Truffles Interviews...KeeKee the Calico from the KeeKee's Big Adventures Series (w/Giveaway)

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! How lucky are you? A "Truffles Interviews" feature TWO days in a row! I actually have a few more over the next couple weeks along with some really cool giveaways. It is the holiday season, after all!

Before we get to today's feature, Mommy asked me to take care of a little housekeeping and announce a few giveaway winners. The winner of the Himalayan Blue Pagoda Fountain is ‏Morgen Pittman from The Cat Blogosphere. Mama Cat won the Kathi Daley Christmas Cozy book and mug, and Katreader won the Black Friday Book Bonanza. Concatulations, everyone :)

Today I'm excited to be interviewing the calico kitty star of the award winning KeeKee’s Big Adventures Series. We were first introduced to KeeKee earlier this year when we won the first two books in the series in a giveaway from Cat Chat with Caren and Cody. We fell in love with the world-travelling calico, and now the third volume in the series, KeeKee’s Big Adventures in Athens, Greece, is on store shelves just in time for the holiday season. It's the perfect book to give children an introduction to other cultures - without ever leaving home - KeeKee introduces children to the sights and sounds of Athens. Each volume in the series includes an educational glossary at the end of the book that includes vocabulary, pronunciation and places to visit.

I hope you enjoy the interview, and please check out our fun giveaway too!

Welcome, KeeKee! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be a world-travelling cat?
Thank you so much for having me, Truffles! My parents adopted me from a shelter in Seattle, Washington in the United States. We moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands when I was just a kitty. We lived there for four years. I took the opportunity to see as much of Europe as I could while my mom and dad were working.

Do you have a favorite place that you have visited?
Oh it’s so hard to pick because every destination has it’s own special culture, food, language and traditions. And I love making new friends in each spot and getting their suggestions on what they like to do.

I usually ask my interviewee felines what a typical day is like for them, but I would imagine that you never have a typical day! What kinds of things do you like to do when you have some down time at home?
Research my next adventures, look at photos from my trips, make recipes that I’ve collected on my travels, play with my sister Luna and of coarse, nap. ^..^<

I would love to know more about the real-life KeeKee that inspired your series of children's books.
Real-life KeeKee is a 10 1/2 year old calico kitty that we did indeed adopt in Seattle, Washington. She moved with us to the Netherlands and that’s where we got the idea for the KeeKee’s Big Adventureschildren’s book series to entertain and educate children about places and cultures around the world.

Any idea where your next adventures are going to take you?
Right now we’re deciding on our next book from my adventures. And I’m gearing up for travels to Asia, Africa and South America.

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About the book: Opa! It’s Athens, Greece! KeeKee, the world traveling kitty, lands for another exciting adventure. Join KeeKee as she explores one of the oldest cities in the world. Children and adults will delight in discovering what makes Athens a must-visit destination, from it’s history and culture to food and hospitality. KeeKee's latest adventure includes a kid-friendly pronunciation guide and glossary in the back of the book along with a charmingly illustrated map of Athens. Entertaining and educational, KeeKee's Big Adventures will spark curiosity and inspire appreciation for our great big wonderful world!

About the author: Shannon Jones has a soft spot for rescue cats, children and culture. While head of marketing and product for Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jones lived in Europe with her husband for four years and was able to tour some of the largest European cities including Paris, Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

When their friends’ children started asking how their rescue cat, KeeKee, liked living in Europe and what it was like to live there, Jones decided to pursue her passion for writing and created the award winning KeeKee’s Big Adventures Series to introduce children to the tastes, sounds, sites and cultures of Europe.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Monday, December 8th for your chance to win a KeeKee Kit containing KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece, as well as 2 KeeKee tattoos, 2 KeeKee buttons, 4 coloring pages, and a KeeKee ornament! (US entries only please, and don't forget your email address!)