FEATURED AUTHOR: CLEA SIMON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Introducing Blackie, an unusual feline hero, and his companion Care in the first of this dark new mystery series.

Three figures, shadowy against the light. That’s all I remember from my past life, as I am dragged, dripping and half-drowned, from the flood. My saviour, a strange, pink-haired girl, is little help. She can barely care for herself, let alone the boy she loves. And although she has sworn to avenge the murder of her mentor, she must first escape the clutches of drug dealers, murderers and thieves. I would repay her kindness if I could. But we are alone in this blighted city – and I am a cat.

The past is an enigma to Blackie, the voice of Clea Simon’s dark new mystery. Combining elements of feline fantasy and classic whodunit, The Ninth Life introduces this unusual hero and his companion, Care: two small creatures in a nightmarish urban landscape, fighting for their lives, and for the lives and memories of those they love.



INTERVIEW WITH CLEA SIMON

Clea, how did you get started writing?
I’ve written since I could read. I always loved making up stories!

Do you have a writing routine?
Yes, I make myself write every day, Monday through Friday. It’s a good discipline and gets me used to writing. If I don’t do it, for any reason, I really miss it!

Do you write every day?
I write every weekday, unless I’m revising, in which case, I write where it’s necessary (but I work at my books Monday through Friday).

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
The discipline of revising. It is so very hard to read through what you think is perfect and to look for the flaws – for the things you thought you put in there but that are still really in your head. Very hard – and very necessary!

Very true. What’s more important – characters or plot?
Character. I fall in love with the characters of the books I read. That said, I do think both are important!

How often do you read?
Everyday, at the very least the newspaper in the morning and whatever book I’m in at bedtime.


What do you think makes a good story?
Characters you can really relate to – they don’t have to be nice, but they do have to be empathizable-with – and a journey or a quest that makes sense to me. Does that make sense?

Sure. What books do you currently have published?
I have three nonfiction books in print and  . . .  Hmmm . . . with The Ninth Life, I have 20 mysteries in print! But there’s a 21st in the copy editing stage (the next Dulcie Schwartz, Into the Grey).


What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
That it is important to make even the minor characters distinctive. That’s hard to do!


Do you have any secret talents?
I can fit an almost unlimited number of dishes into the dishwasher. Also, I have great parking-space karma.

Is writing your dream job?
Of course!



What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked as a clerk typist in the billing office of an anesthesiologists group one summer. The office had no windows, and since we were the billing office, we didn’t even see the patients or the doctors.

What did it teach you?
It taught me that I needed to do anything but that!

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Write the best book you can. Focus on that, rather than on pushing it everywhere – pushing it on everyone will just annoy people who might otherwise support you.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Probably HBO. As a novelist, I love the long-form dramas!

How often do you tweet?
Whenever I have any news or anything fun to report. Often several times a day!


How do you feel about Facebook?
It’s my water cooler, aka my favorite waste of time! I go there whenever I need a break.

Would you make a good character in a book?
No, I’m not half as brave or adventurous as I should be!

What five things would you never want to live without?
My glasses, a Kleenex, a book (or kindle), my wallet.

What do you love about where you live?
I can walk to three excellent bookstores (two of which are indies!), two of my favorite coffeehouses, and a wine and cheese shop, and I still have trees in my yard (three!) and wild bunnies – so it’s the perfect mix of city and not-so-city.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
A bottle of champagne … and takeout Korean!

Would you rather be a movie star, sports star, or rock star?
Rock star. Are you kidding? I used to play in bands, and the only way I get through my workouts is by pretending that I’m singing/playing whatever song is on my iPod. I have an amazing range!



Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Of course! They’re human, aren’t they?

Do you procrastinate?
Yes. I’ll explain later . . .

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Bash it out now. Tart it up later.” Rocker Nick Lowe was talking about music, but he might as well have been talking about writing first drafts of novels.

If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be? It’s too short!


What are you working on now?
The second Blackie and Care mystery, tentatively titled As Dark As My Fur.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clea Simon worked as a journalist and non-fiction author before turning to crime (fiction). Best known for her series of cozy mysteries starring cat-lover Theda Krakow, Clea Simon grew up in New York, before moving to Massachusetts to attend Harvard. She fell in love with the area and now lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband and their cat, Musetta.

Connect with Clea:

Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  | Goodreads  

Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: CLEA SIMON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Did a down on his luck former student steal a priceless book? Grad student and cat lover Dulcie Schwartz thinks not, and she sets out to prove it.

It is spring break, and Dulcie Schwartz has stayed behind in almost-deserted Cambridge, Massachusetts to concentrate on her thesis. But when a former student turned vagrant, Jeremy Mumbles, is found injured, with a valuable missing book clutched in his arms, Dulcie can't seem to let it go. What was he doing with the book? And why has it turned up after all these years?

With Jeremy now the prime suspect for a series of break-ins in the area, Dulcie is determined to clear the unfortunate former scholar's name. But when she finds a connection between the book he was carrying and her own research into an anonymous Gothic author, the search for clues takes on a new intensity and a new menace.

KUDOS FOR CODE GREY

I particularly enjoyed the Gothic excerpts, the story behind the silver cat printer’s mark, and especially Dulcie’s relationships with her beloved Mr. Grey and current feline Esme. ~Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows

Code Grey relates fascinating details not only about academic and literary life but also about history of other importance. ~Laura’s Interests

Ms. Simon writes a great story, with very interesting characters. ~Book Babble

The story is a good, engrossing mystery with interesting characters. You can’t help but keep turning the pages to see what Dulcie does next. ~Socrates’ Book Reviews…

INTERVIEW WITH CLEA SIMON

Clea, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
I have written for as long as I can remember! I made up stories for my stuffed animals and for the animals in the yard and in the little stream nearby, and once I could write I made little “books” for my family and friends. But I never really thought I could be an author, so I became a journalist. That seemed like a real job! It wasn’t until I’d written three nonfiction books – a logical outgrowth of being a journalist – that I began to write my stories again.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
When the characters take over! There comes a point where the people (or animals) you’ve created start to act in ways that are logical for them – even if this isn’t what I’d planned. I love that.

How long is your to-be-read list?
You’re kidding, right? It’s huge. As is the pile next to my bed!

What books do you currently have published?
I have three nonfiction books and 18 mysteries. The 19th has just been edited, and I’ve just submitted the manuscript for what I hope will be the 20th!

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
I wish I had a good strategy. I try to meet readers when and how I can (Hi! I’m waving madly at you now). It’s hard because I spend so much of my time writing.

How often do you tweet?
Several times a day, usually. Sometimes stuff about writing or books, sometimes just funny stuff I’ve heard or seen around.

How do you feel about Facebook?
Now that I work at home alone, it’s my watercooler!

What five things would you never want to live without?
Not including the people or animals I love, I am guessing? Things . . .  hmmm . . . Books, garlic, wine, chocolate, and my glasses! I’m blind as a bat without my glasses!

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Morgan Freeman! He has the best voice. Plus, I think it would be a funny juxtaposition – his voice and my life.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Most definitely. But I hope it would be inventively full!

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
An introvert. I suspect most writers are. But I am often pleasantly surprised – if I make the effort to actually talk to people, I find it quite invigorating. Still, I have only recently learned that if I go to a mystery/fan convention like Malice Domestic or Left Coast Crime, I should NOT hide in my room!


Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Food! I’m a foodie, and I love love love to cook.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Korean takeout and then peanut-butter/chocolate frozen yogurt for dessert!


What is the most daring thing you've done?
Quit my steady copy editing job at the biggest daily newspaper in town. It was the kind of steady job that people keep for life, but I wanted to see if I could make it on my writing . . . that was 16 years ago, and I’m still here!

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Bash it out now, tart it up later.” The musician Nick Lowe said that but I find it very useful for writing. It’s kind of like, you have to get a first draft out before you can do any fine tuning.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Oh, I’ve gotten some pretty nasty reviews!! Basically I curse a lot, and sometimes I cry, and then I move on.


What is your favorite movie?
Too many to count! I love “Impromptu” (woman author heroine!) and “Jackie Brown” and “Desperately Seeking Susan” – all great heroines – and “Moonstruck” and and and . . .

Do you have a favorite book?
Ditto – too many! Hilary Mantel’s A Place of Greater Safety is a regular re-read though.

How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
Well, I absolutely adore JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and I like the movies very much. But I do have issues with the movies – for Tolkien geeks out there, the depiction of the Ents. Am I right? I got to ask Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) this question, because he’s also a LOTR geek, and he went on about how Faramir was depicted – which I totally agree with! But I still re-watch those movies constantly. (True story: my husband has not read LOTR but enjoys the movies with me. But he likes to tell people about how we can never just watch them, how I’m always stopping them to say, “Well, in the books this is different . . . ” And the first few times, he’d say, “That’s what it is like in the book?” And I would say, “Well, actually, it’s in the appendix . . . ” He enjoys my geekitude.)

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Not in life, mostly (you should see my office!). But when I’m revising a manuscript, I do. I’ll have lists of when my characters last ate and what day it is – I don’t want to have an endless day or to have a character eat dinner twice – or not at all.

If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?
Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse  . . . OOPS! TOO LATE! I guess in reality it is: Life is short. Eat dessert first!


How long is your to-do list?
Huge.


What are you working on now?
I am waiting for the edits on my sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir (When Bunnies Go Bad) and beginning to think about the next Dulcie Schwartz mystery!

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting!
Laptop or desktop? Desktop!
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill!
Emailing or texting? Email!
Indoors or outdoors? Mmmmm . . . Outdoors?
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Sweet!
Plane, train, or automobile? Train! I love train rides. But what I really like are boat rides. May I choose boat?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clea Simon is the author of 18 mysteries in the Theda Krakow, DulcieSchwartz, and Pru Marlowe pet noir series. The latter two are ongoing and include her most recent books, Code Grey (Severn House) and Kittens Can Kill (Poisoned Pen Press). A former journalist and nonfiction author, she lives in Somerville, Mass., with her husband, the writer Jon Garelick, and their cat Musetta. She can be reached at CleaSimon.com.

Connect with Clea:
Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

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Featured Author: Clea Simon

ABOUT THE BOOK

The dead don’t keep pets. So when animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn’t expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff. While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind—with arguments that escalate when David’s partner reads out the will.


Pru’s special sensitivity to animals, which caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires, adds further problems. The local vet is overwhelmed as the animal hospital’s money runs out. There’s a needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels, too. But the dead man’s kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing “wild-girl animal psychic Pru back in. Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten’s guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can’t solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent. A single witness knows the truth about that bright spring morning. How far can Pru investigate without risking her own hidden tale?

INTERVIEW WITH CLEA SIMON

Clea, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
Kittens Can Kill, the fifth Pru Marlowe pet noir, came about when I thought, what if the only witness to murder was someone who couldn’t tell us what had happened? What if that witness was a cute, little kitten?

Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
Each of my mysteries works as a standalone, and I give a little bit of background in each one. However, if you read the series in order (starting with Dogs Don’t Lie), you will also get the larger, overarching story of Pru’s character development, family, and love life.

Where’s home for you?
Somerville, Massachusetts! Right by Boston.

Where did you grow up?
East Meadow, New York - on suburban Long Island.

What’s your favorite memory?

We had woods behind our house and a stream, and I used to love to play out back. I’d pretend I could talk to the animals out there.

If you had an extra $100 a week to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
Books. No doubt.


What do you love about where you live?
I can walk to two independent bookstores (and several coffeehouses) easily. My neighbors are friendly, and even though we’re in the city, we have a tiny little backyard where I see bunnies and a pretty big variety of birds (we had a wild turkey last year!).


What is the most daring thing you've done?
Quit my job at a newspaper to work on my books. But so far, so good!



What makes you nervous?
Not knowing if I have time to do everything I want or need to.


What makes you happy?
Working on a project that I enjoy and knowing that those I love are healthy, happy and engaged in their own interests.

What makes you scared?
Not being able to help those I love.

What makes you excited?
A new idea!

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I do some corporate editing on the side, at home. Unfortunately, it still pays better than the writing!

If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
My cat! But if she saved herself, it would be my laptop.

Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
On good and bad days, I think I am both.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Bash it out now, tart it up later,” by the rocker Nick Lowe. I live by these words.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“A line will take us hours maybe/but if it seems more than a moment’s thought/our stitching and unstitching is for naught.” - William Butler Yeats

What would your main character say about you?
Pru Marlowe would probably think I’m a wimp!

How did you create the plot for this book?
I come up with a problem and then I see where it takes me. I try very hard to keep my characters true to their personae, and so what they do will be consistent with who they are when faced with the problems I throw at them.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
I can’t stand characters who don’t feel real. If characters just do things to move a plot along, I’ll stop reading.


Do you have a routine for writing?
Yes, I write everyday, Monday through Friday. I aim for a certain number of words, and I don’t stop until I hit that word count. When I’m near deadline, we eat dinner pretty late!

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I wish I were a morning person, but I find I do my best writing between four and nine p.m.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir, to be called When Bunnies Go Bad. Then it’s on to the next Dulcie Schwartz! What a great life, huh?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A recovering journalist, Clea Simon is the author of 17 mysteries and three nonfiction books. Parrots Prove Deadly is the third in her Pru Marlowe pet noir series. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband Jon and their cat Musetta.


Connect with Clea:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter