Twinkletoes is in the house!

 

 

Meow!

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Twinkletoes, the purr-fectly beautiful kitten who stars in the NY times bestselling “Paws and Claws” mystery series!

About the author: Krista Davis counts herself lucky to be an author. She's still new enough to be surprised that people have read her books! Her first book, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, was nominated for an Agatha award.

 

R: for all our interested readers out there – particularly the felines – describe a typical day in your life.

T: Feline yoga on waking, of course. Nothing like some good stretches to get going. Holly usually feeds me before she goes down to the dining room. That suits me fine. I should be served first. She always leaves a couple of bowls of food in case I want to snack during the day. Of course, Shelley in the dining room would serve me anything I wanted if I rubbed up against her legs. And the guests tend to carry lots of kitty treats around with them, so there’s always something interesting to eat.

I do some preliminary scouting around to see who’s up and what’s going on in the Sugar Maple Inn. Then I watch the lake and birds from the big window in the sitting room. There’s an unbelievable sunbeam that comes through that window about mid-morning. Perfect for a nap.

Sometimes I stroll out onto the front porch. There are a lot of rocking chairs out there, so a cat has to watch out for her tail. I like sitting on the steps with Gingersnap, the golden retriever canine ambassador of the inn.

Did you know that I’m officially the feline ambassador of the Sugar Maple Inn? That means I have to keep up with everything that’s going on! So I follow Marisol, the housekeeper, into the guest rooms to see what’s up. People are funny creatures. They bring bags and bags of stuff with them. They always smell most intriguing. Of course, there are the special porches in the cats only wing. Each room has a screened in porch with a real tree to lounge on so I feel obligated to test them now and again.

Then there’s lunch and another nap before teatime, when kitty treats (usually the crunchy fishy kind) are served. Things quiet down after that because most guests eat their dinners somewhere else. I hang around the grand staircase so they can pet me and play games when they filter back in. It’s a lot of work, but I love every minute of it. Then it’s off to bed with Holly and Trixie in the apartment on the top floor.

R: How did you and Holly get together?

T: I started life in a house with a lot of dogs and cats. I mean a lot! One day a bunch of people arrived with cages, and my mom yowled run, run, run! My sisters and I scattered every which way with people chasing us. I made it into the woods and kept going. I walked a very long way. It’s a good thing I knew how to hunt for mice or I might have starved.

When I arrived in Wagtail, I took a good look around and decided the Sugar Maple Inn might be a nice place. I just walked up those front stairs, and people started petting me and telling me how pretty I was. They brought me food, too. The older lady (Oma) didn’t seem to mind when I found the cat doors. I walked up to the very top where I found an apartment with down comforters on the beds. A far cry from curling up in a hole in a tree and trying to sleep. Oma and Rose kept telling me Holly would be coming soon. I had never met Holly but somehow I knew it was important to wait for her.

I was sitting on the stairs the night she arrived. She was mess! She looked worse than I did after all those nights in the woods. But I knew there was something special about her. She was the one.

R: What do you like best about Wagtail?

T: Everyone is so nice to cats and dogs! Everybody stops for a quick pat or snuggle.

R: Tell us about you and Holly’s latest adventure, The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer.

It all began when the Apparition Apprehenders checked into the inn. Holly had just moved there, so our apartment was packed with boxes. Packed! Holly couldn’t find the remote control for the TV, so Trixie and I kept turning it on. We thought that was pretty funny. Humans can be so helpless. Holly received a phone call in the middle of the night. She left us behind but Trixie and I figured out a way to sneak out of the inn and had a ball scampering across Wagtail in the night! It was a good thing we did, too, because we found a corpse. Mrs. Mewer was a little standoffish at first. Siamese! I don’t want to tell you everything, but Trixie, Mrs. Mewer, Casper, the Weimaraner, and I had a devil of a time helping our people figure out the identity of the murderer.

R: Tell us about your relationship with that frisky Jack Russell, Trixie!

T: I handled her just the way my feline mom taught me. If you don’t budge, you’re in control of the dog. Hehehe. Works every time. Trixie had just found Holly, too, so we teamed up as siblings fast. Trixie’s only problem is her interest in my food. As dogs go, she’s pretty cool.

R: How do you cope with Holly’s penchant for getting involved with murder?

T: Oh? Are you implying that’s not normal? It doesn’t bother me a bit. Holly calls me nosy. I’m quite curious by nature so I understand Holly’s inquisitiveness. She needs my help, though.

R:  What do you love most about Holly?  Dislike most?

T: I love that she’s my human mom, and that she needs me. I love that she lets me sleep on her fluffy down comforter and that she doesn’t let Trixie inhale my food. I don’t know why she turns off the TV when Trixie and I are watching.

Dislike? What’s to dislike? Oh, I know! I don’t like it when she confines Trixie and me to the apartment.

R: How did you get the name “Twinkletoes”

T: I walk across balcony railings. People seem to think there’s something special about that. I don’t see it myself. That’s what cats do. Apparently, they were so impressed with my skill that they started calling me Twinkletoes.

R: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?

T: Fans? I have fans? Purrrrr.

R: So tell me how you feel about this woman, Krista Davis? Does she portray your adventures accurately?

T: Did you know that she has a calico kitty who looks just like me and a Jack Russell who looks like Trixie? She’s pretty tuned in to what I’m thinking and what I would do. I forgive a few mistakes because, after all, she’s a human so she’s not quite purrrfect.

R:If you could change one thing about Holly, what would it be?

T: Her boyfriend, Ben! Seriously, what was she thinking dating a guy like that? I thought we were through with him but he keeps turning up. I can see that Trixie and I will have to team up with Oma (Holly’s grandmother) to straighten out her love life and get the right man for us, er, her.

R:  Any chance of your getting another “sidekick” in these stories- like maybe a handsome tuxedo cat – anytime soon?

T: Krista tells me that I will have a bunch of sidekicks – a different one in every book. Mrs. Mewer is my new pal. She’s a Siamese, and boy, can she yowl! You never know, maybe a handsome tuxedo cat will show up in one of my adventures!

 R:  That would be nice,Twinkletoes. And if you need a model for said character....ahem.  I'm just sayin'

Now, Just for fun…

Catnip or scratching post?

T: Scratching post! It’s not like I don’t enjoy a good catnip toy but I love my scratching posts!

R: Tabbies or Tuxedos?

T: Both! I have friends who are tabbies and friends who are tuxedos. Love them all. Cats rule!

R: Jack Russells or Chihuahuas?

T: My sister is a Jack Russell so I have to vote for Jacks, though I have nothing against Chihuahuas.

R: Fish or Steak?

T: Rrrowww! Those are my favorites. How about some surf and turf?

R: Shakespeare or Stephen King?

T: I don’t know either of them personally but mom tells me Shakespeare is deceased and King is alive. I assume King can scratch behind my ears better than the dead Shakespeare guy.

 

Thanks for a fun interview, Twinkletoes!

Watch for her latest adventure, THE GHOST AND MRS.  MEWER, out in bookstores and available online on December 2!

Twinkletoes friend, Krista Davis, has generously consented to give one lucky commener a copy of THE GHOST AND MRS. MEWER! To enter, leave your name and email address so we can contact you in the comments section of our blog!  . For extra entries, you can:

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Winner will be chosen using random.org. Contest ends midnight, December 1!