Today, I’m hosting author Chris Abernathy and his
exciting new cozy mystery series, featuring a cat-detective! I’m interviewing
Chris about the book, the series, his work – he’s a book narrator, by the way –
among other things. There’s also an excerpt from the book right after the synopsis.
AND there’s a limited-time giveaway so be sure to
check it out.
This post is part of a blog tour by Lori Caswell
at Escapes with Dolly Cas into a Good Book.
Let’s dive in. Here’s a bit about the book.
Book Synopsis for Paws & Order by Chris Abernathy
Who is really catching killers in Paradise Cove?
It’s not the local police. The Paradise Cove Murder Society is getting the job
done, with more help than they realize from a furry detective named Whiskers.
Sheila and her cat Whiskers are starting a new
life in the perfect little Florida beach town that managed to avoid the big
crowds, condos and chain stores. But as soon as they arrive the town has its
first ever murder. Good thing Whiskers is a trained detective!
Fred, Sheila’s husband of forty years, was a
police detective who recently passed away, right before they were supposed to
retire to the beach. After forty years of devoting herself entirely to being a
good wife and mother she’s now left to put her life back together, but what
kind of life will it be? In a fresh setting, and with some quirky new friends,
she slowly begins to remember all of the dreams she had as a young woman. She
has a second chance to chase those dreams, if she can stay alive and out of
prison. When her next door neighbor is killed and the evidence points to
Sheila, it’s time for Whiskers to step up.
Whiskers was Fred’s loyal assistant and he’ll
need to remember everything he learned from his mentor to keep Sheila safe as
she rediscovers herself. With the help of some unexpected new friends of his
own Detective Whiskers sets out to prove to the world, and himself, that he is
worthy of the shiny badge on his collar. If you love humorous cozy mysteries
where pets take the lead and eccentric friends come together to solve crimes
with just the right amount of suspense then the Detective Whiskers Cozy Mystery
Series is exactly what you’re looking for.
Excerpt from Paws and Order
Sheila does not understand. I know we’re not
supposed to play favorites with our humans, but we all do. Fred and I had a
connection that was … special. I’ve tried communicating with Sheila, but— Okay
this part is a little embarrassing. Every time I tap her hand with my paw, she
thinks I want food or a belly rub. Which, of course, I do. I ALWAYS want food
or a belly rub. Or both. But I’m trying to tell her something important, and
all of a sudden, she puts those fingernails to work on my belly and I’m gone.
Lost. A zombie. It feels sooooo good. Whatever I needed to say is up in smoke,
my eyes are closed, and I hear a Karen Carpenter love song in my head.
Don’t judge me.
Exclusive interview with author Chris Abernathy
To learn
more about Chris and his books, keep reading.
Q: Can
you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into writing?
Chris Abernathy: I live on the Alabama coast with my wife. We have
two boys, one grown and the other too close to it for our liking. I have always
enjoyed writing and got into the publishing world as an audiobook narrator.
Interacting with authors and publishers inspired me to finally write and
publish my own stories.
Q: What
is a day in the life of book narrator and author Chris Abernathy like?
Chris Abernathy: I typically spend my mornings narrating and my
afternoons writing. My voice works better in the early part of the day and the
house is quieter. So, I start off with a few hours in my recording booth. After
lunch I sit down with my laptop and see where my imagination takes me.
Q: When
did you decide it was time to start writing your own books and series? And when
(or how) did you decide you want to write cozies rather any other genre?
Chris Abernathy: I was on a cruise with my family and some friends
when I first started writing seriously. We had splurged for a cabin with a
balcony and sitting out there in the evenings my thoughts took off and I got
several chapters written in one week.
After the cruise ended, it took several stops and
starts before I finally finished that book which was inspired by my thirty-year
career as a radio personality. I really had no idea what I was doing - I just
let the characters take me where they wanted to go and it was a very positive
experience that helped me understand myself and people I had worked with
better.
That book, Blowing Up the Airwaves, was
written under my “radio name” Chris Wright and I added a short prequel, Rise
of the Radio Gods. Both were funny stories with some adventure thrown in
but didn’t adhere to any specific genre. They didn't sell much but it showed me
that I could write a full book and gave me some insight into the style of
writing that came naturally to me.
With the help of some author friends, I decided
that the cozy genre fit my style and would allow me to create the kinds of
characters I enjoyed writing about.
Q: As
a book narrator, how many times do you need to read a book to narrate it?
Chris Abernathy: I read the book through and make notes then do
some research for pronunciations, etc. When I go into the booth I scan ahead a
little to make sure I recall where things are going but I don’t do a close read
again before narrating. I want the story to feel fresh as I read.
Q: How
many books do you have planned–so far–for The Detective Whiskers Cozy
Mystery Series?
Chris Abernathy: I currently have titles and covers through book
#5 but I plan to continue for at least a few more beyond that. Readers seem to
be enjoying them so if the response keeps going the way it has so far then I’d
like to go to about a dozen then decide if there’s more to tell or if the story
has wrapped itself up.
Q: Is the entire Paw and Order book narrated from Detective Whiskers’ point of view or do we see others’ perspectives as well?
Chris Abernathy: Other than a preface for book three, the whole
book, and series, so far is from Whiskers’ point of view. I plan to keep it
that way because it allows me to show the human characters from a non-human
perspective.
Q: It’s
common to find cozy mystery characters who have pets they depend on. But what
inspired you to have a cat as the main, mystery-solving character?
Chris Abernathy: I think that most of us want to put ourselves
into the story. With a human as a main character, I think it sometimes limits
our willingness to go along with their story. We let our differences impact how
we see their story.
Once we place ourselves into the perspective of
an animal we’ve moved past that. We leave some of our human biases behind and
open ourselves to see the people around us a little differently.
Q: If
you can give aspiring mystery writers a piece of advice, what would it be?
Chris Abernathy: My advice would be to first write what you enjoy
writing. Write as often as you can and take notice of how it makes you feel.
Once you have a good understanding of what you
really enjoy writing then look at what readers are buying and figure out where
the two intersect so that you can give them what they want in a way that is
unique to your voice but within a framework that is comfortable to them.
About Chris Abernathy
Chris is married with two sons and lives on the
Gulf Coast in Alabama. He is a dual national with citizenship in the US and UK
and visits family in the Scottish Highlands as often as possible.
Connect with author Chris Abernathy via his website, Facebook, and Amazon.
Consider signing
up for his newsletter.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
As part of the blog tour, there is a limited-time
giveaway. So, use the link or Rafflecopter widget below to enter.
Keep up with the rest of the blog
tour including book reviews, spotlights, more interviews, and guest posts. Check them out here.
.jpg "Blog cover with the text Lost and Found by Natalie Shampanier, illustrated by David Pavon")
