The Cat of Christmas Past - Wellll, actually Two Cats Since One's Telling the Story by Kathy Daley! Come Welcome Both!

Hello! Merry Christmas! I'm so happy to have been invited to Book Readers Heaven today. You might not know it, but I'm in a book series and help to solve crimes! This is our first time here, but I've been listening and watching what happens and I just saw all of books marked "want to read" at GoodReads, of the Whales and Tails series! Have you read any of these books? I'm going to tell you about...The Cat of Christmas Past!

First a little mood music...

Holiday music blared through overhead speakers as I, Caitlin Hart, worked with the group of kids from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church to decorate the choir room with red and green accents for the upcoming holiday. The children had all agreed to show up early for the regularly scheduled rehearsal for Away in a Manger, the Christmas play I had written with my totally wonderful boyfriend, Cody West, for the annual church pageant. 

“We need more glue,” Trinity Paulson informed me as I hung colorful wreaths on the wall. 

“I gave Serenity a whole bottle.” 

“I know, but it’s gone. It had a drippy top and a lot of it got on the table.” 

Fantastic.

“Why don’t you and your sister start on the windows?” I instructed the eight-year-old. “And be careful with the paint. We don’t want to get any on the floor.” 

“Okay.” I stood back and admired our handiwork after Trinity walked away. The room really was beginning to look festive, and in spite of the glue on the table, the red and green construction paper chain the Paulson girls had been working on really did look nice draped around the piano. I was proud of the girls I was beginning to think of as honorary little sisters. Although I’d known the girls their whole lives, I’d recently gotten to know them a lot more intimately, now that their seventeen-year-old sister, Destiny, was working at Coffee Cat Books, the coffee bar/ bookstore/ cat lounge I owned with my best friend, Tara O’Brian.

“The ornaments aren’t balls. They’re to go on the tree,” I scolded the group of boys who were tossing the small glass balls between themselves. 

Whoever had said the more hands at work the quicker the task had never worked with twenty-three kids aged six to fourteen...

~~~

I'm a regular member of the Cat Lounge that is part of a complex with a bookstore and coffee bar. Now I'm a people cat so I enjoy being in the lounge where people will come in to read or maybe just sit and talk to one of us while they're drinking their coffee selections... Really don't mind saying that I love to be petted, cooed over and talked to...I use my eyes to talk back and show them I'm listening. Sometimes they'll give me a bit of a cookie or sweet roll, which I love!

Anyway, Caitlin Hart is the one who takes care of our living quarters. She is very protective of all of us and if somebody wants to become our parents, they go through a screening process! Cool, right!? She also rotates us into the lounge because not all of my friends enjoy people as much as I do... Like Sally, over there in the corner. She just wants to be left alone... so when she's here, I try to grab attention so she won't be disturbed...I kinda like her...isn't she soooo beautiful?!

Caitlin was at choir practice when she heard the news that everybody who was living in Bayview Apartments was going to have to move at the end of the month... Caitlin is a very caring person and immediately started thinking about the twelve families that this decision would displace... Caitlin was also one of those individuals who are known as amateur detectives--they are good at finding out the answers to questions or problems or even solving mysteries...

Does anyone know why Christy isn’t here?” I asked the room at large. 

Her mom got a letter,” Holly Carter answered.

“My mom got one too.”

“A letter?” I asked. 

“Everyone living in the Bayview Apartments needs to move before the end of the month,” Matthew Wildwood informed me.

 “What? Why?” 

“The old guy who owns the building is kicking everyone out,” Matthew, who was the oldest choir member at fourteen, answered. 

“Kicking everyone out? Why on earth would he do that?” 

Matthew shrugged. “I’m not sure, but my grandma called my mom and told her that she was goingo be homeless...

I realized Holly must be talking about Balthazar Pottage, an old recluse who lived on a private island he never left, despite the fact that he owned quite a lot of land in the area. Balthazar was as mean and miserly as he was miserable. I didn’t know the entire story, but I did seem to remember that he’d suffered a great tragedy in his past that turned him into the monster most considered him to be.

 “My mom said we might have to move off the island if we can’t find another affordable place to live,” Holly added. “I don’t want to move. I like it here. All my friends are here.” 

The Bayview Apartments were one of the few affordable rental properties on the island. Most of the families who lived in the rundown units were single-income families who had little choice but to deal with leaky faucets and drafty walls that did little to keep out the winter chill. Most considered Pottage to be a slum lord, but few had the means to fight the man who was as wealthy as he was mean.

Cody, Caitlin's boyfriend, had made it to practice and they were soon discussing the problem because of Caitlin's concern. And that's when Ebenezer (as later found on his cat tags) sat at a window, almost commanding to be let in...  I knew he was a stranger but I played it cool and just watched to see that he didn't cause any trouble...

And soon he was indeed inside! And Caitlin knew everything was going to be alright! How? Because Ebenezer belonged to the owner of Bayview Apartments. She was positive that "the cat whisperer" (my name), her friend had sent him to help... So the very next morning, she and Ebenezer set off for the island where he lived. Even Caitlin knew that others would be upset for her going on her own, but Ebenezer definitely showed that he knew what had to be done and was leading her all the way until he was at at the door of what she assumed was the home of Mr. Pottage...

Ebenezer went strolling in and made himself at home while Mr. Pottage said, "Damn cat," and turned and went into the house leaving the door open... So, Caitlin strolled in behind them... and before she left, she'd made a deal...

If she did what Mr. Pottage asked her to do, then he would stop the proposed sale of the apartment complex!

Well, I was a little disgruntled until I was asked to tell our story here at Book Readers Heaven. After all, it turned out that Ebenezer was really the star of the story and got to work with Caitlin until the mystery was solved... So I wound up just having a bit part of being in the Cat Lounge to keep track of what was going on. Still, that's a pretty important part, right? After all, somebody had to share the story with all of you readers! Oh, and by the way, I was told to tell you that this series has been especially fun because of the merge of the Cat Lounge with a Bookstore and goodies for everyone... and that you really should check it out before you leave the bookstore next time you go! In the meantime, it's a party because nobody has to leave their homes!

GABixlerReviews

Author of the Zoe Donovan cozy Mystery Series, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery series, Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Series, and Cutter's Cove Teen Cozy Mystery Series. 

Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

Kathi lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken and dog Echo. When she's not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.

Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with. 

Spending the Weekend with Frankie Bailey - Review of What The Fly Saw - Tomorrow!

Hitchcock, 

Harry, and Me

By Frankie Y. Bailey

            In my mind, I associate cats with Alfred Hitchcock. Maybe that’s because until last year, in late October, I had never owned a cat as an adult and I barely remember the cat my family had briefly when I was a child. We lived outside the city (not really country but enough room for front and back yards). The dogs – my father’s hound or two for hunting and the dogs I had as pets – passed through our lives, leaving their stories to be told in fond memory. But cats . . . even though I wanted to be a vet, I was drawn to dogs.

When I was a grad student, I volunteered as a feeder/cleaner at a no-kill shelter. I thought when I volunteered that the shelter had dogs (a failure to do my research). Having signed on as a volunteer, I stayed for a while. This experience gave me a chance to observe cats up close. Watching them coming toward me as I opened the door did make me feel as if I were in the middle of a Hitchcock movie. But I learned to appreciate their beauty and grace and varied personalities. Still – given my decades-long lack of interest in becoming a cat owner, I am astonished that I now have a large Maine Coon mix named Harry (formerly Tyson) in my life.

            Harry has green eyes. He sometimes sits hunched under a bright yellow coffee table watching my every move with an unblinking stare. At first, I found that unsettling – until I realized he was watching me to see if I was heading toward the kitchen counter where his dry food is kept or about to sit down in my chair at the dining room table and provide him with the opportunity to settle into my lap for a nap. Harry is an affectionate cat -- a “love bug” (quoting his sitter) of a cat.  But he still occasionally makes me think of a Hitchcock movie – like those moments when I’m talking to him and turn to see he has disappeared or when I turn and he is right behind me. Or those moments when we are playing with his stuffed bird on a pole and he suddenly hisses and I remember that he is a predator and that he is not just admiring those real birds when he sits watching them through the window with his ears forward and his tail twitching.

Having thought so much about cats and Hitchcock, I felt compelled 

the other day to go back and see if there really are cats in Hitchcock

films. I imagined them moving through the shadows and being 

stroked by Hitchcock characters.

Norman Bates should have had a cat. But he didn’t. Bates preferred stuffing small birds for display. And there is that wonderful final scene at the end of Psycho (1960) when Norman (sitting wrapped in a blanket a police officer has brought him) is thinking in his “Mother’s voice” about an insect: “I’m not even gonna swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They’ll see. They’ll see and they’ll know. And they’ll say, ‘Why she wouldn’t even harm a fly.’”

            Of course, as you might guess from my title, What the Fly Saw, I am also fascinated by flies and their little eyes. But getting back to Hitchcock and cats. . .as I said, I went in search of cats in Hitchcock films. I was sure they must be there. And it’s possible that if I should spend more time on this, they will turn up. After all, Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock’s horror movie, The Birds (1963),

has a sanctuary for abused and mistreated exotic cats. But in that movie, when Hitchcock makes his onscreen cameo, he is walking two of his own Sealyham Terriers. 

There is a well-known episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “Miss Paisley’s Cat,” about a lonely spinster who kills the local bookie who killed, Stanley, the tough alley cat that she had taken in. And, of course, in To Catch a Thief (1955), Hitchcock’s romantic thriller set on the Rivera, Cary Grant’s
debonair retired jewel thief, is known as “The Cat.” But the television episode and the movie were based on a short story and novel, respectively.

            In fact, dogs outnumber cats in Hitchcock movies. Among the Hitchcock films in which a dog or dogs appear:  The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Strangers on the Train, Rebecca, Saboteur, Rear Window, and The Birds. Of course, this had something to do with the works on which Hitchcock based these films. As writers and readers know, dogs in crime fiction work well as “characters” because they can disrupt any scene by bounding into it. Dogs can bark and attract attention. Or, not bark, and indicate the culprit might have been known to them. Dog can be taken for walks. Dogs dig things up. If you’re making a film, it’s must be easier to get a dog (than an independent-minded cat) to take direction. And, let’s face it, a cat in a Hitchcock film would be overkill. Or, at least, this is what Harry is 

suggesting as he stares up at me as I try to type while he stretches in my lap.

Certainly, the absence of cats in Hitchcock films should not be taken as an indication that he preferred dogs -- any more than the fact that my protagonist Hannah McCabe adopts a dog rather than a cat should be perceived as a preference on my part for canines. After all, I do have cats in scenes in both McCabe books. Obviously, Harry is suggesting with his stare, I have always had a latent admiration and deep respect for cats. When he is sure that I understand this, we can discuss adding a dog – the dog of his choice – to our household.

A couple of Vids to allow you to meet the Author:

Frankie, I'm having such fun having you visit this weekend! I hope you don't 

mind that your article topic kinda "set me off" to match your research... I wasn't sure what Hitchcock thought about it... What about you?! LOL

Are you a Dog Lover or Know Someone Who Is? - Check out Shake Puppies for a Perfect Christmas Gift!.

Now you know when you see this picture of the author/photographer of this book, you are going to have fun! Everybody knows I'm a cat person, 

but cute puppies are right up there close... 

Now the pictures in this book are not just images of dogs! They are caught...caught in a very routine activity for them, especially when they are wet... All 130 photographs included are of puppies...shaking! Here's an example:

Meet Annie!

Isn't she Adorable? Each of the puppies included have two pictures that have been "stilled" during the actual shake. You'll see ears flying, tongues licking, saliva slobbering! Some of the pictures even catch the saliva...also stilled and hanging in the air! Truly Amazing!

This is Cloud...






Note that each full-color pup is set against a complimentary color that emphasized the puppy's color. Cool, right?! Although I would highly recommend you keep this in your home library, the author does sell individual prints in case you want to hang them [Please don't take from book you'll be sorry--just my personal opinion, of course...]

An undeniable wave of emotion comes over me every time I see a puppy. I get on my knees and wriggle. My voice jumps at least two octaves. Something in my heart warms. I see all the potential and curiosity, the desire to learn, the need to play, the search for direction, the trust. Anyone who doubts the emotional intelligence and need for compassion of an animal has probably never spent time with a litter of squirming dogs...

~~~

This is Hans...

The biggest lesson I learned from being around the puppies in this book is that the most revolutionary thing you can do to advocate for dogs is to train a puppy from day one...
~~~ 

Included in the book is a section on training your dog for ten minutes. She notes that the main reason puppies are surrendered is that they lacked basic training! 

She says:

Puppies grow up fast! If you're raising an eight-week-old puppy, don't wait until it's "not a baby anymore" to start its basic and house training. Start he day you get it... 

It is very clear that the author has the puppies in mind at all times and even though her information is just two pages, it appears to be concise and to the point...

PUPPY TIME LAPSE 1 day to 8 weeks from Carli Davidson on Vimeo.

Smack in the middle of making Shake Puppies, I got baby fever--not shocking, considering that my days were teeming with youngsters. Almost instantly, it became impossible to ignore...
I needed another dog...
~~~

This is Josey...

I loved the two pages of the author, along with a puppy, or two or more, as she's checking their teeth, giving a peticure, feeding, teaching commands, and just having fun! You will love it as well!

Also included are small individual pictures of each of the puppy models with age and their names...

 

 I'm Koda

This is Meatball!

'Nuf Said! LOL,,,

Hey! Listen Up...I'm Vincent!

I'm sooooo happy I got to read and review this book. When the publisher rep contacted me, I immediately told her I wanted pics, and preferably, moving ones...although there are no moving ones, of course, in the book.  But I hope by examining these awesome samples, you can recognize the excellent quality of the photography as well as the setup on each page... The overall quality is easily coffee-table ready that any dog lover will proudly display for others to share in their love of these wonderful puppies...

Great Christmas gift suggestion...you just gotta check this one out! I love it! Even if I had to dig into the author's photography for a few cats to add...LOL  

GABixlerReviews

SHAKE PUPPIES by Carli Davidson from Carli Davidson on Vimeo.

Next Time There Better Be More Cats!

Photographed of course by the Same Photographer!

Photo of Author by Andy Batt

Carli Davidson is an internationally recognized, award-winning photographer and animal trainer. Her photographs have been featured in publications such as Vanity Fair, the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, and Slate. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Tim, pets Norbert and Yushi, and a rotating cast of foster animals.

File M for Murder by Miranda James - Perfect for a Whodunit Weekend! Celebrate Big Cats, Especially Maine Coons!

 Charlie Harris in
 Athena, Mississippi takes Diesel, his rescued Maine coon everywhere. Since he's a loving cat, but does not participate in the mystery solving, I thought readers could get to know about him...

He's big and most people take a second glance to ensure it's a cat! But when I went hunting for pictures, there were others out there on the internet who thought they could compete in size! So while I tell you about the great mystery I recommend you get for the weekend, I'll be adding pics of the competitors...I'm not sure what breed some of these are--these on the leashes are examples of what I thought Coons normally looked like...Maybe some cat experts will add some comments to help???!!!

If I have a favorite, I might be a little partial to this one who reminds me of a friend, Tracey, who I lost after I moved here to the cabin... but she was never this size! Wow!

File M for Murder:

 A Cat in the Stacks Mystery

This is April, 2013 edition - Check for Latest!!!                                                                       By Miranda James

I've become quite a fan of this series for two reasons... I had great respect for Robert Munn and Ruth Jackson, the last two deans of Libraries with whom I worked at West Virginia University... And because Charlie Harris reminds me of Qwill who was the main character and mystery solver in the long-running series, The Cat Who, by Lilian Braun, which I'd collected. Qwill would read to his two siamese and Koko would assist him through often knocking books on the floor which would then give the right clue to Qwill... Silly? Maybe, but I loved all of those books!

"She sounds like a stalker to me," I said
My daughter put her arm around my waist. "Come
on now, Dad, don't start worrying. I promise you
Damitra is harmless. To me, anyway. Connor's
the one who should be looking over his shoulder.
She follows him everywhere."
"Has she ever done anything physically aggressive
toward you?" I wasn't ready to drop the matter.
"No, she hasn't. Just stupid little tricks like this."
~~~

And this series? I must say they are more mystery than cozy...that is, in my opinion, James presents a better whodunit to solve, while Braun's were more cozy and character driven...But with cat characters, I don't care which--I want to read them! LOL

Charlie received a wonderful surprise when he went home one day to find his daughter was there. She was an actress and had been working away for a number of years. Now, Laura was taking a temporary position until Christmas, filling in for a professor while she had her baby. She would have a few courses and also help with the fall production of the Theater Department.

But it seemed she may have brought trouble with her...

The man who had arranged for her job was Connor Lawton, who was a writer-in-residence and also a native son...and he was also almost Charlie Harris' son-in-law! Thankfully he didn't know it earlier, but now he was almost in information overload as things started happening... Then other close calls came!

Like a young woman who claimed she was now involved with Connor started sending "warning" messages to Laura.

Soooo, of course Connor is murdered!

"C'mon, Rowf, wanna ask you 'bout sump'n."
She swayed toward him and Johnston
grimaced. "When's Connor gonna get here?
Said he would be here. But he's not here."
"How the heck should I know when he's going
to turn up, Magda. You know what he's like.
Why don't you go upstairs and lie down. I think
you could use a rest." He tried to pry her fingers
from his arm without success...
"Who is she?" Laura asked as we headed for
the door.
"I think she's his wife, or maybe his ex-wife,
I said. "I heard something about them not
long ago through the campus grapevine,
but I can't remember precisely what it was."
Privately I wondered why she was so
interested in Connor...
~~~

It was Charlie who found Connor's body

or at least he thought he had...but it was

merely a prank during practice for the

play and Laura was upset with how 

Connor was acting. An argument started

and was loud enough that Ralph Johnson

came to find out what was happening.

Johnson even threatened to take over!

Laura coaxed her father into attending the welcome for the Department, where Ralph "Montana" held court as head. He was not a favorite for Charlie--in fact, he also was not impressed with Connor and could not believe that Laura could have been considering marriage to him!

So he was pleased when Laura met a nice young man there and left with him... Which allowed Charlie to listen in--and he really heard an important clue, even though he didn't know it... and of course I'm not going to tell you...LOL

"Sorry, you seem so familiar, but I'm afraid I can't remember
your name. How are you connected with the Theatre
Department?"
She laughed. "You're Charlie Harris, and I used to babysit
you when you were five or six years old." She cocked her head
like an inquisitive parrot. "I heard you'd moved back home."
I wracked my brain as I examined her face. Then a name
popped into my head. "Sarabeth. Now I remember. You used
to sing to me, didn't you?"
"That's right. I'm Sarabeth Conley. I was Sarabeth Norris
back then." She Chuckled. "Your two favorite songs were
'My Favorite Things' and 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' as I recall...

"Your daughter is causing a stir...

"I read her resume." Sarabeth nodded. All her theater work

is great for our program, and her exposure on television if

advantageous, too. We're delighted to have her for the

semester."

"I am, too." I laughed. "But it was quite a surprise. I didn't find out about it until yesterday...

How well does she know Connor Lawton?"

I was taken aback by the question. For a moment I thought she'd read my mind. "They're friends," I said in a cautious tone...

Sarabeth cocked an eyebrow. "Judging from his behavior,

Connor wants to be more than friends. He acted downright

jealous."                                                                                          ~~~

I love the cop in this series. She is the daughter of Azalea who works for Charlie--actually she had worked in the home long before Charlie had inherited it. So, since Charlie gets involved with a murder or two every once in awhile, it creates a difficult situation...but only for Kanesha... Actually, she's beginning to soften up and reveal a sly sense of humor... Cool!

 

 

 Miranda James is a pseudonym for Dean James, the Agatha Award-winning author of several works of mystery nonfiction as well as four mystery series including the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks series.

Now you know I'm going to say I loved File M for Murder! But I just had to get the remaining pics I had found...LOL Plus the adding this closing comment that probably is quite true to give you a final smile! Have a fun, catty weekend! 

GABixlerReviews

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• The Silence of the Library
• Review: Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery #1) by Miranda James
• Diesel - the Cat in the Stacks
• Review: Out of Circulation