Here’s a woman I’ve never met but who I know I love. She writes about cats who solve mysteries using the memories of their ancestors, and now she had a new series with a protagonist who loves to stick her nose into what’s going on on the home front during the second world war. What’s not to love? I’d better let her tell you what she’s up to.

Elaine Faber is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inspire Christian Writers and Cat Writers Association. Her cozy cat mysteries include Black Cat’s Legacy; Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, and Black Cat and the Accidental Angel. 

Mrs. Odboddy–Hometown Patriot, a WWII tale of chicks and chicanery, suspicion and spies  — all available at Amazon.

Elaine lives in Elk Grove, CA, with her husband and four house cats, the inspiration for her Black Cat Mysteries.

In her new series, she says the Agnes Odboddy character is a figment of her vivid imagination and not at all based on her own quirky personality. You be the judge.

Today Elaine talks about why she writes, and for all of us who struggle to find our place in the writing world, she captures our motivation well.

Why do Writers Write?

by Elaine Faber

People sometime ask me why I am a writer when my books aren’t best sellers and there are limited financial rewards. Here is my answer.

If I questioned one hundred people at random, at least seventy-five would claim that someday they will write their memoirs, sure to be a best seller. The remaining twenty-five would likely claim that they may never get around to writing their memoirs and, sadly, the world will the lesser, denied the opportunity of reading about their fascinating lives.

Yet an alarming number of books DO get published every year. Most are available on Amazon where they are buried as deep as a sticker in a cow plop, beneath a million other books, including mine. Occasionally, one actually sells!

A few years ago, I decided there was a book in me, actually five or six books that the world would be deprived of, should they miss the opportunity to read. After about a skillion hours of writing, editing, and rewriting, the first of my cat mystery series was available for sale to the millions of folks clamoring to be amused, entertained, charmed and delighted by my captivating characters. In this yet to become a New York Times Best Selling Series, the cat, with his ancestors’ memories, wants desperately to help his inferior persons solve a cold case murder…and it is scintillating. I promise. Trust me. I’m an author. I know these things…

The first of my next series, a WWII humorous adventure mystery with an eccentric elderly lady, Mrs. Odboddy–Hometown Patriot, is now available. Agnes sees black market conspiracies and Nazi spies running amuck as she fights the war from the home front, volunteering, knitting argyles for the troops and planting a Victory Garden. It’s quite a story, involving stolen ration books, missing money, the return of an old lover, chickens in the bathroom, and a smattering of downright no-good-niks. When Mrs. Roosevelt comes to town to attend a funeral, Agnes’s fears become a reality and she must prove, indeed, she is a home front warrior. And yes, it’s available on Amazon for only $3.99 along with the cat books.

So, why do I keep at it when it involves thousands of hours writing, editing, and rewriting, the glory is nonexistent and there are less than exciting financial rewards? Irrelevant!

I guess I write, because the characters in me are screaming to get out. Folks who read my books often return and tell me that for just a little while, they left their troubles behind and experienced my make-believe world where the bad guy gets his due and the good guy wins. Then my friend says, “I loved your book! When will you publish the next one?” There’s a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. And I know that reading my book put that there!

That’s when I know. It’s all worth it. That’s why I write.

Elaine’s latest novel, Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot a WWII  tale of chicks and chicanery, suspicion and spies is a riotous romp with Agnes Odboddy, a self-appointed scourge of the underworld. Agnes fights WWII from the home front, collecting cans, volunteering at the Ration Stamp office and knitting argyles for the troops, while seeing conspiracies and Nazi spies around every corner. When Mrs. Roosevelt unexpectedly comes to town to attend a funeral, Agnes’s fear become reality and she is called upon to prove she is, indeed, a hometown patriot.

You may want to get in touch with Elaine, read her new book or better yet, read all of her books.

Contact Information

Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries.com (e-mail)

http://www.mindcandymysteries.com   (Website)

Amazon Links:

http://tinyurl.com/lrvevgm    Black Cat’s Legacy

http://tinyurl.com/lg7yvgq    Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer

http://tinyurl.com/07zcsm2    Black Cat and the Accidental Angel

Mrs. Odboddy–Hometown Patriot http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv

 

Are you like Elaine? do you have a book in you? Is your cat or dog bugging you to make them a sleuth? Tell us all about it.