Sneaky Interviews Blaze and Soji from Ghost Cat of Ocean Grove

Meow there. It’s Sneaky. I haven’t had a guest in a while, but today I have two if you count the one that’s a ghost.

Welcome, Kitties. What are your names and your author’s name?

Blaze: I’m Blaze, and my author’s name is Mollie Hunt.

Hey, Blaze, you forgot me!

Blaze: Sorry, Soji. Sneaky, meet Soji. She’s a ghost cat.

Wow, Meow. This is a first for my blog.

What book(s) have you two appeared in? Please list them and their genre. Are you in a series? If so, please give information about it.

Blaze: Soji and I appear in Ghost Cat of Ocean Cove, the first of Mollie’s new Tenth Life Cozy Mystery series.

Soji: Yes, our first appearance, but not our last. Isn’t that right, Blaze?

Blaze: Definitely, Soji. I hear Mollie is hard at work on a the next in the series as we speak.

How exciting. I’m sure my readers will want to meet both of you and check out your series.

Are either of you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.

Blaze: I was a real cat, but now I’m an angel. Mollie adopted me from the Oregon Humane Society after fostering me through a terrible broken leg for several months. She thought I would be with her much longer, but I got sick. Now I live on in her books.

Soji: I am real cat too.

Blaze: No, you’re not. You’re a ghost, and not even based on a real cat.

Soji: Okay, not real, but I like being a ghost.

That’s a sweet story, Blaze. I’m based on Debbie’s Oliver, her Siamese, who is also now on Rainbow Bridge. Soji, I think you make a fine ghost even if you’re not based on anyone real.

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

As Camelia contemplated her new kitchen cabinets, she heard the lightest of plops—someone hopping up onto the table. She looked around, expecting to see Blaze, but to her surprise, the surface was bare.

Humph, she grunted as she placed items on the shelves. Then she heard the sound once more as the culprit jumped down, a distinct plunk, followed by the click of claws as he made his way across the floor.

“Blaze…” she began, turning to the sound. Though the room was awash with shadows, there were none dark enough to conceal her tuxie boy. The floor was empty of cat.

“Blaze? Is that you?” Her voice seemed to echo, and she paused, noting the hint of a waver.

Then a distinctive meo-rauw resounded from the living room, and in pranced the cat in question.

“Oh, there you are,” she said too loudly as she swept him into her arms. “I was starting to think I was going batty.”

Burying her face in his fur, she breathed a sigh of relief. She massaged his backbone and scratched his sideburns, eliciting a rumbling purr that rose to audible proportions in the quiet of the coming night.

Suddenly the purr cut off mid-rumble, and the big cat tensed. Struggling out of Camelia’s grasp, he gained the floor with one long leap. Ears back and mouth open, he circled like a wildcat. After two full rounds, he stopped, facing the murky corner. Next, he did something Camelia had never seen the gentle feline do before—he arched his long back and began to hiss like a Halloween cat.

Camelia stared without comprehension. “What is it, Blaze? What are you looking at?”

Understandably, he didn’t answer, but the hissing ceased as abruptly as it had begun, and now he just eyed the place with deep suspicion.

Camelia followed his gaze, peering into the gloom but not detecting anything aside from the dark.

The very dark.

Darker than it should be…

Suddenly a shape began to coalesce against the blackness. A wave of vertigo hit Camelia full force, and she grabbed the edge of the table to keep herself from falling. “This can’t be!” she whispered into the gloom. It was impossible! There was no way she could be seeing what was right before her eyes!

A cat made of mist, white and vaporous as smoke yet unquestionably present. Camelia could pick out every hair, every whisker. The almond eyes glowed red, and she gasped in terror. Then the whole thing flip-flopped—the white switched to black and the red eyes to emerald green. All ghostly countenance vanished, resolving into a quite normal-looking black cat.

Blaze sunk into a loaf position, his ears perked forward in interest rather that fear. Camelia watched in morbid fascination to see what would happen next.

The black cat observed the pair with an enigmatic stare, then opened her mouth into a grand yawn which climaxed in a soft—and very real—mew. She gave a slow blink, a love blink, and suddenly Camelia’s terror vanished.

“Soji?” she offered, for who else could it be but the ghost cat of Ocean Cove?

Then, just when Camelia thought she had recovered from the shock of seeing a specter in her kitchen, she got a second surprise.

“Yes,” Soji answered in perfectly understandable English. “It is I.”

That was a pawsome excerpt. Thanks for sharing.

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

Blaze: I like that it gives Mollie a chance to be with me again, now that I’ve crossed the Bridge. And as the stalwart companion of the book’s hero, Camelia Collins, I have a great opportunity to be a hero myself. Everyone loves that.

Soji: I am the real hero.

Blaze: No, you’re not. Why, you weren’t even there when Camelia needed you most.

Soji: Shhh! No spoilers. Besides, how would you know what a ghost cat does behind the scenes?

MOL. No fighting on my blog, Kitties. I’m sure you both have great parts.

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

Blaze: No.

Soji: Yes.

Interesting. I now do some talking now but only to the other pet characters in our Cobble cove series.

What advice would you give other cat characters?

Blaze: Never forget what an important role you play in the stories. If your author isn’t giving you enough page time, nip her in the imagination.

Soji: …and if you can, be a ghost. People adore ghost cats.

I’m sure character cats will find value in both those pieces of advice.

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

Blaze: Ghost Cat of Ocean Cove is the first of the new series, and Mollie is already working on the second. It’s called Ghost Cat on the Midway, and involves a tiger at the county fair. Here’s the blurb: “When the keeper of an aging tiger is murdered, ghost cat Soji jumps in to make sure Tigre isn’t next.”

Soji: Yes, me—the hero once again. It says so right there!

Blaze: Whatever, Soji. But Mollie’s also coming out with the 8th Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery this November. It’s called Adventure Cats.

Your author sure is busy. Concatulations to all of you.

Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.

Mollie Hunt & Tinkerbelle, Registered Pet Partners

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/

Follow Mollie’s Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliehuntcatwriter/

Twitter: @MollieHuntCats

Sign up for Mollie’s Extremely Informal Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/c0fOTn

Thanks. I’ll be sure to share with my readers, so they follow your author.

Blaze: Thanks, Sneaky and Debbie, for giving me…

Soji: And me…

…a chance to tell about myself.

Soji: Ourselves…

Blaze: Yes, of course. Please let us know if you need anything else.

Blaze and Soji

It was our pleasure. Best whiskers to both of you and your author on your series and upcoming books.

GHOST CAT OF OCEAN COVE, A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery #1

A ghost cat and a cold case murder turn a septuagenarian’s beach house dream into a nightmare.

Advertisement

Sneaky Interviews Salem from No Gravestone Unturned, A Cobble Cove Mystery by Debbie De Louise

Hello, Mr. Cat. You look familiar. May I ask your name and your author’s name?

Oh, Sneaky. Of course you know me. I’m Salem from your latest mystery, No Gravestone Unturned, and my author is your author, Ms. Debbie De Louise.

I was just teasing you, Salem. I invited you for an interview because I thought my readers would like to know more about you. Since our book is a new release, maybe you want to fill people in about your role in the mystery.

That’s a good point, Sneaky. I’m not a regular character in the Cobble Cove books like you and Kittykai who joined you in the last book. I’m only visiting the town with my humans, Suzanne and George Winters. Suzanne is John McKinney’s cousin. As you and most people who have read Debbie’s mysteries know, John is Alicia’s husband. She’s the main human star of the series. The reason I visited Cobble Cove is that Suzanne and her brothers came to bury their mother, John’s Aunt Gwendolyn. Suzanne is quite attached to me, so she didn’t want to leave me at home in Florida.

Thanks for that introduction, Salem. It was certainly nice working with you, although I have to admit I was somewhat jealous that you were staying at the inn with Kittykai. We didn’t hit it off that well at the beginning and neither did you and Kittykai, but we all worked out our differences to help solve the mystery of the caretaker’s son’s murder. Can you share an excerpt that shows when we first met?

My pleasure, Sneaky.

He walked around the porch and peered through the screen door. To his surprise, Kittykai stood there next to a black cat he’d never seen before. When she spotted him, she said, “Sneaky, how did you get here?”

“I walked through the library door after a patron. I wanted to visit you and hear all about your guests, but I didn’t realize you had a cat guest, too. Who is he?”

Salem, peeved at being spoken about in the third person, said, “My name is Salem. Just because you’re Siamese doesn’t give you the right to be rude.”

“Well, excuse me. I wasn’t being rude.”

Kittykai, fearing a cat fight might break out, said, “Now boys, there’s nothing to be upset over. Salem will only be here until Sunday. Sneaky, it might be better for us to talk if you came inside.”

“How do I do that? I couldn’t find any open windows.”

“You can use the cat door. Ramsay installed it recently. Gilly asked him to after she saw me going out. I tried to earn her trust that I wouldn’t go far, and I guess it worked.”

Sneaky followed Kittykai to the other side of the enclosed room and slid through the cat flap she indicated. Ambling over to Kittykai, he rubbed his face against her whiskers. He was so happy to see her again.

Salem said, “I didn’t know you two were a couple.”

“We’re just good friends,” Kittykai told him. At her words, Sneaky’s heart tumbled. He thought they had an understanding especially after that night last August walking back to the inn over the bridge and standing there watching the carp swim in the lake.

Salem approached Sneaky. “I hear you’re a library cat. What’s that like? Do you know how to read?”

Sneaky could only read a few words that he heard over and over again when Alicia edited her work aloud and he was at her house, but he felt like boasting. “Yes. I’ve read Shakespeare and Dickens, most of the classics, and lots of cat books. The library also holds story times where Laura, the children’s librarian, lets the kids pet me after she reads books to them.”

“Interesting. Sounds like you’re a celebrity here in Cobble Cove. I’m from Florida. It’s hotter there than here, but I know your summers can be warm, too. I enjoy lying in the sun out on my patio and looking at the birds in the palm trees. My Lady feeds me real fish sometimes. Her husband catches them.”

Sneaky had never been fed real fish, although Alicia sometimes treated him to boiled chicken tenders. He’d also never seen palm trees except on TV when John was watching golf games taking place in other states. “How did you get here, Salem?” “I flew. My lady had to check my cat carrier at the airport. They told her I had to be stored with the luggage, or she’d have to pay for another seat. I wasn’t too happy about that, but it wasn’t so bad. Then we got in a rental car and drove to the inn.“

Loved that scene, Salem.

What did you like most about your role in No Gravestone Unturned?

Working with you and Kittykai was great. I don’t want to give away anything else that might be a spoiler to readers, but I think I played a big role in the book, aside from you, of course.

Is it true that you came to be added to this book in an unusual way? Can you fill us in about that?

Well, Sneaky, I’m not too proud of the fact that I was an afterthought, but I think I made up for that with my great acting. Debbie originally was only going to feature you and Kittykai in this mystery, but then, while looking at possible images for cats in graveyards for the cover of the book, she noticed there weren’t any Siamese or Calico cats but quite a few black cats. She then decided to add me, and I’m so glad she did.

Thanks for sharing that tidbit of information. I’m sure you know that Debbie has a black cat named Harry. Do you know why she put you in the book and not him?

Well, Harry was just in another of Debbie’s releases, her medical thriller, Memory Makers. I guess she felt she wanted a different dark-furred guy for this one.

That makes sense. Do you think you’ll be back in another Cobble Cove book in the future?

One never knows. Suzanne is John’s cousin so may want to visit Cobble Cove again, or maybe Alicia and John will take a trip with their kids to Florida. I mean Disney World is a great place to visit. There may even be a murder for them to solve there.

Hmmm. That sounds interesting, but Alicia would have to find a way to bring me, and I would love it if Gilly brought Kittykai.

What advice would you give other cat characters who might want to join in a series that has already been ongoing?

Dive right in. There’s plenty of opportunity in cozy mystery books. Cats are very popular in them, but the competition is tough, so don’t give up until an author discovers you.

Excellent advice, Salem. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or the book?

I guess I just want to recommend it as a great October/Halloween read. It’s available as a paperback and is also an eBook on Amazon and is free on Kindle Unlimited. And don’t forget that the last Cobble Cove book that introduced Kittykai, Love on the Rocks, is free until October 15.

Thanks for mentioning that Salem and for being my guest. It was a pleasure working with you, and I hope we meet again in Cobble Cove or Florida.

 

Harry’s Kitty Korner #22: October Black Cat Book News

Meow. It’s Handsome Harry with some great news to share for October. Not only is this the month that Hermione and I were adopted by Debbie and her daughter, but it’s the month that Debbie published a new book featuring a black cat. As you know, I’m partial to dark-furred kitties, being one myself. In Debbie’s new book, No Gravestone Unturned, that is the 5th book of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, she introduced a guest cat named Salem. While not downplaying Sneaky the Siamese’s role at all because he is the star of the series, Salem has some great scenes in the story. It’s a purr-fect October read because the murder takes place on Halloween.

Don’t miss the blog tour hosted by Great Escapes Virtual Book tours. Here’s the schedule:

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

October 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book -AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 29 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

October 31 – Christy’s Cozy Corners– REVIEW, GUEST POST

November 1 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

November 2 –  Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

November 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

November 3 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 4 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 5 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW

November 6 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

November 7 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

November 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews– REVIEW

I have more paw-some news for October. Debbie is working on a non-fiction pet book that will include many of my and Hermione’s blog posts from this column as well as articles written by her previous cats, Floppy and Holly, who have since crossed over Rainbow Bridge. Oliver and Stripey aren’t left out either. The book has many cat photos and deals with topics of feline health, behavior, and everyday living.

There will also be a blog tour for this book in November. Sign ups with Silver Dagger Book tours are being booked now if you are interested in participating.

Feature Friday Film: Book Trailers for My Series

Meow. This is Sneaky. I’m excited to share the book trailer for my author’s new book in our series, No Gravestone Unturned. I’m also sharing book trailers for two other books in our series. I hope you enjoy them and check out the books.

Book 2: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Book 3: Written in Stone

Sneaky Interviews Saber the Cat from Meowing for Murder, the first Clever Cat Detective Cozy Mystery by Sandra Baublitz

Hello, Mr. Cat. Please introduce yourself and your author.

My name is Saber. My author’s name is Sandra Baublitz.

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

I have appeared in the Dog Detective series of cozy mysteries, in Books 2 and 3. Book 2 is Bassets and Blackmail. Book 3 is Canines and Crime. Now, I have my series. The first book is Meowing for Murder.

That’s pawsome. It’s great to have your own series. I’m the main star of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, and Debbie has beefed up my role in the recent books. I even helped her win an award from the Cat Writers’ Association for my eBook, Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery. Notice that I’m in the title. In the upcoming 5th book of the series, I actually witness a murder, but I don’t want to give away any other spoilers just yet.

Tell me about your series, Saber.

I am in two. I’m in A Dog Detective Series, and now, I am in and am the star of A Clever Cat Detective Series. Hint: I’m the clever cat.

You’re the clever cat, and I’m the sneaky cat – mol (meow out loud).

Are you based on a real cat such as your author’s? If so, please give further details.

Yes, I am based on a real cat. My author’s cat. Miss Kitty. She is black too. My author found her. Miss Kitty showed up at her house, and she was starving. She was so skinny, her ribs showed. My author nursed her back to health. And now she is a fine and healthy queen of the household. And my author is her servant. It is Miss Kitty who convinced my author that she needed to have a black cat in the Dog Detective series. Miss Kitty said the dogs shouldn’t have all the fun.

Your author’s cat is very smart. I’m also based on a real cat. He was Debbie’s Siamese, Oliver, but he’s gone to Rainbow Bridge. She has three other cats now, one of them is a black cat named Harry. There’ll be a black cat guest in the 5th Cobble Cove mystery coming out soon, but he won’t be named Harry.

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

Yes, I can.

Excerpt from Canines and Crime:

Paw straightened up, swiveled his head, and ran through the gloomy corridor backstage.

Bruce and I ran after him with Alma and Jill bringing up the rear. When we got there, Paw’s head was wedged behind a tall wooden cabinet, the wardrobe, his tail waving languidly. Meowing, along with a small child’s voice, came from behind the wardrobe.

Paw wedged his head against the tall wardrobe and peeked an eye through the gap between the back of the wardrobe and the wall.

“Woof!”

“Mreow?”

A child’s giggle sounded from behind the wardrobe. Paw raised his right front leg and thrust it forward in the gap as he woofed encouragement to the child.

“Meow. Meow.”

I heard a rustling behind the wardrobe. A child’s voice said, “Hey! Come back here, Kitty!”

“Hiss!”

Paw jumped back, pulling his leg out of the gap and sat on his haunches just before Saber poked his head out from behind the wardrobe. The cat slinked out, twitched his tail then turned and poked his head back in the gap. “Meow!”

More rustling sounded from behind the wardrobe. “All right,” the young boy’s voice grumbled. “I’m coming.”

I held my breath as I waited to see the child emerge. Slowly, tousled brown curls peeked from behind the wardrobe and the young boy lifted his head and scowled at those of us standing in the hallway. Saber pulled his head from the gap and sat down while Paw leaned forward and slurped the boy’s face.

He giggled, reached up with a small hand, and wiped his face, saying, “That tickles.”

Harry poked my arm and jerked his head toward the little boy, indicating I should take the lead. I slowly knelt by Paw and placed my hand on his back. “Hi there. This is my dog, Paw. He’d like you to come out and play with him.”

“Woof.”

“My name is Clarissa. What’s yours?”

The boy stared solemnly at me. “Taylor.” He edged closer to Paw and put a tentative hand on Paw’s broad chest. “He sure is a big dog.”

“He’s a St. Bernard. They get big although Paw is large for his breed.”

Paw sniffed at the boy’s curls and nuzzled him, eliciting more giggles from the child.

The boy crawled out from behind the wardrobe and I got a good look at him. The child was small which explained how he could fit behind the wardrobe. I glanced over my shoulder at the others to see Jon Kenyon’s irritated scowl dissolve into a look of concern and Jill cover her mouth with her hand in a gesture of dismay.

I turned back to Taylor. “Where’s your family? Your parents?”

The boy shrugged. “They’re dead.”

Behind me, Jill gasped.

Taylor looked up at the others and began to edge back toward the wardrobe.

Before I could do anything, Paw lay down on his side and rolled on his back, woofing for attention.

It worked.

The boy shifted his attention back to Paw and reached out to rub his belly. Saber, not wanting to relinquish the boy’s attention, hurried over to rub against his side. While the cat and dog held his attention, I stood up and moved over to speak to Bruce and Harry.

Here’s a Teaser from Meowing for Murder, too:

Although they had only arrived yesterday, Lillian was going to try the harness this morning because she wanted to canvass the neighborhood in her investigations. No sense in keeping Saber cooped up if he was willing to tolerate walking on the leash.

The cat lay stretched out in the middle of her bed, snoozing contentedly.

Lillian approached him cautiously and caressed his back. As she gently eased on the harness, Saber wiggled and grumbled, but fortunately, he didn’t bite or claw at her.

She securely latched the harness, stood up, and stepped back.

Saber glared at her, jumped off the bed, and turned in circles, shrugging and bucking to free himself of the harness. He raced out the bedroom door.

From the living room, Miriam screamed. “What’s wrong with your cat?”

Lillian ran down the hall and stopped suddenly.

Saber just missed her legs as he flew around the room in a frenzy. Fortunately, the cat didn’t knock anything over. He raced in circles for several minutes then flopped down on his side.

“What did you do to him?” Miriam asked.

“I put on his harness.”

“Harness? Do cats wear those? Lillian, you can’t honestly think you’re going to take that cat for a walk, do you?”

Lillian ignored her sister and approached Saber. “Hey, sweetie. Don’t you want to go for a walk outside?”

Saber lay on the floor, grumbling under his breath. When Lillian bent to touch him, the cat jumped up and ran to the door, turning his back to her.

Miriam laughed.

Lillian stood up, placing her hands on her hips. Over her shoulder, she said to her sister, “You’re not helping.”

To Saber, she said, “I’m going for a walk around the neighborhood to see if I can find out any information about what happened last night. If you want to go with me and get outside, you’re going to have to wear that harness and leash. If not, you can stay here with Miriam.”

Lillian turned around and returned to her bedroom, where she pulled the leash from her luggage. When she returned to the living room, Saber still sat by the door, but he faced her. He stood up as she approached, so she bent down and attached the leash. When she opened the door, the cat willingly walked out without complaint.

Lillian threw a smirk over her shoulder to her sister, who sat with mouth agape.

She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door with a click. Breathing a silent sigh of relief that Saber cooperated, she and the cat moved down the steps and along the front walk. Lillian stopped and allowed Saber time to sniff the sidewalk and gaze around. She turned to the right, but Saber pulled on the leash to cross the street. Deciding to allow the cat his way, Lillian followed him across the street.

Purrfect excerpt. Thanks for sharing.

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

I like finding clues in my author’s books. I also like keeping everyone on their toes when I hiss at them, or occasionally claw. And of course, it’s important to keep my fellow detective, Lillian, safe. Humans don’t always use the best judgment. It’s up to a cat to keep them from walking into trouble.

That’s the truth. I try to protect Alicia. In my forthcoming book, but there’s a good reason I can’t, but, again, I will save the spoilers for when the book is released.

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

I meow. Also, I hiss or growl a warning.

That used to be my modus operandi until Debbie started allowing her readers to see my thoughts. I think this makes for a fuller feline experience, just my humble cat opinion.

What advice would you give other cat characters?

Well, I have rules for detecting. And my first rule is: Don’t get distracted by a mouse when you’re on a case. I think that’s important to remind other feline characters. Otherwise, just be your normal awesome catness.

Great advice. It’s very easy for us cats to become distracted, as you know, and it can have disastrous consequences..

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

Yes. Meowing for Murder. The first book in my Clever Cat Detective Series is releasing September 15. Lillian and I go to visit her sister, Miriam, and find a dead body in her sister’s living room. Now, it’s up to us to find out why the woman broke in and who killed her.

That sounds like it will be a bestseller.

Are you and/or your author on social media? If so, please list your links.

Yes, we are on social media. Here are the links:

https://www.facebook.com/sandrabaublitzauthor/

https://twitter.com/SandraInvesting

https://www.pinterest.com/sandrainvesting/

Thanks so much for joining me, Saber. Best whiskers to you and your author on your new release and new series. I’m sharing her bio below and some other details she asked me to include about both your series.

Author’s Bio:

SANDRA Baublitz is a lover of all animals. She has always loved dogs and cats.

A Dog Detective series originally began as a contest entry. Paw’s creation was influenced by the Beethoven movies and the author’s desire to own a Saint Bernard.

The author never got the opportunity to own a St. Bernard and her current cats will not allow a new addition.

Lillian and Saber crashed the party in Book 2 of the series. Saber demanded his own series and the Clever Cat was born.

Ms. Baublitz hopes her readers enjoy reading about them as much as she enjoys writing about them.