AN INTERVIEW WITH KATHERINE JEAN WILK FROM AUTHOR MARY SEIFERT'S KATIE AND MAVERICK COZY MYSTERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Katherine Jean Wilk, the main character in the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mystery series by author Mary Seifert. Learn more about Katie, the series, and her author at Mary’s website. 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Before Mary and began collaborating, I’d been trying to get a job. I met the man of my dreams while attending the Royal Holloway in London, earned a degree in Mathematical Cryptanalysis with plans to work in encryption and decryption for the NSA (National Security Agency), but life got in the way. I found out Charles wasn’t who I thought he was. He had a title--Baron. I ran from him, but Charles had better sense and followed me home. We married. Seventeen days later, he was shot and killed, trying to protect me. I gave up those dreams and felt called to teaching high school mathematics instead, a nice safe, boring profession, I thought. Unfortunately, Mary set me up to find a body while walking my dog, and now I feel like a corpse magnet.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself? 

Because I’m good at deciphering puzzles and riddles, I’ve been able to help solve a few crimes, even when law enforcement would rather I stay out of their hair. But my favorite attribute is my ability to make math more fun than expected for my students. A few of them have even thanked me, so I’ll put that in the win column.

 

What do you like least about yourself? 

At times I’m too serious. In my mind, everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I’d like to be able to just let it go. (Wouldn’t that make a great song?) I’m not sure that will happen, but I can hope. I think I’ve fallen in love again, and I have to work at not pushing him away. Pete Erickson is the kindest, sweetest, handsomest, smartest … you get what I mean. He keeps dropping wedding hints to Mary, but she hasn’t picked up on them yet.

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you? 

I hate the cold. Then, you ask, why stay in Minnesota? I love the change in seasons and am mesmerized by our trees budding and flowering in the spring, shading through the warm summer, painting the horizon with oranges, yellow, reds, and browns in the fall, and drifting to the ground before cleaning the world canvas with white snow and beginning again. Therefore, the strangest thing Mary has had me do is ICE FISH!

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about? 

I wouldn’t say we argue, but we definitely have some heated discussions. Some of the characters I meet have a vicious streak and I have no tolerance for them. She also clearly colors within the lines. She’s a firstborn and tries to follow all the rules. I bend them whenever I can.

 

What is your greatest fear?

My dad has nearly recovered from his traumatic brain injury but I’m sure he was shot and Charles died, because of me. I haven’t figured out why and no one has yet discovered the shooter, but I’m afraid anyone I get close to might become a target. I’m careful, but I’ve noticed my guard has been slipping as I get more comfortable in my surroundings. I need to remind myself to stay alert but not hide away from life. 

 

What makes you happy? 

First and foremost, being written into stories with my friends and family makes me smile. I have Dad, a great landlady, a reliable best friend, an adorable, loving, hardworking, intelligent, handsome boyfriend, and Maverick, the best dog ever, who has put himself in harm’s way for me more times than I care to count. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why? 

If I could have rewritten the Katie and Maverick Cozies without Charles dying, I would be happy, but then my story wouldn’t exist.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

ZaZa Lavigne began as a student at the Royal Holloway six months earlier than me and, unbeknown to me, fell deeply in love with Charles before I arrived. She never said anything, and he never knew. We lost touch and I didn’t hear from her for years, but a teaching position opened up at my school, and she applied. I don’t know why she gave up a job in security in Paris to come here, but she was hired and now is a thorn in my side, reminding me if he hadn’t married me, Charles might still be alive.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

If I couldn’t be me, I’d trade places with my crazy landlady who knows how to shake up life. She dances for exercise (winning competitions with her fabulous partner) and can cook like a chef at a Michelin Star restaurant. She’s a true artist with her head in the clouds and her feet planted firmly on the ground. She can pick up any craft with a snap of her fingers. She knows how to knit and tried to teach me but I’m still fumbling with the cast-on stitch. She lends me wonderful items to make even my wardrobe passable and I don’t know what we’d do without her. Everyone in town knows who she is, and most love her. 

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog? 

Mary loves making trouble for me. When she’s not writing, she’s making incredible memories with family and friends, walking her dog, whose only speed is faster, carefully deleting reference to murder from her web-browser, and pretending to cook. You can find her nibbling chocolate and sipping wine, both of which sometimes occur WHILE writing and reading. Find more about her at maryseifertauthor.com.

 

What's next for you? 

The chronicle of my latest adventure, Creeps, Cache & Corpses, a spring break fiasco, is now available. But end-of-the-year activities are culminating at school, and I’ve discovered I have a younger half-sister, Ellen, which means my mother didn’t die as I’d thought; she’d left and started a new family. I’m trying to reconcile my definition of family with my new reality. In addition, my landlady, Ida Clemashevski, confesses to bouts of melancholia and forgetfulness, and we’ve witnessed her unexpected mood swings. I worry the symptoms are a prelude to dementia. Ellen hasn’t seen our long-lost mother in almost a decade, and I found out she’s begun a search for her, but her drive is blinding her good judgement, so Mary and I are trying to work out the next story.

 

Creeps, Cache & Corpses

A Katie & Maverick Cozy Mystery, Book 7

When Katie’s spring break plans for a romantic getaway with Pete fall apart, she skips the chance to go skiing with her dad and the sister she’s very recently met. Instead, she and Maverick and a group of friends travel to attend the memorial service for a student’s mother, but it is spring break so there will also be salon treatments, shopping, and sightseeing. But, from the moment they arrive, tension fills the air, as Edith Farthington, the oddball innkeeper, and her nephew appear to be harboring secrets and a few unwanted visitors.

The group is in town less than 24 hours when, during a geocache outing, Katie and her students discover a dead body concealed in a remote area of an area park. Unfortunately, the victim just happens to be one of the few people in town they’ve already met, and Katie’s group is getting the side-eye from the local cops.

The suspects are numerous, the motives tricky, but there’s a shock for Katie and those close to her when the sheriff leaps ahead to arrest one of their own. How can Katie find enough evidence to convince him otherwise, especially when she’s been warned to leave it to the professionals—many times?

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AN INTERVIEW WITH BUDDY BANKS FROM AUTHOR KASSANDRA LAMB'S MARCIA BANKS AND BUDDY COZY MYSTERY SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Buddy Banks, a Black Labrador/Rottweiler mix, from author Kassandra Lamb’s Marcia Banks and Buddy Cozy Mystery Series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I was a happy puppy. My dog mom was a bit promiscuous. She was supposed to be producing only purebred Black Labradors. Her breeder was quite shocked when my siblings and I were born. Apparently, the neighbor’s Rottweiler had come visiting one night.

 

The breeder gave our litter to an agency that trains service dogs for veterans. My first human mom was the woman who fostered us and taught us our manners, until we were old enough to be trained as service dogs. That’s when I met Marcia Banks.

 

Life was good. Marcia’s very loving and it was fun to learn new things. But I was a little shocked when she took me to meet my veteran. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t going to live with her forever.

 

But my Marine was a good guy. I liked being useful, helping him deal with his PTSD. And his wife was very sweet, until she got herself killed. When my Marine was accused of her murder, I had to go live with Marcia again.

 

And as it turned out, I did end up living with her forever, and helping her solve mysteries and train more service dogs.  

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I’m pretty brave. I don’t bite but I will do most anything else to protect Marcia. Will, Marcia’s love interest, taught me some things that police dogs do. Like grabbing the arm of someone who’s holding a gun. I’ve had to do that way too often! 

 

What do you like least about yourself?

I’m getting old. I have gray hairs on my snout now! And I don’t have as much energy as I once did. It’s hard for me to keep up when helping Marcia train. She’s talking about training a new mentor dog to take my place, so I can retire. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Well, this is a little strange, but it’s also fun. Our author had Marcia train me to act like someone’s out-of-control pet. When Marcia spins her finger around in a circle, I run up to the dog we’re training and try to get them to play with me.

 

It’s a test to see if they stay on task or do they let me distract them. We do it again a few times when we’re training the veteran who’s getting the dog, to see if the vet can keep the dog focused.

 

It’s fun because I get to act as crazy as I want, until Marcia claps her hands, and then I trot away, as calm as can be. The veterans often laugh when they see me shift gears so fast.

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

I don’t, but Marcia does sometimes. Lately they’ve been “discussing” whether or not it’s time to wind down our series (we have 12 books out now).

 

Marcia’s got mixed emotions about it. She loves investigating—that’s why she and Will are starting their own private detective agency—but she is getting tired of dealing with killers. She’s ready for tamer things, like insurance fraud cases. But she’s also a little afraid she’ll get bored with “tame” after a while.

 

What is your greatest fear?

Losing Marcia...and now she’s having a baby. I know she’ll want me to protect the baby, like I do her. But I’m not sure how to keep a tiny baby safe. What if I screw up and something happens? 

 

What makes you happy?

A good nap after a training session.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

Maybe the time with my Marine. Not the whole time, but toward the end. It was so sad. I try not to think about what happened.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Well, it used to be the lady who delivers our mail. She was afraid of dogs, but Dolly, the border collie we recently trained—she’s so sweet that she won the postmistress over. Now she even pets me sometimes. The postmistress, not Dolly...

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

That’s easy. The new puppy Marcia’s raising, who will eventually replace me as her mentor dog. If I were the pup, I’d get to live another whole dog-years lifetime with Marcia and her family.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Kassandra just celebrated her 70^th birthday and her 10^th anniversary as a published author. She says it’s time to slow down just a bit (I guess we’re both dealing with this getting-old business). It’s one of the reasons she’s winding down our series. She has started another one—a police procedural series about a female Chief of Police—and she says it’s a little much trying to produce at least one book per series each year.

 

Readers can learn more about her and her books at her website where there are also links to her social media. She also blogs at Misteriopress. 

What's next for you?

We have one more novella coming out, around the first of the year, called Auld Lang Mayfair. Kassandra says there’s going to be some drama regarding our friend Carla. She used to help Marcia and me train the dogs, but now she trains on her own and also works at the Mayfair Diner (and gives me meat scraps sometimes).

 

Our other friend, Edna Mayfair (she’s really old, in her 80s) is always trying to bring in more business, and especially tourists, to our small town. She’s building some new shops along Main Street, but this time her scheme to promote Mayfair may backfire.

 

We already have a cover for that last book. Isn't it cute?

 

To Bark or Not to Bark

A Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery, #12

 

Service dog trainer Marcia Banks tackles a locked room mystery in a haunted house, while training the recipient of her latest dog.

 

The border collie, Dolly has been trained to clear rooms for an agoraphobic Marine who was ambushed in a bombed-out building. But the phantom attackers in his psyche become the least of his troubles when Marcia finds his ex-wife’s corpse in his master bedroom, with the door bolted from the inside.

 

Was it suicide or murder? Marcia can’t see her client as a killer, but the local sheriff can.

 

Then the Marine reports hearing his ex calling for him to join her on the other side of the grave. Is his house really haunted, or is he hallucinating?

 

Bottom line: Marcia has lost a client to suicide before. She’s not going to lose another!

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR JACKIE LAYTON

Today we sit down for a chat with cozy mystery author Jackie Layton. Learn more about Jackie and her books at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

I always dreamed of writing, but it didn’t seem possible or practical. When my youngest son was about to graduate from high school, it occurred to me if I didn’t try writing, I’d regret it. 

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

It took about ten years. That probably seems like a long time, but at the beginning of my journey, I was working full time and had family commitments. It took a lot of juggling, and my family was supportive, and at last the dream came true.

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? 

I’m traditionally published. 

 

Where do you write? 

A few years ago, we moved to South Carolina. We converted a porch to an office for me. Like I said earlier, my husband has always been supportive of my dreams. 

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind? 

I have a playlist with Michael Buble, Brett Eldredge, Craig Morgan, The Fifth Dimension, John Legend, Trisha Yearwood, Reba, Stevie Wonder, Thomas Rhett, and many more. 

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

The setting, Heyward Beach, is a combination of my favorite beaches. In Caught and Collared, the victim is a podcaster. I couple years ago, I began listening to crime podcasts and I began to wonder…what if? 

 

Describe your process for naming your character? 

I look up names that are age appropriate, and I try to choose names that are popular in the region. In South Carolina, it’s popular to be called by your first and middle name. My main character is Andi Grace, and her sister is Lacey Jane.

 

Real settings or fictional towns? 

Fictional. 

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? 

Marc Williams was raised in foster care. The best family he had was an older couple. Marc’s in his early thirties, but some of his expressions sound like a much older man. 

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

I became a sports fan when I had sons. Now that we’re empty nesters, I still watch ballgames on TV and cheer and clap. I attended the University of Georgia, so in football season I ALWAYS cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs. I was raised in Kentucky, and my husband and oldest son graduated from the University of Kentucky, so I cheer for the Kentucky Wildcats during basketball season.

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why? 

Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a fabulous story with twists and turns. 

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours? 

I wish I’d been brave enough sooner and tried my hand at writing.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve? 

Poor customer service.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? 

I assume there’s no wifi. I’d want my Bible, my journal, and I guess I’d need a pen. 

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

One summer I was a candy striper and worked in the hospital’s physical therapy department. Burn patients had treatment in whirlpool baths. Afterward, I had to clean the tubs and all the dead skin was on it. 

 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Ever? 

As a child I read The Best-Loved Doll. It was the first love story I ever read. I begged my mother to check it out of the library every chance we had. She finally found and bought a copy for me.

 

Ocean or mountains? 

Ocean! I live five minutes from the nearest beach.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy? 

City girl.

 

What’s on the horizon for you? 

I’m contracted to write two more books in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery Series. I also have contracts for a series set in Texas and one set in Georgia. 

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books? 

I try to bravely face challenges, and I want the heroines in my stories to be brave and kind. As a pharmacist, I connect with people in my community. One of the best things about writing is connecting with readers all over the world. 

 

Thanks for having me on your blog today. It’s been fun connecting with you and your readers. 

 

Caught and Collared

A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery, Book 4

 

When a scavenger hunt turns up a dead body, dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to make a dogged effort to collar the culprit . . .

 

Setting out for a day of fun on her town’s first-ever scavenger hunt, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott is dismayed to find an unattended dog wandering the streets—but that’s nothing compared to the shock she gets when she finds a dead man floating in the swimming pool of the dog’s owner. What’s more, she’d seen the very same man having a very public altercation with his wife just the night before. Despite being warned off the case by the local sheriff, Andi Grace can’t help nosing around to find out who’s behind the foul deed.

 

It turns out the victim was a well-known radio personality who focused on cold-case investigations and was rumored to be breaking a huge story on his next show. As Andi Grace digs deeper to learn who may have wanted him dead, she’s faced with a suspect list that includes a cold-hearted widow who stands to inherit a bundle, a local country star with family demons to hide, and any number of unknown criminals who may have been the focus of the victim’s big reveal. Whether the motive was love gone bad, a career under duress, or a killer’s deadly secret, Andi Grace knows she’ll have to act fast before she becomes the next cold case herself .

 

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CELEBRATE NATIONAL PET DAY WITH AUTHOR TERESA INGE & MUTT MYSTERIES

Teresa Inge grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Combining her love of reading mysteries and writing professional articles led to writing short fiction and novellas. Today, she juggles assisting two busy executives and is the president of the Sisters in Crime, Mystery by the Sea chapter. Teresa is the author of the Virginia is for Mysteries Series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Mutt Mysteries Series. Learn more about her and her books at her website/blog.  

National Pet Day

With National Pet Day approaching on April 11, now is a great time to recognize and show appreciation for the happiness pets have brought to our lives by pampering them! Since pampering our pets has become an essential part of being a great pet parent, when we return unconditional love back to our pets, we create a happy and loving family for them. Check out the various ways below to take care of and pamper your pets.

Pampering 101

Give your pet a treat

Just like humans, animals love treats. One reason is because they taste different, but it also shows our affection and gratitude to them. But don’t over-do-it since it will no longer seem special and pets could gain weight.

Show some love

Get down on the floor and give them a belly rub. Or sit on the couch or outside patio to give them a good brushing. Pets love our attention and interaction more than we realize.

Buy or make a special gift for pets

Because gifts are fun to receive, pets love getting them from their family. Giving toys to our pets can help build skills, fight boredom, and prevent destructive behavior. They also keep good company for our pets while we’re away.

Walk the dog

Benefits of walking a dog will give your pet mental stimulation, exercise, training, elimination, socialization, and bonding for you both.

Nutrition

Since nutrition is the foundation of health and fuel for our pet’s maintenance and energy, giving them proper nutrients will build bones, joints, and muscles and help with the aging process for a longer life.

To Fetch a Scoundrel

Mutt Mysteries, Book 2

The mystery-solving mutts are back! To Fetch a Scoundrel, the second in the Mutt Mysteries collection, features four tail-wagging novellas. Each story puts pups’ noses to the ground, as scandals are unleashed and killers are collared. Once you’ve finished reading these tall “tails,” you’ll no longer wonder “Who let the dogs out?” You’ll just be glad somebody did! Stories include:

“The Fast and the Furriest” by Heather Weidner

Isn’t there enough action under the lights at the Amelia Race Track without the drama of a love triangle? An altercation leads to murder, and owner Cassidy Green and her Rottweiler Oliver have to uncover clues and find the killer before the bad publicity destroys her business.

“Pawsitively Scandalous” by Jayne Ormerod

What’s with the crime wave in the Grant’s Garden neighborhood? First a respectable member is arrested for crimes unknown, and then another neighbor dies under mysterious circumstances. Pilar Pruitt and her black lab/mix Natti are on the case, and the secrets they uncover are paws-itively scandalous!

“Ruff Goodbye” by Rosemary Shomaker

Does everyone bar owner Len Hayes knows have a secret? Yes, and secrets unravel after a funeral home visitation for Len’s late friend Curt. Miniature poodle Cloud signals danger. A certain black Lab may safeguard the truth. Will canine intervention ensure no one pays the ultimate price?

“A Doggone Scandal” by Teresa Inge

Catt Ramsey, owner of the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers, is back on the case when she receives a mysterious note in her pet supply order. Convinced the sender’s motive is scandalous, Catt packs up her SUV and heads to the Outer Banks with her sister Em, family friend Jonathan Ray, and pups Cagney and Lacey to solve the mystery.

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