#CozyMystery #Cozy #Mystery #Crime #PetLovers #Cats #Dogs #PetDetective #TheWhiskeredWitness #WhiskersInTrouble #WhiskersAndTailsMysteries @lauraballauthor #books #readers #reading
Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series.
In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems,
Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.
The Whiskered Witness
A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #2
by Laura Ball
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series. Olivia loves to help people and her patients, but when a stranger asks for her help with a mystery, she can't resist! With the help of local newspaper reporter Randy Seaver, Olivia delves into finding a mystery that is decades in the making and uncovers more than she bargained for. In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems, Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.
Tom Barnaby and her herd of animals are back to help Olivia and protect her from harm when she gets too close to the truth. Will Olivia be able to solve the stranger’s mystery? Will she uncover a possible killer during her search? Will she find love amongst the chaos and danger? Olivia is more determined than ever to uncover the truth no matter what. But will the cost of learning the truth be too high a price to pay in the end for her and her friends?
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Whiskers in Trouble
A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #1
Amazon * B&N * Google * Bookbub * Goodreads
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I learned to read at a very early age. My mother read to me a lot as a child. I picked up my love for books early on. When I was in grade school I would rush home from school and write short stories for hours every day. I never let anyone read them because I was afraid they weren’t any good but my love to write developed and transitioned over to poetry. I’ve had poems published in anthologies as a teenager but never gave up writing short stories. I finally decided to attempt a book and here I am!
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I hate tomatoes but love products made from tomatoes like pasta sauce, marinara, ketchup. There’s just something weird about the texture of a tomato that bothers me!
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
In 2003, I was injured in a car accident that wasn’t my fault. I dislocated bones in my right foot and ankle, broke my left kneecap and sprained my left wrist. Because of the injuries to my legs, I spent three months in a hospital bed in my parent’s rec room while they healed. I had to learn how to walk again because my muscle memory in my legs was gone from being in bed for so long which was surprising and terrifying all at once. It was a traumatic experience but I grew as a person and in my faith because of it. The accident taught me lessons and brought me closer to my family and God, and for that I’m grateful.
What are some of your pet peeves?
People who don’t use turn signals. People with annoying catchphrases. People talking on cell phones during a movie or at a restaurant.
Who is your hero and why?
I dedicated my first book to my hero–my mom. She has endured a lot in life and has remained strong and faithful. She has always believed in me, especially in my writing, and I wanted to fulfill this lifelong dream of writing a book for both of us.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I finished my first rough draft. I realized that maybe this was something I could do and really could self-publish my own book. Something ignited in me that day and from then on I felt a renewed energy to complete the book and publish it. I realized then that I really do realize a childhood dream. Not everyone gets to say or do that.
Do you have a favorite movie?
My ultimate favorite movie is Clue. I love the intricate plot and how everything connects in some way. The characters are fun, and it’s just a fun movie. I’ve seen it at least 100 times and can quote a lot of it. I especially love the different possible endings!
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I very much believe a phoenix is my spirit animal. I have transformed so many times as a person in my life and risen above hardship and hard times only to become someone stronger
What inspired you to write this book?
My mom encouraged me to write a cozy mystery. We love to watch mysteries and Dateline and can always “solve” the mystery before it’s revealed. We read a lot of cozy mysteries and my mom, Donna, has always believed I could write one. So we worked on a plot and the story came to life from there. She has been instrumental in helping me work out clues and plots and twists.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
My mom, Donna, was a huge inspiration behind the idea for the book. We had brainstormed several ideas and for some reason a veterinarian with cats that helped find clues seemed to stick with us. The combination of a vet and cats made sense. From there the idea of the murder and what the clues were and how the cats helped was born. The idea went through many variations but I think I told the best version in the end.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
What started off as a fun little hobby with my mom soon turned into a goal to realize a childhood dream. I enjoyed trying to figure out a mystery and take readers on an adventure with my characters and how messy life can be. I loved trying to come up with how Fiona and Wilson–the cats in the story–would react to humans and how they could in their way assist the humans in solving the case. It was a lot of fun!
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
One of my favorite parts of this book was writing about Olivia’s dad and his nemesis the groundhog. I drew inspiration from real life with my own father and a pesky groundhog he dealt with for a time. It was fun adding a little bit of him into the story.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
I feel it’s a must read book if you’re someone who just enjoys a good, lighthearted read for a murder mystery without the gore and the quirky fun of animals talking to each other and trying to assist their humans to solve a crime.
Is there a writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
I have always been a fan of horror movies and books. I would love to spend an afternoon with Stephen King and pick his brain about how he keeps his characters interesting and doesn’t get lost in the details of the plot.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I did a lot of research for Whiskers in Trouble actually. I research cat breeds and which ones were most popular, most expensive, rare, etc. I also researched a lot about common illnesses to animals and how they’re treated by a veterinarian. I also relied on my experience as a pet owner of a cat and most recently, a puppy.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I do read as much as I can because I enjoy it, and because I feel reading other authors helps my own writing. Seeing how other authors develop characters and work out plot points and twists and turns. It’s fun and exciting and educational actually.
My favorite genre is mystery because I love to immerse myself into a story and try to figure out where the story is going and revel in the characters–some I like and some I learn to hate based on the storyline. I love to be intrigued and put myself in the heroine or hero’s shoes and see if I can solve the mystery first.
Pen or type writer or computer?
I use both pen and paper and a computer.
Do you have any advice to offer for new authors?
Beginning is the hardest part. Just take the first step and put something, anything, on the page. Once you begin it gets easier. Don’t give up when you get stuck, look at it from a different point of view or a different character’s point of view. Try to work things out from all angles. Sometimes things are revealed from a perspective you didn’t have before
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I like to outline with pen and paper, list the main points and scenes and main characters. Then I like to just dive right into writing using my outline as a guide. I find when typing on my computer that the story unfolds easier for me and the story ends up going to places I never intended but works out. My characters also develop the same way–by just diving in and seeing what ends up on the screen. I usually start with Chapter 1 and go from there following my outline but in writing book two of the Whiskers and Tails mysteries series, I’ve complete more in depth outlining for certain scenes and then worked outward from the scene and sort of filled in the blanks with secondary plots. Then once I’ve reached that part in the outline I edit a lot and smooth out any holes–hopefully.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
I do believe in writer’s block! I feel I once had it for 6 months when writing this book! I got to a certain point in the story and just could not figure out where to go from there. I had focused so much on one particular section of the book that I realized I hadn’t fully thought the rest of the book all the way through. I became stuck. I sat staring at this half-written story and wasn’t sure where to take the characters and the story. I couldn’t envision the ending or what I wanted to happen to the characters. It was a low point for me and my writing. I started to have doubts about being able to finish the book. I doubted my ability to write and depression set in. I had to step away from writing for a time.
But the book and the story and characters kept haunting me. I would find myself reviewing plot points and how a character reacted to a scene. I would catch myself thinking about certain twists or clues. Once I finally was able to see beyond the scope of the work I had already done, it became easier to focus on the continuation of the plot. I put myself in each character’s shoes and figured out what I wanted that character to do, to learn, to be, to experience. It slowly became easier to move forward with this storyline or that character trait or whatever I was working on next.
I experienced writer’s block more than once but I learned to take a step back and give myself the time to analyze and think beyond the point of where I was stuck. Once I am able to allow myself that time and room to think, things become clear again, and I’m able to continue on.
Laura Ball is a life-long Ohio native who found her love for writing at a young age. Since she was a young child, she has enjoyed writing stories and has had several poems published over the years in poetry anthologies. She hopes to bring to life characters that are relatable and storylines that keep a reader’s attention and stay in their thoughts long after they’ve put the book down. She has a two-year old Cavapoo named Eddie who provides plenty of inspiration!
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