I'm pleased to welcome Chris Abernathy to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Chris writes the Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery Series. PAW & ORDER is the first book in the series.
Kathy: In PAW & ORDER, we're introduced to Detective Whiskers, a trained detective who happens to be a cat. How did you decide to make a feline the lead in your series?
CA: I wanted to get outside of the human way of thinking and try a different point of view.
I think cats are fascinating because they seem to keep their thoughts to themselves. With a dog you usually know what they’re thinking but with cats it’s a mystery so I thought it would be fun to hear stories from a cat’s perspective. I think they love humans but are also more critical than dogs so that allows for a wider spectrum of thoughts. And more sarcasm. ;)
Kathy: Detective Whiskers could easily communicate with Fred, but is having issues getting his messages across to his widow. Do you have cats? How would you rate your communication skills with them?
CA: I grew up with cats and they are my favorite pets but currently I have to settle for visiting my brother’s cat. I also take care of my neighbors’ cat when they are away, which is quite often. My communication skills are one way. They seem to understand me perfectly but I confess to never quite being sure what they are thinking.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
CA: I love cozies because they have fun characters and, even though somebody usually dies, the world seems to gone on with lots of love and laughter. It’s important to mourn loved ones when they pass and we should care about all people but I doubt anyone is looking down from heaven saying “why aren’t you going into a cave and wasting the rest of your life now that I’m gone?” Life goes on and we take each day as a gift.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
CA: I wrote my first books using a pen name that was the same name I used when I was a radio and television personality. Those books were a kind of therapy for me and helped me understand some of my work relationships better. They also helped me discover my personal writing style and see where it fit in the publishing world, which turned out to be cozy mysteries. If anyone is interested the books are Rise of the Radio Gods and Blowing Up the Airwaves by Chris Wright. The material is a little racy in parts so some cozy readers might not be comfortable with what the characters get up to on their radio morning show.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
CA: The Detective Whiskers series is really about starting over and realizing that you are never too old to chase your dreams. Both Sheila and Whiskers have lost the most important person in their lives and he remains very important to them even in death but they make new friends, learn more about who they are and who they want to be.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
CA: I’m glad you asked this question. I have a character named Blue who has the least dialogue and action of any of the supporting cast but lots of my readers love her as much as I do. She is there to represent all of the introverts who have a lot to offer but need a little bit of personal space and time. They want to be included — you just have to recognize that they have their own way of relating to others.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
CA: The theme of reinventing yourself is largely inspired by the situation my wife and I are in right now. We are reaching a new phase in our lives and there are so many things we will miss about having a full house but also so many ways that we want to explore the world.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
CA: I’ve been a part of the publishing business for several years as an audiobook narrator. This has allowed me a front row seat on the journey that other authors are taking and they inspire me. There are so many reasons that they each have for writing and publishing their stories and so many ways it has impacted their lives. Telling their stories has been great but something inside me (and beside me, my wife) kept saying “You have great stories to tell, too.”
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
CA: #1 Douglas Adams. Mainly to annoy my wife. She can’t understand his style of humor at all and we have fun joking about it.
#2 Harper Lee. I have lived most of my life in Alabama. People from outside the South have very strong opinions about people from Alabama and for good reasons. But there is a lot more to the people of Alabama than what is shown on the news and she did an amazing job of seeing the humanity in all of the people in her small town and conveying it to readers all over the world.
#3 MC Beaton. My other home is in the Scottish Highlands. I love her Hamish MacBeth series for her vivid descriptions of the people and places there from before I came to know the area.
#4 Louise Penny. My wife loves her Three Pines series with Inspector Gamache. This would make up for inviting Douglas Adams.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
CA: AFTERNOONS WITH HARPER LEE by Wayne Flynt. Wayne and his wife Dartie were close friends with Harper and he does an excellent job of helping us understand this amazing woman who has been so misunderstood.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
CA: My wife and I love travel more than anything other than our families. We’ve been to half the states and more than a dozen countries together and we are just getting started.
I’m also a big soccer fan and recently got to take my youngest son to the Scottish Cup Final with my favorite team, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, playing the role of David versus the Goliath (Celtic). Unfortunately David lost this one :(
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
CA: Fresh fruit and Greek yoghurt to make smoothies, Conecuh sausage and/or hot dogs, coffee beans to grind more my wife’s morning coffee (I make her a French press pot before she gets out of bed), English or Scottish breakfast tea for myself.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
CA: I plan to continue writing several more books in the Detective Whiskers series (I’m working on books four and five now) and I have an idea for a series set in the Scottish Highlands with some lost royal treasures.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
Freedom. Writing books allows me freedom to express myself and explore the perspectives of the people around me. It also allows me freedom to travel because I can write from anywhere in the world.
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Review
PAW & ORDER by Chris Abernathy
The First Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery
Moving to a cottage by the water in Florida was the retirement dream of Detective Fred Mason and his wife, Sheila. Sheila and Detective Whiskers, their cat, grieving the unexpected death of Fred decide to make the move to their dream home in Paradise Cove without their beloved Fred. Vowing to protect Sheila, Detective Whiskers has his work cut out for him when a neighbor is killed and Sheila becomes a suspect. With new friends to help, Detective Whiskers will have to quickly get the lay of the land and find the real killer or lose his home for good!
Detective Whiskers is a fresh voice in crime fiction. I love the fact that the protagonist of the new Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery series is a cat instead of a human. While he may have his flaws, like enjoying a belly rub so much his mission is forgotten, Whiskers is smart and with police training is well prepared to clear his human's name. I like the other animal characters as well, though it was odd that Zappa was a male, as almost all calico cats are female. No matter, he's a cool laid back dude. I like that Sheila quickly found a new group of friends willing to not only welcome her to the community, but support her and do all they can to help her. It's hard to start over, especially when you're older, and even more so after the loss of a partner. Sheila, though she takes a back seat to Detective Whiskers, is still a courageous woman who won't back down or give up when things get bad, though she may take a nap.
I really enjoyed this deftly written mystery. It's heartwarming, especially in regards to how Sheila and Whiskers grieve for Fred, and funny with several laugh out loud moments. I like how both Detective Whiskers and Sheila work to clear her name. While they use slightly different methods, each calls on new found friends to help. While I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was, I wasn't sure why. I like how the pieces fell into place, proving me right.
PAW & ORDER is a cute mystery about starting over. Grab a margarita and a slice of key lime pie and dig in to this unique new mystery series.
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In addition to the Rafflecopter at the end of this post, the author has graciously offered a digital copy of PAW & ORDER to one commenter. Simply leave a comment on this blog post no later than 11:59 pm on Friday, July 21, 2023 saying why cats make the perfect detective. Be sure to leave your e-mail address and what format you would need should you be chosen for the giveaway.
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Paw and Order: A Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery
by Chris Abernathy
About Paw and Order
What’s better than a K-9 cop? A feline detective. Detective Whiskers is out to prove himself, and keep his human from being framed for murder, or worse. He'll need the help of his new animal friends and Sheila's group of female sleuths. This cozy mystery set in a small town in Old Florida is purrfect for cat lovers and anyone who enjoys a fun beach read.
Who is really catching killers in Paradise Cove? It’s not the local police. The Paradise Cove Murder Society is getting the job done, with more help than they realize from a furry detective named Whiskers.
Sheila and her cat Whiskers are starting a new life in the perfect little Florida beach town that managed to avoid the big crowds, condos and chain stores. But as soon as they arrive the town has its first ever murder. Good thing Whiskers is a trained detective! Fred, Sheila’s husband of forty years, was a police detective who recently passed away, right before they were supposed to retire to the beach. After forty years of devoting herself entirely to being a good wife and mother she’s now left to put her life back together, but what kind of life will it be? In a fresh setting, and with some quirky new friends, she slowly begins to remember all of the dreams she had as a young woman. She has a second chance to chase those dreams, if she can stay alive and out of prison. When her next door neighbor is killed and the evidence points to Sheila, it’s time for Whiskers to step up.
Whiskers was Fred’s loyal assistant and he’ll need to remember everything he learned from his mentor to keep Sheila safe as she rediscovers herself. With the help of some unexpected new friends of his own Detective Whiskers sets out to prove to the world, and himself, that he is worthy of the shiny badge on his collar. If you love humorous cozy mysteries where pets take the lead and eccentric friends come together to solve crimes with just the right amount of suspense then the Detective Whiskers Cozy Mystery Series is exactly what you’re looking for.
Excerpt from Paws and Order
Sheila does not understand. I know we’re not supposed to play favorites with our humans, but we all do. Fred and I had a connection that was … special. I’ve tried communicating with Sheila, but— Okay this part is a little embarrassing. Every time I tap her hand with my paw, she thinks I want food or a belly rub. Which, of course, I do. I ALWAYS want food or a belly rub. Or both. But I’m trying to tell her something important, and all of a sudden, she puts those fingernails to work on my belly and I’m gone. Lost. A zombie. It feels sooooo good. Whatever I needed to say is up in smoke, my eyes are closed, and I hear a Karen Carpenter love song in my head.
Don’t judge me.
About Chris Abernathy
Chris Abernathy has narrated more than 200 audiobooks and now he is writing his own stories. He has been a storyteller his entire life — around campfires at a summer camp as a counselor, on the radio for more than 30 years, as an actor with background roles on major motion pictures and TV series, as a producer of short films for social media and more. Chris is married with two sons and lives on the Gulf Coast in Alabama. He is a dual national with citizenship in the US and UK and visits family in the Scottish Highlands as often as possible.
Author Links:
Webpage - http://authorchrisabernathy.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorchrisabernathy/
Amazon author profile - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Abernathy/author/B07YLJPKNQ
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