Instant Replay - ROCCO inteviews Debbie DeLouise and Sneaky!

 Merow!   Today I am interviewing book blogger and author Debbie De Louise and Sneaky the Library Cat!

We’ll start with Debbie!

R:  Hello Debbie!  How did you get started on your book blog?

I started my book blog back in 2015 when I published A Stone’s Throw, the first book of my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. I thought it would be a good way to promote my writing. Since then, I’ve also been hosting blog tours for Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. Most of these tours are for new cozy mystery releases. I also have a blog for the cat character in my cozy mystery series, Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog. This blog features interviews of cats and other pet characters and also hosts blog tours.

R: Is there one genre you prefer over another?

If you mean if I prefer to write one genre over another, I think I equally enjoy writing cozies and regular mysteries. I also like to write books that feature time travel and psychological themes.

R: What has been your best experience on the blog so far?

I met an author I really enjoy reading, Elizabeth Pantley, and her wonderful Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic Books. She also just started a new series, The Magic Mystery Book Club Series.

R: if you weren't a book blogger, what would you be doing?

I’m an author as well as a librarian, so book blogging isn’t my main job, but I think it complements my other work.

R: Any advice for anyone looking to start a book blog?

Wordpress offers the opportunity to have a website and other blogs. There’s a free version and pay options for additional features. You should start with the free version and then decide how you plan to use it. You can also take classes to learn it, and there’s help available on the website.

I’d also like to mention my new releases. Both are cozies with different publishers. The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady is the first of my new Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series featuring Cathy Carter, a twenty-seven-year-old co-owner of a pet rescue center and pet cemetery. She lives with her grandmother and next door to her brother and his wife. Her best friend, Nancy, is a reporter for the town’s newspaper, The Buttercup Bugle that Cathy also takes photos for.

 

In the first book, Maggie Broom, known as the “Cat Crazy Lady” because of all the cats she owns and the ones she cares for outside, is found murdered by her neighbor, Pauline, who is also the editor of the newspaper. When Maggie’s will is read, Cathy is surprised to learn that her pet business is the recipient of a large share of Maggie’s assets including her home, a fact that doesn’t please Maggie’s siblings who come to town for the reading of the will and who the sheriff considers prime suspects in her murder.

Cathy and Nancy decide to pursue their own investigation and learn the truth of what happened to the “Cat Crazy Lady.”

    My other new release which is on blog tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours from July 18 to 25 is Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Cove Stories. This book is a collection of five short stories, four of which were previously published as eBooks only. At the request of readers who wanted to read the stories in a print version, I asked my publisher to publish the collection. I also added a fifth, unpublished story, that is the title story to the book. Readers who haven’t read any of the books of my Cobble Cove series or any of the stories as eBooks can still enjoy the collection because some backstory about the characters is included in each story. Of course, my hope is that this collection will attract readers to the five Cobble Cove novels.

And now Debbie plays ROCCO’s Fast Five

• What’s something that’s always in your fridge?

Non-Fat Milk. I use it in my coffee every day and also in cereal and oatmeal when I eat them.

• What did you do when you found out your first book was published?

I got very excited and told everyone about it.

• If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

I’m a librarian so that’s what I would be.

• What’s your favorite part of the day?

 

I’m a morning person. I get up early, write, check email and social media, and then go to work.

 

• What book was your favorite growing up?

The Wizard of Oz. I read all the books and watched the movies.

Thank you for the interview, Debbie!

Folks, Debbie will give away an e-copy of The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady to one lucky commenter!  Just leave your name and e-mail address in our comments section to enter. Maxx will select one winner at random. Contest ends midnight, July 18.

And now Sneaky’s interview!

How did you and your human hook up?

I appeared in Debbie’s first Cobble Cove Book, A Stone’s Throw and have been featured in all the books and stories of the series. I was based on her Siamese cat, Oliver, who passed away in 2017.

How did you get your name, Sneaky?

I was named by the librarian who found me at the Cobble Cove Library and took me in as their library cat. She considered all cats Sneaky and thought that would be a good name for me. My author agreed.

How did you become involved in Debbie’s blog?

After Debbie started her author’s blog, I requested one of my own. I felt it was only fair.

What’s the best part of book blogging for you? What do you enjoy most?

I love meeting all the pet characters from cozies. I enjoy interviewing them and learning about their books and authors.

Your human writes as well – have you ever been featured in or been the inspiration for one of her books?

I’m the main pet character in her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series.

Would you ever write a book?

That’s an interesting question. Debbie had an idea of publishing my interviews in a reference book for cozy mystery fans. It would index the mysteries, authors, and pet characters. The problem is she’s so busy writing our fiction books that she has to put that project on hold, but I may give her a push one day.

Is there any advice you’d give other cats or animals who want to partner with their human on a blog, book or otherwise?

Make your wants known, so your author is aware of your interests. Authors are always open to suggestions and anything or anyone who will help promote their books and who better than one of their pet characters to do that.

Thanks for the interview, ROCCO!  May I just add that my new book, Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Stories will be on blog tour with the nice lady, Lori Caswell, from Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The tour runs from July 18 to 25 and includes lots of great excerpts, guest posts, spotlights, and even a giveaway.

Sneaky is also giving our readers an opportunity to win an e-copy of Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Cove Stories. Leave your name and e-mail address in our comments section to enter!