The Cozy Corner has been Collared for Murder

This week is all about the bling with the author of COLLARED FOR MURDER, a Pet Boutique Mystery, Annie Knox. I’ve had the privilege of watching Annie’s writing get groomed into the National Bestselling material that it is today. But the snipping, clipping and pretty outfits that put her on top, happened well before her latest series. Annie Knox is Wendy Lyn Watson, and COLLARED FOR MURDER is just the latest in a string of great mysteries...and, are you ready for it? She’s written a historical romance too!

Wendy’s writing has been award winning from the very beginning. Seriously, I don’t think there’s an embarrassing manuscript hiding with any fur balls under her bed, or in her closet. (As to the existence of fur balls, she’ll have to answer that one for you!)

Kym: Hi, Wendy! (I’ll get confused if I call her Annie) Congratulations on your latest release, COLLARED FOR MURDER, a Pet Boutique Mystery!

Wendy: Thanks, Kym! And thanks for having me here at the Cozy Corner!

Kym: This is your third Pet Boutique Mystery, which is quite different from your Mystery Ala Mode series. What has been the biggest challenge for you with the Pet Boutique series?

Wendy: The pets in the Pet Boutique Mysteries are integral to the stories, but keeping track of them has been a challenge! Sometimes, the people get to talking and sleuthing and I forget where Packer or Jinx have ended up. It’s like trying to keep track of milling guests in a cocktail party, except half the guests have four legs and fur.

Kym: COLLARED FOR MURDER is set around a cat show, and to be honest, I’d never heard of a cat show. The image of a cat doing an obstacle course doesn’t quite compute for me like it does with a dog. (OMG, what a K- 9 snob!) Yet your scene made it totally believable, which made me Google it. Wow, a whole new world! Did you attend a cat show for research or did your knowledge develop naturally with your love of felines?

Wendy: I did go to a cat show in Oklahoma City. It wasn’t as grand as the cat show in COLLARED FOR MURDER, and there was no agility component, but it was great fun. Such a friendly crowd, too. I mentioned to one of the judges that I was an author doing research, and she gave me running commentary while she judged a round. Another woman, who was showing her Maine coon, gave me all sorts of background information . . . as well as some of the juicier scandals that cat shows can breed.

Kym: LOL, cats are full of drama. ;) Izzy’s business, Trendy Tails, is all about catering to people who dote over their pets with gourmet foods, clothing and bling. How much of this do you do with your cats? (And remember, I’ve seen some of the hats your cats have worn!)

Wendy: I confess. I’ll occasionally slap a hat on one of my cats and take a picture, but I don’t otherwise clothe them. That said, we (Mr. Wendy and I) do dote on our cats. For example, we had a cat who enjoyed a particular brand and flavor of pudding. Mr. Wendy would go to a store that wasn’t our usual grocery store just to get the cat’s favorite pudding. (Mr. Wendy is a softie.)

Kym: (Anyone else picturing her hubby sharing his pudding?)

I have to say, I laughed when I saw one particular character’s name and wondered where you would take that individual. Was this an opportunity to let an alter ego run amuck?

Wendy: Ha! I definitely inject my own experiences into my stories, but all of the characters are purely made up. Hand to God.

Kym: Your secondary characters, like Rena and her father, give your writing a depth that goes beyond most cozy mysteries. Did you have to fight to keep their drama in the series?

Wendy: Thankfully, no. Some of the plot lines with my secondary characters touch on difficult social issues, and I’ve worried that my editor will pull back the reins a bit. But, instead, my editor has been highly supportive and has expressed great interest in me developing those plot lines across the series.

Kym: You have never been shy about your love of everything ice cream, and as it turns out, Izzy has a soft spot for it as well. What else do you have in common with Izzy?

Wendy: We’re both vegetarian and love animals. On a deeper level, Izzy is known to friends and family as “Dizzy Izzy” because she’s a little ditzy and naïve. I’ve been accused of being a little dizzy, myself. I guess that aspect of Izzy’s personality is modeled after my younger self.

Kym: There is so much change happening in Izzy’s life during COLLARED FOR MURDER, it reads almost like some of the new TV shows where no character’s future is guaranteed for another season. I have to wonder, where will you be taking the series from here?

Wendy: I’m sorry to report that COLLARED FOR MURDER is the last book in the series. I’m going to miss Izzy and her crew so much, but it’s time to turn the page.

Kym: OMG, I’m sad to see her go, it’s been an incredible series! What do you see on the horizon for Wendy Lyn Watson? More Historical’s like ONCE UPON A WALLFLOWER, more cozies like your Mystery Ala Mode series, or something completely different?

Wendy: I’m actually trying something a little different. I’m starting a new cozy series but this new series has a hint of the paranormal. The first Book Magic Mystery (as yet unnamed) will be out sometime in 2016, and I’ll be Wendy Lyn Watson for this new series.

Kym: I’m totally looking forward to that silver lining and thank you for joining us at the Cozy Corner! Can you tell our readers where they can find you on social media?

Wendy: Absolutely! I spend a fair amount of time on Facebook. Okay, more than a fair amount of time. The best way to keep up with me now is through my Wendy persona: www.facebook.com/WendyLynWatsonAuthor. I hope to see some of you on the web!

Kym: I hope you’ll pick up a copy of COLLARED FOR MURDER today, because it’s time to get cozy and read on!

Giveaway

We’re giving away a signed copy of the first book in the series, PAWS FOR MURDER , a Pet Boutique Mystery to one lucky reader who can tell us about the silly thing they do with their pet!

Kym Roberts is a retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in every book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on Facebook at Kym Roberts (author) and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Look for her latest release, DEAD MAN'S CARVE, A Tickled to Death Mystery on Amazon. (All proceeds will be donated to wounded veterans)