Monday, December 14, 2020

Pet Posts: The Cat Chats by Debbie de Louise - Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


Why I Write About Cats

By Debbie De Louise

I grew up with cats. Ever since I can remember, there were felines in my house. We also had dogs. My parents were big animal lovers. I’m sure many of you cat lovers out there can relate. I was the youngest of four kids, and my brothers and sister were a decade older than me. I was somewhat shy and didn’t have too many friends. My favorite activities as a child were reading and playing with my cats. I also loved to tell stories and enjoyed writing even back then. My teachers told my parents that I had talent in this area and should develop it.


The only career I ever wanted was to be an author. However, my plans changed in college when I knew I had to decide on a more profitable profession, at least at first. I took an aptitude test that showed I should be either a writer or a librarian. I’d never considered being a librarian, although it made sense because I loved books. I enrolled in library school and then got a job at a public library. I didn’t give up my dream of writing, though. I’d volunteered on the student newspaper at my college and also created, edited, and wrote the library school newsletter.


After I married in 1992, I began publishing articles in pet magazines. I’d learned about a group called the Cat Writers’ Association and wanted to join them. To become a professional member, I needed to have two published pieces. I submitted articles about my cats, one of whom suffered from diabetes and asthma. My articles were published in Cat Fancy, Cats Magazine, Animal Watch, and other pet magazines. But I was still interested in writing fiction. I sent a story to a mystery anthology called Cat Crimes Through Time, and my story, “Stitches in Time” was featured in it when it was published in 2001. I was thrilled to be in a collection alongside famous mystery authors I admired such as Carole Nelson Douglas, the author of the Midnight Louie series and a fellow member of the Cat Writers’ Association who I’d had the honor of meeting in person.


In 2007, after my cat Floppy died, I wrote my first novel, Cloudy Rainbow, that’s since been reprinted and featured him as a character in it. My Cobble Cove series about a librarian and library cat started in 2015 with A Stone’s Throw and now includes 5 books and 3 short eBooks, one of which won a MUSE medallion, the highest award given by the Cat Writers’ Association. I’ve also written other mysteries and short stories, most of which include cats. Pet Posts: The Cat Chats is my first non-fiction cat book. I’m excited to honor four of my cats, two who are on Rainbow Bridge, by giving them voice to tell their stories from twenty years ago and today and to share with readers information about feline health and behavioral issues among other topics.


Writing about cats is my passion because an author always writes best about what they know. After having cats all my life, I know them well. In fact, I know them well enough to know what they would say if they could write articles and blog posts about their experiences.


Pet Posts: The Cat Chats
by Debbie de Louise
Genre: Nonfiction, Pets


Ever wonder what cats are thinking? If your cats could write a blog, what would they talk about?

In this collection, you’ll meet Debbie De Louise’s current cats and two from the past who share their everyday activities, health concerns, behavior issues, and more.

Floppy relates his hospital experience, gives advice about taking pills, and discusses feline diabetes. His younger sister, Holly, talks about her weight issues, describes how she made the change from a feral to a house cat, and even writes a fictional story featuring her fur and human family members. Harry talks about the merits and perils of being a black cat, shares his bad habit of wire and shoelace chewing, and even gives tips about how to cope with a crisis. His sister Hermione reveals her fascination with high and low places, discusses how she mastered the cat flap door, and even reviews the Cat Writers’ Association conference.

If there’s a feline in your home or you enjoy reading about these quirky, beautiful, wise, and inspirational creatures, you’ll find these fur-st person tails from the cats’ points of view a purrfect read.






Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her seven published novels include the 4 books of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: A Stone's Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, and Love on the Rocks, her paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, her mystery thriller Reason to Die, and her latest psychological mystery, Sea Scope. She also published a romantic comedy novella featuring a jewel heist caper, When Jack Trumps Ac. Debbie has also written articles and short stories for several anthologies of various genres. She is currently querying agents to represent the first book of a new cozy mystery series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and three cats.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon


11 comments:

Patricia T said...

Thanks, Melissa and Debbie.

Brian's Home Blog said...

Such a wonderful post, we met her at BlogPaws and she is very nice!

Catscue Cat Mom said...

How wonderful that she chose her career early and was successful, I just love authors and her story is a good one, thanks.

Lynn Brown said...

I like reading from the animals point of view. Very cute. Thanks for the chance.

Leah said...

I always find it interesting to read about how people become authors, and also cat enthusiasts. This book sounds good and I look forward to reading it!

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

What a great post!

Timmy Tomcat said...

Great post and an interesting author we will be looking at

Lola The Rescued Cat said...

This book sounds SO good!!! We love Miss Debbie, and can't wait for our mom to read this to us.

pilch92 said...

The Cat Chats sounds like a great read.

Jeanna Massman said...

I love the cover. The cats are so cute!

The Menagerie Mom said...

Thank you for sharing these feline reads with us, Mudpie and Melissa! You simply can't go wrong with cats and books.