Cat Got Your Interview + Review & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Julie Chase to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Julie writes the Kitty Couture Mystery series. Cat Got Your Diamonds, the first book in the series, was released November 15, 2016.

Kathy: Lacy Marie Crocker opens Furry Godmother, an upscale pet boutique and organic treat bakery. Is this store based on a real shop, or is it purely a creation of your imagination?

JC: The shop is purely from my imagination, but it's been fun running into readers who know someone with a relatable shop in their town. I think I should go on a tour, visiting as many of these places as possibly and taking selfies with the awesome owners.


Kathy: I have a large furry family including cats, rats, and a horse. Do you have furkids of your own? Have they inspired any of the offerings at Furry Godmother?

JC: Many of my animal scenes in this series were inspired by the pets I grew up with. My parents are huge animal lovers, and there was always at least one pet in the house. As an only child, the pets were my friends, my confidants and my companions. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of me and a furry sibling.


Kathy: You include recipes for pets. How do you develop these recipes? Do you have an eager testing panel/ Do you enjoy cooking for humans too?

JC: I stopped loving to cook after my kids were old enough to snub my meals. With three of children between the ages of 8 and 13, I only make two dishes that no one complains about and one of those is cereal. Cooking for pets is so much more fun. Pets love anything you offer them. They accept the food with enthusiasm and gratitude. I would cheerfully cook for a pet over a child any day. Though, I will say that my kids have loved baking and testing the pet recipes on pets. We're planning pet treats for the neighbors' pets now and will deliver them with the humans' cookies at Christmas.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

JC: I fell in love with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books and wanted to recreate the fun and frolic I found there. She was my gateway to the cozy world. Cozy heroines feel like old friends that I can't wait to sit down and catch up with. I wanted to write those.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

JC: I've published some YA and sweet romance in the past, but the last seven manuscripts I've written have been cozy mysteries. Also, I've just signed a contract to write romantic suspense for Harlequin's Intrigue line, so I'll be switching gears for a few months, but I'll always come back to cozy.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

JC: Lacy's from a wealthy New Orleans family, but she's trying to carve her own path in life. That path took her away from home for nearly a decade, but now she's back, licking her wounds and making lemonade...or in her case making pet costumes and organic treats for furbabies. When a man is killed outside her pet boutique, Lacy is the main suspect. She must fight to clear her name and save her new business.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

JC: I love Lacy because she's so determined. About everything. She's fiercely loyal. Dedicated to the success of her business, to finding a place in her mother's world, to healing their sometimes difficult relationship. Lacy does everything with heart, and I admire that.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

JC: No. I just love pets in costumes and the New Orleans Garden District. I wanted to share both with readers.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JC: I want to reach people, the way my favorite authors reach me. I want to make a stranger smile, and hopefully give them an escape from their busy lives, even if it's just a few hours.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

JC: Janet Evanovich, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer and Emily Bronte.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JC: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

JC: I'm a bit of a snore. Mostly, I read and write, or I hang out with my husband and kids. We like television and movies. We endure karate classes, swim meets, gymnastics events and everything from chess competitions to girl scout ceremonies together. If one of us is involved, then we're all involved. We call ourselves Team Lindsey.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

JC: Bottled water, peanut butter & jelly, string cheese and coffee.


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

JC: I've written three books in the Kitty Couture series so far and have a proposal out there for books 4-6. So, fingers crossed, the publisher accepts the proposal, and I'll be taking Lacy and her crew on adventures for years to come.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

JC: I love the idea of making someone else's day brighter. It's the reason I started writing, and it's my goal every time I sit down at my computer.

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Review

CAT GOT YOUR DIAMONDS by Julie Chase

The First Kitty Couture Mystery

After a nasty breakup with her louse of a fiance Lacy Crocker returns home to the Garden District of New Orleans. Lacy's followed her dreams and opened Furry Godmother, a pet boutique and organic treat bakery. She not only bakes all of the delicious treats, but designs the pet clothing as well. Several burglaries have been occurring in the neighborhood, but Lacy feels relatively safe-the thieves are after high end jewelry, not glittery tutus or liver treats, no matter how well made. When a disreputable man scopes out her shop, Lacy is a bit unnerved and downright terrified when she finds him inside after hours! When the police arrive they find the man dead and consider Lacy Suspect #1! Now her investor has pulled his backing and Lacy is desperate to clear her name and keep her business going. Despite the continued growling of a good looking detective to let the police handle matters, Lacy doggedly investigates all while trying to keep her business afloat, dealing with her high society mama, trying to get her cat back from her ex, and not getting killed!

Julie Chase has brought the Garden District of New Orleans alive. Bringing together the wealth and society demands of this exclusive district to a hardworking woman determined to make her own way without the help of her family's money or name Chase has created a likeable new protagonist and a world of well developed, interesting characters. I am thrilled to discover Furry Godmother! While Lacy's custom designed clothing may not be on my shopping list, I certainly would love to visit her store to buy some Tiny Tuna Tarts. Since that trip to a fictional store is not possible, Chase graciously shares the recipe so that my furkids, and yours, need not be deprived!

Filled with humor and fun CAT GOT YOUR DIAMONDS provides an intriguing mystery and great start to a new series. Chase ingeniously ends the book with a perfect segue to her next Kitty Couture Mystery, and now I'm dying to see what happens next!

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