Tara Interviews Tigger from Daryl Wood Gerber's Cookbook Nook Mystery Series

Meow! Hey everybody, it's Tara! Check out the little cutie that I'm interviewing today...it's Tigger, the kitten star of Daryl Wood Gerber's Cookbook Nook Mysteries. The first book in the series, Final Sentence, is on shelves today! Make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Final Sentence (US only, ends July 6th).

Tara: Tigger, how did you come to live with Jenna?

Tigger: One moment I was on the truck with my mom and my brothers, and then, bam, I fell off. I try not to think about it. I'm pretty sure my mother yelled for me. I yelled for her. It hurt to hit the pavement. But I survived. You move on, right? I’m scrappy. Chin up. Ears alert. I ended up in Crystal Cove. I love the ocean. The smell of salt. The breeze. The feel of sand beneath my paws. It’s so cool. When I ventured into Jenna’s shop, I was simply looking for a free meal and perhaps a hug or two. She saw me and picked me up. Cuddled me hard. Rubbed her nose against mine. That’s when I knew we were meant to be together. Forever.  

Sure, I did all I could to win her over. A twist, a raise of my tail. It didn’t take much. I’m cute, what can I say? 

  

Tara: What is your day typically like? 

Tigger: Jenna and I live together in this one-room cottage. Her aunt owns it. She has a house right next door. It’s on the beach. I wake up, I stretch, I eat. I go with Jenna to The Cookbook Nook, and I play with the customers that come in. I take naps—I need a lot of them—in the stockroom. Jenna got me this really cute bed with pictures of paw prints on the fabric. On days off, Jenna and I go to the beach and she paints. She used to work in advertising, but now she runs The Cookbook Nook and café, so she only does creative stuff like painting and sculpting on days off. She bought this cool—I mean, cool as in air-conditioned—cage for me to rest in at the beach. I like that a lot. I’m not big on the cage part of it, but if it gets me outdoors, it’s fine. At night, Jenna tries her hand at cooking. She’s learning. She’s burned a few things. But some things are really tasty. So I make it my mission to beg for treats. She’s pretty strict about not giving me too many. I get good food. Organic stuff. I like to roam the cottage and explore, too.   

  

Tara: What kind of mischief do you get into in Final Sentence?  

Tigger: There’s this cabinet Jenna has. I don’t know where she got it. On top, there’s this cat. Sort of different looking. There’s something up with it. It’s all shiny and yellow, and it doesn’t move. Jenna has told me it’s not real; it’s a statue. Sometimes I feel like the cat is looking straight at me. Daring me. So I leap up there and stalk it and stare it down. There’s something wrong with that cat. You know what I mean? 

  

Tara: What's next for you and Jenna? 

Well, I’m pretty sure we’re bonded at the hip, so I’m with her forever. I’m not leaving. I’d like to see my family again, but I don’t know how to arrange that, you know? I think she’s interested in this man. He likes cats, so it’s cool. I like him. He’s gentle. I think there’s another four-footed friend in his life. I don’t think it’s a cat. I can’t be sure. It might be a dog because I’ve met a few dogs and he sort of smells like that. Some of the customers come into the store with dogs on leashes. I like the little ones that like to play tag. The barking ones I can take or leave. They can’t get pretty loud. I’ve got sensitive ears, you know? 

Tara: Can you tell me a few of your favorite things? 

Soft blanket on the couch or sunny window?  

Tigger: Like I said, there’s my cat bed that’s really comfy. And then there’s the air-conditioned cage for the beach. I feel safe inside, so it’s good because it means I get to go more places with Jenna. She also slips me into her purse or the basket on her bicycle when we’re going on adventures. I like getting tucked in. And then there’s this nook in the cottage with windows that offers a view of the ocean? That’s my favorite spot. The sun shines in late in the afternoon.  A touch of heaven. 

Tara: Neck scratches or tummy rubs? 

Tigger: I like neck scratches better than tummy rubs. There’s something about looking up into Jenna’s eyes when she’s scratching my neck that makes me feel special. And she seems to like it as much as I do. She’s always smiling. 

Tara: Wet food or dry? 

Tigger: Wet food, definitely. Tuna. Unless it’s a nip of a cookie fresh from the oven. Then dry. Warm. Sweet. Don’t tell the vet, okay? 

Tara: Catnip mouse or laser light? 

Tigger: Ha. What do you think? Laser light? I’m always up for a chase. 

Tara: Finally, to turn the tables a bit, you're such a teeny tiny kitten and I'm a mature lady in her teens...is there anything you'd like to ask me about living a cat's life? I'm always happy to help out the younger generation :) 

Tigger: Yes, I’m small, but I’ll grow, I think. My brothers were all about the same size as me. That’s pretty typical, right? But yes, could you tell me, do you think I’ll see my mom and family again? I like to be hopeful. Jenna keeps telling me that she’s hopeful. So is there hope? Or should I be a realist? And will I ever be able to leap higher than three feet? I have to take a big running jump to make it that high. Sometimes I have to go from chair to table top to do it. There’s this bookcase at the bookstore that I’d like to scale.  

Tara: Sweetie, there's always hope. But I really think you hit the jackpot by adopting Jenna. Mommies, whether fur or skin, will always take care of you. You're just a baby...you'll grow into a big, strong, handsome boy and be able to leap anywhere you want to!

Tigger: Thanks so much for asking me questions. I don’t have many cats to talk to. I’ve noticed that most of our customers don’t come in with their cats. Why is that?  

Blurb: In need of a change, Jenna Hart leaves the high-pressure world of advertising to help her aunt, Vera, open a culinary bookshop and café. Back with her family in Crystal Cove, California, Jenna seems to have all the right ingredients for a fresh start—until someone adds a dash of murder. 

As a marketing expert, Jenna wants to make sure the grand opening of the Cookbook Nook draws a crowd, and no one is better at getting attention than her old college roommate, celebrity chef Desiree Divine. But when Desiree arrives in quiet Crystal Cove to do a cookbook signing, the diva stirs up more trouble than business…especially when she turns up dead.

Known for stealing husbands and burning bridges, Desiree left behind plenty of suspects—including Jenna. Though the celebrity’s life always appeared to be an open book, Jenna will have to read between the lines in order to clear her name, and catch a killer before another body is served cold.

 

Daryl Wood Gerber's new series, A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY, will be published in 2013 by Penguin (Berkley Prime Crime). Daryl is the real name of nationally bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Avery Aames, who writes A CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY series.

Daryl also writes short stories. Her short story, "Palace by the Lake" from Fish Tales, has been nominated for numerous awards, including Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity. You can read the story on Daryl's website: http://www.darylwoodgerber.com Daryl also created the format for the popular TV sit-com, "Out of this World," and she has won awards for her screenplays.

Both Avery and Daryl like to read, cook, and garden.

Avery & Daryl blog at Mystery Lovers Kitchen, http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com -
a blog for foodies who love mysteries.

And some of their characters show up at the Killer Characters blog, http://killercharacters.com

Visit Daryl at her website: http://www.darylwoodgerber.com and/or visit Avery at her website: http://www.averyaames.com to see sneak previews, book trailers, find recipes, and more.