A Cozy Christmas at Brooke Blogs is a celebration of wonderful cozy mystery authors and their books. Stop by daily from 12/11/16 through 12/25/16 for special posts and be sure to enter the grand prize giveaway. Curl up and get cozy this holiday season!
The Cat of Christmas Present by Kathi Daley
Whales and Tails Mystery #10
With less than two weeks until Christmas Cait stumbles across a man who had been washed up onto the beach. The man is very much alive, but after suffering a blow to the head, he cannot seem to remember who he is or how he came to be on the island. Cait and visiting cat Clarence set out to discover Prince Charming’s identity only to find that their charismatic guest may not be so charming after all.
Goodreads | Amazon
1) Do you decorate for the holidays?
Yes I decorate for the holidays. In fact I decorate for every holiday so I have closets and closets full of decorations.
2) What is your favorite holiday movie?
I really love The Holiday but there are others such as Christmas Vacation and Christmas With The Cranks that I watch each year.
3) Do you have any fun holiday traditions?
My family has always been about tradition and we have traditions for most holidays. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is bundling up, making chili dogs and hot spiced wine, and driving far into the forest with my entire family so we can cut down our Christmas tree.
4) What are you working on right now?
A Winters Tail – Which is a Whales and Tails that will publish in February.
5) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Well I do enjoy having the freedom to make my own hours and the ability to travel but if I had to pick a favorite thing it is meeting so many new people and having them tell me how much my books mean to them or how a particular story helped them through a difficult time.
Short Excerpt – Clarence, the cat featured in the book, has just arrived at Cait’s front door
I hung up and slipped a raincoat over my sweats and tennis shoes onto my feet. Then I grabbed my phone and headed toward the door, where Max and Clarence were waiting. I pulled my hood up over my head as I went out into the increasingly heavy storm. Clarence started toward the beach, which had receded considerably as the wind-fueled surf covered the sand. I put my head down and pushed forward as I struggled to make my way through the storm. Clarence was going in the direction of Mr. Parsons’s property, which was located to the left of my aunt’s estate. He lived in a huge mansion with Cody and Harland Jones, who had recently joined them after his home had burned to the ground. As I struggled to keep up with Max and Clarence, I prayed the magical cat wasn’t leading me to some gruesome discovery involving a resident of that very house.
I’m not sure why I was chosen, by whomever or whatever, to act as a human vessel for the cats who migrated in and out of my life. All I know is that when a mystery presents itself, a cat arrives. I certainly didn’t ask to be thrust into the role of amateur sleuth, nor is investigating murders something I would have chosen for myself. That being said, I’m also the sort who never turns her back on a person in need.
I felt a sense of relief when Clarence continued on down the beach when he arrived at the path leading from the beach to Mr. Parsons’s home. Every single person living in that mausoleum of a house is special to me, so I’d found myself almost unable to breathe as Clarence had trotted in that direction.
The wind seemed to increase in strength as each moment passed, and by the time Clarence stopped, at what I assumed was our destination, I was almost out of breath. Struggling against the wind and rain for almost thirty minutes is exhausting even for someone like me, who’s in pretty good shape. At first I didn’t understand why Clarence had led me to this isolated location. Mr. Parsons’s house was behind me and the home of a hippie couple who lived down the beach was just ahead of me. I looked around, but it didn’t seem as if there was anything to find other than a whole lot of sand and water.
“Okay. I’m here. What am I looking for?”
Clarence headed to a large rock just above the waterline, while Max ran around in a circle, barking.
I joined him at the rock, terrified of what I might find. As I’ve indicated before, generally speaking, when one of Tansy’s magical cats comes to me, someone has died and the cat has been sent to help me find the killer.
When I rounded the corner to find a body on the other side of the rock, I knew I was right in my assumption. I knelt down to take a closer look at the man, who seemed as if he might be asleep rather than dead. I gently placed two fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse just as he suddenly opened his eyes.
A Cozy Christmas Facebook Event
Stop by the Facebook Event for even more fun! Surprise flash giveaways and more ways to earn entries into the grand prize giveaway. Be sure to RSVP by clicking ‘Going’ and follow along on Facebook. 🙂
What’s A Cozy Christmas without a giveaway? Enter the widget below to be entered in the grand prize giveaway! Every awesome cozy mystery author participating (+ your lovely hostess) has donated prizes to the grand prize giveaway. Each day, new author entries will be added, so be sure to stop back every day! Kathi Daley is generously donating a copy of The Cat of Christmas Present and a $25 Amazon Gift Card to our grand prize giveaway. Thank you, Kathi! Good luck!
Several winners will be randomly selected at the conclusion of the giveaway from all eligible entries. Winners will be contacted via email at the conclusion of the promotion and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Void where prohibited. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Mandatory blog comment entry must be completed each day or entries will not count. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me (brooke [at] brookeblogs.com). Please use the contact form on my contact page or e-mail me if you are interested in participating in my next author promotion.
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Kathy Gonzales
This is a wonderful series , I always enjoy reading your books ! kathambre@yahoo.com
Mary Angela Young
Thank you Kathi Daley for letting us know about some of the things you do for the Christmas holiday. And thank you for the excerpt from your latest book. It sounds really good!
Robyn K
I love Kathi Daley’s books. Thank you for the wonderful interview, and this chance to win.
robeader
Kathi Daley’s books are one of the first cozy mysteries I started reading. Her covers invite the reader in and then the story keeps their interest. Thank you for including her on your blog. Also for sponsoring this giveaway too.
Barbara Hawk
I love all of Kathi’s books! Always excited for the next one! The Cat of Christmas Present was great. It was very intriguing. Happy Holidays!
Geraldine Pierson
We love Kathi’s Books. Thank you for the interview. Kathi where do you get your ideas for your stories? Thank you for the chance to win. Merry Christmas!
Deana
Loved the interview. Your Christmas decorations are gorgeous. Love your books.
Sally
I can’t wait to start this series. The interview was nice but short. 🙂 I love your lights everywhere. Thanks for the giveaway.
diannekc
Love Kathi Daley’s books. Would enjoy reading “The Cat of Christmas Present”. Thanks for the great giveaway. Happy Holidays!
Cathy Inboden
I entered the contest. But couldn’t find the blogs I’m suppose to comment on.
Jana Leah
I love that you have holiday traditions. My favorite tradition is that we spend Christmas Eve day making treats for Santa (& ourselves).
Amanda B.
This is a great interview. I’m glad I discovered Kathi’s books this year!
donamaekutska7
Awesome paragraph I’m hooked!
jeaniejackson
I can see why your holiday books are so great!
Linda Herold
Awesome giveaway! Great author! Thanks so much for offering this!
Candace knight
It amazes me that you write so many good series. I love the cover of this book.
Rachael Brown
Kathi Daley has the best book covers! Thanks for sharing your interview with her. I’ll have to check out those Christmas movies.
Jill Broussard
It’s always fun to learn something new about Kathi. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the movie The Holiday. I’ll have to check it out.
Sharon Guagliardo
I love all of Kathi’s books. They are so much fun.
valchera
I love this series, and this book didn’t disappoint me. It’s a great read.
Jana Leah
Christmas vacation is one of my favorite holiday movies, too.