Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Crafty Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery) by Mollie Hunt. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Crafty Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery) by Mollie Hunt
Crafty Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
11th in the Series
Setting – Oregon
Publisher : Independently Published (October 29, 2024)
Paperback : 265 pages
Romance, death, and cat quilts.
What does quilting have to do with murder? Lynley Cannon is about to find out.
Lynley Cannon has a new hobby—making cat-themed quilt donations for the ShadowCat Rescue auction. The small quilting guild is run by three generations of women and two cats, but when the elder of the family is murdered, Lynley’s job shifts from crafting to sleuthing.
Who would want to kill such a dear old thing? The police think they know, but they don’t have all the facts.
As secrets come out and a romance is uncovered, the quilting project begins to fall to pieces. Lynley jumps in to help the family navigate the justice system, but when a neighbor is found dead and another of the quilt shop’s owners missing, even Lynley is at a loss. It takes a couple of crafty cats to get to the bottom of this stranger-than-fiction crime.
My review of Crafty Cat
Crafty Cat is the 11th book in the Crazy Cat Lady Mystery Series by Mollie Hunt. If you’ve never read any of the books in this series, it’s fine to just jump in here! All of the mysteries are solved within each book, and the author does a great job of making you feel as if you know the main character, Lynley.
Lynley Cannon loves cats. She’s got nine of her own, and she volunteers at a local cat rescue. Her friend, Frannie, invites her to join a quilting group at a local quilt shop who are crafting items for an auction to support a cat sanctuary. Though Lynley doesn’t quilt, she figures that she can learn or watch. She rediscovers her love of embroidery and creates patches for the quilters to incorporate into their quilting projects. Things seem to be going well among this eclectic group until the matriarch of the quilt shop’s family is found dead in the vacant house next door.
I really enjoyed getting to know this quirky group of characters who range from obnoxious to neurotic with some “pretty normal” members for good measure. (Who among us is totally normal?!) I really love Lynley’s character because I can identify with her love of cats! I’m not at all crafty, but I’d probably go with my friend just to see the projects. Frannie seems so opposite of Lynley, but they’re great friends. Frannie is quite high maintenance, and I always laugh when she whips out her lipstick!
The author has a talent for creating a cozy setting no matter what chaos is happening in the book. The books I’ve read in this series and in the author’s Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries, including Crafty Cat, give me that cozy feeling that I need in a cozy mystery. Not all authors can create the warm fuzzy feeling that Hunt does. Lynley’s large house and the quilt shop feel like places I’d love to spend time in. They just feel warm and inviting.
I also enjoyed solving the mystery along with Lynley. I had a few suspects in mind and was surprised when the murderer was revealed! There are multiple mysteries to solve, so it was fun figuring out the connections even before the suspect is apprehended! I loved Crafty Cat and think other cozy mystery lovers will too!
I highly recommend Crafty Cat for its eclectic group of well-written characters, its puzzling mystery, and for its overall cozy feel! 5 stars!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Interview with Author Mollie Hunt
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
Thank you for having me over to your blog.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am of retirement age, happily married, and live in Portland, Oregon with three permanent cats and a foster cat from a local shelter. I have children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. My favorite things to do are writing, reading, drinking tea, and petting cats, which makes cozy mysteries my perfect genre.
How long have you been writing?
I joke about writing my first cat story in Mrs. Wilson’s fourth grade class, but I didn’t sit down to write a real manuscript until the mid-nineties. Once I began, I never stopped, and today I have three series, a memoir, and a handful of TBF (to be finished) in my virtual desk drawer.
Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
Yes, in a way, I did want to be an author from the time I was young. I was raised reading, and with the imagination of a creative only-child, thought I could write those stories too.
I write cozies because I want to create a safe and fun refuge for my readers.
Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?
I discovered cozy mysteries in my twenties. My favorite author was (and still is) Mary Stewart. Back then, I didn’t know genres, just that her stories wove an exciting puzzle to solve. These days, I read many genres, but my go-to is still cozy mystery, especially those with a cat theme. It’s a hard world out there, and a nice cozy with a happy ending makes me feel good. I also love classic sci-fi.
Right now, I am reading “Body and Soul Food,” a mystery by Abby Collette (paperback); “Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café,” a cat cozy by Kris Bock (eBook); and “Persepolis Rising,” science fiction by James SA Corey (audiobook).
Do you have a favorite place to write?
I live in a big Victorian house on a narrow street in the inner city. Every morning I take my laptop to the couch by the window where I can watch the crows, squirrels, and dog walkers while my cats try to sit on the keyboard. All very inspiring.
What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
Yes, I also have a computer on a desk where I tackle more difficult projects such as research and promotion. It is cluttered. A tray of pens, two or three list pads, a desk calendar with cat photos, a tray of bills and other stuff I need to deal with but don’t want to, a small Italian dish with a painted bird on it, and a cat bed, often containing a cat.
What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
“The Contented Little Pussy Cat” by Frances Ruth Keller, a sweet story about a kitten given to me by my auntie when I was four is the book that comes to mind. I can still visualize the pictures of the cat. Amazingly, I still have the book seven decades later. My favorite was the classic “Winnie the Pooh,” long before Disney got hold of it.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I love them all. I listen to audiobooks while I drive, enjoying the added dimension the narrator’s voice and inflections give to the story. I read eBooks on my phone because the lighting is consistent and bright, and I can change the font. Of course I love the feel of a physical book, but at my age, some with smaller fonts are challenging to read.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
I’ve always imagined living in Greece and using that location for a mystery story. A throwback to an old Mary Stewart novel perhaps?
What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
I write cat mysteries, so my answer has to be Lillian Jackson Braun, the author of the Cat Who… series and the queen of cozy cat mysteries. I remember when I took one of her books out of the library and began reading it was like a revelation: “Here is a mystery, and it involves cats! How wonderful!” I thought to myself. Sometime later, Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey series showed me a different angle, where the cats could speak and solve the murders themselves.
Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?
Yes, the authors I know, unlike people would have you believe, are friendly and gracious to their fellows. They know it’s a hard battle to write a book and do not see others’ books as competition. I have many good friends in the writing community all over the world.
I belong to several writers’ groups with various focuses. They are very helpful to me, as well as being a lot of fun.
Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
Now that “Crafty Cat” is out in the world, it’s time to think about book 12 in the Crazy Cat Lady series. What will Lynley’s next challenge be? I haven’t begun the first draft, but I know a few things such as the title, “Cat City.”
I am actively working on two projects at the moment: the fourth in my Tenth Life cozy paranormal series involving a ghost cat, and a non-fiction called “Creating Comfort for Your Senior Cat, Stories and Poems of Cats in Their Golden Years” which should be out by the end of the year.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
Thanks for having me! I enjoyed the questions.
Mollie
About Mollie Hunt
Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She recently released a COVID memoir which she calls, “a tale of a plague and politics, of depression and inspiration, and an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats.” In her spare time, she pens a bit of cat poetry.
Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, Willamette Writers, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer
You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/
Follow Mollie’s Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliehuntcatwriter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt
Purchase Link Amazon
Enter the giveaway
Crafty Cat TOUR PARTICIPANTS
December 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 10 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
December 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 –Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 12 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 13 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLGHT
December 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 15 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 16 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here
Thanks so much for the interview and review! It’s much appreciated.
You’re welcome!
I love reading books featuring cats. Adding to my TBR list.
I do too!