Truffles Interviews: Cupid the Cat from Lois Winston's Hooking Mr. Right (w/Giveaway)

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! I have something a little different for you today. We don't read a lot of romantic comedy here at my house, but in the spirit of Valentine's Day I'm interviewing Cupid...Cupid the matchmaking cat, that is, who stars in Hooking Mr. Right by Lois Winston. He has some advice for both Mommy and I on how to find our own Mr. Right!

Lois is offering one lucky commenter an e-copy of Hooking Mr. Right, either mobi or epub file. (PS: Today is also Lois' birthday, so you might want to mention that in your comments!) A winner will be chosen at noon eastern on Monday, February 16th.



Welcome, Cupid! Could you tell us a little about yourself and the book you star in, Hooking Mr. Right?

Hi Truffles! Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you today, and please call me Cu. Everyone else does.

I may not be the hero of Hooking Mr. Right, but I’m crucial to the plot. I play the role of matchmaker to two very pig-headed humans whose past experiences in matters of the heart have left them emotionally scarred. Both have sworn off the opposite sex. However, my extremely discerning cat sense determines right away that Thea and Luke are perfect for each other. Forget that they believe they’re polar opposites. We all know opposites attract. It just sometimes takes a little help from a very purr-ceptive pet.

How did you come to be named Cupid?

That’s a mystery that will probably never be solved. I have no memories of my life before waking up in a cat clinic a few years ago. When Luke found me, I was being mauled to death by a pack of feral feline bullies. The trauma left me near death and terrified of other animals. Luke even makes a special appointment before or after regular office hours whenever I have to go to the vet so there are no other pets in the waiting room. We only know my name because I was wearing a collar with a heart-shaped gold charm inscribed with “Cupid.”

In the description of the book you are called "a butt-ugly alley cat." How horrible! There is no such thing as an ugly cat. Why do they say that about you?

As we all know, genetics is a crapshoot, and in my case, I crapped out. Add to that the injuries I sustained in the attack, and “butt-ugly alley cat” is probably being a bit too kind. In Hooking Mr. Right I’m described as having fur that’s an odd assortment of earth tones and various shades of gray, short in some spots, long in others. I look like a Persian mated with both a Siamese and a calico, and the resulting genes couldn’t make up their minds. When Thea first meets me, she claims I’m the strangest looking cat she’s ever seen and that all I’d need are a few body piercings to qualify as a feline Dennis Rodman. But she falls in love with me anyway and later defends me by claiming I’m not ugly; I’m “unique.”

How might I go about helping my Mommy find her "Mr. Right"? (If the time should ever come...we are purr-fectly happy just the two of us right now!)

Well, you could suggest she reads one of Thea’s books on the subject, but I think your exceptional cat sense will let you know immediately when you spot someone who will be the purr-fect mate for your Mommy. We cats are highly evolved creatures with a level of extra-sensory purr-ception that humans lack. They often need a bit of nudging from us to see beyond their misconceptions and prejudices or simply to push them into moving past prior heartaches.

Better still, what advice do you have for me on finding my own "Mr. Right"? Mommy would love to adopt another kitty (if he was approved by me, of course!)

That’s easy. Have Mommy take you along to the local cat shelter and introduce you to the residents. Your extra-sensory purr-ception will do the rest.

Lastly, what is life like for you today? Did the humans in your life find their "happily ever after"?

Of course they did! After all Hooking Mr. Right is a romance, and the number one rule of a romance is that it has to have a happily-ever-after. But it certainly wasn’t easy, and it never would have happened without yours truly.

Life really couldn’t get any better! There’s even a sequel to Hooking Mr. Right now. Finding Mr. Right is a Valentine’s Day themed novelette included in the print edition of Hooking Mr. Right and as a stand-alone ebook.

About the Author: USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

Website: www.loiswinston.com

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com

Tsu: www.tsu.co/loiswinston

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth

Twitter @anasleuth.

Hooking Mr. Right

Can a butt-ugly alley cat named Cupid bring together two people driven apart by secrets and lies?

After writing a doctoral thesis that exposed fraud in the pop-psychology genre, thirty-two year old professor Althea Chandler sacrifices her professional integrity to save her family from financial disaster. She secretly becomes best-selling romance guru Dr. Trulee Lovejoy, self-proclaimed expert on how to catch a man, even though Thea's a miserable failure when it comes to relationships -- especially those with the opposite sex.

Burned by a failed marriage, Luke Bennett finds himself pursued by Dr. Lovejoy toting women after a gossip columnist dubs him New York's most eligible bachelor. When he at first mistakes Thea for one of the women out to snare him, sparks fly, but the two soon find themselves battling sparks of a less hostile nature, thanks in part to that alley cat.

Luke believes he's finally found an honest woman. Unfortunately, Thea is anything but honest. She's got more secrets than the CIA and a desperate gossip columnist out to expose her. Cupid definitely has his work cut out for him.

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