What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write A Cat’s Guide to Danger?
I love reading cozy mysteries with snarky talking cats and heroines who discover they have superpowers, but I wanted to create my own alternate reality rather than using witches and vampires. On a visit to Prague, I learned about a legendary rabbi who created a magical creature called a golem, and also about a real historical evil queen who expelled the Jewish people from that beautiful city.
I wondered … what if the leaders all had magical powers? What if they united to shift their town to another realm, with unexpected consequences? Centuries later, along comes an orphan girl who has no idea of her special heritage… Three books into the Forgotten Village Magical Mystery series, I’m still completely absorbed in the story! By the way, I write each book so it can be read on its own.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of A Cat’s Guide to Danger, what would they be?
Did you ever hear the Peggy Lee recording of “The Alley Cat Song”? That would suit Kafka! He’s a black tom with attitude to spare.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
My favorite genre to read right now is paranormal cozy mysteries, which is what I’m writing. I’ve also written medical mysteries, romantic comedies, and Regencies.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Claws of Justice by Emmie Lyn, Chapter and Curse by Nancy Warren, Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, and Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks (nonfiction).
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
It’s the chapter in which my heroine, Chess, and her cat Kafka return to the California town where she grew up, on an urgent mission. They introduce their companion and friend, a handsome detective who grew up in a quaint town infused with magick, to a world of cell phones, Halloween costumes, and TV news.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I prefer silence while I write. I tend to bite people who interrupt me.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
This above all: To thine own self be true… but remember that your right to swing your fist ends where the next guy’s nose begins.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
How much they loved the characters, and how often they laughed.
Jacqueline Diamond is the author of the new book A Cat’s Guide to Danger
Connect with Jacqueline Diamond
Author Site
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