#SundaySelfies Plan B

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! Today for the Sunday Selfies blog hop Mommy had planned to use one of the pictures of Angel Tara that she unexpectedly found on her phone over the holidays. She waited until the last minute to put the post together and then had trouble getting the pictures from her phone to the computer, so you get to see me instead! A real hardship, I know :)

{52 Snapshots} & Caturday Art: Travel

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! I'm going to be completely honest and tell you straight up that we're not all that crazy with what we came up with for week 11 of the #PBSG #52Snapshots of Life photo challenge (hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull). The theme is travel, something that we just do not do. Mommy is a total homebody, and I'm a cat, so how on earth can we interpret travel???

We decided to submit the St. Paddy's Day artwork we created for Athena's Caturday Art blog hop using Pho.to and Ribbet. I'm "virtually" travelling to Ireland!

Special thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for the adorable St. Patrick's Day graphic!

You know who has the lucky of the Irish? Janel F., the winner of our very first PetBox shelter giveaway! She chose Black Dog Animal Rescue of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as the recipient of a PetBox. We hope all the sweet doggies there enjoy their goodies :)

Bringing in the Thieves Blog Tour with Lora Lee: Guest Author & Giveaway

Meet Moses – the Big Kat-huna of Ruby Springs, Texas

Mrrroww, ya’ll. My name is Moses and I live in the little West Texas town of Ruby Springs with my adopted human, Miss Nettie Bloom. Been lookin’ after her for nigh on four years now. She needed me more than the last human family I lived with. After I grew out of my cute kitten stage they mostly ignored me, so I left home. I like meals on time and sometimes they forgot to feed me. Miss Nettie took to me right away, once she saw me sittin’ on her steps. I gave her my best purrrr when she picked me up. Actually, I don’t like being picked up, but I’m willing to play along if it will get me a warm place to sleep and something tasty to fill my empty tummy. And Miss Nettie’s a very nice human.

She promised she’d take care of me. She’d been lonesome, she said. She seemed nice enough, so I figured I’d give her a couple of weeks to see how we’d get along. And that’s how it all began – me and Miss Nettie. I pretty much do as I please, but I always look out for my human. She loves me, feeds me that good kind of kitty food in a can, too. Treats me like I’m special, just like that fluffy, white cat that sits on a pillow and eats out of a crystal dish. Considering everything, she’s pretty lucky I adopted her. I keep her company every day and never, ever forget to use my litter box. I admit I stay out sorta late some nights. What? You don’t think I need a love life? Me, the Kassanova Kat-huna, Esq.? If you must know, I have a wife and family. Miss Nettie doesn’t know about that yet. Me and the missus, well, we have us a fine bunch of kittens now and I’m thinking I’ll need to bring them to my place soon. I hope Miss Nettie won’t mind. But it’ll be a few months before that happens. Maybe longer.

We have a new neighbor now name of Frankie Lou. She has a little girl instead of a cat, but that’s okay. Betsy – that’s her daughter – is a sweetheart. She stays at our house sometimes when her momma works late or has to rehearse with the Joyful Noise singers. That’s Betsy’s momma’s group of teenagers. They sing songs and stuff. Frankie Lou found out about me and the missus when I had to help her with her investigation involving a murder at Faith Community Church, you know. She never would have gotten inside the victim’s house to snoop around if it hadn’t been for my help. Sometimes humans can’t think of everything. She even called our babies Matthew, Mark, Luke and John when two of them are obviously girls. That’s probably the reason God put two cats on Noah’s ark – so there’d be enough of them around to take care of the humans who’d be needing them.

Well, y’all, it’s gettin’ late and I have to let Miss Nettie know I need to go outside one more time before she goes to bed. Mrroww! I hope she won’t wait up for me ‘cause I’ll be spending the evening with my missus and kiddies. It’s been nice visiting with you. I hope you’ll take time to read more about how I helped Frankie Lou solve the murder in Ruby Springs. You can find all the answers in BRINGING IN THE THIEVES, the book written by that other human, Lora Lee. And stay tuned for the latest news, because there’s more exciting things happening in Ruby Springs when Frankie Lou and the Joyful Noise singers head for a rodeo in Bandera, Texas. M’rrowwww, y’all. ~~~~~ MOSES

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release Date: December 9, 2014

Length: 168 Pages

Published by: Bell Bridge Books

About the book: Frankie Lou’s back and Poppy’s madder than a wet hen. Create a church choir filled with teenage misfits? Over Poppy’s dead body.

Minister’s daughter Frankie Lou McMasters has come back to Ruby Springs, Texas with her daughter, Betsy, eleven years after running off to marry the town bad boy. Her mild notoriety as a bad girl is prime gossip for her childhood enemy, Poppy Fremont, now choir director of Faith Community Church–where Frankie Lou’s daddy, now retired to Florida, was the preacher.

When Frankie Lou comes to the deacons with a request to add a youth choir of at-risk teens she’s been coaching, Poppy throws a fit. A few hours later, Frankie Lou finds her dead in the baptistery pool. And Poppy’s not playing possum.

Frankie Lou sets out to clear her name as the main suspect, and tries to locate the real killer. Could he be sexy Joe Camps, the father of one of her teen singers? In the meantime, her momma shows up from Florida to take charge of Frankie Lou’s life. Bless her heart.

About the author: You can’t be a preacher’s kid and raise a little hob without some serious repercussions. Yes, ma’am, that’s the gospel truth. Lora Lee’s JOYFUL NOISE mystery series for Bell Bridge Books, sheds a little light on just how serious those consequences can be when Frankie Lou Birmingham McMasters returns to her hometown of Ruby Springs, Texas after ten years in hopes of putting some shine on her tarnished reputation, but finds herself in the middle of murder and mayhem instead.

Though author Lora Lee insists the series isn’t about her in any way, shape or form, she does admit to being a real-life P.K. (that’s preacher’s kid, in case you didn’t know.) She was born in Texas and her Southern blood runs deep. Her daddy told her any place below the Mason-Dixon line was part of the South, including the Lone Star State.

Since living in West Michigan most of her married life, she’s lost some of her Texas twang, but once in awhile, a might could and a y’all or two slips into her conversation with her critique partners. They love her, anyway. So does her husband of fifty-plus years and their children. With a current family count of twenty-three, get-togethers often resemble an old time revival when they all gather for fun and food.

Lora Lee is a member of Romance Writer’s of America, Mid-Michigan RWA, Sisters-in-Crime, RWA’s specialty chapter Kiss of Death and is currently published in contemporary romance. She is also a proud graduate of the Grand Rapids Citizens Police Academy.

When not writing or trying to keep up with her ever-growing family, she enjoys reading, music and travel.

Lora’s Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon

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Mansion of Meows by Patricia Fry: Guest Author, Review & Giveaway

The Writer’s Cat 

by Lily the Tabby

That’s me! I live with a writer. I’ve always lived with a writer my whole life. And I’m not alone. Most of the cats I know live with writers. Mom says that’s because most of the people we know are writers and writers like to have cats around.

Even famous writers kept cats in their offices or studies. Ernest Hemmingway wrote with cats, presumably more than one cat. He was quoted as saying, “One cat just leads to another.” That’s true in our house!

Joyce Carol Oates also loves her cats. She told someone once, “I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don’t want to get up.” I can relate to that.

Mark Twain loved cats and he appreciated others who did, as well. He said, “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction.” Edgar Allan Poe also had a great appreciation for cats. He once said, “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”

I’d like to add to that list my mom, Patricia Fry. She makes a lap for me every morning while she’s writing the Klepto Cat Mysteries. Yes, mysteries with cats. I’m just one of many cats who have lived with mom. In fact, she calls me the baby. I’m the youngest of the three who live here now.

Our mom has practically always written, but she hasn’t always written about cats. Her first cat book was Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Having always been a give-me-the-facts type writer, she wanted to try writing in story style and, she’d been collecting cat stories in her head and heart for many years. In that book, she even wrote the story of my awful accident when I was just a kitten and the cat tree fell on top of me. Mom quit writing for a solid week just to take care of me. She slept next to my bed every night. She and Dr. Bailey worked hard to save me and today I am just fine. Mom still gets teary when she tells someone about my accident.

I’m also in the Klepto Cat Mystery stories. So is our tortie, Sophie and the old guy in the household, Max. But you might not recognize us. When Mom creates cat characters for her books, she sometimes uses us as models. She might develop a kitten with my personality, but who looks like Max, for example. She sometimes sits and watches how we act and react to things so she can describe it in the books. It’s all rather mysterious to me. I’m just glad that Mom is a writer and that she spends so much time providing a cozy lap for me to curl up in.

Lily is a dilute tabby who was born in an abandoned VW six years ago on April Fool’s Day. One of 15 kittens born on that property that year, the choice was easy for Patricia to make. She fell in love with Lily at first glance. Lily says she’s the one who made the choice. Lily lives with her best friends Sophie (a 10-year-old tortie) and Max (17—a snow-shoe-type cat)—both also rescued kitties.

Patricia Fry is the author of 49 books, and counting. She just published the 9th in the Klepto Cat Mystery series, Mansion of Meows. The Klepto Cat Mysteries are light, fun cozy mysteries full of adventure, intrigue, and a little romance. They feature Rags, an ordinary cat who just can’t keep his paws off other people’s things. Often, the treasures he finds are clues in a mystery. Follow Rags’s fascinating life path from when he and Savannah were single and he roamed the neighborhood stealing everything from toys belonging to large dogs to jewelry and bathing suits. Rags and Savannah don’t stay single long. After meeting Michael, a handsome veterinarian, Savannah settles down, but the cat doesn’t change his thieving ways. Even though his kleptomaniac habit is annoying and embarrassing to his family, he has earned the respect of the local sheriff’s department and he was even asked to star in a documentary. You can find all of Patricia’s books on Amazon.

Patricia Fry's Klepto Cat mystery series is such a joy for cat-loving bibliophiles. The releases have been coming fast and furious lately and sadly I've fallen behind in keeping up with Rags' adventures. Picking up the 9th book in the series was like catching up with old friends and a reminder of why I have loved these books so much.

This book is extremely atmospheric with the opening scene taking place in a creepy, remote marsh and Savannah's Aunt Maggie injured after being hit on the head. Then we backtrack to how the ladies ended up in such a scary situation. The premiere of Rags' documentary is being shown at the San Francisco mansion of the film's investor, where it becomes immediately apparent that some strange things are going on. A supposedly unoccupied room with shadows in the light shining from under the green door, obvious signs of cats in a supposedly feline-free house, a mysterious gravestone in the middle of nowhere. Then finally Rags goes missing and the dark secrets behind mansion walls begin to see the light of day.

I just can't get enough of Rags and hope that he has many, many more adventures ahead!

Giveaway: Patricia is generously giving away THREE Kindle copies of Mansion of Meows. Leave a comment by noon eastern on Wednesday, March 18th, for your chance to win, and please don't forget your email address!

Watching CATastrophes

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! I turned my tablet around so you can see what I'm watching...my favorite web series, CATastrophes! Mommy and I just got to watch an advanced screening of the latest film, Lucky CATastrophe, and I give it 4 paws WAY up because it promotes the adoption of black cats. The video stars a cat named Hemingway who is still available for adoption from Chicago Cat Rescue.

I have some screen shots that I've been authorized to share with you, and make sure that you subscribe to CATastrophe's YouTube channel. That's where you'll be able to watch Lucky CATastrophe when it premieres on Friday, March 13th, at midnight!

Book Review & Giveaway: Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz

About the book: The Agatha Award-winning author of Crime Rib is proud to introduce Pepper Reece, the owner of the Seattle Spice Shop who thinks she can handle any kind of salty customer—until a murderer ends up in the mix…

After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and Market regulars. But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store’s doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle—especially after the police arrest one of Pepper’s staffers, Tory Finch, for murder.

Tory seems to know why she’s a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she’s not careful, Pepper’s nosy ways might make her next on the killer’s list…

Assault and Pepper, the first book in Leslie Budewitz's Spice Shop mystery series, introduces us to Pepper Reece, an especially strong lead character who is rebuilding her life following a divorce and job loss by taking ownership of a spice shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market. She ends up embroiled in murder when a mysterious panhandler ends up dead on the shop's doorstep - poisoned by a cup of her spice tea - and a valued employee is arrested for the crime.

I always get a little nervous when a book begins with a character list; usually it means there are so many characters you will need a guide to keep them all straight. I didn't find that to be the case at all here. The cast of characters is an eclectic group of people that I really enjoyed meeting, especially the main suspect, Tory, a young woman of many talents and many secrets. A hallmark of cozy mysteries is setting being a character all it's own, and that is especially true here. The author paints such a vivid picture of the famous Pike Place Market that I felt like I was experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells in person.

Armchair travelers and fans of culinary cozies will find much to appreciate in this "spicy" debut.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, March 13th, for your chance to win a copy of Assault and Pepper. (US entries only, please.)

Book Review & Giveaway: A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart

About the book: Hamelin, Vermont, isn’t the most likely place for bagpipes and tartan, but at Peggy Winn’s ScotShop, business is booming…

While on a transatlantic hunt for some authentic wares to sell at her shop, Peggy is looking to forget her troubles by digging through the hidden treasures of the Scottish Highlands. With so many enchanting items on sale, Peggy can’t resist buying a beautiful old tartan shawl. But once she wraps it around her shoulders, she discovers that her purchase comes with a hidden fee: the specter of a fourteenth-century Scotsman.

Unsure if her Highland fling was real or a product of an overactive imagination, Peggy returns home to Vermont—only to find the dead body of her ex-boyfriend on the floor of her shop. When the police chief arrests Peggy’s cousin based on some incriminating evidence, Peggy decides to ask her haunting Scottish companion to help figure out who really committed the crime—before anyone else gets kilt…

Not many cozies are set in Vermont, so that's the first thing that really appealed to me about this book. Set in the fictional town of Hamelin, Vermont, Peggy Winn is the owner of ScotShop which specializes in all things Scottish. Following the discovery that her boyfriend and friend are having an affair, she goes on a buying trip to the Scottish Highlands. She stops at a little giftshop she's never noticed before, and can't resist buying a beautiful old shawl. Little does she know that the shawl contains the ghost of a 14th century Scotsman who ends up following her back home to the States. (The shawl previously belonged to his beloved and he is still grieving for her.) Upon her arrival back home, Peggy discovers that her cheating ex-boyfriend has been murdered in her shop, and her cousin is arrested for the crime. With only an extremely cryptic note in his pocket, Peggy teams up with her ghost and a lawman to catch a killer.

From Paige Shelton's Country Cooking School mysteries to JJ Cook's Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade mysteries, I adore books that feature a "love story" between a ghost and a living person, and this debut is no exception. Scottish historicals and time travel romances are extremely popular right now, and I can easily see this book appealing to readers of those genres. The scenes where Peggy is trying to talk to her ghost and carry on a real-life conversation at the same time are very entertaining and humorous. With a limited cast of secondary characters, one would think pin-pointing the killer would be easy, but I found the opposite to be true...it was harder! I was stumped until the final revelation.

Really my only issue is that in spite of the book seeming a bit tedious at times, I felt that the ending was rushed. Various loose ends, particularly surrounding the ScotShop's assistant manager Gilda's mysterious "migraines" left me intrigued, and will definitely have me picking up the second book in the series hoping that some of my questions will be answered. In the meantime I'll be left wondering why Dirk the ghost attracts spiders to him like bees to honey...

Feline trivia: Fran Stewart is also the author of a series of cat cozies, the Biscuit McKee Mysteries.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, March 13th, for your chance to win a copy of A Wee Murder in My Shop. (US entries only, please.)