For some reason I thought I had reviewed a Miranda James book before, but apparently I had not. Sometimes I read books and don't get the review written and posted. I'm pretty sure I've read her Cat in the Stacks before. Does that happen to you?
In case you weren't aware, Miranda James is the pseudonym of American author Dean James. He uses the pen name when writing thriller and mystery novels. Dean also uses other pseudonyms such as Jimmie Ruth Evans and Honor Hartman.
Please welcome author Miranda James to M&MM with our guest post!
Why Does It Have to Be a Cat?
By Miranda James
When I talk to people who aren’t conversant with cozy mysteries, or even mysteries in general, one of the first questions I hear is “Why do you have a cat in your books?” The simplest answer is that I have cats, and I love having them around. Why shouldn’t an amateur detective have a cat for the same reason?
Most cozy mystery fans love their animals: cats, dogs, rabbits, hedgehogs, lizards, llamas, and other kinds of critters. They love reading about characters who share their love of our multi-footed friends in the animal kingdom. Frankly, how a character in a book treats animals tells me a lot about that person. A character who neglects his or her pet in any way is not anyone that I want to spend time with. I wouldn’t do it in real life, either.
Cats, in particular, have quirky personalities. (I love dogs, too, but I haven’t had a dog in a long time, so I’m writing about cats.) I have four cats, a female and three males. All are rescues, and all have been spayed or neutered. Sometimes I feel like I’m living with four toddlers. Each cat has a distinctive personality. Pippa, my calico, is the queen of the rodeo. Toby, my gentle giant, is the most affectionate – and demanding of food – of the herd. Ernie, the smallest, has the biggest personality and thinks he is the king of the jungle. Bert, Ernie’s litter mate, is timid and easily spooked.
I could easily create human counterparts to my four cats. They run an interesting gamut of personality types. Pippa is imperious, often aloof, and talkative. Think Anna Wintour on four legs. Toby is easygoing, definitely in the sidekick mold, like Dr. Watson or Captain Hastings. Ernie could be Peter Wimsey, forever dashing around, very smart, and climbing on shelves. Bert is the Beaker Muppet of the bunch. He actually squeaks a lot for no apparent reason.
My sleuth, Charlie Harris, a widowed librarian, rescued a cat that turned out to be a Maine Coon. Because of the cat’s loud purr, Charlie named him Diesel. Diesel has lots of personality, and readers enjoy him a lot. I think pets enrich our lives on a daily basis, and I see no reason my fictional sleuth shouldn’t have his enriched by such a marvelous feline.
Miranda James is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and the Southern Ladies Mysteries.
