Today we are pleased to speak with our Cat Person of the Month for January, Debbie De Louise. Debbie is an award-winning author and, until her recent retirement, a reference librarian at a public library in New York. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, and the Cat Writers’ Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University.
Among Debbie’s many written works are the books of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: A Stone’s Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, Love on the Rocks and Sneaky’s Supernatural Mysteries and Other Cobble Cove Stories. The series features Alicia, a librarian, and her feline sidekick Sneaky, who lives at the library. Alicia and Sneaky form a special bond throughout the series as Sneaky helps Alicia, in one way or another, solve the mysteries.
Debbie’s time-travel novel, Time’s Relative, received the 2022 MUSE Medallion in Science Fiction from the international Cat Writers’ Association. The novel follows librarian Samantha Stewart, who applies for a job at a high-paying position with a company called Virtual Software. Sam learns that the company’s president has gone missing and that it’s currently being run by the vice-president, Greg Parsons. Sam finds herself involved with Greg as well as a strange, time-traveling woman and her feline accomplice.
Debbie’s latest novel, The Case of the Parrot Loving Professor, is the second book of her new Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series. The series features Cathy Carter, the co-owner of a pet rescue center and pet cemetery. Cathy’s also the photographer for the Buttercup Bugle, the town’s newspaper. She and her friend, Nancy, solve crimes. Sounds like fun!
Today we hear from Debbie, who lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
Mewla: Debbie, we are thrilled to have you. Welcome to our website and tell us about your latest work!
Debbie: The Case of the Parrot Loving Professor is the second book of my new Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series. The first one, The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady, introduced Cathy Carter, the owner of a pet rescue center and pet cemetery. The second book picks up after Cathy and her friend, Nancy, help solve Maggie Broom, aka the Cat Crazy Lady’s, murder. Cathy has gone back to college, and Nancy now works for a detective agency in Buttercup Bend.
While visiting her anthropology professor for a tutoring session, Cathy finds him dead with his parrot calling for “help.” While the sheriff and Nancy’s boss investigate the murder, Cathy and Nancy conduct their own investigation. There are many suspects: the professor’s three ex-wives, the three members of the parrot club he founded, his estranged college-age daughter, and teenage son. Complicating Cathy’s search for the killer is her inability to choose between two boyfriends and the new additions of two kittens into the home she shares with her grandmother. Other elements in the book, besides parrots and kittens, are a 70’s costume dance, Mennonites, and a spooky toolshed.
Mewla: Can you tell us about the role of the cats in your latest book?
Debbie: The two kittens in the book are named Harry and Hermione after my four-year-old cats who I’ve had since they were three months old. In the book, Cathy receives the kittens as a
birthday present from one of her boyfriends who thinks they will help her get over the loss of her old Siamese who was featured in the previous story. While the kittens make several appearances in the book, they don’t play any part in the mystery or the solving of it. However, their scenes are fun and include many of the activities I remember my cats doing when they were kittens.
Mewla: Awww. Cat people will love that part. Speaking of love, when did you first fall in love with cats, and what was it that made you fall in love with them?
Debbie: I can’t recall exactly when. I grew up with them, and I have a photo of me at about six years old holding one. I find them intelligent, funny, and lovable with great purr-sonalities. They are all individuals and are sensitive to your feelings. When I’ve been sad or sick, my cats have always been at my side. I can’t imagine life without them. Even though they have shorter lifespans and it hurts so much when they die, the love they share with you makes it all worthwhile.
Mewla: I agree 100%, Debbie. It can be heart-rending to lose a cat, but there’s always another fur-friend in need of a home. And the love cats share with us makes it all worth it.
Will you tell us about about your current fur-children now. What are Harry and Hermione up to?
Debbie: Harry and Hermione have been featured in several of my books and stories. Harry, my dark-haired boy, will be in an upcoming anthology called Purrseverance published by Cat Writers’ Association member Sierra M. Koester. He was also featured in the subplot of my novel, Memory Makers. Harry and his sister were also in the story, “First Christmas With Kittens” that appeared in the recent Christmas Anthology, Cat in the Christmas
Tree and in Second-Chance Cats: True Stories of the Cats We Rescue and the Cats Who Rescue Us. Hermione, my dilute calico, was also a finalist in America’s Greatest Pet Contest and was featured in Catster Magazine.
Mewla: Nice–Hermione is a mega-star! What issue did she appear in?
Debbie: She appeared in the September/October 2022 issue of Catster Magazine.
Mewla: Thank you for visiting with us Debbie. If readers would like to find out more about Debbie DeLouise’s books and upcoming events, check out these sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise
Amazon Author Page: Author.to/DebbieDeLouise
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Thank you Mewla for this great article. Congratulations, Debbie, on publishing your new books!
The cozy mysteries about a librarian sound like great books! Thanks for the interesting article about Debbie.
Thanks for stopping in and commenting Paula. I think you will enjoy Debbie’s books : )
Thanks so much for featuring me, Mewla, and for the purrfect interview.
You are very welcome, Debbie! Loved spreading the word about you, your newly-published books and, of course, the cats! : )
Great interview! Enjoyed learning more about the very talented, Debbie DeLouise!
Purrs from Deb and the Zee/Zoey gang.
Thanks, Deb. Mewla did a pawsome job.
So glad you enjoyed the article! Thank you for visiting, Deb and the Zee/Zoey gang : )
Nice write-up about Debbie’s work, Mewla! I really enjoy her books, and look forward to reading more!
Thanks, Leah.
Thank you for the comment and glad yo liked it, Leah : )