In lieu of Feature Friday film, I’m featuring my cat, Stripey, who appeared on Feline Opines and had some interesting things to say. Check out his words of feline wisdom here: https://felineopines.net/2021/01/20/stripey-chats/
Month: January 2021
Sneaky Interviews Rodney, the cat from Bait and Witch, A Witch Way Librarian Mystery by Angela M. Sanders
Hello there, Black Kitty. You remind me of my author’s cat, Harry. What is your name and who is your author?
I’m Rodney, and my author’s name is Angela M. Sanders.
Mice to meet you. What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
I make my debut by leaping across the gabled roof of a Victorian mansion-turned-library in the cozy mystery Bait and Witch, first in a new series.
How cool is that? My author is currently reading your book and enjoying it very much. She’s a librarian, after all, and writes a cozy series featuring the Cobble Cove Library where I’m the library cat.
Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.
Yes! I’m in the Witch Way librarian mysteries, where I share the limelight with Josie Way, my caretaker. She had no idea how much she needed a cat until I came along.
Alicia was that way, as well. These human characters are hard to convince, but we cat characters and real cats have a knack for doing that.
Are you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
Angela—my author—is a longtime cat mama, and she has a history of personality-loaded cats to draw from, but I was inspired quite a bit from her newest cat, a black girl named Bitsy la Mouche. Like Bitsy, I appeared from nowhere, and I’d clearly spent time on the streets. Also like Bitsy, my fur is as soft as woven spider webs, and I smell like a blend of vanilla, leather, and love. We both love being brushed and can’t resist sitting in boxes. I’m tougher than Bitsy, though, and male, and one of my ears is torn. Also, although Bitsy and I seem to have the power of reading minds, Josie can actually enter mine, which gives her access to tight spots her human body can’t manage.
I was based loosely on my author’s Siamese cat, Oliver, who has since crossed Rainbow Bridge.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.
Naturally, I’m in most of the important scenes! I don’t want give any spoilers, though, so I’ll share a scene when I discovered to my great joy that the library had a knitting club! (Note: the scene is from Josie’s point of view. She and the knitters are discussing an arrest.)
I hadn’t seen Rodney all day, but now here he was, his gaze fixed on a ball of coral yarn in the basket of the knitter near the radiator. Remembering how he took off with Ilona’s purse, I kept an eye on him. “Why would someone set him up?”
“Who knows?” the woman in the maroon sweater said. “He’s gotten himself on the wrong side of lots of folks.”
“You’re saying he ticked off someone enough that they’d go and kill a stranger and pin it on Craig? I don’t think so,” Duke said as he pulled a half-finished tea cozy from his bag.
“If we had jobs here, boys like Craig wouldn’t be getting into trouble,” a tall, thin woman said.
The ball of coral yarn jiggled as its owner pulled a skein from her tote. Rodney’s haunches rocked from side to side. He was preparing for a strike.
Don’t you dare, I warned him silently.
“I’m just saying there are other folks in Wilfred more likely than Craig to off someone.”
I was just about to ask, “Like who?” when Rodney went for the kill. I was a second too late. By the time I reached him, he was belly up in the tote of yarn, with a coral strand in his mouth and his feet kicking variegated green.
“Rodney!” I yelled as the owner of the coral yarn neatly extracted the cat from her bag and handed him to me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Been fostering kittens for years now,” she said. “I should have seen that coming.”
Excellent excerpt, Rod. Thanks for sharing.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
I am so beloved! I sleep on the bed, roam the town at will, and am spoiled by the library’s patrons. Being with Josie feels like something I was born for.
That’s great. I am also loved at the Cobble Cove library even by Donald who teases me but always sneaks treats to me behind everyone’s back.
Are you a talking cat in your books or just a silent one like I am who just meows occasionally?
I don’t talk, although I understand humans perfectly well. I don’t need to talk—if I have something to say, I simply look at Josie, and she understands.
Communicating with your human is so important. I now talk to my pet co-stars, and readers can “see” my thoughts, but I still have to use non-verbal cues to communicate with Alicia and the other human characters.
What advice would you give other cat characters?
Be as naughty as possible! Go ahead and drag an incriminating letter from a villain’s purse, knock a book off a balcony edge, or sneak into a murder scene. Readers love cats, and no matter how naughty you are, they’ll never let the author write you out of the series. Live it up.
Pawsome advice and something all us character cats need to heed.
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
Watch for me in Seven-Year Itch in September 2021 and Witch and Famous in June 2022. As Josie discovers her powers as a witch, she leans on me more and more to help get her out of trouble and pinpoint murderers.
Those upcoming books sound purrfect.
Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.
My author is a fan of Instagram (@angela.m.sanders) and shows up from time to time on Facebook (@AngelaMSanders). You’ll find me there, too, as well as regular appearances from Angela’s current feline roommates Bitsy la Mouche and Squeaky. Angela’s website is www.angelamsanders.com, and be sure to sign up for her monthly newsletter—it’s a good one.
I will share all that with my readers as well as your author’s blog tour. Thanks so much for the great interview, and best whiskers to you and your author on your new series.
Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
by Angela M. Sanders
About Bait and Witch
Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496728742
ISBN-13: 978-1496728746
Digital ASIN: B086R8VF2T
Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .
Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .
Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life . . .
About Angela M. Sanders
Angela M. Sanders writes the Amazon bestselling Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries and The Booster Club Capers. Under the pen name Clover Tate, she’s the author of the Kite Shop Mysteries (Berkley), which Romantic Times praised for their “well written wit and intrigue.” Angela’s articles on food, personalities, and perfume have appeared in a variety of magazines, and her monthly newsletters have nearly 2,000 subscribers. She interacts with readers on Facebook and Instagram and is a prominent blogger for Now Smell This, which garners 1.5 million monthly page views. Angela has two cats—one of whom is black of course—a witch’s freckle in her left eye and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess.
Author Links
Website – https://angelamsanders.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaMSanders
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/angela.m.sanders/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AngelaMSanders
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 11 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 11 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW
January 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 12 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
January 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
January 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 14 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
January 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
January 15 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 15 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
January 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
January 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
January 17 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 18 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 18 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 18 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 20 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
January 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Stripey’s Kitty Korner #1: What am I? Chopped Cat Food?
Hey guys, it’s Stripey. I had a cat chat with Sneaky and asked why I couldn’t get in on the action that those little squirts (big squirts now) have been enjoying for the past two years on this Kitty Korner column. So here I am with my first Stripey column. My apologies that it takes the place of the Feature Friday Film this week, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it much more.
As you know, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism several months back. Debbie has to put this icky cream in my ear twice a day. The only good part to it is that she gives me these special dried chicken cat treats that are so delicious that I cry for them. However, she also gives them to Harry and Hermione. Is that fair? I have to endure that icky cream, and they get the treats just for looking pretty!
I’ve come to terms with those two, but we still have occasional cat spats. Harry is an okay guy. He likes to watch TV with me at night with Debbie and Anthony. Hermione doesn’t hang with us much. She prefers the top of the bedroom closet or the bed.
I’m glad Debbie put some of my photos and a bonus post in her new cat book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats. I’m including an excerpt from an interview I did with Sneaky when Harry and Hermione first came into my home. It’s my claim to fame and the least she could do since I’ve been her pet for 12 years, and they’ve only been hers for two.
Mice to have you here, Stripey. Did you have a nice holiday?
Hello, Sneaky. My holiday was okay except that those two little furballs who visited my territory in October are still here.
Furballs? Are you referring to Harry and Hermione, the kittens who write the Kitty Korner column on this blog?
You got that right, Sneaks.
May I ask what you have against those two, Stripey?
Isn’t that obvious? They are in my home. I admit that I once shared the place with a cat named Oliver. He was an old guy and really didn’t give me much trouble. When he went away, I had the place to myself. Now I’ve got not one, but two felines to deal with.
I don’t understand. You got along with Oliver. Why can’t you get along with Harry and Hermione?
Well, to be honest, Sneaky, I didn’t get along with Oliver right away. We actually got into a fur fight when he first came into my house, but then I realized he wasn’t going anywhere, and he was a lot older and bigger than I was. These little cats that are in my house now can gang up on me. They’re fast and strong. I’ve seen them zip around like tiny tigers.
Are you saying that you’re afraid of the kittens?
Let’s just say I’m a bit wary of them. That’s why I hiss when I see them and run for cover. Deep down, I admit I’m curious about them. I’ve played footsie with the girl under the door, but I’m not sure I can trust either of them yet.
So, you see, despite our rough start, I’ve managed to make peace with the two furballs, but I still have a beef with them. They get a lot of attention just because they’re young, but I was a kitten once, too, and quite adorable, I must say. What do you think?
That’s the end of my “tail,” but Sneaky has agreed to have me share my words of wisdom as a senior cat on this column. So, there you, youngsters!
Sneaky Interviews Mona Lisa the cat from Artistic License to Kill: A Fine Art Mystery by Paula Darnell
Meow, Ms. Cat. What is your name and your author’s name?
My name is Mona Lisa because I have a mysterious smile, just like the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and my author’s name is Paula Darnell.
Interesting. Mice to meet you.
What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
I’m making my debut in Artistic License to Kill, which is a cozy mystery, and you’ll meet me again later in 2021, when I appear in two more books.
Concatulations on your debut. Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.
Yes, I am in a series. The name of the series is A Fine Art Mystery because my mommy is an artist; she has her own studio attached to our house, and she’s also a member of the Roadrunner, a cooperative art gallery in Lonesome Valley, Arizona.
Cool! I don’t have a mommy in the Cobble Cove books, but Alicia is the next best thing. She’s a librarian.
Are you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
I’m based on a real kitty. She was a calico cat who liked to surprise the author’s daughter by jumping out at her from behind a wall. She liked to snuggle, too.
My author has a calico cat, but I’m based on her Siamese Oliver who’s since gone to Rainbow Bridge.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.
Here’s what happens when Mommy gets a surprise: a very large check from her ex-husband, who’d told her they were broke when he divorced her:
No matter how it had happened, I certainly planned to put my unexpected windfall to good use.
“What are you going to do with the money, Amanda?”
I didn’t have to think twice.
“I’m going to buy this house.”
I’d been lucky to find a house to lease when I’d moved to Lonesome Valley, but renting had always seemed less of a commitment to my new life and my new business than buying a house.
Belle beamed, and Laddie jumped up and down in excitement while Mona Lisa crept up and pounced on my feet with an approving meow. I smiled as I reached down to pet my furry companions. “Looks like they agree; there’s no place like home.”
You see: Mommy needed my approval, and I gave it to her. Yeah, the canine in the house might have had something to say about it, too, but it had to be unanimous.
Pawsome excerpt. Thanks for sharing.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
Mommy likes me best, but don’t tell the dog in the house. He’s a golden retriever, and he might get jealous (he’s sure he’s her favorite).
There’s a golden retriever in my books, too. His name is Fido, but he hasn’t played much of a role since our first book. Cats are so much more interesting.
Are you a talking cat in your books or just a silent one like I am who just meows occasionally?
I don’t talk, but I’m great at making my wishes known. Sometimes all it takes is a loud MEOW.
Very true. I don’t talk to humans, but I communicate with the other pets in my series and also with the readers. It’s fun keeping my co-star characters in the dark.
What advice would you give other cat characters?
Watch out for the canines in your life. You never know what they might be plotting.
I leave the plotting up to my author.
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
I do! Vanished into Plein Air, the second book in A Fine Art Mystery, is coming out March 5 (you can pre-order it now!), and Hemlock for the Holidays, the third book in the series, will be out sometime in the summer of 2021.
They sound like purrfect reads.
Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18782445.Paula_Darnell
Twitter – https://twitter.com/paulajdarnell
Thanks so much for the great interview, Mona. I’m sharing your author’s blog tour and giveaway below. Best whiskers to both of you on your new series.
Artistic License to Kill (A Fine Art Mystery)
by Paula Darnell
About Artistic License to Kill
Artistic License to Kill (A Fine Art Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Campbell and Rogers Press (January 15, 2021)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1887402136
ISBN-13: 978-1887402132
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-10: 1887402128
ISBN-13: 978-1887402125
Publisher: Campbell and Rogers Press (January 5, 2021)
Digital Print length: 211 pages
ASIN: B08MWVYDLD
Artist Amanda Trent, accompanied by her beloved golden retriever Laddie and her persnickety calico cat Mona Lisa, is determined to start a new life after her husband divorces her to marry a younger woman, but it isn’t easy.
After a disastrous interview at the prestigious Roadrunner Gallery in Lonesome Valley, Arizona, far away from her previous home in Kansas City, Amanda’s afraid that she’ll fail at her new career. But her prospects begin to improve when she’s accepted as the newest member of the cooperative gallery.
Then, on her very first day, she discovers Janice, the stern director, has been murdered right in the art gallery, and the Roadrunner’s members, including Amanda herself, become suspects. Which gallery member murdered the unpopular director? Or was the killer an outsider with an ax to grind?
About Paula Darnell
Award-winning author Paula Darnell is a former college instructor who has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in English and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in English with a Writing Emphasis. Artistic License to Kill is the first book in her Fine Art Mystery series. She’s also the author of the DIY Diva Mystery series and The Six-Week Solution, a historical mystery set in Nevada. She resides in Las Vegas with her husband Gary and their Pyrador Rocky.
Author Links
Author Website – https://www.pauladarnellauthor.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/PaulaJDarnell
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18782445.Paula_Darnell
Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/paula-darnell
Purchase Links
Amazon – Apple Books – Barnes & Noble – Kobo –
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 11 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 11 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
January 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 11 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 12 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – Laura’ Interests – REVIEW
January 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 13 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 13 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 14 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
January 14 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 15 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
January 15 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 16 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – GUEST POST
January 17 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT
January 17 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – GUEST POST
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Feature Friday Film: Happy Mew Year 2021
Happy Mew Year 2021 to all you cat and cat people out there. Let’s hope it’s a pawsome one because last year was like something left in a litter box before it’s scooped..
Sneaky The Library Cat's Blog 