Win an audio copy of HISS H FOR HOMICIDE!!!!!

 TANTOR has generously provided us with some complimentary audio copies of HISS H FOR HOMICIDE!  And we're sharing them with you!

They've provided a code to use to download a free audio copy of the book.  We're giving away three!!!!!!

To enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section and tell us what you love about Nick and Nora! Tell us what you don't love, too!  We'll choose three at random to get the code (with instructions) to download your free copy!!!!!!

Contest ends midnight, June 30th!!!!!!!!

ROCCO'S JUNE COZY REVIEWS!

 Meow!

Here are my cozy reviews for June!

MURPHY'S SLAW

An Alaskan Diner Mystery

Elizabeth Logan

Berkley; MMPB

June 1, 2021

Four and a half paws

When a local prize-winning farmer is murdered at the state fair, Charlie Cook gets called in to help investigate, but she’s shocked to learn the victim is a friend in this latest installment in the Alaskan Diner Mysteries.

Charlie Cooke loves many things, like the Bear Claw Diner, the heated steering wheel of her car, and her orange tabby cat Eggs Benedict. Something she has never loved is the state fair. So when her best friend Annie Jensen begs her for a fair day, she’s reluctant.  But Annie isn’t the only one who wants her to spend a day among farm animals and deep fried food. A vendor has been murdered, and Trooper Graham needs his favorite part-time sleuth to dig up the truth, and Charlie is happy to oblige.

The case grows personal when Charlie learns the victim is Kelly Carson, whom she and Annie were friends with in high school. If Charlie wants to find justice for Kelly, she and Annie will have to work together to weed out the killer.

OK, who wouldn't love a series with a cat named Eggs Benedict?????  We enjoyed the first two in this series, and #3 does not disappoint.  We are hopeful for more!!!!!!  four and a half paws.

Death on the Night of Lost Lizards

Hungarian Tea House Mystery

Julia Buckley

Berkley; MMPB; June 1, 2021

Four Paws

Along with her mother and grandmother, Hana Keller has achieved renown serving tea and cakes with a European flair, but when a local professor is killed, she uncovers a serving of suspects instead…

Hana Keller is getting ready for a lovely holiday season. When she receives a rare tea set as a birthday gift, she decides to host a tea at her apartment for her closest friends. During the cozy get-together, one of Hana's friends gets word that a murderer is on the loose. Hana soon learns that the victim was Sandor Balog, a professor of Hungarian Studies at the local college.

With her growing psychic ability, Hana senses that she is going to be pulled into the investigation of  the professor's death somehow. With her sexy boyfriend Erik on the case, Hana finds the Tea House steeped in suspects. She studies the smiling faces celebrating the season, but the real killer is good at hiding the truth and putting Hana in the hot seat….

Not one of our favorites in this series, but still a good read!

Murder She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond

Jessica Fletcher/Terrie Farley Moran

Berkley; Hardcover; June 8, 2021

Four and a half stars

When a friend’s husband dies while Jessica Fletcher is in town visiting, Jessica’s vacation turns into a murder investigation in this latest entry in the long-running USA Today bestselling series.

After traveling to Bethesda for a mystery writers’ conference, Jessica Fletcher decides she’s earned a vacation and takes a train to Columbia, South Carolina, to visit her old college friend Dolores, who has recently married her third husband, Willis Nickens, a wealthy and cutthroat businessman. They’ve moved into an opulent historic home with plenty of space for guests, and Jessica is ready for a week of shopping, gossiping, and relaxing at the grand estate.

But the morning after she arrives, Jessica discovers Willis facedown in the koi pond, and despite what the police think, she’s sure foul play is involved. She hadn’t known Willis long, but it’s clear to her that he didn’t concern himself with making friends. The question isn’t if her friend’s husband was murdered but by whom.

Seems to us a if Jessica goes back to her roots in this one.  The mystery takes on a different tone than those previously written;  however, longtime fans of the series will enjoy!

The Listening House

Mabel Seeley

Berkley; June 8, 2021

Trade paperback - Cover image not available

Down and out in the Depression, Gwynne Dacres moves into a seedy and sinister boarding house, where she exposes deadly secrets in this classic mystery by Mabel Seeley

After losing her copywriting job, young Gwynne Dacres seeks a place to live when she stumbles upon Mrs. Garr's old boarding house. Despite the gruff landlady and an assortment of shifty tenants, Gwynne rents a room for herself. She spends her first few nights at 593 Trent Street tensely awake, the house creaking and groaning as if listening to everything that happens behind its closed doors.

A chain of chilling events leads to the gruesome discovery of a mutilated body in the basement kitchen, dead of unknown circumstances. Was it an accident or murder? Under the red-black brick façade of the old house on Trent Street, Gwynne uncovers a myriad of secrets, blackmail, corruption, and clues of a wicked past. As she closes in on the truth, the cold, pale hands of death reach for Gwynne in the night…

This reminded me of one of those old 1940's Noir mysteries!  Definitely a good read!

Little Black Book

Kate Carlisle

Bibliophile Mysteries

Berkley/Hardcover/June 29, 2021

Five Stars

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is on the case when a rare edition of Rebecca leads to murder in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn and her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, have just returned from a delightful trip to Dharma, where the construction of their new home away from home is well underway, when a little black book arrives in the mail from Scotland. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and there’s no return address on the package. The day after the book arrives, Claire Quinn shows up at Brooklyn and Derek’s home. Brooklyn met Claire when the two women worked as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire’s expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.
 
Claire reveals that during a recent trip to Scotland she discovered her beloved aunt was missing and her home had been ransacked. Among her aunt’s belongings, Claire found the receipt for the package that wound up with Brooklyn and Derek. Claire believes both her own life and her aunt’s are in danger and worries that her past may be coming back to haunt her.
 
But just as Brooklyn and Derek begin to investigate, a man who Claire thinks was following her is found murdered, stabbed with a priceless jeweled dagger. With a death on their doorstep, Brooklyn and Derek page through the little black book, where they discover clues that will take them to the shadows of a medieval Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Under the watchful gaze of a mysterious laird and the irascible villagers who are suspicious of the strangers in their midst, Brooklyn and Derek must decode the secrets in Rebecca to keep their friend’s past from destroying their future....

It took us awhile to find this series and, we admit, weren't entranced at first....but now we are die hard fans of Brooklyn, Derek, and their friends!  Each mystery is better than the last, and this one is no exception!  We are defintely looking forward to more!  Five Paws!!!!!!!!

THE TIME FOR MURDER IS MEOW

AN URBAN TAILS PET SHOP MYSTERY

T. C. LOTEMPIO

BEYOND THE PAGE; E-BOOK, TRADE PAPERBACK

JUNE 9, 2021  RE-RELEASE

This book was originally published by Midnight Ink, and discontinued after publication of book one when MI ended their fiction line.  Fortunately, Beyond the Page has picked up the series for books 1-4!!!!!!!!

When her TV series is canceled, struggling actress Shell McMillan considers it a blessing in disguise. A beloved aunt who recently died left her a pet shop in her will, and she sees it as the perfect chance to walk away from Hollywood and make a fresh start in the sleepy town of Fox Hollow.

But adjusting to small-town life won’t be easy, as Shell realizes when the head of the museum board is found murdered not long after Shell had a very public argument with her. And when the new kid in town is fingered for the crime, she’ll have to rely on her own wit and pluck and the kindness of strangers to get herself off the hook.

Desperate to exonerate herself and catch the real culprit, Shell begins digging into the lives of the local residents, and she quickly discovers that the victim had no shortage of enemies. As the suspect list grows and time runs short, Shell and her cats will have to claw their way out of danger—and it’s meow or never . . .

“A buoyant start to a new series . . . Fans of feline mysteries will relish The Time for Murder Is Meow’s pet shop framework in this story of finding one’s second act.” —Foreword Reviews

Unfortunately, we cannot review the human's work for obvious reasons LOL.  But feel free to check out what others think on Amazon, GoodReads and Barnes and Noble!!!!!!!

Want to win a paper copy of the new TIME FOR MURDER IS MEOW?

Leave your name and email addy in our comments section.  One winner will be chosen at random. US entries only please.  Contest ends  midnight, June 28

Spotlight on MELISSA LARSEN' SHUTTER

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW RELEASE:

SHUTTER

Berkley - Trade Paperback - $14.95

Melissa Larsen

Suspense, horror, power, control, voyeurism, and sexual politics all blend together in a tale that’s deliciously creepy with what Publishers Weekly has called a “knockout punch of a surprise ending.”  

Already named by Bustle and Barnes & Noble’s blog as one of their most anticipated debuts of 2021, Melissa Larsen proves to be a compelling new voice in suspense fiction. 

 

In the wake of her father's death, Betty doesn't allow herself to mourn. Instead, she pushes away her mother, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves everything behind to move to New York City crashing on her old friend Sophia and Sophia’s boyfriend Ben’s, couch. Sophia and Ben introduce Betty to their friend and indie filmmaker darling Anthony Marino, whose previous movie is a favorite of Betty’s. She starstruck by Anthony and, while slightly afraid of him, completely captivated by him as well. When he offers her the chance to play the leading role in his latest project, a loose re-make of Cape Fear, she jumps at the opportunity.

 

The four of them head to Anthony’s family’s cabin off the coast of Maine for several weeks to shoot the film. Betty starts to get more apprehensive about what she’s gotten herself into. She continuously finds herself pulled under Anthony’s alluring spell, but there’s no real script, or at least one that Betty’s not privy to. Anthony gives her a new identity, Lola, and a radical makeover to fit the part. But Betty tells herself that this is exactly what she's been looking for: the chance to reinvent herself. That is, until she meets Sammy, the island’s caretaker, and Betty realizes just how little she knows about the movie and its director and is certainly in over her head.

 

Shutter releases today!  Get your copy at: Amazon,Barnes and Noble.

About the

Author

Melissa Larsen has an M.F.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She has interned and worked extensively in publishing. She lives in San Francisco, and Shutter is her first novel.

Anniversary Time - TC and her agent, Josh Getzler!

Meow!  Today marks 10 years that the human, better known as T. C. Lotempio, signed with her literary agent, Josh Getzler!!!!!!!!  Josh is responsible for getting the Nick and Nora mysteries into print (both incarnations) as well as the Cat Rescue Mysteries and both incarnations of the Pet Shop Mysteries!  And, we hope, more to come!!!!!  The Human has a few words to say about her lovely agent!

Thanks ROCCO!

Getting started as a writer isn't easy.  You need, first of all, a good manuscript.  Then,  more often than not, you need a good agent, someone who knows what they're doing, who to contact, what houses are right for your novel, etc.  

I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my prince, but find him I did!  Ten years ago I sent Josh 50 pages of a novel about an allergic vampire slayer.  He read it, loved it, and signed me on as a client on June 3, 2011.  To date we have yet to sell that manuscript, but we did go on to sell three other series:  the Nick and Nora mysteries, the Cat Rescue mysteries, and the Pet Shop mysteries (recently re-released as Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries.) And here's how it all happened:

2011:  I send out 100 queries on my manuscript, SLAY ME ONCE.  Two agents offer repreentation.  I sign with Josh and his new agency, Hannigan Salky Getzler, on June 3, 2011.

January 14, 2013:  After a rewrite and Hurricane Katrina wreaks havoc, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, the first Nick and Nora, sells to Penguin!

December 2, 2014:  the first Nick and Nora is published.

2015/2016 - We shop around PURR M FOR MURDER, and it's finally published (after rewrite) by Crooked Lane.

2017/2018 - I write a story about a former actress, Shell McMillan.  Shell had many professions before she finally became a pet store owner and Midnight Ink bought the book in February of 2018.

2020 - We find a home for Nick and Nora and the Pet Shop mysteries at Beyond the Page!  They are publishing Nick and Nora 4-7 and Pet Shop 1-4.  And who knows, maybe more!

I have high hopes that Josh will continue to sell my manuscripts - hopefully, the two he's got right now LOL.  and there might be some other things up his sleeve, who knows???????   I look forward to another ten years with him!  (Oh, and I never thought Josh would be a cat person...but as you can see from the photo above, he's been converted!)

And who knows....he just  might sell that allergic vampire series someday!!!!!!!!

In honor of our anniversary, Josh has agreed to do ROCCO's Fast Five!

How do you get out of a bad mood?

 

I go out for a run with my wife. We've been running for around 3 years, and during Covid it turned into the thing that kept us from losing our minds. And with three (pretty grown-up) kids, a dog, and a cat with us in our apartment, it was one of the only ways the two of us had time alone together! It makes us happy, and lets us be together and solve the problems of the world.   

 

What hobby/interest are you a little obsessed with?

 

I play drums, and get really relaxed and zen behind the drum set, even though I'm more academic than emotional about my playing. I just like doing something very different with my brain, and it makes me incredibly happy, even when I'm not very good.

 

On what topic do you feel qualified to give advice

Baseball (ROCCO's note:  we should mention that Josh formerly owned a farm baseball team, the Staten Island Yankees!  So the man knows his baseball!!!!)

 

What was your best family vacation?

The northwest coast of Costa Rica for Passover a few years ago. It was gorgeous, relaxed, and a very different environment from where we usually hang out.

 

If you could live anywhere other than NYC, where would it be?

London, without any question; then Rome, then DC. I could live in any of those cities like a native in very short order. But I will never leave NY (except maybe for a sabbatical in London when the kids are out of the house...) 

Happy Anniversary, Josh and TC!

In honor of our anniversary, I'll give away a signed print edition of the Purr M for Murder paperback recently released by Harlequin.  Leave your name and email address in our comments section below to enter.  Contest closes midnight, June 10.  US entries only, please.

ROCCO reviews "Peaches and Schemes" (and Anna Gerard does our Fast Five!)

meow!  Today I have the pleasure of reviewing Anna Gerard's third instalment in her Georgia B&B Series, PEACHES AND SCHEMES!

In Anna Gerard's third delightful Georgia B&B mystery, Nina Fleet learns that despite the satin, lace, and buttercream trappings, weddings often prove to be anything but sweet...

Nina Fleet might be new to the innkeeping business, but she's savvy enough to know that Cymbeline's tourists aren't enough to keep her fledgling bed and breakfast going. And so, Nina decides to tap into the destination wedding market by taking a booth at the Veils and Vanities Bridal Expo. The twice-yearly event is sponsored by the town's two wedding pros: Virgie Hamilton, the sixtysomething owner of Virgie's Formals, and Roxanna Quarry, a Gen X event planner and Nina's new friend. But everything goes wrong during the expo's fashion show, when Roxanna comes tumbling out of an oversized prop wedding cake, strangled to death by her own scarf.

Virgie is arrested for the crime, thanks to Nina's statement to the police about having overheard the woman accusing her partner of embezzlement. Meanwhile, the situation grows tense with her sometimes nemesis and current tenant, the dashing out-of-work actor Harry Westcott. Harry is concentrating on plugging his most recent side hustle ...but he's not too busy to break the news to Nina that her ex-husband is engaged to be married again.

Certain that Virgie's only offense is a bad temper, Nina decides to do her own investigating. First, however, she and Harry retrieve Roxanna's now ownerless dog, planning to foster him until a new home can be found. But local gossip soon convinces Nina that others beside Virgie might have had reason to murder Roxanna. As Nina gets close to the truth, she's putting her own life at danger. And when Virgie vanishes after being bailed out of jail by an unknown benefactor, Nina fears that if she can't find the dress shop owner in time, tying the knot will take on a whole new meaning for them both.

So what is there  not to like about this series?  I've been a fan of the author's other series (Black Cat Bookshop, written as Ali Brandon) and thoroughly enjoy this one.  I do enjoy the interaction between Nina and Harry (what a rogue!) and I do hope the series continues so there might possibly be a chance of a romance between these two!!!!!!!!!!  an excellent series!  If you haven't tried it yet, highly recommend.  Five paws up! (and both ROCCO and Maxx approved!)

And now.....

ROCCO'S FAST FIVE! with Anna Gerard!

 

·        Cats and Dogs are featured prominently in your books.  Are any of them modeled after your own pets? 

Of course! Brandon Bobtail and Ophelia in my Tarot Cats Mysteries are based on my own kitties, Brandon and Ophelia. Like their characters, they are sibling black cats although real life Brandon—who also has half a tail—is far snarkier than his literary namesake. As for Mattie the Aussie in my Georgia B&B Mystery series, she is based on a combination of two dearly departed Aussie pups of mine…Oliver and Matilda. Mattie was the smartest dog I’ve ever known, but not the friendliest to outsiders. Oliver was a big fluff head who was everyone’s friend. Together they make the ideal dog, who is my amateur sleuth Nina Fleet’s Mattie.

 

·        What was your favorite childhood book or series?

            I started out young with mysteries as I cut my reading “teeth” on the Bobbsey Twins. From there, any book with magic (particularly all the Edgar Eager and Zilpha Keatley Snyder books) were always on my library checkout list.

 

·        How do you relax after a stressful day?

Relax? What’s that? If I’m lucky after the day job and all the home chores and (hopefully) a bit of writing. I usually veg out in bed watching old sitcoms.

 

·        What is your favorite movie quote? 

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”

 

·        What's something that's always in your fridge?

Diet Coke (and ice cream in the freezer!).

Thank you, Anna!

Folks you can find out all about new releases at the author's website:

https://www.dianestuckart.com/

Also, visit https://bookloversbench.com/ to enter a giveaway to win free books!

ROCCO and I will giveaway a signed copy of the MMPB of  PURR M FOR MURDER to the first person who correctly identifies Diane's movie quote!   Put your guesses in our comments section below!  ends midnight, May 15.

ROCCO's May Cozy Reviews!

Meow!  It's time for my May Cozy Reviews:

ARSENIC AND ADOBO

Mia P. Manansala

A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery

Trade Paperback/Berkley

Release date: 5/4/21

Four 1/2 stars

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer....

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

a good first entry in what appears to be a promising series!

FOR BATTER OR WORSE

A cupcake bakery mystery

JENN MCKINLAY

Berkley MMPB

Release date: 5/4/21

4 1/2 stars

Life is sweet and business is booming at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery—and the fact that Mel and Joe are getting married is the icing on the cake. Their reception will be held at the swanky resort where Oz works as the pastry chef. The wedding planning is all fun-fetti and games until Mel and Joe meet the head chef at the resort who has been making Oz's life miserable. When the eccentric chef insults Mel's bakery, Oz gets into a blowout argument with the culinary prima donna. 

Things turn extra sour when the chef is murdered, and Oz is the police's main suspect. As the countdown to the wedding day begins, Mel, Joe, and the rest of the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew must sift through clues to catch the real killer and clear Oz's name before their wedding plans are totally battered and baked.

This is the thirteenth entry in this popular series, which shows no evidence of running out of steam!  A four and a half paw tail!!!!!!

GHOST AND THE HAUNTED PORTRAIT

CLEO COYLE

A Haunted Bookshop Mystery

MMPB - Berkley

Release date - 5/4/21

Four 1/2 Paws

BERKLEY/MMPB

RELEASE DATE: 5/4/21

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and her gumshoe ghost team up to solve the stunning mystery at the heart of a madwoman’s self-portrait in this all new installment from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
 
While gathering a collection of vintage book cover paintings for a special event in her quaint Rhode Island bookshop, Penelope discovers a spooky portrait of a beautiful woman, one who supposedly went mad, according to town gossip. Seymour, the local mailman, falls in love with the haunting image and buys the picture, refusing to part with it, even as fatal accidents befall those around it. Is the canvas cursed? Or is something more sinister at work?
 
For answers, Pen turns to an otherworldly source: Jack Shepard, PI. Back in the 1940s, Jack cracked a case of a killer cover artist, and (to Pen’s relief) his spirit is willing to help her solve this mystery, even if he and his license did expire decades ago.

We are big fans of Cleo's Coffee house mysteries, and this series is quickly becoming another favorite!  We are also big paranormal fans, so anything combining cozy and paranormal is #1 with  us!  4 1/2 paws.

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit

Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Krista Davis

Kensington; Hardcover

May 25, 2021

4 1/2 Stars

he latest Domestic Diva mystery from New York Times bestselling author, Krista Davis, entertaining maven Sophie Winston must cut to the core of another murder investigation when members of an international tour group begin dropping like flies all over Old Town, Virginia . . .
 
With Old Town’s DIY Home Decorating Festival in full swing, Sophie’s swamped, juggling a bumper crop of artisans, antique dealers, and decorators for the busy street fair. Still, when her best friend Nina suddenly needs a ride from the airport, Sophie is happy to help . . . until she sees Nina disembarking in a state of disarray. It’s obvious the trip to Portugal soured somewhere along the way. But after one of Nina’s traveling companions turns up murdered the following day, Sophie knows something is truly rotten . . .
 
Though the crime scene is staged to look like an accident, Sophie isn’t fooled and peels off to conduct her own investigation. Her only clue is a strange image the victim scratched into the soil before dying. Could it point to a cryptic killer in Old Town? A bitter travel adversary? Or a cursed artifact smuggled back from the trip? As the mystery grows, so does the body count, and if Sophie doesn’t pluck the murderer soon, her best friend may be the next to fall . . .

One of our favorite series, and Sophie and Natasha are two of our favorite divas!  So glad kensington picked up this series.  4 1/2 paws!!!!

ROCCO spotlights Jeff Chapman and The Merliss Tales

 AUTHOR BIO:

Jeff Chapman explores fantasy worlds through fiction and is the author of The Merliss Tales fantasy series, The Huckster Tales weird western series, and The Comic Cat Tales series. Trained in history and computer science, Jeff writes software by day and explores the fantastic when he should be sleeping. His fiction ranges from fairy tales to fantasy to ghost stories. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and magazines. He's not ashamed to say he's addicted to dark hot chocolate and he loves cats. Jeff lives with his wife, children, and cats in a house with more books than bookshelf space.

URL TO MY WEBSITE PAGE ON THE MERLISS TALES:

http://www.jeffchapmanbooks.com/merliss-tales/

The Merliss Tales are a series of fantasy stories and novels that follow the adventures of a human spirit banished to the body of a cat. The magic that put her spirit in the cat has given Merliss an unusually long life. The series tells dark fantasy stories from a cat’s eye view. The protagonist may have been a girl once, but after centuries inside a cat’s mind and body, she’s almost as much cat as human. It’s a struggle for Merliss to hold on to her humanity. At the best of times, cat and human work together.

The idea for Merliss, who first appeared in my short story “The Water Wight,” came from a real cat.

In the fall of 2015, I pulled into my driveway to find a small gray cat sitting in front of the garage. I had seen this cat before but never had a good look at it. I had usually glimpsed it at night or twilight and a gray cat in the dark appears to be little more than a shadow. I had assumed it belonged to someone in the neighborhood. I was so wrong. It was starving. I could see every bone in its ribs. Pus was visible beneath one eye. The cat meowed at me. My wife came out the breezeway door at that moment. The cat trotted toward her and tried to enter our house.

We gave the cat some food and water. It ate like it had never seen food before. My daughters surrounded the cat so it wouldn’t run away, but I believe at this point the cat had decided it was going to live with us. We coaxed it into a carrier and took it to an emergency vet. The cat, which we named Smokey, was not sick with any life-threatening disease. She was dehydrated, malnourished (only 5.5 pounds), suffering from an upper respiratory infection and an eye infection, and had a million fleas.

Several hours and several hundred dollars later, we returned home with two antibiotics and a sick cat. We quarantined her in the breezeway. Our other cats spent a lot of time sniffing at the back door.

Smokey responded well to the medicines and our TLC. She gained weight and proved to be incredibly well-tempered. She wasn’t the cutest kitty on the block but certainly the sweetest. We soon discovered that she was deaf and missing an upper and lower canine. We had no idea of her age but Smokey appeared to have been up and down the alley a few times. When her quarantine period ended, Smokey moved into the house.

We speculated a lot about Smokey’s past. What stories would she tell if she could talk? The speculation got me thinking about characters based on an old cat. Somehow, I made the leap of pairing a human spirit with a cat’s body. In the fantasy world I was developing, this pairing would grant the animal’s body unusually long life. Merliss was born.

Unfortunately, Smokey passed away in April 2018. Her health had been declining for several months and then x-rays revealed painful bone tumors in her sternum. Taking her to that final vet appointment and staying with her until the end is one of the roughest tasks I’ve experienced. I still miss her every morning when she’s not waiting in the kitchen demanding breakfast.

Smokey’s memory lives on in the character of Merliss. The cat silhouettes in the map and at the beginning of each chapter were made from pictures of Smokey.

At this time the series includes two novels--The Great Contagion and Cat Sidhe--and a short story, “The Water Wight.” More novels and stories are in the works.

If you want to sample The Merliss Tales, you can download “The Water Wight” for free from StoryOrigin at https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/3cddcb88-c607-11ea-8a9a-878925005b51.