish accent!)
MOL (Meow Out Loud). That is quite funny.
What advice would you give other dog characters?
Remember, you represent your breed. Behave yourselves!
I’ll share that with my pal, Fido. He’s a golden retriever.
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
The Cara Mia series is ongoing, but we don’t have a new title yet.
That’s okay. It’s exciting to look forward to.
- Are you and/or your author on social media? Yes.
If so, please list your links.
Linktr.ee/jcslan Not only do we have links at this address, we also have a fun booklet with crafts and recipes from Cara and her pals.
How nice. Thanks for the interview. I’m sharing your blog tour below. Best wishes to you and your author.
Paint Can Kill: Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series
by Joanna Campbell Slan
About Paint Can Kill
Paint Can Kill: Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Hobe Sound, FL
Publisher : Spot On Publishing (December 15, 2023)
Paperback : 252 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8870813547
Digital ASIN : B0CLYY79CV
It’s raining outside, and it’s raining inside. Hey, that’s Florida. But as sassy entrepreneur Cara Mia Delgatto watches a van full of Highwayman paintings walk out the front door of The Treasure Chest–because the collection’s owner is taking them back–she’s crying on the inside all the way to the bank. There will be no quick fix for this. Instead Cara focuses on an outstanding bill. When she visits the wealthy woman who has stiffed her, Cara stumbles over another stiff, a dead body. With multiple crisises in her business life, Cara grieves the loss of her live-in love and her rescue Chihuahua. The man and the dog have left a huge hole in her heart. Will Cara survive all these losses?
- Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series is a clean read
- Features a female amateur sleuth and her friends
- Includes Florida lore and history
- Shares ideas for upcycling, recycling, and repurposing
- Celebrates friends, family, and fur babies
About Joanna Campbell Slan
Joanna is a New York Times Bestselling, USA Today Bestselling, and Amazon Bestselling author as well as a woman prone to frequent bursts of crafting frenzy, leaving her with burns from her hot glue gun and paint on her clothes. And the mess? Let’s not even go there.
Otherwise, Joanna’s a productive author with more than 80 written projects to her credit. Her non-fiction work includes how to books, a college textbook for public speakers, and books of personal essays (think Chicken Soup for the Soul).
Currently, she writes six fiction series: The Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist, contemporary, St. Louis setting, crafting), the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series (contemporary, Florida setting, DIY, and recycling), the Jane Eyre Chronicles (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 1830s England, based on Charlotte Brontë’s classic), the Sherlock Holmes Fantasy Thrillers (late 1800s, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books), the Tai Chi Mystery Series (featuring a mature female amateur sleuth!) and the Friday Night Mystery Series (set in Decatur, IL in 1986 with a spunky female heroine.)
A former TV talk show host, college teacher, and public relations specialist, Joanna was one of the early Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors. She won a Silver Anvil for her work on the original FarmAid concert to benefit farmers.
In her ongoing quest never to see snow again, Joanna lives with her husband and their Havanese puppy, Jax, on an island off the coast of Florida. You can email her at jcslan@joannaslan.com or visit her website at https://linktr.ee/jcslan
Author Links
Newsletter sign up: https://joannacampbellslan.substack.com/publish/home
Street Team sign up: https://joannacampbellslan.com/
Website — https://joannacampbellslan.com/
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/JoannaCampbellSlan
Facebook Group — https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602372550058785
Twitter — https://twitter.com/JoannaSlan
Amazon Author Page — https://amzn.to/3uF3h0g
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/JCSlan/
Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/joannacampbellslan
Bookbub — https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joanna-campbell-slan
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/JoannaSlan
Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com/joannaslan/
Purchase Link – Amazon
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Hello and Meow. Hermione here with exciting news. My grandma’s new cat book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats, is on blog tour. Beautiful, full-color photos of me and my brothers Harry and Stripey are included with many of the Kitty Korner columns we’ve written. There are three other cats in the book with us whom I’ve never met — Floppy, Holly, and Oliver. These cats were before my and Harry’s time, although Stripey knew Oliver, Debbie’s Siamese, for several years.
What is your name and your author’s name?
Sneaky The Library Cat's Blog 