Meow there, black Kitty. You look a lot like my author’s cat, Harry. What is your name and your author’s name?
My name is Tim. My author’s name is Jan Drexler.
Mice to meet you. What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
I’m in one book so far: The Sign of the Calico Quartz. Jan says I’m in the next book of the series, too. The Case of the Artist’s Mistake will be out late summer 2022.
Those sound pawsome. Please give information about the series.
The series is called “The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries.”
Welcome to the Sweetbrier Inn, an upscale Bed and Breakfast located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where mysteries abound, friendships are strong, and the scenery is breathtaking.
Join our sleuth, Emma Blackwood, as she solves puzzling murders with the help of her friend Becky Graves, handsome Deputy Cal Cooper, Aunt Rose (with an intriguing background of her own,) and her furry companions, Thatcher the corgi and Tim the cat.
They’ll make you feel at home in Paragon, the small town nestled in the midst of the Hills which is populated with its own quirky characters.
Stop by the Inn, help yourself to some tea and Becky’s famous scones, and join in the fun.
I like the sound of that. There’s an inn in Debbie’s Cobble Cove series, although I’m a library cat and live in the library. We have plenty of quirky characters in Cobble Cove, too.
Are you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
I’m based on a cat that Jan once knew back when I lived in a small apartment. But my owners knew I was destined for bigger things, so found me a new home where I’m the only cat. Am I spoiled? Maybe. But I still spend my days investigating all the nooks and crannies of the house when I’m not sleeping on someone’s lap.
Ah, the good life.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.
This is the scene where I launched Emma on her sleuthing career!
A meow sounded from somewhere behind me in the lounge.
“Tim?”
The inky black cat purred and padded toward me across the room, threading his body through table legs on his way. He stretched himself up my leg and I took him into my arms, scratching the one white patch on his furry chest.
“What are you doing out here?”
He butted his head against my chin as I walked toward the door of my suite. I was sure he had been sleeping on the couch when I left just after breakfast this morning. I hadn’t been back to my suite since then.
I unlocked the door and opened it wide enough to tuck Tim inside, but in the dim afternoon shadows I saw something on the floor between the door and the sofa. I switched on the light.
A shoe? I looked closer, putting Tim on the floor as he squirmed in my arms. A man’s shoe.
I closed the door so the cat wouldn’t escape again and stepped farther into the room. Another shoe was next to the sofa, the rounded toe propped against the chaise. Brown leather and well-worn. Dried mud clinging to the edges of the soles. Not tucked neatly under the edge of the couch, like my shoes would have been, but random. Casual. As if someone had sat on the ottoman and kicked them off, toe to heel. First one, then the other. Tim sniffed the nearest shoe with a delicate nose touch. He jumped away in a sideways dance and ran behind the sofa.
What was a pair of men’s shoes doing in my suite?
A tray sat in the center of the ottoman with two wine glasses. An empty bottle lay on its side on the couch.
I shook my head. Another joke of Wil’s. Why couldn’t he stick to old stand-bys like rubber cheese in my sandwich? And really, coming into my private room was going a bit too far.
When I bent down to pick up the shoes, Tim yowled from somewhere near the window.
“What’s wrong now?”
I left the shoes where they were and leaned over the back of the sofa.
A man was sleeping on the floor, on his side, facing the wall. I glanced at his feet. Red socks. No shoes. At least that mystery was solved.
“Hey!”
He didn’t move. Was he passed out? Drunk? And why was he in my room?
I circled the sectional thinking I would shake him awake, but when I touched his shoulder he rolled from his side onto his back, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. I leaned over him.
“Are you okay?” I touched his shoulder again. “Hey, are you hurt? Sir?”
That’s when it struck me. He wasn’t asleep.
Love that, and I’m sure my readers will, too. Thanks for sharing it.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
My favorite part of being a part of the story is when I can support Emma. Sometimes she doesn’t know what to do, but a bit of fuzz therapy from me can get her thinking in the right direction.
I also like my sidekick, Thatcher the corgi. He thinks he’s the star of the story, but we all know he’s only the brawn. Only cats can apply our intellectual capabilities to solving the mystery. But he’s good for a game of chase or even a snuggle on the couch.
Supporting our human main characters is an important job. I also sometimes work with Fido, my dog co-star. He’s a golden retriever, but I mostly work with my gal pal, KittyKai, the calico.
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 Emma seems to understand what I’m saying anyway.
I’ve started talking to my readers, although Alicia and the other human characters in our books don’t realize it.
What advice would you give other cat characters?
Always stay in tune with what the people in the story need from you. (People are such needy things, aren’t they?) Make sure you’re on hand for a cuddle on the couch whenever the main character is in the scene.
Great advice.
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
The next book in the series, The Case of the Artist’s Mistake, will be out in the late summer of 2022.
The story takes place in the small town of Paragon where Emma finds the body of the owner of an art gallery lying on the gallery’s floor. With no apparent cause of death, Deputy Cal is ready to classify it as natural causes, but Emma isn’t convinced. Of course, I’m on hand to help her figure out the clues!
That sounds pawsome.
Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.
https://www.facebook.com/JanDrexlerAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/author_jan_drexler/
Thanks so much for the purr-fect interview. I’m sharing your authors blog tour and giveaway below. Best whiskers to you both on your new release and series.
The Sign of the Calico Quartz (The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries)
by Jan Drexler
About The Sign of the Calico Quartz
The Sign of the Calico Quartz (The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – South Dakota
Swift Wings Press (May 20, 2022)
Paperback : 276 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8986137803
Digital Swift Wings Press (May 25, 2022)
Print length : 242 pages
ASIN : B09ZNDM1VL
Emma Blackwood’s favorite pastime is solving literary murder mysteries…until the body in her living room makes everything a little too real.
When Emma comes to the Black Hills to work at her Aunt Rose’s B&B, the Sweetbrier Inn, she is hoping for a quiet break from the corporate treadmill. But she hadn’t expected murder and intrigue to mar this peaceful setting.
As she wades through too many clues to identify the murderer, she soon finds that the culprit isn’t stopping at only one homicide and may even have placed Emma herself on the list of targets. With the help of her friend Becky, and a deputy sheriff who grudgingly lets them join in on the investigation, Emma tracks down the killer. But will it be in time to save the next victim?
About Jan Drexler
Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband, where she enjoys hiking and spending time with her expanding family. She is the author of several historical romance novels, including the award-winning Mattie’s Pledge, and is pleased to be starting a new adventure with a cozy mystery series, The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries. You can find out more about Jan on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.
Author Links
-
- Website: https://jandrexler.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanDrexlerAuthor
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6583749.Jan_Drexler
- Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Drexler/e/B00CLGAGAK/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
- Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 18 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
July 18 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 19 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST
July 20 – ebookaddicts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 20 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
July 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 21 – My Journey Back – RECIPE POST
July 21 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 22 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST
July 23 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
July 23 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
July 24 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
July 24 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 25 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 25 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW WITH EXCERPT
July 26 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
July 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 27 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Hello, Kitty. Welcome to my blog. What is your name and your author’s name?
T. C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco’s blog at 
Sneaky The Library Cat's Blog 