When she’s not dreaming up irresistible dessert bars for
her Minneapolis treatery, Bar None, Charity “Chase” Oliver is running after her
cat, Quincy—a tubby tabby with a gift for sniffing out edibles. But what
happens when this cat burglar leads Chase to the scene of a real crime?
The jig is up for Chase’s adorable plus-size cat, Quincy.
His new vet says “diet”—that means no more cherry cheesecake bars. From now on
he gets low-calorie kibble only. But one taste of the stuff is all it takes to
drive him in search of better things. Quincy’s escape is the last thing Chase
needs after the nasty run-in she has with underhanded business rival Gabe
Naughtly.
Chase tracks Quincy down in a neighbor’s kitchen, where
he’s devouring a meatloaf, unaware of the much more serious crime he’s stumbled
upon.
Gabe’s corpse is lying on the kitchen floor, and when
Chase is discovered at the murder scene, she becomes suspect number one. Now,
with a little help from her friends—both human and feline—she’ll have to catch
the real killer or wind up behind bars that aren’t so sweet.
Includes recipes for people and cats!
JANET: My own Agamemnon, a rescued feral cat, all black,
is my inspiration for Quincy and his antics. That little guy was as smart as
could be. He would hook one claw over the lip of a glass, preferably a full
one. Then he’s slowly tip it. Just before it went over, he would dash out of
the way. He never got a drop on himself, but he soaked many couches, chairs,
and rugs. He also put on some heft in his old age and had to go on insulin the
last year or so. The world is a duller place without him.
DONNELL: Love your
protagonist’s nickname, a perfect name for an amateur sleuth. I take it Fat Cat at Large is a cozy
mystery? And with names like Gabe
Naughtly, I take it humor is involved?
JANET: Absolutely!
I love naming characters and like to put something about them into their names.
I’ve made a habit of jotting down interesting ones when I see or hear them.
Sometimes, changing one letter makes the name perfect.
DONNELL: Obviously
Chase is partial to cats, but is there a potential love interest for Chase in
Fat Cat at Large?
JANET: By the end
of the book, she’s interested in a couple of men. In the very first chapter,
she’s smitten by the vet Quincy is seeing. Sort of. The other guy, a handsome
homicide detective with dark blue eyes, comes in later.
DONNELL: I love
books that provide recipes. Are you a
great cook, and are you saying you’ll provide recipes for cats as well?
JANET: I was a Texas girl for quite a few years, due to
Hubby’s employment, but we’ve now relocated to Tennessee. Like Johnny Cash,
I’ve been everywhere. We lived in Minnetonka, near Minneapolis, for three and a
half years. I love that part of the country and it’s a joy to be writing about
it.
DONNELL: Obviously
mystery authors have to research. What’s
the most interesting/unusual thing you’ve discovered doing research?
JANET: So far, in this series, it’s been the history of
butter sculpture, which I researched for Fat Cat Spreads Out, the second book,
due out in June of 2015. Did you know that butter sculpture is an ancient
Tibetan art form?
DONNELL: If you’re
not writing or cooking, where will we find you?
JANET: Sometimes playing, listening to, or writing music.
Doing some hiking. Playing with and entertaining grandkids. Even sometimes
working in the yard.
DONNELL: You also
write under another name. Tell us about
your alter-ego, Kaye George. How are the
two of you different, and why two names?
JANET: Kaye George has written lots of stuff over the
years. Janet Cantrell is a pen name for this series only. Fat Cat is the only
true cozy series I’ve attempted. Kaye George had three other series and some
short stories to her credit.
DONNELL: If you
could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
JANET: I’ll have to switch to being Kaye George for this
because I would love to time travel
back about forty thousand years or so and meet a real live Neanderthal. I could
check on what I got right and what I didn’t in the Neanderthal People of the
Wind series.
DONNELL: Janet,
now it’s your turn. Time to ask the
readers a question. And here you can
list whether or not you’ll do a giveaway.
(note not every author does.) Yes to the giveaway.
Kaye George/Janet Cantrell~~
National bestselling author of the FAT CAT series~~
Agatha Nominee & Silver Falchion Finalist~~ http://kayegeorge.com/
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