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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Mudpie Interviews...Ling-Ling from Elaine Faber's Mrs.Odboddy Mystery Series (w/Giveaway)


Meows from Mudpie!

Today we have a bit of a different book feature for you. I'm interviewing a cross-eyed Siamese named Ling-Ling, the feline star of Elaine Faber's brand new mystery, Mrs. Odboddy, Hometown Patriot: A WWII tale of chicks and chicanery, suspicion and spies. You may recognize Elaine's name from her Black Cat mystery series, which we've spotlighted here over the past couple years.

This book isn't a cat mystery, but Ling-Ling does play a role in the story line. We find the World War 2 setting to be very interesting because my grandma was a little girl during that time and two of her brothers fought in the war, so Mommy has heard many stories about that time period. I hope you enjoy our little chat!

Welcome Ling-Ling, thank you so much for chatting with me today! Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Mrs. Odboddy?

I was quite happy living with Lilly Chang’s family in Newbury, CA. In December, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked and President Roosevelt sent all the Japanese Americans to an Internment Camp, including Lilly’s family, so Agnes Odboddy took me home with her.

What is a typical day like for you?


I wake Agnes every morning about 7:00 AM. After breakfast and a nap, we may go into the Victory Garden where Agnes grows vegetables. Some days she stays home and I help her can vegetables, but most days she volunteers at the Ration Office, the coast watch, the knitting circle, collecting papers and cans, or rolling bandages at the hospital. She says it’s important, because she’s fighting the war from the home front.

Mrs. Odboddy sounds like a very unique human...can you tell us more about her?

Mrs. Odboddy lives with her granddaughter, Katherine. She works at the ‘Curls to Dye For’ Beauty Salon and does the hair and make-up at the Whistlemeyer mortuary. That turned into a cat-astrophe, but you’ll have to read the book to learn more.

What kinds of trouble do the two of you get into in the new novel you star in, Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot?

I’m a very good kitty and never get into trouble. Oh wait. One day Agnes brought home six chickens and kept them in the bathroom for three days until our friend Jackson Jackson could build a coop. Now, I ask you, what self-respecting feline could tolerate chickens in the bathroom without carrying out a Black Ops mission to annihilate the enemy? Chickens? Birds? They’re fair game, right? When all was said and done, Agnes had one less chicken. Oops!

Most of the time, Agnes gets into trouble without my help. Like when she thought ration books were being stolen and sold on the Black Market. Or, accusing someone of poisoning her best friend, or burning down the watch tower. Things always get messier and funnier until she works through the problem.

The book takes place during World War 2...many, many years ago. How were things different then than in the 21st century?

Too many things to mention: TV was a novelty. No cell phones. 35-mph speed limit. Rationing affected everything and everybody. All factories started making war products. Though this is a humorous mystery/adventure, we included commonly known WWII facts and involved Agnes in some WWII events most have never heard of. A romance is woven into the storyline when much to her chagrin, Agnes’s long lost lover returns intent on reigniting their relationship.

Any final thoughts for your fans before they begin reading your new adventure?

Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot is a WWII tale of chicks and chicanery, suspicion and spies. It is a riotous romp with Agnes Odboddy, fighting WWII from the home front, exposing conspiracies and Nazi spies, even if she’s wrong. When Mrs. Roosevelt comes to town to attend a funeral, Agnes’s fears become reality and she must prove she is, indeed, a hometown patriot.

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From the publisher: Since the onset of WWII, Agnes Agatha Odboddy, hometown patriot and self-appointed scourge of the underworld, suspects conspiracies around every corner…stolen ration books, German spies running amuck, and a possible Japanese invasion off the California coast. This seventy-year-old, model citizen would set the world aright if she could get Chief Waddlemucker to pay attention to the town's nefarious deeds on any given Meatless Monday.

Mrs. Odboddy vows to bring the villians, both foreign and domestic, to justice, all while keeping chickens in her bathroom, working at the Ration Stamp Office, and knitting argyles for the boys on the front lines.

Imagine the chaos when Agnes’s long-lost WWI lover returns, hoping to find a million dollars in missing Hawaiian money and rekindle their ancient romance. In the thrilling conclusion, Agnes’s predictions become all too real when Mrs. Roosevelt unexpectedly comes to town to attend a funeral and Agnes must prove that she is, indeed, a warrior on the home front.

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Elaine Faber is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inspire Christian Writers and Cat Writers Association.

Elaine’s cozy cat mysteries include Black Cat’s Legacy; Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, Black Cat and the Accidental Angel, and Mrs. Odboddy–Hometown Patriot, all available at Amazon.

Elaine lives in Elk Grove, CA, with her husband of 53 years. They share their home with four house cats, the inspiration for her Black Cat Mysteries. The Agnes Odboddy character is a figment of Elaine’s vivid imagination and not at all based on her own quirky personality.

Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries.com (email)

http://www.mindcandymysteries.com (Website)

Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, February 26th for your chance to win an ebook copy of Mrs. Odboddy. Open worldwide!

32 comments:

  1. I love historical mysteries and this one sounds like a lot of fun! It's nice to meet you Ling-Ling.

    cozyupwithkathy @ gmail dot com

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    1. And you,too, Katreader. So hope you will purchase "mom's" book at Amazon.Only $3.99 for the ebook! Bargain!!!!

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  2. Thank you for the great interview Mudpie, and for the giveaway. This book sounds like a great read.
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. You bet your bippy, it's a good read! Hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think when you'r done. I'd love to hear your opinion.

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  3. Thanks, Mudpie (and Melissa). This sounds like a great book. patucker54 (at aol dot com)

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    1. Mom says, "A story's not a story if there's not a cat in it!" Mom's other books starred a black and white Tuxedo cat, but since I'm a Siamese (if you please...though I'm not from Siam...)I;m the perfect CAT to work with Agnes in this fun humorous novel.

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  4. This sounds really good. It sounds like lots of fun, too. Good job, Mudpie.

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    1. Fun is definitely a good word to describe the adventure in the novel when Agnes believes she's on the trail of ration book thieves (oh, my!)Check it out, McGuffy!

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  5. That sounds like terrific fun with a good dash of history added.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. We introduce into the story, two events from history that are little known situations. You MUST read to enjoy these events and see how we weave a bit of fiction into these events. Go Agnes!

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  6. This sounds like such a fun read, and I love that it can also serve as a history lesson. Great interview, Mudpie! Purrs!

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    1. I'm willing to bet that you have not heard about the incidents from history that become major events in the story. Hope you will purchase the book (e-book $3.99 - Amazon). Thank you for your kind comments.

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  7. Mrs. Odboddy seems to me to be an amusing character that will keep me entertained. Thanks for the review. robeader53@yahoo.com

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    1. I guarantee that you will be amused, entertained, and bemused by my characters. You will love Ling-Ling, the defiant little cat that mounts Black-OPs maneuvers when Agnes keeps chickens in the bathroom for three days.

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  8. What great sounding book! I would love to read it!! Great interview< Mudpie. I think Good Morning America should hire you!

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    1. If you have any pull with Good Morning America, go for it. I'd love to share my story with the world on TV. Hope you will purchase the book. I promise, you will not be disappointed.

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  9. Mudpie, this sounds like a fun and enriching read! Thank you for the cool review with Ling-Ling! Having had become a fan of WWII novels - mysteries - when I saw this it immediately went to my Kindle wish-list. Just the title brings a smile, so I can see there will be much humor in spite of the realities of war, even on the homefront. Looking forward to reading it! jeaniedannheim (at) ymail (dot) com

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    1. Mama Cat. You warm my heart with your kind remarks. I sure hope that your 'Kindle wish-list' isn't very long until you purchase Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot! You're missing lots of fun the longer you wait. Thanks for visiting today.

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  10. Gweat innerview Mudpie. And yous Caturday sounded pawsum. Cuddlin' wiff da mommy is always da bestest. As fur those treats, they do sound yummy, but sure as we got 'em we wuldn't eat 'em. MOL yes we's picky and spoiled. MOL have a pawsum day.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Lexi

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    1. Dear Dezi ad Lexi: Sounds like you've got da' mama wound around your little paws. Take dat paw and click into Amazon right away. Mama deserves a treat too, and 'Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot; would be the bestest way to thank her for your happy life.

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  11. Great review, sounds like a good read.

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    1. Thanks. Glad you feel our book would be a good read. You are EXACTI-CAT-ICALLY, SPECIFI-CAT-ICLY RIGHT. Hope you get a chance to read it.

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  12. WWII seems to be a theme for some book. It's fun to read abut the past altho' i bet it was grim a lot of the time - right?

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    1. We do not delve into the grim parts of the war in the novel, but we do reveal a good deal of how people at home 'fought the war from the home front.' Read about volunteering, dealing with rationing, collecting papers and cans, serving on the coast watch and knitting for the troops. Agnes adds exposing conspiracies and Nazi spies to her agenda, even when she's wrong.

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  13. Thank you Melissa and Mudpie for allowing Ling-Ling to share my book with your fans. We will give away a free book, but hope your folks don't wait. They should buy the book NOW. If the winner has already bought one, we'll substitute one my three cat mysteries; Black Cat's Legacy, Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, or Black Cat and the Accidental Angel. Good luck everyone.

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  14. Another book to add to the list. It sounds like a really nice bookA mystery with a cat. Just the type I like. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  15. Cleopawtra - You need to take you's mom to Amazon right his minute and get her to buy Mrs. Odboddy. You's can boff laugh at Ling-Ling's antics while Agnes is busy being the 'scourge of the underworld.' Good luck.

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  16. Mrs Odboddy sounds really interesting---thanks for the peak into the book. You always do such a good interview, Mudpie.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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  17. Glad you could join us for a few minutes, Sue. If you go to Amazon to Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot, check out the "Look Inside" feature, you can read the first two chapters! Hope that will encourage you to buy the book! Blessings

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  18. That is such a fun interview with Ling-Ling. Sounds like an Interesting read. Would enjoy reading about how people lived in the US during WWII.
    diannekc8 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. I believe you would really enjoy my book. I have added much of the 'way of life' details from 1942 that describes how people lived in the US during the war. Remember. Ebook is just $3.99. Thanks so much for dropping by.

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  19. That is such a fun interview with Ling-Ling. Sounds like an Interesting read. Would enjoy reading about how people lived in the US during WWII.
    diannekc8 (at) gmail (dot) com

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