Since the cat and dog in my cozy mysteries talk to their owner, It will come as no surprise to my readers that I love cats and dogs. What may surprise you is how many folks out there enjoy books where the animals talk. Several readers who have written reviews of my mystery series have mentioned they werenât sure theyâd like a book with talking animals but were pleasantly surprised at how natural it seemed. Readers often say Dickens & Christie say the things they imagine their animals would. Naturally, I love hearing that.
One reader went in search of other books where the animals speak and found âLove Saves the Dayâ by Gwen Cooper. When she told me how much she enjoyed it, I had to read it, too. What a sweet book. Itâs not a mystery, except in the way that all books are a mystery of sorts â a mystery about how a family will solve a problem or how a romance will work out.
Mystery Author Kathy Manos Penn and Lord Banjo: Above.
I had the pleasure of attending a virtual book launch for Christopher Swann s latest book, Never Turn Back. When I read his debut novel, Shadow of the Lions, I enjoyed it so much, I sent copies to several friends, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to hear him speak about his second book and his writing process.
I found Never Turn Back especially enjoyable for its Atlanta setting and classroom scenes. Ethan Faulkner, the protagonist teaches English at a private school and resides in the Chastain Park area as the story opens. As a child, he lives in Sandy Springs outside the Perimeter until a home invasion turned deadly forces him and his sister to move to Grant Park. The novel moves back and forth between the present and the tragedy that shaped Ethan s life.
Mystery Author Kathy Manos Penn and Lord Banjo: Above.
Perhaps we can t travel overseas this fall, but there s nothing to prevent us from taking an imaginary trip. Would you like to visit the Cotswolds? Perhaps take in a Fall Fete? Let this excerpt from my cozy mystery Pumpkins, Paws & Murder take you there:
Dickens, my dwarf Great Pyrenees, bounded out of the car and went in search of his pal Paddington, the Burmese cat who reigned supreme at the inn. I stood back and admired the colorful booths, some with flags flying from their tops, others with cobwebs and black cats decorating their awnings.