MEOW MATRIMONY - Lisa Lickel - One Free Book

Welcome back, Lisa. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I feel that I’m in a good place right now with writing. I spent a couple of years wondering why I was still creating new books and whether I was doing the right thing, but lately I’ve had good encouragement and found a rhythm of work, a niche that meets my quirky commercial cozy mystery side and my need for meatier, dramatic storytelling.

Tell us a little about your family.

Only a little? I have a semi-retired husband who loves to roam our acreage here in western Wisconsin. Our two grown sons and daughters-in-law have blessed us with six grandchildren in the last five years, so we love to visit. We are closer to our parents so we can help out a bit when they need it, and spend more time together.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes, my reading has changed significantly in the last fifteen years. When I first began writing professionally, all my brain could do was read as a writer. I would see the great lines, the awesome words, but also the mistakes, so it helped me as a writer to be able to parse other works. Then I became an avid reviewer, so much that a couple of times a year I have to put on the brakes so I can read books that I want personally to read.

What are you working on right now?

I have more mysteries in the works and will be working on a second tale following Understory, focusing on the human organ black market this summer. But this month, I will be writing a holiday novella in my Everything series to pitch for the upcoming holiday season with my publisher.

What outside interests do you have?

My husband and I enjoy traveling. We just returned from a trip to Hawaii, so now we have visited all fifty states. I love history everything and anything, and quilting.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I like the Midwest—it’s where I am and it’s what I know, though I generally create my own communities within a specific region. Sometimes my books are set in a place I’ve visited, or a conglomeration of places. Wisconsin’s Great North Woods is an excellent place to hide, and western Illinois has a lot of charm.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

I try to put a little history in my books. A Mark Twain impersonator is heavily featured in another of the Meow Mysteries. I think he was probably pretty squirrely in real life, but it would have been fun to sit in a small literary circle listening to his tales.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

One thing I’d wished I known before I became heavily invested in a professional writing career is that there is much more work promoting your novel than actually writing them. I took a good writing course so I didn’t come into it blind, but it’s still a shock.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

Patience and listening. Learning to hear Him and to simply rest in His peace. It’s a good thing not always having to have the final word, or to be right.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

I am blessed to be able to help authors at an annual writing immersion program in May each year at a beautiful resort in Wisconsin. The things I repeat over and over are to Be Patient and Thick-skinned, Learn and Work at your Craft. Don’t Rush but never Surrender.

Tell us about the featured book.

Meow Matrimony is the third book in the Fancy Cat series. Ivy Preston has waited a long time to get married. This time she plans to do more than make it to the altar. But when Ivy tries to do a good deed and stumbles over a body, she and her former fiancé, Stanley, are accused of the crime. Ivy hopes she's not the only one who believes in their innocence.

Worse than being framed for murder, when one of her beloved kittens falls ill, Ivy must face her greatest fears. How will she ever parent a child if she can't even take care of a cat. . .and for that matter, how will she be the type of wife her devoted fiancé needs?

Through the love and support of her mom, fiancé, and friends, Ivy is determined to clear Stanley's good name, and her own. With nuptials looming, Ivy hopes not only to find a killer, but to make it to her own wedding.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“This is Ivanna in the morning,” the throaty voice from my car radio chanted. “Ready to sign off. Remember, North Star Candies…the way to enjoy the day. Who doesn’t adore North Star mocha fudge? Treats so light they’ll take you beyond the moon!”

“Hmm, North Star might have been the best around here,” I told my car radio. “Before Featherlight Confectioneries made caramel cashew with sea salt.” I pulled into my driveway, the cool sunny breeze whipping my hair when I opened the car door. Yippee! Not only was March arriving like a lamb, I had presents. My mail carrier Janie knew I’d stop in at home at lunchtime to check on the kittens, so she’d left the beautiful box from Emblem Paper Works on my front stoop next to my still tightly budded tulips. Sigh.

I put my hand over my fluttering heart and drooled once again over the wonderful, fabulous hunk of man who was going to marry me. The box of wedding invitations sitting there pushed me one step closer to the altar, which I vowed I was actually going to make stick this time. When I could touch the scrumptious, thick, silky paper and read the words, I was sure the wedding would finally feel real, and everything would be perfect this time. Adam Truegood Thompson, the man who loved cats and children, fed me gourmet coffee and chocolate, would take me, Ivy Amanda Preston, as his lawfully wedded wife. Mmhmm.

OK, quit dawdling, grab the box of invites, which technically wasn’t a present since I paid for them, and check on the man’s kittens which were currently in residence at my house so their father wouldn’t be tempted to harm a hair on their little heads. Sadly, the darling fluffballs broke the line of pure-bred Egyptian Mau cats when my silver, Memnet, got to, um, know his cat Isis, a smoke, a little better than we’d anticipated last fall. Mem and Adam were currently batching it at his place downtown.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this mystery with my blog readers and me.

Readers, here is a link to the book.

Meow Matrimony (Fancy Cat Cozy Mysteries) - Kindle

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