Some News about Fat Cat

I need to make a public announcement to answer the question that several readers have been asking me. I've told a few people, and did post it in the comments section of my Killer Characters post on the 4th.




You're welcome to bop over there and read the comments, of course, but I'll also tell you the news here. It's official that there will be no more Fat Cat books. As you might know, as a cozy reader, Berkley Prime Crime is mostly getting out of the cozy mystery business. They are keeping a few authors, but not many. A lot of cozy writers are continuing their series at other publishers. I'm so glad for them and happy to see this. In fact, they're getting snapped up, since this is such a popular genre.

The Fat Cat books have a lovely, loyal fan base, too. I get emails almost every week from happy readers who enjoy the books. (See the comments above for more of this, also.)

So, you may ask, why am I not continuing this series at another publisher? For a few cozy writers, the contract doesn't allow this. I wrote this series as a Work For Hire, WFH. The contract stipulates that the publisher owns the copyright on the books. They own the characters so that I can't write short stories featuring them without approval. They even own my author name for this series, Janet Cantrell. For those of us writing WFH, there will be no transferring to another publisher.

You might ask another question. Why did I sign a WFH contract? At the time, about three years ago, it was a good way to get my foot in the door at Berkley. I used a concept they came up with. When they approved the proposal I wrote, I knew they would publish it. Also, they know the market well and I was assured of an audience and probably success of the series. The natural progression, in years past, would be for me to get another cozy series with them, written as Kaye George. No one at that time foresaw how Berkley would forsake the cozy writers, of course.

My agent is sending another cozy series around to several publishers. If it gets taken, it will be announced in capital letters in my newsletter. You may even hear my shouts of joy from wherever you may be!

Meanwhile, the books continue to sell and Janet and Quincy will live on until people stop reading them. I hope that will be in a long, long time!

Giveaway until Wednesday!

I'm giving away 5 books to celebrate the release of FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE on Tuesday. One a day from now until the 6th. Leave a comment below or on Facebook and I'll pick one every night until midnight EST the 6th!

Henery Press giveaways!

For February 10th and 11th (you're not too late!), you can leave a comment over at Kaye George's place and win a copy of Janet Cantrell's FAT CAT SPREADS OUT. Without further ado, here's the link.

https://www.facebook.com/Kaye-George-114058705318095/

Our Month

Hey, Quincy, this is our month! It’s National Pet Diabetes Month.

Neyland, Mary Ann Fisher's NOT fat cat

No, Quincy doesn’t have diabetes, but he IS fat and Chase has to guard against this disease. In case you have a heavy pet and wonder, here are some ways to tell if you should worry or not.

http://www.petdiabetesmonth.com/

OK, that was help with diagnosis, but is there a support group for pet owners who had a furry pal already diagnosed? I asked people to post pet pictures, for fun, at Nose for Trouble this week. You can see the great response! However, one woman was seeking a support group. I’m asking

here if anyone knows of any.

I’m wondering why THIS month was picked. Maybe because so many people overeat at Thanksgiving? After all, it’s a holiday devoted to one huge meal. How can you not? Pets, however, don’t need to participate in that particular overindulgence. Instead, maybe they could get extra toys, or tummy rubs, or just lots of pets.

FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE--new cover!

The third Fat Cat book is available for pre-order now! I don't have the links on my webpage yet, but will soon. Meanwhile, here's the cover and the online sales pitch.

Quincy the butterscotch tabby has a talent for sniffing out sweets—and uncovering crimes—in this Fat Cat mystery from the national bestselling author of Fat Cat Spreads Out.

When former classmate Rich “Dickie” Byrd throws a high school reunion to gather support for his mayoral campaign, it drums up some not so sweet memories for dessert shop proprietor Chase Oliver and her friend Julie Larson. Julie would rather not reconnect with Ron North, the creepy kid who had a crush on her back in the day. His social graces haven’t exactly improved with age, but is he creepy enough to kill?

The next day, Chase is in the park testing a new cat harness for Quincy—who quickly proves he cannot be leashed. But when his escape leads Chase to Ron’s body, the police wonder who else got away. Now, with Julie suspected, Chase must prove her innocence before the real killer plans another fatal reunion.

Blue Moons and Bestsellers

July has two moons this year! That means this is a Blue Moon Month. The first one was July 2^nd and the second is the 31^st, so you can see that they barely fit into the month. And actually, only the second one is called a Blue Moon. Maybe it’s sad that it has to share the month with the other one. Here’s some great info on this.

http://earthsky.org/space/when-is-the-next-blue-moon

They’re not blue, of course, and I have no idea how they got that name.

I also have no idea how my novels got to be bestsellers, but I suspect it’s the covers. AND my readers! The first one, FAT CAT AT LARGE, got to the #18 slot at Barnes & Noble. It was also a Bookscan bestseller, but I don’t know the numbers for that. THEN, the second one, FAT CAT SPREADS OUT, placed #14 at Barnes & Noble.

It’s a race! Maybe FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE (no cover yet) will make it to the New York Times list! One can dream. Especially when there’s a Blue Moon.

http://genius.com/Beck-blue-moon-lyrics

Killer Characters

Do you know about this blog? Here's where it is:
http://www.killercharacters.com/

I'm SO excited about it because I've just been asked to join! I'm pondering which characters will post for my slot. It will be once a month, so that should be doable and I should be able to keep up much better there than here, where I'm supposed to post every week, but, I think, have been hitting about once a month.

I will plead the Third. That is, the third Fat Cat book, which is almost finished. I have been slaving away at it while fighting off some kind of cruel, lingering crud that STILL is not completely gone. Aren't I a hero? Heroine?

Anyway take a look at the blog and see if you don't think I'm so lucky!

Only as Good As?

They say a writer is only as good as her last book. True, very true. If you’ve turned out a string of pearls and deliver a lump of coal, that’s what you’ll have to overcome in the next book.

I don’t think I’ve done that yet. Not to brag (OK, it’s bragging), but one reader says each Duckworthy book is better than the last one. I’m not examining that sentiment far enough to see what it says about the first two. Nope, not doing it.

But what occurred to me yesterday, as I completed a scene that I very much like, and one that popped up all on its own, as they are wont to do, is that maybe a writer is only as good as her last chapter. Her last paragraph? Her last sentence?

No wonder writers exist in a constant state of mild anxiety, broken up by periods of sheer terror, usually induced by deadlines.

Am I overthinking this? Maybe not. After all, you can’t stick awful sentences into your paragraphs and just continue on your blithe way. They all have to be crafted. They all have to hang together. Nothing must impede the reader, speeding through your deathless prose, turning the pages into the night—ideally.

When we do put in a stumbling block, we sure do depend on our beta readers to point those out to us so we can smooth the way.

This is very much on my mind as I finish up the second Fat Cat book and embark on the third. The first one was so well received, that I can’t believe the second one will measure up, let alone the third. All I can do is write the best book I can and fling it out there. Talk about a wing and a prayer!

I will add that I depend on my publishers’ editors to keep me on the straight and narrow to producing an entertaining book. However, it’s my name on the cover, right? One of my names, anyway.

This blog is duplicated at Kaye's place, http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/

Cover Reveal!

I'm so pleased to be able to show you the cover for FAT CAT SPREADS OUT, which will be published June of 2015 if everything goes well and I don't have to do lots of additional rewriting.

Here's the come-on:

Butterscotch tabby Quincy is back and hungrier than ever in this frisky follow-up to Fat Cat at Large…

A booth at the Bunyan County Harvest Fair seems like the perfect opportunity for Charity “Chase” Oliver and Anna Larson to promote their Bar None bakery business. Unfortunately, plus-sized pussycat Quincy has plans for their delicious dessert bars other than selling them to customers. After tearing through their inventory, Quincy goes roaming the fairgrounds in search of more delights.

But what he finds is murder. One of the top contenders in a butter-sculpting contest has been killed, and Chase is churning on the inside when she sees Quincy’s handsome veterinarian, Dr. Mike Ramos, being led away by the police. With a little help from a kitty with butter on his whiskers, Chase needs to find the real killer and clear the doctor’s good name….

AND the cover:

You can preorder it already, too. Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, or Amazon.  

It's National Cat Day!

Really, it is! Take a look at some of these strange and wonderful cats at the official website:
http://www.nationalcatday.com/. Aren't they beautiful?

I missed posting last week and just haven't been around much in general. This is mostly due to a big push to get the second book ready to turn in to my editor. I have a few more days to polish it up, but I think it's mostly there.

The second book has a title! FAT CAT SPREADS OUT. I think I'll be able to share the cover soon. The blurb hasn't been written, but I'll tell you that it involves a county fair and butter--and Quincy getting into trouble, of course.

photo from Paula Benson at BAM

To celebrate the official title, I'd love to give away an autographed copy of FAT CAT AT LARGE. If you'd like a copy, please leave a comment and INCLUDE your email address. If you're not comfortable sharing that, or if you have trouble leaving a comment, please feel free to email me at janetcantrell01@gmail.com.

Release Day is Next Tuesday!

The contest for what Quincy is thinking was fun, wasn’t it? I must give credit to my friend, Marilyn Levinson, for thinking of it.

The contests here are over for now, the Good reads Giveaway is over, and I’m pleased that so many people are looking forward to the release on Tuesday, September 2^nd. If all goes as it should, the paperback book should be in bookstores on that day and the e-book versions should be live.

Many, many thanks to everyone who has responded to my promotions for this new series. The second book, Fat Cat Spreads Out, is with my editor and I’m beginning the third, as yet untitled. As a writer, I’ve grown to love these characters and feel that, at times, Quincy is really my own cat. As some of you know, some of his antics are taken from my Agamemnon, who left us three years ago. I love that he’s living on in Quincy, even though Agamemnon was black and Quincy is an orange tabby.

I’ve done quite a few blog appearances for this book in August and have a few more in September. For now, I’m reporting my activities on Kaye George’s newsletter. If you’d like to keep up with me, please email me at JanetCantrell01@gmail.com and I’ll sign you up for the newsletter.

Again, thanks for following along and for your interest in the Fat Cat series!

Last Contest Before Release!

I’ll pick a random number from the comments on this one for a free paperback of FAT CAT AT LARGE.

The picture of Quincy on the cover is so cute, I can’t get enough of it. BUT, I haven’t figured out what Quincy is thinking? Can you? Post your thoughts to enter!

I’ll announce the winner in next week’s post.

That was hard!

I had a difficult time picking a winner on the cat tales posted here last week! So I phoned a friend--do people still say that?--anyway I emailed and to more than one friend! I roped them into reading and judging. There were two that kept popping up in my friends' replies after they read the entries.

What could I do? I am declaring a tie!

If Margo Bitner and Christine Hammar will send me your addresses, I'll mail each of you a copy of FAT CAT AT LARGE. Please email me at janetcantrell01@gmail.com.

Stay tuned! I'm posting another contest next week. You can also sign up for the Goodreads Giveaway, where 25 (25!) copies will be given away after the 25th.

Thanks so much for the postings. They were all a treat!

DO YOU HAVE A FAT CAT STORY?

I’ll bet many of you do, and I’d like to hear them. I’m putting my fat cat stories in the Quincy books, but invite you to post yours here!

 If you’d like, please post a story of 100 words or less about your fat cat or someone else’s, or even a fat cat story you’ve heard somewhere. I’ll pick one of the posters—somehow. If one of the stories is a standout, I’ll pick that one. If they’re all good, I’ll pick a random number.

 Then I’ll mail you a paperback copy of FAT CAT AT LARGE as soon as I get them. Publication date is September 2nd. I got one copy in the mail today from my editor and I’m very excited about this!

  Picture is Marilyn Levinson's Sammy, not fat, but cute

ARCs!

This is the first box of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) I've ever received. It was exciting to me! (Even if the cover isn't really there.)