Harry’s Kitty Korner #21: A Star Cat is Born

I’m so thrilled. I’ve made my debut on a Facebook show called “Cat-versations From the Cat Box” on the Crimeless Cat page.

This is how my big break came to be. Debbie was talking to this lady who said she is also a member of the Cat Writers’ Association and Sisters-in-Crime, too. The lady’s name was Robbi Hess, and she runs this “Cat-versations from the Cat Box” show. Little did I know that Debbie wanted at least one of her cats to make a cameo, or in our case, a cateo appearance. Lucky me, I was chosen. I’m thinking the reason Debbie chose me, besides the fact that I was nearby when the show went live, is because I play an important role in the subplot of her new release, Memory Makers. She talks about that on the show but won’t reveal exactly what I do in the book. You’ll have to read it to see.

No matter the reason, I got on the show, I’m proud to say that my claim to fame was short-lived and a little uncomfortable, but worth every second. In fact, I also got to meet a cat named Ickis. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the July 29th episode of “Cat-versations From the Cat Box.” Don’t miss the opening scene and the handsome black cat on Debbie’s lap.

http://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=713628815867985

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Sneaky Interviews Floyd, the Dog from Derailed, the First Kelly Pruett Cozy Mystery by Mary Keliikoa

Meow there! It’s Sneaky with another pet character inteview. Today, I’m chatting with a dog whose author just released a new cozy mystery. Hello, there, Mr. Dog. Please introduce yourself to my readers.

A big woof and a bit of drool to you Sneaky. My name is Floyd. I’m seventy pounds of pure Basset hound. My author’s name is Mary Keliikoa.

Welcome. What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.

Well I’ve been with Kelly for a few years, but the first book we’re starring in is a mystery: DERAILED (2020)

I love mysteries. I’m in a few myself. Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.

Yup yup. The PI Kelly Pruett Mystery series has my book mom, Kelly, taking over her dad’s PI agency. Which was kind of ruff, you know, because she was sad. And she got divorced. And we were both sad because Mitz, that’s Kelly’s daughter, and one of my best buddies, only comes over on weekends now.

But I’m Kelly’s side-kick and I go along with her through the books offering my ears, not only for listening to her work through her cases, but because she likes to rub them when she’s upset. Come to think of it, this recent case she was on has had her doing that a lot. I might need to have a chat with her about that.

Anyway, I’m really excited because I know we have at least two more books. And the next one I really get to show my hound dog skills and put my nose to good use.

Your series sounds great. Are you based on a real dog such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.

Well, Mary loves dogs. All dogs. She owns a golden retriever named Bella. But she once told the story about fostering a Basset hound and how much she loved him. So I have a sneaky hunch, Sneaky, that she’s always had a thing for us hounds.

You lucky dog, you. Actually my co-star in the Cobble Cove series is a golden retriever named Fido. He doesn’t get as much of a role as I do, but he’s a great supporting actor.

Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.

Okay – so you’re going to see that this scene is told by my book mom, Kelly, but she’s really relying on me here. I won’t tell you how it ends, but it was scary! And Kelly clearly needed me to help her out:

Tree limbs around my house often hit the upstairs bedroom glass if the wind was howling outside. Which it hadn’t been when I arrived home. And the sounds I’d heard had come from this main level.

Floyd trotted in the room and stood rigid at the window. If he was on high alert, the noise hadn’t been my imagination. I shouldn’t have dismissed those crunching leaves earlier. My eyes darted around the room. All the blinds were down.

With the swoosh of my heartbeat in my ears, I rolled off the couch and crawled next to Floyd. He’d laid down, but hadn’t moved his focus. Willing my inner racket to quiet, I strained to listen.

The scratching sound came again. Floyd jumped up and barked. Since my house had three stories, the backyard was at basement level. The only way that anyone could be near my living room window was to be in the oak tree right next to the house. Which meant that they could be peeking through the downward slant of my blinds, watching me.

My first instinct said run. The second said, hell no. No one came to my house and scared me like this. Commonsense also made a comeback. I could call the police, but what if it was an animal in the tree? I had to check it out first.

Creeping to the light switch, I smacked it off and darted to the kitchen where I traded my spoon for a meat cleaver. I gathered my wits and marched to the offending window, lifting the blind an inch to see out. Rain splatters on the glass distorted the view. With lack of light in the backyard, I couldn’t see anything else.

There was only one way to know if someone was back there. Leaving Floyd in charge in the living room, I tucked my cordless phone into my waistband and slunk down the basement stairs.

Wow, Meow! I’m getting kitty goosebumps. I love exciting scenes even if they fatten my tail – MOL (Meow Out Loud).

What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?

Kelly takes me most everywhere. You know, except when it’s really hot and then I have to stay home. But that’s okay too. I have toys and a comfy bed. But mostly, I get to be where the action is and even if I can’t be there, she always keeps me in the loop.

You sure are a lucky dog. My MC, Alicia, is only with me when she’s at the library because I live there, although I occasionally stay over her house with her family.

Are you a talking dog in your books or just a silent pet like I am who just meows occasionally?

Oh I don’t do much verbally except for the occasional woof to get her attention, but Kelly knows my eyebrow moves. And I definitely give her a few odd looks. She’s a bit of a risk taker. Girl needs to slow down. Take it easy, like me. Take a few naps. Eat a few treats. You know?

I hear you. Cats make more sounds than dogs, and we find ways of getting our special person’s attention. In my series, readers have to guess what I’m thinking, but in the shorter books, the Cobble Cove stories, they can actually “read” my thoughts. It’s great fun.

What advice would you give other dog characters?

Be supportive. That’s what I’m best at. You know, just being there for your human. But also if you can, give them hints when they’re not on the right track. Sniff around, dig up the dirt, climb up the curtains if you must to let them know if something’s not right. They often need our help and it’s our job to find those opportunities where we can send our book moms in the right direction so they can solve the case.

High 5 paws to that!

Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.

Book 2 of the Kelly Pruett Mystery series, Denied, will be out in May 2021.

Concats, or should I say, Condogs!

Thank you for a great interview, Floyd. I’m sharing your author’s blog tour and giveaway below. Best tail wags to you both!

Derailed (A Kelly Pruett Mystery)
by Mary Keliikoa

About Derailed

Derailed (A Kelly Pruett Mystery)
Mystery/Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Epicenter Press (May 12, 2020)
Paperback: 232 pages
ISBN-10: 1603817069
ISBN-13: 978-1603817066
Digital ASIN: B084XX4C9D

A dying wish. A secret world.
Can this grieving investigator stay on the right track?

PI Kelly Pruett is determined to make it on her own. And juggling clients at her late father’s detective agency, a controlling ex, and caring for a deaf daughter was never going to be easy. She takes it as a good sign when a letter left by her dad ties into an unsolved case of a young woman struck by a train.

Hunting down the one person who can prove the mysterious death was not just a drunken accident, Kelly discovers this witness is in no condition to talk. And the closer she gets to the truth the longer her list of sleazy suspects with murderous motives grows. Each clue exposes another layer of the victim’s steamy double life.

Can Kelly pinpoint the murderer, or is she on the fast track to disaster?
If you like intricate family dynamics, secrets, including plot twists and turns, then this story is for you. DER AILED is the first book in the Kelly Pruett Mystery series.

About Mary Keliikoa

Mary Keliikoa spent the first 18 years of her adult life working around lawyers. Combining her love of all things legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails. She has had a short story published in Woman’s World and is the author of the PI Kelly Pruett Mystery Series.

At home in Washington, she enjoys spending time with her family and her writing companions/fur-kids. When not at home, you can find Mary on a beach on the Big Island where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.

Author Links

Website: www.marykeliikoa.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Keliikoa/e/B084Y77521

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mary.Keliikoa.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mary_keliikoa

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Mary.Keliikoa.Author/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-keliikoa

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20038534.Mary_Keliikoa

Purchase Links – Bookshop – B&N – Amazon

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 21 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

July 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

July 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 23 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

July 23 – The Book Decoder – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 24 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

July 25 – Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! – REVIEW

July 26 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

July 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 28 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 29 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 30 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

July 31 – eBook addicts – REVIEW

August 1 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 2 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

August 3 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

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Hermione’s Kitty Korner #21: My Grandma’s New Mystery Release

Purrs, it’s Hermione with some exciting news. My grandma, Debbie, has published another book. This one is called Memory Makers.

It’s about a girl who’s trying to solve her sister’s murder by volunteering for a clinical trial of a new memory drug. The girl, Lauren Phelps, was kidnapped with her sister 25 years ago. She got away, but poor Patty was killed.
Lauren has been haunted since that time by dreams of a “shadow man,” the man whose face she can’t recall.

While that may sound exciting, I’m more excited by the subplot that Debbie has written into the story about two cats named Harry and Hermione. That’s right. Harry and I are in this book. Now it isn’t the first time Debbie has included us in one of her mysteries. We were also in a holiday story called Murder Unwrapped. Harry wrote about that in one of his columns. You can read it here: https://wp.me/p7XcB0-Mu.  But this is the first time that we’ve appeared in a full-length book. I have to admit I’m a little peeved, though, because Harry has the bigger part again. Debbie better make it up to me by writing a book with me as the star. Paws crossed she will consider that.

Here’s an excerpt from the subplot featuring us. Harry is not actually present because he’s gone missing, but I make a cameo appearance.

Hermione came running to me, her tail high, her green eyes shining, and a small mew came from her pink mouth. I put down my bags and picked her up. She purred against my chest.

“She missed you so much,” Mother said. “I’ve made up your old room. I’ll bring your bags there. Then we can sit and talk. I’ll make lunch.”

A few minutes later, I was seated at my mother’s kitchen table, a grilled cheese sandwich in front of me on a white china plate. Wearing an apron with cats on it, she brought over a pitcher of lemonade and poured me a glass. “I made your favorite.” She sat across from me, bit into her own sandwich, chewed, swallowed, put the triangle-shaped piece down and said, “So tell me, what are they doing to you? How are you feeling?”

I sighed. “Mom, you know I can’t discuss the trial.”

“Not even to your mother?”

“Especially not to my mother. Please, I know how much you worry.”

Her gray brows knit together. “You have no idea. You don’t have children.”

I changed the subject. “How did Harry get out? Where did you see him last?”

I knew she realized I was avoiding the discussion about Memory Makers. Shaking her head so that the blonde mixed with gray curls bobbed, she replied, “On Thursday. I came home from shopping, and he was right by the door. I had packages in my hands. He just zoomed right past me. I put everything in the house and ran after him, but he disappeared. I called him, but he didn’t answer. I even asked Petey to help me look for him around the neighborhood.”

Petey was a ten-year-old boy who lived down the block. His family had moved to the neighborhood the year before, the same time the Carsons, an elderly couple, moved into the house across from ours which had had a succession of owners after Patty was murdered. Why my mother chose to stay in our home after she kicked my father out was hard for me to understand. The only explanation I had was that she couldn’t let go. She’d kept Patty’s room a shrine with all her clothes and toys. My room also remained the same with my teenage posters and music albums. The room she’d shared with my father had, however, been completely redone. Stripped of all memories of her husband.

“Petey looked everywhere,” she continued. “He even made signs and posted them around town. We called the vets in the area and the ASPCA. The only thing I can think of is that someone took him for some lab experiment or something. They do terrible things to cats.” She shivered. It was typical of my mother always imagining the worse-case scenario.

I hope that kitty teaser has caught your interest and that you consider downloading or ordering a copy of Grandma’s new book that is available in so many interesting formats — eBook, paperback, pocket book, large type, .and clear print for now. It will also be in hardcover and on audio soon and, don’t forget that it’s free on Kindle Unlimited, too.

Until next time, Hermione signing off with big purrs.

Feature Friday Film: Cats in Their Hiding Places

Do your cats have a favorite hiding spot? Do you know where it is, or have you yet to discover it? If you can’t find your cat but are sure he’s in the house, where do you look first? Check out these cats in their hiding places and also learn what hiding places could cause danger. There’s also a video on how to get your cat out of hiding which is useful when they are avoiding medication or a trip to the vet.

Feature Friday Film: Celebrating Your Kitty’s Birthdays

Do you hold birthday parties for your cats? Today is Harry and Hermione’s birthdays, and I know Debbie will be partying with them. In honor of this occasion, I am featuring videos of cat birthday celebrations. If you do something special for your kitty’s favorite day, feel free to comment and share.