Hello, Mr. Dog. What is your name and your author’s name?
My name is Moe, and my author is Anna St. John.
Tail wags to you both. What book(s) have you appeared in? Please list them and their genre.
My debut was in Doomed by Blooms, a cozy mystery published in 2023.
Pawsome.
Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.
YES! I’m an important character in the Josie Posey Mystery Series. Just ask Josie, my mom. She couldn’t get along without me.
Josie Posey, a mature yet ever-feisty big city crime reporter turned crime solver, has officially retired to a small, touristy town in Middle America where she and her posse of friends “unofficially” have their noses in everything.
Josie loves her new life, but a weekly game of mahjong isn’t enough: she itches to get back into the action. To stay busy, she talks the local editor into hiring her as a freelancer to write profile pieces about some of the townspeople.
Each book begins with Josie stumbling into a murder investigation through her weekly newspaper assignment. Inevitably, the spunky woman finds herself in the middle of a crime scene.
Though the understaffed police chief would prefer that Josie keep her nose out of his investigations, she and her quirky Mahjong Mavens cannot be deterred. With Josie as their leader, the women combine their knowledge of the community and common sense to gather intelligence the chief can’t ignore.
The series also includes a hint of romance, as Josie’s matchmaking friends encourage her to date again – particularly to pursue an attraction toward a certain local blacksmith, with whom sparks fly.
That sounds almost as good as catnip.
Are you based on a real dog such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.
You guessed it.
My author has an Old English sheepdog named Oliver. Just so you know, I’ve actually met him, and I can see why Anna (my author) wrote me into her books.
I mean, what’s not to love? He’s loyal. He’s funny. He’s brave. He’s as handsome as I am. I gotta admit, the fluffy guy inspires me.
What a coincidence. My author had a Siamese cat named Oliver, and he’s who I’m based on in my Cobble Cove series.
Can you share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene? If so, please include it.
Sure. Here’s one that shows my bravery. It’s from Chapter 12 of Doomed by Blooms. My mom, Josie, is telling the story:
I woke after midnight at the sound of a loud bump against the cottage wall. Could it have been the wind, knocking a tree limb into the window? I sat straight up in bed. Listening.
Moe, who normally snored through the night, now paced the floor, alternating between nudging me and whining at the back door. He heard something, too.
“What is it, Moe?” My voice came out in a whisper.
After several seconds of silence, I followed him to the door and peeked through the window. There was something on the back deck. I saw a shadow but could not make out the shape.
Whoever had delivered the package had also knocked out the porch light. Broken glass scattered in slivers across the wooden planks. My heart raced as I strained to see what was there.
It looked like a box, but I would swear I saw it move. I grabbed my cell to call the chief. The screen was black. The phone was dead. How could I have forgotten to charge it? Ducking below the windows, I raced to the front door and switched off my porch light. Then, Moe and I cowered into a corner behind the couch.
After five tense minutes with no sound but my own ragged breathing, I grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer and followed Moe to the back door again – still hunkered down like the actors in every cop movie I’d ever watched. The suspense was too much for me. I figured if anyone was going to kill me, they would have battered the door down by now.
With Moe by my side, I turned the lock and opened the door, aiming the flashlight at the mysterious box. An unfamiliar order assailed my nose, and Moe scrambled out the door, barking like he meant business. He reached the box seconds before I realized what it was—a chicken crate filled with hens, flapping their wings like crazy at the sides of their cage. Feathers flew from the openings. There was a note attached to the top.
Summoning all the courage I had, I tiptoed outside to the center of the deck and grabbed the note from the cage. Moe barked sharply at the hens, who cackled and flapped harder, sending more feathers flying over the deck. As I dragged Moe back inside and locked the door, I heard the bleep of a siren in my driveway. The cavalry had arrived.
A doggone good excerpt. Thanks for sharing it.
What do you like most about your role in your authors’ books?
Honestly, I’m practically the main character. I go everywhere with Josie. She depends on me to wake her up every morning. I walk her around the village each day. She asks my opinion of strangers we meet.
When Josie is working on a case, I listen to her theories. Sometimes she gets stuck and I’m the one who pushes her toward the next clue. Mostly, I love hanging out with Josie and helping her catch the bad guys.
I feel the same working with Alicia, the main character of my author’s series. She’s a librarian, and I’m a library cat. There are six books currently. As the series progresses, I get more and more roles. Love the limelight.
Are you a talking dog in your books or just a silent pet like I am who just meows occasionally?
Nah, I’m not much of a talker. The thing is, I don’t need words. Not like the kind humans use. I can say most everything with my eyes. They’re quite expressive.
And of course body language goes a long way, too. On rare occasions, I resort to using my “big dog” voice, if I think Josie might be in danger.
Good answer. I use cat talk with Alicia and the other humans in our series, but I started speaking to the other pets and our readers in the latter books. It’s quite fun.
What advice would you give other dog characters?
I’d tell them three things:
- Take your job seriously. Your author is counting on you to keep the story moving so you can’t lie around all day, snoozing.
- Don’t be afraid to take the lead. Sometimes your main character loses her way and you have to show her where to go.
- Be yourself. Readers like it when you let your own personality show through. You don’t have to be perfect all the time. Heck, I even got sprayed by a skunk one time. I didn’t see that coming!
Great advice.
Do you have any new books coming out? Please give dates and details.
I’m excited to announce book two in the Josie Posey Mystery Series. It’s called Clocked Out. You can preorder it now on Amazon and get it February 6. (By the way, that’s in time for Valentine’s Day giving.).
Here’s the best part: Just like in the first book, my picture is on the cover, right beside Josie. I’m the furry one.
Condogulations! Today is February 6. Best tail wags on your release.
Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.
Of course we are! I’m very social. You should see me at the park. Everyone wants to pet me. I’ll roll over for a belly rub if Josie will let me.
In fact, I asked my author to give me my own account on Facebook or Pinterest. She says I’m not old enough yet. I reminded her of the whole “dog-year” thing but she says I still have to wait awhile.
For now, you can find us here:
Website: Anna-StJohn.com
Facebook: CozyAuthor
Twitter: @AuthorStJohn
Great! Thanks so much for the interview. I’m sharing your author’s blog tour for your new book below. Tail wags to you both!
Clocked Out: A Josie Posey Mystery
by Anna St. John
About Clocked Out
Clocked Out – A Josie Posey Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting: A small town in Sunflower County, Kansas, named English Village
Level Best Books (February 6, 2024)
ASIN : B0CRFY4R6P
Josie Posey and her posse of Mahjong Mavens are at it again, in this cozy mystery where the retired big city crime reporter turned small town crime solver uncovers another murder in picturesque English Village.
When the clockmaker’s daughter returns home for a visit, reporter Josie Posey is assigned the task of interviewing the talented watch designer. That very afternoon the young woman falls from a ladder while inventorying antique clocks.
At first, Josie is certain the fall was an accident. Everyone loved Ella McGregor Benjamin. But Ella’s deathbed statement is a mysterious riddle that can’t be ignored. With her Old English Sheepdog Moe by her side, and an ever-growing list of suspects, Josie scrambles to identify the killer before anyone else gets hurt.
The local police chief wants Josie to help solve the puzzle, but stay out of his murder case. The editor of The Village Gazette wants an in-depth story for the next edition. And somebody wants Josie to stop asking questions. Deadlines loom.
In this fast-paced rollercoaster ride of a mystery, the clock is ticking as Josie vows to find the killer before time runs out.
About Anna St. John
Anna St. John writes cozy mysteries featuring a mature, yet feisty, former crime reporter, Josie Posey, as the amateur sleuth.
Her debut novel, DOOMED BY BLOOMS, was released by Level Best Books in February 2023. CLOCKED OUT is the second book in her Josie Posey Mystery Series. It is scheduled to release Feb. 6, 2024.
A former journalist, award-winning advertising copywriter, and ad agency owner, Anna is married to her high school sweetheart. She writes from her home office in Kansas, with her Old English Sheepdog by her side.
Anna is represented by Cindy Bullard, of Birch Literary Agency. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Kansas Authors Club.
Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 31 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
January 31 – CelticLady Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
February 1 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
February 1 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
February 2 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST
February 2 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – RECIPE
February 3 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
February 4 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
February 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 5 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
February 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
February 6 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 6 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 7 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
February 8 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
February 9 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 9 – Books to the Ceiling – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT/PODCAST
February 10 – Reading Authors Network – AUTHOR GUEST POST
February 11 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
February 12 – The Book Diva’s Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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