Cat's Meow Mailbox #4

Cat's Meow Mailbox is inspired by the great weekly recap book memes (Mailbox Monday, Waiting On Wednesday, It’s Monday! What are you reading? and Sunday Post)

* Truffles did it again! A couple weeks ago BlogPaws was looking for pictures of pets blogging for their International Pet Blogger Month Photo Contest. We submitted a picture of Truffles working on our Kindle Fire and she won the Cat Bloggers Delight! I love the montage they put together of the winning pictures:

Last week on Mochas, Mysteries and More:

* Spotlight: Four 'Til Late by Eric Garrison

* 3 Social Media Tips for Animal Shelters

* Excerpt/Giveaway: Lowcountry Bombshell by Susan Boyer

* Chili Con Carnage Book Tour with Kylie Logan: Guest Post/Review/Giveaway

* Bloody Lessons Book Tour with M Louisa Locke: Guest Post/Giveaway

* Interview with Josi Kilpack, Author of Rocky Road

* Keep Your Aging Cat Young with #HillsPet

* Caturday Cinema: The Happiness Generator

Bought:

               

At the top of my Wish List, scheduled to be released 12/3/13

Read This Week:

  

NetGalley:

           

Caturday Cinema: The Happiness Generator

Hey everybody, it's Truffles and have I ever got a treat for you today! One of our wonderful readers, Brittany Klontz, contacted us last week to tell us that she had been inspired to create a slideshow of adorable animals because of the animals on our blog. It's purpose is to spread happiness, and she generously gave me permission to share it with everyone here.

It's Caturday, so SMILE and enjoy the show!!!

Purr...


Click image to open interactive version (via Two Little Fleas).

If you can't view the above slideshow, click here.

Keep Your Aging Cat Young with #HillsPet

It's a sad fact of life that our beloved feline companions have much shorter lifespans than we humans do. I've been fortunate that each of my cats has lived into their teens, common cat life expectancy nowadays. (I'm already telling Truffles that she'd better plan to be with me to celebrate my 50th birthday in 14 years!) You hear stories of cats living into their 20s, but I haven't been that lucky yet.

Did you know that cats aged 7-10 are considered "mature adults" and aged 11 plus are seniors? Here's a fun way to calculate your cat's age:

As we settle into the day to day routine with our fur babies, it can be easy to miss some of the subtle changes in their behavior that can indicate that the years are catching up with them: they can become less active and prefer to sleep more, their litter box habits may change and they may become more vocal. Older cats are at risk to develop any of the chronic diseases that humans are prone to, including dental, heart, and kidney disease.

As pet parents it's our duty to stay proactive and keep our old cats young. Vet checkups at least twice a year, keen observation at home, avoiding obesity, maintaining good grooming habits, keeping your cat active via playtime each day, and showering them with love and attention, are all keys to a healthier and more fulfilling life for your senior cat.

 

Another integral component to maintaining and improving quality of life is through nutrition. Thankfully we can look to the people at Hill's Science Diet so it's one less thing for us to have to worry about! Cats over the age of 7 need to have their phosphorus levels and other vital nutrients controlled to reduce kidney stress. They need a reduction in their sodium intake (just like us!) Their urine pH also needs to support a healthy urinary tract. For all of these needs Hill's has developed Mature Adult Active Longevity. For cats over age 11, the right nutrients can actually slow the aging process down! For this they recommend Senior Age Defying Food.

Every cat's needs are going to be different, so please check with your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat's diet. The most important thing we can do as pet parents is to ensure a happy and healthy life for our feline companions for as long as possible, so in my opinion anything that can make that possible is worth looking into.

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Science Diet for Cats, but Mochas, Mysteries and More only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Interview with Josi Kilpack, Author of Rocky Road

Today I'm excited to be interviewing Josi Kilpack, author of the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Whenever I interview an author, I never fail to ask what they have for pets. Imagine my delight to learn that Josi has a tortie! Truffles demanded that I ask her for a picture and I was happy to oblige. I hope you'll enjoy getting to know Josi (and Kiki) a little better :)

Welcome, Josi! Can you tell me what inspired your Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series?
The first book, Lemon Tart, started as a first chapter contest about a mystery novel that involves food. I had never written a mystery novel and enjoyed doing something new and learning about a new genre--every genre has certain expectations and it was a fun challenge to figure it out. After the contest (I took second place) I continued to work on that book over the course of the next two years or so--it was my recess book--in between other projects. We didn't discuss it becoming a series until after my publisher read the first one, and it has slowly grown and increased due to having gained a good readership.

Do you enjoy spending time in the kitchen yourself? Are the recipes in your books your own creations?
I do love to cook, though I don't have the time for it that I would like. I have teenage kids and seem to be constantly going this place or that which leaves limited time to really enjoy the creation process. Several recipes in the books, especially the first three, are ones I have made for years. Others fit the story and yet others have been donated by members of my test kitchen, who makes all the recipes with me to make sure that they are as good as Sadie claims them to be.

Do you have a favorite book in the series?
Probably Devil's Food Cake. It has some of my favorite recipes is and is a non-stop story where Sadie is just nutty. It was a lot of fun to write and the cover ended up to be amazing.

How has the character of Sadie grown and changed over the course of 10 books?
She's matured through the course of the book. What in the beginning was busybody nosiness, has turned into a desire for truth but with the realization that finding truth isn't always easy. She's also faced her own emotional turmoils of coming to terms with the things she's experienced, as well as growing pains with her children and other family members. She's a better investigator than she was, but still has a great desire for justice.

What are you currently reading?
I am just finishing up book 11 in the series, Fortune Cookie, and have a difficult time for reading when I am on a deadline. I have been reading Dean Hughes new series, Coming to Zion, this summer and enjoying it, but I'm afraid my reading time has been sucked away from me.

Name 3 books on your keeper shelf...
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess, and How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey

Do you have any pets?
We have a cat. We found her as a week old kitten on the side of the road, bottle-fed her for a few weeks and fell in love. She's a tortoiseshell and still tiny despite being full grown--we call her Kiki.

What mischief does Sadie get into in Rocky Road?
She doesn't get into a lot of mischief in this one, in fact she's reluctant to get involved. Pete's cousin, Caro, however is where Sadie was about 8 books ago--curious, impulsive, and a bit too eager. Sadie ends up playing the role of the 'brake' this time around, and yet her investigative skills are better honed and she ends up sniffing out quite a story. She also works with the police on this case, something very new for her and not entirely comfortable.

What are you working on now?
I am putting the finishing touches on Book 11, Fortune Cookie, which takes place in San Francisco. The first chapter is in the back of Rocky Road. Fortune Cookie will be out in spring of 2014.

Tour Schedule

Rocky Road

It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fundraiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fundraising event, a local doctor, disappeared two months ago was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. In fact, she refuses to participate in the grassroots investigation her friend Caro, and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have put together prior to her arrival. But then she meets the ex-wife of the missing doctor. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to a few more questions . . . that lead to a small town and yet even more questions. Before she knows it, Sadie is in the middle of yet another murder investigation and trying to piece together a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author Josi S. Kilpack

Born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah, I met my husband in high-school--well, he wasn't my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet--and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 20 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.

I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, children, and cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

Culinary Mysteries by Josi Kilpack

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 10/6/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bloody Lessons Book Tour with M. Louisa Locke: Guest Post/Giveaway

Can it be a cozy without a cat (or a dog?)

Recently, I posted on my own blog about why my Victorian San Francisco mysteries were cozies, and one of the defining characteristics I mentioned was the inclusion of animals (which is even a sub-category of cozies in the Kindle estore). Today, while visiting Melissa over at Mochas, Mysteries, and More, I thought I would write about the role that two animals play in my works, and why I think animals are so important to cozies.

My series is set primarily in a San Francisco boarding house owned by my protagonist, the young widow Annie Fuller. Queenie, an old black cat and Dandy, a young Boston terrier rescued by Jamie, one of the boarders, are two important members of that household.

Below is a scene from Maids of Misfortune in which the reader meets these two characters for the first time. Annie has had disturbing news that morning and is sitting in the kitchen getting comfort from having Queenie in her lap when Dandy comes in to the kitchen. She and her cook, Beatrice O’Rourke, are discussing whether they can let Jamie keep him.

Dandy was a “…small bull-terrier mix, with the pugnacious, squashed–in muzzle of a dockside tough and the soulful brown eyes of an Italian poet. After sticking his non-existent nose into everything he could reach, the dog came and sat at Beatrice’s feet, thrust his skinny chest forward, cocked his head to one side, and looked up expectantly.

“Annie chuckled. ‘Well it looks as if he is a smart young thing, for he clearly knows who will cast the deciding vote. You have enough to do around here without adding the care and feeding of a dog.’

“Beatrice responded by looking significantly at the extremely alert cat in Annie’s lap. ‘It seems to me that the deciding vote must come from that old puss, for if she won’t put up with him, there will be no peace in this household. I know she is getting old and crotchety, but I won’t have her bothered, even to please the young lad.’

“As if she knew she was being spoken about the cat sat up in Annie’s lap, drew herself tall, and then sprang lightly down onto the kitchen floor. After arching slowly, she walked sedately across the floor until she stood facing the young bull terrier. He sat very still, without blinking. Annie could see that the effort he made not to bark was tremendous. Then, with a swiftness she found remarkable, the cat stretched out her right paw and lightly batted the dog on his forehead, right between his ears. Beyond emitting the smallest of yips and producing the fleeting impression that he had gone cross-eyed, the dog did not stir. The cat then stalked majestically across to her basket in the corner, circled twice, and curled up into instant sleep.

“A collective sigh of relief from both Beatrice and the dog followed this performance…”––Maids of Misfortune

This scene demonstrates two of the reasons that cozies have animals in them. They are characters that produce action in scenes that would otherwise be nothing but dialog, and they provide opportunities for comic relief, which is what helps keep cozies lighter in tone than other mystery styles. Annie’s world is coming apart at this stage in the book, but the animals provide distraction and comfort.

Throughout my series, both Queenie and Dandy play these roles. Queenie usually gets to play straight-man to Dandy, but in my most recent book, Bloody Lessons, Queenie takes the stage all by herself.

“Laura began to weep, and Annie drew her into her arms and rocked her back and forth, saying, ‘Oh my dear, I know it hurts, and it doesn’t do any good for me to tell you it will get better. But it will. Look you have gotten Queenie all upset. Ruffled her dignity.’ Annie pointed at the old cat, who had again stalked to the end of the bed and was licking her back with ferocious concentration. Laura gave a tearful chuckle.”––Bloody Lessons

Dandy also gets to play the hero, using particular attributes associated with canines. Both in my second book, Uneasy Spirits, and this most recent book, Bloody Lessons, his greater awareness of his surroundings and his instinct to protect saves humans from harm. I even made him the star of the show in my short story Dandy Detects.

I have trouble imagining my life without the chuckles and companionship that my boarder collie mix and my two cats provide and I feel that the lives of my characters are similarly enriched by their pets. Cozy mysteries are designed to make the reader feel good. They use likeable characters and humor to achieve that goal, and I think nothing does that like having a well-drawn animal or two in the story.

Can you imagine a cozy without animals?

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Giveaway

Please leave a comment with your email address for the chance to win a print or ebook copy of Maids of Misfortune...Print Books – US only  --- E-books – International. Ends 10/10.

Bloody Lessons: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery
Cozy/Historical Mystery
3rd in Series
File Size: 144 KB
Print Length: 313 pages
Self Published

Synopsis:

In Bloody Lessons, it’s the winter of 1880, and the teachers of San Francisco are under attack: their salaries slashed and their competency and morals questioned in a series of poison pen letters.

Annie Fuller, the reluctant clairvoyant, has been called into investigate by Nate Dawson, her lawyer beau, and the case becomes personal when they discover that Laura, Nate’s sister, may be one of the teachers targeted for attack.

In this installment in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, readers will find the same blend of a cozy mystery with romantic suspense, played out against the historical backdrop of late 19th century San Francisco, that they found in Maids of Misfortune and Uneasy Spirits.

If you are new to this series, you will still enjoy spending time with the lively residents of Annie Fuller’s boarding house and visiting San Francisco when Golden Gate Park was filled with horse-drawn carriages, saloon-keepers controlled politics, and kisses were stolen under gaslight.



About The Author:

M. Louisa Locke is a retired professor of U.S. and Women’s History, who has embarked on a second career as an historical fiction writer. The published books in her series of historical mysteries set in Victorian San Francisco, Maids of Misfortune, Uneasy Spirits, and Bloody Lessons, feature Annie Fuller, a boardinghouse owner and reluctant clairvoyant, and Nate Dawson, a San Francisco lawyer, who together investigate murders and other crimes, while her short stories, Dandy Detects and The Miss Moffets Mend a Marriage, give secondary characters from this series a chance to get involved in their own minor mysteries. Locke is an active member in the Alliance of Independent Authors, and a Director of the Historical Fiction Authors Cooperative.

Author Links:
Website and blog: http://mlouisalocke.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlouisalocke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlouisalockeauthor

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3367040.M_Louisa_Locke

Purchase Link:AMAZON

Chili Con Carnage Book Tour with Kylie Logan: Guest Post/Review/Giveaway

Hankerin' for Chili?

Host a Cook-Off!

There’s nothing like a bowl of spicy, delicious chili! Just ask Maxie Pierce, heroine of "Chili Con Carnage," book #1 in my new Chili Cook-Off mystery series. Maxie works as the Chili Chick (giant red chili costume complete with fishnet stockings and stilettoes), dancing in front of Texas Jack Pierce’s Hot Cha Chili Seasoning Palace at the Chili Showdown that travels from town to town.

We’re not all lucky enough to be near the Showdown, but if you have a hankerin’ for chili and a taste for a little cook-off competition of your own, you can always host your own chili cook-off party. It’s easy and great fun!

Most chili cook-offs you read about are gigantic affairs designed to raise money for some worthy cause. Think of the same concept, but on a smaller scale.

1. Invite your friends and tell them to bring along a pot of their favorite chili. Suggest they bring it in a slow cooker, and make sure you have plenty of electrical strips so you can plug all those cookers in. Have them bring copies of their recipes, too. I guarantee, guests are going to want them!

2. It’s fun to keep each chef anonymous, so number each pot of chili.

3. You’ll also want to have an assortment of go-alongs: cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapenos, avocado, olives, onions. You’ll probably want to have some corn chips and cornbread, too. Both go great with chili! Crackers are as palate cleansers, and a good thing to munch between chili tastings.

4. If there are going to be kids at your party, remember, they won’t always eat chili. You’ll want some other foods around for them.

5. And don’t forget the drinks. I’m not a beer drinker, but I hear it goes great with chili. And it wouldn’t hurt to have some cold milk on hand, either. Dairy products help diffuse the spice of chili.

6. Decide on your chili categories ahead of time and print up voting ballots. You’ll probably want categories like Tastiest Chili, Most Unusual Chili, Spiciest Chili.

7. Give each guest a ballot and enough small bowls (two ounces is a good size) to sample each of the chilis. You’ll also want to have some regular size bowls around for those chilis that are a real hit that people want more of.

8. Tally up the ballots, declare your winners, and don’t forget about prizes. You can find printable chili certificates on the Internet and there are plenty of other things you can give as prizes, too: cute chili bowls, T-shirts, aprons.

It’s all great fun and your guests will end up with recipes to take home along with their memories. With any luck, unlike Maxie, there won’t be a helping of murder to go along with the chili!

**********

My Review: How do I love chili, let me count the ways...Seriously, I could eat chili every day of the week, so the concept of a mystery series based around a chili cook-off lures me in immediately. Each year I even attend the Vermont Chili Festival in Middlebury, VT, making this new series even more fun for me.

Maxie has been forced to team up with her half-sister Sylvia (who she's not exactly close to) to represent the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown following the disappearance of their father. Things become even worse for the squabbling siblings when the latest loser Maxie had a single date with, Roberto, turns up dead just hours after they publicly argue (she even whacks him with the chili from her Chili Chick costume). Normally you would think the victim died via poisoned chili, right? Wrong. He falls out of a Showdown judge/celebrity chef's trailer with one of Sylvia's chef's knives stuck in him, and Sylvia is arrested. Even though it's tempting to get Sylvia out of her hair and let her languish in jail for awhile, Maxie knows she needs to catch a killer and protect the family name and business.

Maxie is an edgy firecracker of a main character, and I can't wait to see the trouble she gets into on the Showdown tour. I'm also anxious to meet her dad, the infamous Texas Jack Pierce. I've always found that chili gets better with time, and I predict that this fun new series is going to continue to get stronger and stronger!

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the request for a review.

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Giveaway

Please leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a paperback of Chili Con Carnage, US entries only per publisher's request, ending 10/4.



Book Details:
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by Berkley Prime Crime
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Number of Pages: 296
BRAND NEW SERIES

Synopsis

Romance is supposed to be the spice of life. But Maxie Pierce is so done with bad relationships . . . well, almost. She just has to get rid of the latest loser, Roberto. Besides, she has more important things to worry about. Her dad, Texas Jack Pierce, king of the chili cook-off circuit, has been missing for nearly six weeks. In his place, she must team up with her irritating half sister, Sylvia, to promote the family business at the Taos Chili Showdown.

But when Maxie discovers Roberto’s body in a chef’s trailer–only hours after publicly breaking up with him–she suddenly finds she’s the one in the spotlight as the police pepper her with questions. Now this Chili Chick needs to kick up the search to catch the real killer and get back to finding her father.

About Kylie Logan
Kylie Logan has loved mysteries since she was a kid. Her dad was a Cleveland Police detective and he introduced her to Sherlock Holmes stories and gave her investigating experience when on his days off, they’d pile into the car and hit the streets to look for stolen cars. When he retired from the force, Dad became head of security for the Cleveland Public Library.

Crooks and books! Kylie comes by her love of mysteries honestly.

Kylie began her career writing historical romance and her book, “Devil’s Diamond,” was nominated for a RITA award as historical romance of the year by Romance Writers of America. She’s also written contemporary romance (as Connie Lane), young adult horror (as Zoe Daniels and Connie Laux) and she writes the popular Pepper Martin Mysteries as Casey Daniels.

Kylie is currently writing three different mystery series: the Button Box Mysteries(newest book is “Panic Button”), the League of Literary Ladies mysteries (“Mayhem at the Orient Express “) and now, the Chili Cook-Off mysteries. She can’t pass up an antique shop…there might be buttons in there! She can’t put down a classic book . . . even if she already knows the story. And she can’t say no to a good bowl of chili. Luckily, her husband is the world’s greatest chili maker.

When she’s not writing, she’s usually with her family and their two dogs, Ernie, an adorable Airedale, and Oscar, a rescued Jack Russell who came for a short-term stay and ten years later, is still around. Kylie says that those of you who have ever met/lived with/had dealings with a Russell will certainly understand how knowing him has increased her propensity for murder.

Links:

Webpage: www.kylielogan.com Also, www.caseydaniels.com

Purchase Links:
Amazon                 B & N                      Book World                 Book Depository