Parker Campbell, an investigative reporter, and her calico cat, Olivia, have been summoned to help save a long-standing cat colony site from the grips of eager developers. They arrive on scene to discover that the property has become enshrouded in a most unsettling mystery. The feral cats are digging up personal items belonging to missing persons who vanished years earlier. Was this the site of a mass murder, a cult ritual gone wrong, or an unexplained phenomenon? Parker teams up with Detective Judson Caldwell, who has taken a personal leave to secretly investigate the mystery, and soon learns what drives his obsession with this case.
Olivia, the sweet and sassy calico, struts her stuff in this story. She locates a lost toddler and ends up getting herself arrested. She isn’t about to take this insult lying down, however. She escapes from custody and trashes the police station. Olivia alerts Parker to trouble when they visit her aunt’s home and find that the woman has detained a burglar in a most unusual way. Olivia also finds major clues in the convoluted cat colony mystery, one that promises a glimmer of hope for a long-grieving parent.
Welcome, Olivia! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Parker?
Chatting is one of my favorite things to do, although Parker (my mom—an investigative reporter) sometimes gets irritated when I chatter too much. She says my meowing distracts her from her article-writing. Oh, she loves to talk to me. That’s how she figures out tough things, by telling her thoughts and ideas to me. She thinks it’s cute when I mew back, but not when she’s writing. Another thing that gets me into trouble is when I hide. Mom-Parker hates it when she can’t find me. Hey, I like to explore and hunker down in new places. Hiding where no one can find me is one of my super powers. I hear her calling for me, but sometimes I’m just not ready to come out. When I am ready, I walk on soft paws to wherever she is. When she turns around and sees me there she almost always jumps. She tells people that I can materialize out of thin air. Nope, it’s just me being clever and cunning and stealth.
How did we get together? Mom-Parker may think she found me, but it’s actually the other way around. I saw her, I liked her, end of story. I think she was actually looking for me that day where I was living with a bunch of other cats. She had seen me briefly and came back later, I think, to find me. She didn’t see me walk right past her (my super power, remember?). I waited where she’d left her backpack hoping she’d take me home. I was tired of living wild with the other cats. Mom-Parker’s backpack smelled nice and it was so comfortable that I fell asleep. When she returned there I was and the rest, as they say, is history.
What's a typical day like for you?
I go almost everywhere with Parker. I think that’s because I’m so helpful. I find things, you see—important things that help to solve crimes and mysteries. I have my own car seat which I like because I can see out the windows. It’s pretty comfortable, but I don’t like being strapped up. I’m a free spirit and I honor that aspect of me every chance I get. I’ve even learned to escape from almost every cage I’ve ever been in.
Parker and I do investigative work. We meet a lot of interesting people and animals. I get to go to restaurants, private homes, office buildings, cat colonies, ranches—everywhere Mom-Parker goes. I help with interviews and surveillance. I’m not very good at stakeouts. I much PURRfer the more active and lively sleuth jobs.
Tell us about Oh! Olivia, the new Calico Cat mystery series you star in.
Oh, this is a good story. I get to help save a very old cat colony. While we are trying to figure out how to help, we discover that the cats have been uncovering clues to a very old mystery. They were digging up personal items belonging to people who had been missing for seven years. Our simple assignment turned into a serious mystery and we teamed up with Detective Judson Caldwell to help solve it. Why was Detective Jud interested in this old case? Because he feared that his daughter was among the missing.
In this story I get arrested. Can you imagine that? A policeman came to my Grandma-Elaine’s house on Christmas Eve and took me away, and that was after I’d found a lost little boy. What was that policeman thinking? I got the last meow, though, when I showed him what a smart and courageous and helpful cat I can be.
As readers will learn in Book One of the Calico Cat Mysteries, Oh! Olivia, I have this knack for leading Mom-Parker to important clues and evidence, which is one reason why she keeps me around. Another reason she keeps me close is because I can find a lot of trouble for myself when no one’s around to entertain me.
You're a tri-colored kitty so I bet you manage to get into your fair share of trouble?
That’s what they say. I do have fun. I like to go exploring and sometimes that gets me into trouble. That’s what also makes me a hero. In Oh! Olivia I saved two children. How about that? Yes, I can cause some CATastrophes, but I also have a PURRfectly wonderful good side. That’s what being a calico is all about.
Your character is based on a real cat, your author's calico Olivia. What's the scoop on her? How are the two of you alike and different?
Yes, there is a real cat named Olivia, and yes, she’s a lot like me, but the real Olivia doesn’t have quite the opportunity I do to shine and to help and to create fun CATventures. Author Patricia Fry calls the real Olivia her sweet and sassy girl. She calls her sassy pants and she adores her like Mom-Parker adores me. But the worst trouble Patricia’s Olivia gets into is tipping over an occasional flower pot, knocking pictures off the piano, playing in the water bowls, and hiding all of her favorite bouncy balls. Some people consider me the real Olivia on steroids. We do have a few things in common. We’re both PAWSitively beautiful and charming, we both have a wild sense of humor and tons of energy, and we both adore our moms.
Can you give us any clues as to what's next for you and Parker?
Oh my! Book 2, Where’s Olivia, just came out and is it a doozy? Even though the mystery of the missing people was resolved in Book One, Detective Jud is quite convinced that his daughter was not among them. He’s sure she’s alive—maybe not well, but alive. He has requested Mom-Parker’s and my help—well, maybe just Mom-Parker’s help. But when I show him how helpful I can be, he isn’t so grumpy about me tagging along. In the process of helping, I get catnapped twice! Mom-Parker is frantic, but I’m pretty much okay. I’m having some fun CATventures. I got to live like a queen cat with a probably fake witch and I got the opPURRtunity to save Mom-Parker and some of our friends.
What’s on the horizon? I hope more CATventures and Catscapades. Hint: Soon we’ll be summoned to help where cats are going missing under the most mysterious circumstances. That situation really has me worried. I’m sharpening my claws and honing my super-power skills for that worrisome assignment.
Patricia Fry is the author of the 52-book-strong Klepto Cat Mysteries staring Rags, the klepto cat. She launched the Calico Cat Mysteries in 2021 as a tribute to the interesting and clever kitten she adopted in 2020.
All 54 books are published in print and ebook formats. They’re available at Amazon and at these websites:
https://KleptoCatMysteries.com
http://CalicoCatMysteries.com
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Mudpie was very excited to have the opportunity to interview none other than Olivia herself, the feline star of this series. We hope you enjoy meeting her!
Welcome, Olivia! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Parker?
Chatting is one of my favorite things to do, although Parker (my mom—an investigative reporter) sometimes gets irritated when I chatter too much. She says my meowing distracts her from her article-writing. Oh, she loves to talk to me. That’s how she figures out tough things, by telling her thoughts and ideas to me. She thinks it’s cute when I mew back, but not when she’s writing. Another thing that gets me into trouble is when I hide. Mom-Parker hates it when she can’t find me. Hey, I like to explore and hunker down in new places. Hiding where no one can find me is one of my super powers. I hear her calling for me, but sometimes I’m just not ready to come out. When I am ready, I walk on soft paws to wherever she is. When she turns around and sees me there she almost always jumps. She tells people that I can materialize out of thin air. Nope, it’s just me being clever and cunning and stealth.
How did we get together? Mom-Parker may think she found me, but it’s actually the other way around. I saw her, I liked her, end of story. I think she was actually looking for me that day where I was living with a bunch of other cats. She had seen me briefly and came back later, I think, to find me. She didn’t see me walk right past her (my super power, remember?). I waited where she’d left her backpack hoping she’d take me home. I was tired of living wild with the other cats. Mom-Parker’s backpack smelled nice and it was so comfortable that I fell asleep. When she returned there I was and the rest, as they say, is history.
What's a typical day like for you?
I go almost everywhere with Parker. I think that’s because I’m so helpful. I find things, you see—important things that help to solve crimes and mysteries. I have my own car seat which I like because I can see out the windows. It’s pretty comfortable, but I don’t like being strapped up. I’m a free spirit and I honor that aspect of me every chance I get. I’ve even learned to escape from almost every cage I’ve ever been in.
Parker and I do investigative work. We meet a lot of interesting people and animals. I get to go to restaurants, private homes, office buildings, cat colonies, ranches—everywhere Mom-Parker goes. I help with interviews and surveillance. I’m not very good at stakeouts. I much PURRfer the more active and lively sleuth jobs.
Tell us about Oh! Olivia, the new Calico Cat mystery series you star in.
Oh, this is a good story. I get to help save a very old cat colony. While we are trying to figure out how to help, we discover that the cats have been uncovering clues to a very old mystery. They were digging up personal items belonging to people who had been missing for seven years. Our simple assignment turned into a serious mystery and we teamed up with Detective Judson Caldwell to help solve it. Why was Detective Jud interested in this old case? Because he feared that his daughter was among the missing.
In this story I get arrested. Can you imagine that? A policeman came to my Grandma-Elaine’s house on Christmas Eve and took me away, and that was after I’d found a lost little boy. What was that policeman thinking? I got the last meow, though, when I showed him what a smart and courageous and helpful cat I can be.
As readers will learn in Book One of the Calico Cat Mysteries, Oh! Olivia, I have this knack for leading Mom-Parker to important clues and evidence, which is one reason why she keeps me around. Another reason she keeps me close is because I can find a lot of trouble for myself when no one’s around to entertain me.
You're a tri-colored kitty so I bet you manage to get into your fair share of trouble?
That’s what they say. I do have fun. I like to go exploring and sometimes that gets me into trouble. That’s what also makes me a hero. In Oh! Olivia I saved two children. How about that? Yes, I can cause some CATastrophes, but I also have a PURRfectly wonderful good side. That’s what being a calico is all about.
Your character is based on a real cat, your author's calico Olivia. What's the scoop on her? How are the two of you alike and different?
Yes, there is a real cat named Olivia, and yes, she’s a lot like me, but the real Olivia doesn’t have quite the opportunity I do to shine and to help and to create fun CATventures. Author Patricia Fry calls the real Olivia her sweet and sassy girl. She calls her sassy pants and she adores her like Mom-Parker adores me. But the worst trouble Patricia’s Olivia gets into is tipping over an occasional flower pot, knocking pictures off the piano, playing in the water bowls, and hiding all of her favorite bouncy balls. Some people consider me the real Olivia on steroids. We do have a few things in common. We’re both PAWSitively beautiful and charming, we both have a wild sense of humor and tons of energy, and we both adore our moms.
Can you give us any clues as to what's next for you and Parker?
Oh my! Book 2, Where’s Olivia, just came out and is it a doozy? Even though the mystery of the missing people was resolved in Book One, Detective Jud is quite convinced that his daughter was not among them. He’s sure she’s alive—maybe not well, but alive. He has requested Mom-Parker’s and my help—well, maybe just Mom-Parker’s help. But when I show him how helpful I can be, he isn’t so grumpy about me tagging along. In the process of helping, I get catnapped twice! Mom-Parker is frantic, but I’m pretty much okay. I’m having some fun CATventures. I got to live like a queen cat with a probably fake witch and I got the opPURRtunity to save Mom-Parker and some of our friends.
What’s on the horizon? I hope more CATventures and Catscapades. Hint: Soon we’ll be summoned to help where cats are going missing under the most mysterious circumstances. That situation really has me worried. I’m sharpening my claws and honing my super-power skills for that worrisome assignment.
Patricia Fry is the author of the 52-book-strong Klepto Cat Mysteries staring Rags, the klepto cat. She launched the Calico Cat Mysteries in 2021 as a tribute to the interesting and clever kitten she adopted in 2020.
All 54 books are published in print and ebook formats. They’re available at Amazon and at these websites:
https://KleptoCatMysteries.com
http://CalicoCatMysteries.com
10 comments:
Thanks, Mudpie and Melissa! Sounds like another great series by Patricia Fry.
This sounds like a great book! And good interview, Mudpie!
Another great interview, Mudpie! Sounds like a fun book too.
Oooo we like this one. I hope we win!
PS
We hope we win the hardcover but got the ebook. Yeah, we cats are impatient MOL
Great interview and it sounds like a good read.
Have a purrfect day and weekend, Mudpie. My best to your mom. ♥
Can't wait to read. My first cat was a calico cat named "Calico".
Great interview Miss Mudpie. I have read all the Klepto Cat Mysteries and I can't wait to read these. XO
Such a fun interview and the book sounds like a good one!
Pawsome interview!!
The book sounds pawsome too!
Purrs, Julie
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