Ellery Adams Interviews The Feline Cozy Stars of August!

by Ellery Adams

For our feline fans, this is a special guest post featuring Muffet Cat from Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams; Merlot, Syrah, Chablis, and Magpie from The Cat, The Sneak, and The Secret by Leann Sweeney; and Barney and Scout from Mary Kennedy’s Dream A Little Scream.

There’s a chance for you to win one of three fabulous prizes too! (A black scarf, paw print dish towels, and cat/book earrings). All you have to do is comment of ask a kitty a question and you’re entered! We’ll pick three lucky readers August 4^th, the day our three books hit the shelves!

1. What is your role in your human household? Are you primarily a lap cat or do you fulfill other roles?

Muffet Cat: I have multiple jobs at Storyton Resort. I am the main rodent eradicator, the official cream tester, and, because of my girth, I am able to warm the largest of laps in my role of human comforter.

Syrah: I am the smartest cat and in charge of making sure that the silly coroner’s investigator doesn’t overstep—although with the shoes she wears, that’s tough.

Barney and Scout: We're primarily lap cats and provide lots of cuddling time with Ali and Taylor. After a hard day at Oldies But Goodies, they're happy to relax with us.



2. Your human is often caught up in dangerous and threatening situations. Have you ever provided assistance during these trying times? 

Muffet Cat: I have a cat’s ability to sense wickedness in humans. A bad person just doesn’t smell right. Plus, there’s a stiffness to them that any feline with half a brain can detect. I let my caretakers know that such a human is in our presence by growling.

Merlot: All three of us —Syrah, Merlot and Chablis- have helped many times. We provide clues, we sniff out strangers and we are always on alert. We can tell the good guys from the bad guys. And we’ve had visitors—like our newest visitor Magpie—who also assist. But I am a Maine coon, the biggest cat, and I am pretty good at protecting Jillian Hart. We all love her after all.

Barney and Scout: During a particularly trying time, we alerted our neighbors, the Harper sisters, that something was amiss at home. Luckily, the Harper sisters spotted us outside and immediately went to check on our owners.

3. When you’ve done something wonderful, which most surely happen quite often, what kind of treat are you given as a reward?

Muffet Cat: Fortunately, I am a coddled and adored pet. I am regularly served cream and treats, as is my due as the only pet in residence, but when I’ve been particularly impressive, I am given tuna on a porcelain dish. I prefer my food on fine china. I have very finicky tastes, despite my background as a humble stray.

Chablis answers: Since I am the treat monster, I have to say, we like just about anything. We can be picky about people food, but cheese? Oh, we love cheese almost as much as those pesky mice in the basement. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say tuna.

Barney and Scout: We're both very fond of tuna fish and we can always use some new catnip mice. Barney keeps pushing our catnip mice under the refrigerator and they're gone forever!

4. Is there a human you see on a regular basis who you wish would relocate to a distant place? (Antarctica would be nice). Who is that person and why do they get your whiskers in a twist?

Muffet Cat: I am not fond of Mrs. Templeton, Storyon’s head housekeeper. She is constantly running that blasted vacuum cleaner and spraying all sorts of foul-smelling chemicals around the resort. Not only that, but I’ve heard her accuse me of being dirty. Such an insult! I pride myself on my shiny black and white coat. If she wants to see dirt, she should look inside Hem and Fitz’s closet. Those boys know all about dirt!

Syrah answers: As I mentioned before, Lydia Monk could take a long hike off a short pier. She’s out of touch with reality and can be very unpleasant to our mom. Our mom, by the way, is the nicest, kindest, bestest mom on earth. We like Tom, too. We have to. He might be moving in.

Barney and Scout: We're very lucky that we like all of Ali and Taylor's friends. That could change, of course. But for the moment, we are surrounded by cat lovers.

5. Can you give us a tiny hint, a “purrfect” feline preview, of something that will happen in Murder in the Paperback Parlor , The Cat, The Sneak, and The Secret and Dream a Little Scream, and that readers simply won’t want to miss?

Muffet Cat: I thought having a resort filled with fans of romance novels would be lovely. My perception was that these gentle women would ply me with choice tidbits from their table and retire early, leaving me free to roam the halls at my leisure. Well, I couldn’t have been more mistaken! I’ve never witnessed such jealously, passion, and avarice under one roof! It’ll take my months to recover from the violence I witnessed. And people thing I’m cruel for killing mice! Ha! And that Edwin Alcott character. I can usually judge a man with one sniff and I just can’t get a read on him. It troubles me, friends. It troubles me greatly…

Magpie: I can tell you first off, that being fostered by Jillian Hart is awesome. As for hints, well, I come to stay awhile and I cannot help myself. I’m a bit of a klepto and one of the things I “borrow” in the new story turns out to be pretty important and gets a lot of people in trouble. So it all starts when I’m the cat in trouble. I can’t say more!

Barney and Scout: Sometimes a "secret" ingredient in a recipe can be deadly. (Barney and Scout exchange little smiles). As the reader will discover in the opening chapters...