Hi, there, Mr. Cat. What is your name and your author’s name?
Hi! I’m Ruffles, a big rumbly tuxedo cat. I was rescued as a kitten from a parking lot, and now I have a job. I am an emotional support cat. Cool, right? My author’s name is Amber Royer. She lives in Texas, just North of Dallas.
Mice to meet you. In my opinion, all cats are emotional support pets but not all characters cats do that job well. Kudos to you, Ruffles.
What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
I’ve been in two cozy mysteries. I first got page time in A Shot in the 80% Dark, where my owner—who’s an artist – was present when the book’s murder happened. I’m also in A Study in Chocolate – where I finally made the cover. (There’s been a different companion animal highlighted in each book. In the last one, I lost top billing to a bird. It was a cockatoo that lived at the art museum and pretended to paint, but there was a big oversight and a missed opportunity there to feature yours truly, don’t you think?)
I’ve only been on two covers of my six-book Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, even though I’m the star of the books. In Debbie’s new series, The Buttercup Bend series, she gives top billing to a different animal each month, although the cats play big parts, too. The first book featured them up front, while the last one gave parrots parts. Her work-in-progress is featuring llamas.
Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.
Yes, I’m part of a series. I didn’t get to be in the first couple of books, though. The Bean to Bar Mysteries take place in Galveston, Texas. They all star Felicity Koerber, who opened a craft chocolate business on the historic strand – only to have to deal with a murder at her grand opening party. After that, she’s found herself repeatedly in the wrong place at the wrong time, and getting involved in solving murders. It’s become a running joke that she’s a murder magnet, so that by the time you get to A Study in Chocolate, the killer actually calls her out, demanding that she solve the murder before someone she cares about becomes the next victim.
I first met Felicity in the fourth book in the series. Felicity had taken a commission to do a chocolate sculpture for a museum event, and was using the attached studio space. My owner, Gently, was doing a portrait of me at the time. A Study in Chocolate is the fifth book. I hate to say it, but this time, I wound up in the study of an off-kilter historic home, with the murder victim. How that happened is a long story. But it does help Felicity figure out the identity of the murderer.
The series sounds great, and I’m glad you were able to get some parts. My kitty co-star, KittyKai, didn’t enter our series until the fourth book, but I’ve been there from the start, since A Stone’s Throw was published.
Are you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
My author had a big black and white tuxedo cat named Solomon, who passed away a few years ago. He lived to age 20, and was a very patient, sweet cat. I guess he and I have some traits in common. We’re not exactly alike, though. He had a tendency to eat plastic and nibble any plants or flowers he could get near. I have more discerning tastes.
We have something in common, Ruffles. My author’s Siamese passed away five years ago. He was 17, and I am somewhat based on him. By the way, Debbie’s current black cat, Harry, is a big plastic (and also shoelace, wire) chewer. It’s a bad habit and one I don’t share.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.
I don’t want to give spoilers about what I was doing at the crime scene, so here’s a scene where I get to shine in my role of emotional support. Plus, you get to find out more about me and my owner.
I’ve never been to Gently’s home before. It’s not what I expected. It’s so . . . ordinary. All of the furnishings are mid-century, but surrounded by updated tech, like the giant flatscreen on the wall, and sound system speakers placed discreetly around the room. It all looks casual and worn – but some of the pieces are clearly reproductions. And gently looks perfectly at home sitting on the sofa with Ruffles in his lap, purring loudly.
“I like your place,” I tell him. I’ve already apologized a dozen times for the fact that we’d shown up so late. He has assured us he’s a night owl.
Gently says, “Thanks! A lot of the furniture belonged to my parents. I just had the sofa re-upholstered, but most of it is just well-maintained.”
“Belonged?” Logan asks. Logan is sitting near me, and I’m sitting near the wall outlet, keeping my phone plugged in, so that in case I get another call from the killer. It would be bad if the device dies in the middle of the conversation. I think Logan feels like he’s protecting me, but this time, I think I’m equally protecting him, because if he’s with me, the killer can’t strike without me witnessing it – which leaves me nothing to solve. Logan leans forward and asks, “As in they redecorated and gave you the old furniture? Or . . .”
“The second one,” Gently says. “My parents disappeared when I was still a teenager. They are presumed dead, so I inherited the house. But I was a suspect in the disappearance. If there had been bodies, I’m sure I would be in prison right now. I had come home late from a party, and I saw a random stranger locking our front door, with a key on a fob I didn’t recognize. I tried to talk to him, and he ran, so I chased him, and he kept shouting that he was unarmed and not responsible – like he thought I was trying to kill him or something.”
Logan snorts a laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. “So you told the police the unarmed man had kidnapped your parents?”
“Something like that,” Gently says miserably. “I’m sorry, but why is this funny?”
Logan says. “It’s just – it’s a sounds-a-like for that line from the Fugitive, where the guy claims the one-armed man killed his wife. It’s no wonder the police didn’t believe it.”
This all sounds vaguely familiar, though it must have happened after I had moved to Seattle. Even there I had still gotten some news from home, and people had been theorizing. “You’re talking about the Anders case. You’re Perry Anders. That’s why you changed your name.”
Gently grimaces. “It seemed prudent, given the press and the way people were reacting. I felt lost, and couldn’t find my footing anywhere in my life. So the name basically suggested itself.” Gently starts petting Ruffles rhythmically, probably trying to calm himself, and at first the cat is okay with it, but after a minute, Ruffles turns around and bites at Gently’s hand. Gently moves his hand away. It doesn’t look like the bite broke the skin. “I’m still convinced that guy with the key knows something. But the police never found him. So I never got closure. Sometimes I still have these dreams that my family is still together. There’s a recurring one where my mom just came home from the grocery store, and is calling me to come help bring in the bags.”
“That has to be tough,” I say sympathetically.
“Yeah,” Logan says. “It’s hard to not be able to escape into your dreams.”
He sounds like he’s speaking from experience.
Gently says, “I couldn’t escape anywhere. At first, I stayed home all the time, just in case my mom or dad came back. And then it got harder and harder to go out. And when I did – it felt like people were staring at me, or that the police were still watching, waiting for me to do something that would incriminate myself. For a while they were. I know they’re not now – or maybe they are again, since Arlo seems convinced I know something about what happened to Mitch. So maybe that’s a rumor going around now.”
“If we thought that,” Logan says, “We wouldn’t have come here alone tonight.”
Of course, that’s not entirely true. I do still have some suspicions about Gently – possibly because he’s the only solid suspect we’ve found. And Logan has expressed suspicions too. But neither of us are convinced Gently has it in him to plunge a weapon into someone’s chest.
I feel empathy for Gently. It’s hard enough to lose someone you love, under any circumstances. At least when my husband had died, there hadn’t been suspicion of foul play. I can’t imagine grieving while being considered a suspect. And the idea that no one believed his account of what had happened – it’s no wonder he developed an anxiety issue. And now it must be opening the emotional wounds, knowing that he’s being suspected and potentially not believed all over again.
Gently can’t seem to stop petting the cat. Ruffles bites him again, this time more insistently, and jumps off of Gently’s lap.
Logan says, “It must be a challenge to have an emotional support animal that walks off when you’re in need.”
“It’s my fault for irritating him.” Gently waves a dismissive hand. But then he grasps his hands against each other in his lap. “Ruffles never goes far. And I like that he’s honest about his feelings. There’s nothing ambiguous between us. And he always knows when I’m really upset. He’ll come and sit on my chest and lick my chin. I’m not sure if he knows his weight helps calm my anxiety, but I like to think he does.”
“Is that why you chose such a big cat?” I ask, half-joking.
Gently laughs. “I found Ruffles when he was just a kitten. He was lost and half-starved and so small he fit in the palm of my hand. It happened shortly after my parents disappeared, and the house was so empty – bringing him home added a little spark of life again. I may have saved him physically, but he kept me from drowning.”
Ruffles comes back and plops down, stretching out across Gently’s shoe.
Purrs! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing. It’s a purr-fect excerpt.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
I love that I get to show people the benefits of having a cat. Studies have shown that just petting one of us, or having a single play session, can reduce anxiety and stress. Cat owners are also statistically less likely to have cardiovascular issues. I like to think it’s because of the calming effect of a feline presence.
That’s pawsome.
Are you a talking cat in your books or just a silent one like I am who just meows occasionally?
I express myself a great deal, through body language and occasionally showing my claws. But no, I don’t speak like the humans in my books. I can, however, express just as much with a swish of my tail as humans can with an entire paragraph of dialogue.
I used to do the same, Ruff, but after KittyKai entered the picture, I started conversing with her and letting our readers and the other pets in our books understand us. Alicia, our main character and the other humans in the book still only see our body language and hear an occasional meow, purr, or growl.
What advice would you give other cat characters?
Find someone who needs you just as much as you need them. It’s an easy way for both of you to become empathetic, and once readers get attached to you, you have the opportunity to become returning characters in the series. If you’re fortunate enough to belong to the protagonist, show that person affection early in the book, so that the reader will wonder what is so loveable about the protag that even an independent cat can’t help but bond with them. Also, don’t hack up hairballs on the page – it would be a big turnoff to readers.
That’s great advice, especially the last part – MOL (meow out loud).
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
A Study in Chocolate just came out on January 17. The sixth Bean to Bar mystery – which will center around Felicity’s best friend’s wedding and the murder that threatens to ruin it – is due out in July.
Concatulations!
Here’s the info for A Study in Chocolate:
Felicity Koerber’s bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand is expanding, as it has become a gathering spot for the community, despite having been the scene of multiple murders. Artists she met while doing a chocolate sculpture are now working out of the shop. So when Felicity is invited to tea by an eccentric art collector, she’s intrigued, especially when she gets asked to pose for a portrait done with chocolate on chocolate. However, when a murder takes place the next day at the same historic house where the tea was held, one of Felicity’s artist friends becomes the main suspect.
When the killer threatens that, unless Felicity unravels the murder, one of her two love interests will be the next victim, she finds herself unwittingly at the center of a puzzle, with a Sherlock Holmes obsessed murderer who wants to be the next Moriarty – and wants to cast Felicity as Sherlock.
Felicity starts finding unexpected connects between her friends and acquaintances, and has to deal with the idea that someone who knows her is a murderer. At the same time, she has to keep her business running, despite construction dust and unruly customers – and an unexpected order for thousands of truffles.
Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and the kidnapping of Ruffles, the quirky artist’s cat, helps lead Felicity into the puzzle. Can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?
That sounds like a purr-fect read.
Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.
I don’t have a social media account, but my author has tons of them. Here is where you can find Amber:
Website: http://www.amberroyer.com
Blog: http://amberroyer.com/blog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberroyerauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amber.Royer.Author/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA_29HV2nPmRnox9LPVanw
Tik-Tok: AmberRoyerAuthor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Royer/e/B00PFV4CGM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144619.Amber_Royer
Wow! Meow. I think your author has more social media accounts than mine. I keep telling her to get into Tik Tok. Anyways, thanks for the pawsome interview. I’m sharing the blog tour for your book below. Best whiskers to you and Amber on your new release and forthcoming books.
A Study in Chocolate (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
by Amber Royer
About A Study in Chocolate
A Study in Chocolate (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Golden Tip Press (January 17, 2023)
Print length : 289 pages
Digital ASIN : B0BH46559N
GoodReads Link – Coming Soon
Felicity Koerber’s bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand is expanding, as it has become a gathering spot for the community, despite having been the scene of multiple murders. Artists she met while doing a chocolate sculpture are now working out of the shop. So when Felicity is invited to tea by an eccentric art collector, she’s intrigued, especially when she gets asked to pose for a portrait done with chocolate on chocolate. Only, where there is a murder the next day at the same historic house where the tea was held, one of Felicity’s artist friends becomes the main suspect.
When the killer threatens that, unless Felicity unravels the murder, one of her two love interests will be the next victim, she finds herself unwittingly at the center of a puzzle, with a Sherlock Holmes obsessed murderer who wants to be the next Moriarty – and wants to cast Felicity as Sherlock.
Felicity starts finding unexpected connects between her friends and acquaintances, and has to deal with the idea that someone who knows her is a murderer. At the same time, she has to keep her business running, despite construction dust and unruly customers – and an unexpected order for thousands of truffles.
Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and the kidnapping of Ruffles, the quirky artist’s cat, helps lead Felicity into the puzzle. Can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?
About Amber Royer
Amber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course.
Author Links
Website: http://www.amberroyer.com
Blog: http://amberroyer.com/blog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberroyerauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amber.Royer.Author/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA_29HV2nPmRnox9LPVanw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amber_royer
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Royer/e/B00PFV4CGM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144619.Amber_Royer
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 16 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 16 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 17 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
January 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 18 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 20 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 20 – The Mystery Review Crew – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
January 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 23 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
January 24 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 25 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
January 26 – Sneaky the library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 28 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 28 – My Journey Back – SPOTLIGHT
January 29 – Girl with Pen – SPOTLIGHT
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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.
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