Please welcome Kathleen Paulson to The Qwillery. Kathleen is a librarian in Mayville Heights, Minnesota and has two unusual cats. She's featured in the Magical Cats Mysteries by Sofie Kelly.
I’m Kathleen Paulson, head librarian at the Mayville Heights Free Public Library. I came to town to supervise the renovations to the library building--the first impulsive thing I‘d done in my life. My friends said I was running away from my life in Boston. And maybe I was.
I love my parents and my younger brother and sister, Ethan and Sara, but they’re very dramatic people. Mom and Dad are actors. Ethan is a musician and Sara is a makeup artist and aspiring film-maker. You never know what you might find when you walk into my parents’ house. Macbeth’s witches could be cackling around a cauldron in the dining room, or The Flaming Gerbils could be filming their latest music video in the back yard. Sometimes I felt like I was the only sensible, person in the room.
And then there was Andrew, handsome, charming Andrew. We were talking about spending our lives together. Then we had a fight and he went on a fishing trip with his buddies and came back married to a waitress from a fifties dinner.
But now Mayville Heights is home. I spend my days surrounded by books. And I’ve made some wonderful new friends. Seeing the kinds of things people read, which movies they like to watch and what music they listen to, gives me insight into who they really are. And all that time I’ve spent hanging around actors, watching them turn into someone else entirely, has helped me become pretty adept at separating reality from artifice. My ability to read people seems to keep getting me mixed up in Detective Marcus Gordon’s cases. The thing is, I don’t just use my own insights when I’m caught up in a mystery. I get a little help from my cats, Owen and Hercules, too.
Owen is a gray tabby with a love of sardine crackers and catnip chickens. Hercules is a tuxedo cat who likes grooving to Barry Manilow’s music and hates getting his feet wet. They’re both very good judges of people, not to mention they seem to know what I’m saying when I talk to them. But those aren’t the only special skills Owen and Hercules have. At the risk of sounding like a crazy cat lady, let’s just say there’s something magical about their ability to dig up clues!
I love my parents and my younger brother and sister, Ethan and Sara, but they’re very dramatic people. Mom and Dad are actors. Ethan is a musician and Sara is a makeup artist and aspiring film-maker. You never know what you might find when you walk into my parents’ house. Macbeth’s witches could be cackling around a cauldron in the dining room, or The Flaming Gerbils could be filming their latest music video in the back yard. Sometimes I felt like I was the only sensible, person in the room.
And then there was Andrew, handsome, charming Andrew. We were talking about spending our lives together. Then we had a fight and he went on a fishing trip with his buddies and came back married to a waitress from a fifties dinner.
But now Mayville Heights is home. I spend my days surrounded by books. And I’ve made some wonderful new friends. Seeing the kinds of things people read, which movies they like to watch and what music they listen to, gives me insight into who they really are. And all that time I’ve spent hanging around actors, watching them turn into someone else entirely, has helped me become pretty adept at separating reality from artifice. My ability to read people seems to keep getting me mixed up in Detective Marcus Gordon’s cases. The thing is, I don’t just use my own insights when I’m caught up in a mystery. I get a little help from my cats, Owen and Hercules, too.
Owen is a gray tabby with a love of sardine crackers and catnip chickens. Hercules is a tuxedo cat who likes grooving to Barry Manilow’s music and hates getting his feet wet. They’re both very good judges of people, not to mention they seem to know what I’m saying when I talk to them. But those aren’t the only special skills Owen and Hercules have. At the risk of sounding like a crazy cat lady, let’s just say there’s something magical about their ability to dig up clues!
Magical Cats Mysteries
Curiosity Thrilled the Cat
A Magical Cats Mystery 1
Signet, February 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
When librarian Kathleen Paulson moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota, she had no idea that two strays would nuzzle their way into her life. Owen is a tabby with a catnip addiction and Hercules is a stocky tuxedo cat who shares Kathleen's fondness for Barry Manilow. But beyond all the fur and purrs, there's something more to these felines.
When murder interrupts Mayville's Music Festival, Kathleen finds herself the prime suspect. More stunning is her realization that Owen and Hercules are magical-and she's relying on their skills to solve a purr-fect murder.
Sleight of Paw
A Magical Cats Mystery 2
Signet, September 6, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson never wanted to be the crazy cat lady. But after Owen and Hercules followed her home, she realized her mind wasn't playing tricks on her-her cats have magical abilities.
When the body of elderly do-gooder Agatha Shepherd is found near Kath's favorite local café, she knows Owen's talent for turning invisible and Hercules's ability to walk through walls will give the felines access to clues Kath couldn't get without arousing suspicion. Someone is hiding some dark secrets-and it will take a bit of furtive investigating to catch the cold-hearted killer.
Copycat Killing
A Magical Cats Mystery 3
Signet, May 1, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Everyone thinks their cats are special—but Owen and Hercules have powers that go far beyond an adorable look or an irresistible purr. Along with their owner, librarian Kathleen Paulson, they have an uncanny instinct for solving crimes...
It's been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights. The small town's been deluged, and now the local artists' co-op is on the verge of flooding. Kathleen has been up all night helping her friends move their creations to the safety of the upstairs studio.
The artwork survives, but when controversial mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the co-op basement, Kathleen questions whether the death was accidental. After she discovers the artist was using an assumed name, she realizes she can't actually assume anything about him. With the help of handsome detective Marcus Gordon—and her cats' extraordinary powers of detection—it's up to Kathleen to unmask a killer.
Cat Trick
A Magical Cats Mystery 4
Signet, February 5, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Kathleen Paulson enjoys her life as a small-town librarian with two extraordinary cats, Owen and Hercules, who provide companionship during the quiet times and have a remarkable talent for sleuthing when murder disturbs the peace....
The local businesses of Mayville Heights hope to convince Chicago-based company Legacy Tours to sell a vacation package for their town. Legacy Tours partner Mike Glazer grew up in Mayville Heights, but he’s no longer the small-town boy people once knew. Even the local bootlegger has an issue with the bossy loudmouth Mike has become—until someone shuts him up for good.
When Kathleen discovers Mike’s body on the boardwalk, she can’t help but get involved in the investigation—even if her beau, Detective Marcus Gordon, would rather she didn’t. Now, with a little help from Owen and Hercules, it’s up to Kathleen to make sure the killer is booked for an extended stay in prison before someone else takes a permanent vacation.
And coming in October:
Final Catcall
A Magical Cats Mystery 5
Signet, October 1, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson gets plenty of entertainment from her extraordinary cats, Owen and Hercules. But when a theatre troupe stumbles into more tragedy than it bargained for, it’s up to Kathleen to play detective....
With her sort-of boyfriend Marcus calling it quits and her ex-boyfriend Andrew showing up out of the blue, Kathleen has more than enough drama to deal with—and that’s before a local theatre festival relocates to Mayville Heights. Now the town is buzzing with theatre folk, and many of them have their own private dramas with the director, Hugh Davis.
When Davis is found shot to death by the marina, he leaves behind evidence of blackmail and fraud, as well as an ensemble of suspects. Now Kathleen, with a little help from her feline friends Owen and Hercules, will have to catch the real killer before another victim takes a final curtain call.
About Sofie
Website - Sofie Kelly
Website - Sofie Ryan
The Giveaway
What: One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Cat Trick (A Magical Cat Mystery 4) by Sofie Kelly from The Qwillery.
How: Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on August 10, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change.*
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Even tho the picture of a hound sniffing the ground comes to mind, and even tho I'm NOT a cat person, I do think cats solving mysteries / crimes is more believable. Maybe because I read Lilian Braun's THE CAT WHO... series years ago, or maybe because my granddaughter has cats, or maybe because cats seem so independent while dogs are 'attached'.
ReplyDeleteWhy ever -- I love reading mysteries when cats (or dogs) are involved.
PS - I do not twitter / tweet.
I think both dogs and cats are in a perfect position to observe us humans but I think cats can make themselves more "invisible" to us and therefore would be better had solving mysteries.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Dogs because I think they'd stay on task better than cats.
ReplyDeleteacm05atjuno.com
If you can get a cat interested in the mystery then definitely cats - they just need to stare at a suspect before they break down and confess all! :-)
ReplyDeleteKrista Davis, who writes the Diva mysteries, has a new series coming later this year with a dog and a cat. I'm looking forward to that.
ReplyDeleteCats- they are the best for sleuthing. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI fans of cats, so i choose cats!!
ReplyDeletedogs
ReplyDeleteDogs, because there's saying that curiousity kill the cat. I think maybe because cats too curious with case in front of them, they kinda lose focust and the killer use that chance to strike them! In the other side, dogs are capable because they have a better smelling. You know that police use them to track :)
ReplyDeleteLOL I think dogs because cats would be more likely not to give a hoot and just pass on by, but then again the dog would want his nose in everything.
ReplyDeleteCats are clever & great thinkers and problem solvers, but dogs are tenacious. They should team up really.
ReplyDeleteDogs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com