Interview and Giveaway
with author Laurie Cass
Laurie and Eddie
Laurie Cass is the author of the
Bookmobile Cat Mysteries.
Enter using the Rafflecopter form
after the interview for your chance to win a copy of
LENDING A PAW or TAILING A TABBY.
There will be two winnerrs, one per book.
LKBR: Hi Laurie. It’s great to have you here!
LC: Thanks so
much – it’s wonderful to be invited!
LKBR: As Laurie Cass you write the Bookmobile Cat mysteries and as Laura Alden
you write the PTA mysteries. Do you have a favorite of the two?
LC: Whatever book I’m writing is always my
favorite. Well, to be more exact, it’s my favorite until the plot gets stuck somewhere,
at which point it becomes my least favorite. But choosing a favorite series is
like choosing a favorite child. The two series are very different, even though
they’re both cozies.
The PTA series
is set in suburban Wisconsin and features a single mother of two who is a
children’s bookstore owner and PTA member. That main character is still finding
her way after being married for twenty years to a domineering man. The
storyline that arcs over the five books in the series is about how my main character
learns to be comfortable in her own skin.
The bookmobile
cat series is set in northern Michigan and features a confident and strong
young bookmobile librarian whose life becomes intertwined with a cat she
rescued from a cemetery. The two become great pals, and my main character is
going to spend a lot of time wondering just how smart her cat really is.
LKBR: How did you come up with the idea for each series?
LC: Well, the
PTA series was what the publishing world calls a “work for hire.” I was given a
few paragraphs of outline and, from that, created a detailed synopsis and
eventually the entire first book. That outline put the books in Wisconsin, gave
me the single mom owning a bookstore, and set up the first victim. Pretty much
everything else came out of my head.
The bookmobile
cat series is my own idea, but it sprang from two sources. My editor, knowing
how much I love cats, said I should write a cat book. With that in mind, I
kicked around a bunch of ideas, none of which were very good. Then came that
fateful day when some writer friends and I were talking about mystery series
that featured libraries. Something in my brain went ‘pop’ and out came the idea
of a mystery series featuring a bookmobile. With a cat.
Eddie proof reading
LKBR: When writing do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
LC: Funny you should ask! I
recently completed the first draft of the third bookmobile book (BORROWED CRIME), coming to a bookstore near you in March
2015) and was just looking at my statistics. Yes, I have statistics, because I
keep very careful track of my daily word counts.
From experience, I know that my first drafts end up in the neighborhood
of 90,000 words. I also know that I like to have a month to edit the manuscript
before I send it off to my editor. And I also know the date my contract says I
have to deliver the manuscript.
So. I take those 90,000 words and look at the calendar. I figure out
the day I’ll be able to start writing and how many words a week I have to write
to reach 90,000 words to leave a month for editing.
In a perfect world this would all work out, but sometimes…well, it
doesn’t. Most of the time, though, having a daily quota keeps me on track and
motivated.
The bookmobile ladies
LKBR: Do you ever get writer’s Block? If
yes, how do you work through it?
LC: I’m not sure I get writer’s
block, but every so often I’d rather scrub the bathroom floor on my hands and
knees than write. And sometimes I actually do get down on my hands and knees
and scrub the floors. Though this isn’t helpful for my word count, at least I
end up with a clean floor. Most of the time, however, I look at the calendar,
realize that a deadline is looming, and get back to work.
LKBR: Your second book in the Bookmobile
Cat mysteries, TAILING A TABBY releases July 1st.
Would you share a little snippet of the story with us? Maybe something not on
the blurb?
LC: Sure! Here’s a fun little bit from the first chapter:
Thessie turned around and looked at the bookmobile’s shelves. “Three thousand books, right?” A few more than that, since I’d shoved more books onto the shelves than I should have, but she was close.
“And we have what no other bookmobile has.” She tapped the cat carrier with the toes of her flip-flops. “We have an Eddie.”
“How lucky can we get?” I asked dryly.
“Mrr,” my cat said.
Thessie peered through the slots of Eddie’s plastic carrier. “He’s looking at you. I think you hurt his little kitty feelings.”
I doubted it. The three months I’d spent with Eddie had taught me many things, and the top two items were (1) A Cat’s Purr Makes Everything Okay and (2) The Cat Always Wins. Eddie was my little buddy and I loved him dearly, but he could make Machiavelli’s advice to the Medicis look like kindergarten lessons.
LKBR: You’re right! That is fun!
LKBR: Do you have any ideas for a new
series?
LC: All sorts! The problem is finding the time to work on them.
Eddie giving imput
LKBR: What do you like to do when you’re
not writing?
LC: Read! But I’m also one of
those outdoorsy people. I love skiing of any variety, plus I love swimming,
biking, hiking, walking, gardening – basically anything that gets me outside.
LKBR: What are three things you would
like your readers to know about you?
LC: Wow, let me think about that one a little … okay, here are three
things. 1) When I was young, I wanted to be a commercial airline pilot. 2) I
have an incredibly poor memory. I even have a hard time remembering the names
of my books. Sad, but absolutely true. 3) I don’t care for spicy food. At all.
For years I tried to develop a liking for it, but I’ve given up on that.
LKBR: Thank you so much for taking the
time to stop by, Laurie!
LC: Thanks for inviting me!
Bio
Laurie Cass grew up in Michigan and
graduated from Eastern Michigan University in the 80’s with a (mostly unused)
Bachelor of Science degree in geology. Currently, Laurie and her husband share
their house with two cats, the inestimable Eddie, and the adorably cute Sinii.
When Laurie isn’t writing, she’s working at her day job, reading, yanking weeds
out of her garden,
or doing some variety of skiing.
Want to learn ever more about Laurie?
Check out these links.
GOOD LUCK
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Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader
I'm doing two Book Beginnings on Fridays this week. The first is from
TAILING A TABBY by Laurie Cass.
Book 2 in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.
Release date: July 1, 2014
Once upon a time, I'd imagined my adulthood would include a bright purple bicycle, a daily dish of ice cream, hair that would do whatever I wanted it to, and lots of book.
Fast -forward to my present age of thirty-three. These days, my bicycle was a silvery-green, my ice cream had turned into fruits and vegetables, and my black curly hair still refused to obey any command I gave it.
I glanced into the small round mirror above the windshield and grinned at what I saw behind me. At least I'd gotten the books part right.
My second pick is from
BEAGLEMANIA by Linda O. Johnston.
Book 1 in the Pet Rescue Mystery series.
I am not a killer.
At least not a killer of animals. I save their lives whenever humanly possible, especially pets. Their soul purpose on this earth is to love and be loved, like perpetual children.
People are something else.
The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice
Since I already used TAILING A TABBY for my Friday 56 a few weeks ago,
my Friday 56 this week is also from
BEAGLEMANIA by Linda O. Johnston.
He had barely left when the door opened again. The man who walked in wasn't wearing a uniform. Or maybe he was -- a suit, dark, with a blue-striped tie. And a frown.
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