Kathy: Nine LiFelines is the third book in the Psycho Cat and the Landlady Mystery series. Do you happen to live with a psycho cat?
JAB: I live with two cats, Moose and Chloe. Both act like cats, which makes them naturally psycho. The female disappears sometimes and appears out of nowhere after we’ve looked in every possible hiding place—maybe she becomes The Invisible Cat. The male likes to perch on my chest and head-butt my chin when I’m trying to read. They haven’t sniffed out clues to mysteries or saved me from a maniacal murderer yet, but I’ve no doubt they would.
Kathy: You were once a landlady. How does being a fictional landlady compare to the reality?
JAB: In my books, I describe some of the chores I actually perform, but so far there’ve been no murders or disappearing tenants. I see mysteries everywhere, and a couple of stories came from actual events at my rental units.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
JAB: I like to read cozies. I love The Cat Who… series, Diane Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries, and Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuths, among other. When I decided to write mysteries, cozies were a natural.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
JAB: I write articles, essays, and short stories. I’m planning to write a book of memoirs.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
JAB: In the first book of my Psycho Cat and the Landlady Mystery series, cat yowls make Beth, a Kansas City landlady, aware that her renter has disappeared. The renter is a relative, and Beth becomes a reluctant investigator. She solves that case, but in subsequent books, mysterious events in her rental units lead to more investigations.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
JAB: Of course, I’m partial to my protagonist, Beth, who is a constant in the series. Otherwise, I like Talia, a young lady from FURtive Investigation. She’s a workaholic, socially insecure, and resistant to relationships with men. But she’s caring, kind, and concerned about everyone, much like Beth.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
JAB: Yes. It was a friend’s story about her "psycho” cat that saved her life one time. (Or so her story went.)
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
JAB: I want people to enjoy the stories.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
JAB: Lilian Jackson Braun, Edgar Allen Poe, Madeleine L’Engle, and Ivan Doig
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
JAB: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
JAB: I have lots of hobbies and interests. I was a school librarian and was interested in every subject or research topic the students and teachers brought to me. I fit the cliché "Jack of all trades, master of none." Now, I play tennis, belong to a walking group, love books and movies, cook, and travel for research and fun but spend most of my time writing.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
JAB: I keep rice, apples, flour, and lettuce.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
JAB: Yes. I have notes for a fourth Psycho Cat and the Landlady Mystery and for a book of three memoirs with a common theme.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
JAB: I love using my imagination.
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This is a new series to me and it sounds like an amusing read. I really like cats in books, they just seem to go together. Can't wait to read this series.
ReplyDeleteThis is a new series to me and it sounds like an amusing read. I really like cats in books, they just seem to go together. Can't wait to read this series.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to a "new-to-me" author. Nine LiFelines sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThis a new series for me and I'm looking forward to reading this. I too enjoy the cat who series.
ReplyDelete