I'm pleased to allow Elaine Faber to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. Elaine writes the Black Cat Mystery series. Black Cat and the Immigrant Child is the fifth book in the series.
I’ll bet if 100 people were queried, at least 75% would claim that someday they plan to write a book, most likely a memoir. The remaining 25% would likely conclude that even though they may never get around to it, and the world will be the lesser for it, they could if they wanted to. The thousands of hours required to write, edit, and format a book for publication never enter the equation.
Yet a frightening number of us do spend the time and energy, and a zillion books DO get published every year. Most of them get posted on Amazon, where they are buried as deep as a sticker in a cow plop among millions of other books. Occasionally, one actually sells!
Now, I’ve become one of those people who decided there was a book in me that would be a loss to the world if they did not delve into its pages. After about a skillion hours of writing, rewriting, editing, mentoring, and more rewriting, my novel was finally completed, formatted, published, and made available for sale to the millions of folks clamoring to be amused, entertained, charmed, and delighted by my scintillating characters. This became the first of twelve more novels to follow.
In my cozy cat mystery series (the latest called Black Cat and the Immigrant Child) none have yet to become a New York Times Best Seller, but there is a cat who, with his ancestors’ memories, knows where the bodies are buried. In this adventure, he wants desperately to assist his inferior humans, who are usually too busy searching for bandits’ lost loot and protecting the little girl found on the prairie alongside a dead man. The story contains a smattering of romance, a few downright stinkerisms, cartels and drug lords, an innocent refugee child, and a cat that joins forces with a Maine Coone barn cat and a rat to help his inferior human catch a killer.
So, why do I write when the hours are long, the glory is nonexistent, and the financial rewards are few and far between?
I guess I write because these characters are in me, screaming to get out, and even if I don’t have a Best-Seller, many of the good folks who read my novels come back and tell me about their reading experience. For just a little while, they left their troubles behind, traveled to a little resort town, and entered my make-believe world, where the good guy wins with lots of laughs along the way. For a few hours, they frolicked through the pages, with a cat determined to help Kimberlee solve the latest mystery.
That’s when I know. That’s why I write. That’s why it’s all worth it.
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Bio:
Elaine Faber has published 12 mystery novels and one ‘CAT’ anthology. She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Northern CA Writers and Publishers, and Elk Grove Writers’ Guild. Her stories have also appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies.
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Black Cat and the Immigrant Child (A Black Cat Mystery) by Elaine Faber
About Black Cat and the Immigrant Child
Cozy Mystery 5th in Series
Setting - Texas
Publisher: Michael L. Faber
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Print Length: 254 pages
A tale of corruption and deceit met with compassion and tenacity.
Kimberlee, Dorian, and their pets return to Grandmother Lassiter’s multimillion-dollar horse ranch on the Mexico/Texas border to settle her affairs following her demise.
On their first day in Texas, an illegal immigrant, likely carrying drugs, is found murdered on the Lassiter ranch. A six-year-old girl is at his side.
Black Cat and Angel overhear a ranch hand admit to the murder and declare to eliminate the child who witnessed his crime.
Determined to shelter the little girl, the family is thrust into affairs that include intrigue, humor, and mystery. Join the family as they ride with wild horses and search for a notorious Wild West bandit's undiscovered stolen treasure.
Black Cat joins forces with Murphy, his Maine Coon rival and compatriot, and Cedric, the resident barn rat, in an attempt to prevent another murder and capture the miscreant.
Sprinkled generously with Black Cat and Angel’s humorous relationship and interactions, this is another story that will delight Black Cat’s fans, cat lovers, or readers who enjoy light mysteries and humor.
About Elaine Faber
Elaine Faber lives in Elk Grove with her husband and cat. She is a member of Capitol Crimes, NCPA, and Elk Grove Writers Guild. She volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. Elaine has published 12 cozy mystery novels and an anthology of cat stories. Her books include a WWII historical fiction series, a series of cozy cat mysteries, and two paranormal mystery-adventures.
Author Links: Website: Facebook Goodreads
Purchase Link - Amazon
