I recently had the pleasure of winning a copy of THE GREAT CAT NAP by Abigail Bostwick, thanks to a random drawing on the Writing and Illustrating For Children blog hosted by Kathy Temean. This “hard boiled” detective novel follows the antics of a reporter/crime solver named Ace – who just happens to be a cat. I was intrigued by this unique point of view and asked Abigail if she would tell us a bit of why and how the story came about. (My review of this fun story for middle grade mystery lovers is below.) Here’s Abigail:
Thank you for having me on your blog, Darlene! I’m happy to be here to talk about my debut middle grade novel, The Great Cat Nap.
Told from the point of view of Ace, feline resident at a small town newspaper, the book opens when famous show-cat Ruby the Russian goes missing. But Ace bites off more than he can chew when he agrees to play detective and find the lost cat, believed to have been stolen by animal smugglers. Calling on his feline friends, a few dogs and even a couple rodent nemeses – Ace’s investigation will lead him everywhere from the most respected parts of town to the lowly haunts of the underground alley cat system. He’ll have to try to break a cat out of the pound for priceless information and get into a single-pawed battle with a few criminals before getting his shot at solving the dangerous crime, culminating on a chilly October night in the gray and lonely streets of downtown.
I’m a longtime cat lover – some of my earliest memories include felines. I was inspired to write from Ace’s perspective because cats are fascinating creatures. Each one has their own unique personality and quirks. They’re funny and intelligent, curious and talented problem-solvers.
As a child, I favored books told from the viewpoint of an animal Charlotte’s Web, The Little Prince, Bunnicula and anything Beatrice Potter. So when I sat down for the first time with the goal to write a novel for children myself, I wrote not only to amuse potential readers, but also myself.
I had a lot of fun writing Ace! He’s very much inspired by my own black cat, Boots, who is stubborn and motivated, yet cuddly and devoted. Ace had to be clever to take on solving a small town crime. I tried to give him a sense of humor, lots of action and road blocks to keep the story moving. As a young reader, it was meaningful for me to see animals and humans taking on challenges while leaning on one another. I could see myself in the characters’ place prevailing, and then too, see myself succeeding. I hope I’ve accomplished that for my young readers in The Great Cat Nap!
A.M. Bostwick writes Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Her debut middle grade novel, The Great Cat Nap, earned the 2014 Tofte/Wright Children’s Literature Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. It also earned the Moonbeam Children’s Award Bronze Medal in the Pre-Teen Fiction category. The sequel, The Clawed Monet, hit the shelves in 2016. Her young adult novel, Break the Spell, released in autumn 2015. An early draft of that book was a finalist in the 2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Fab 5 Contest. She has placed in Rochester Writers’ contests in 2014 and 2016 and has had short fiction appear in Black Fox Literary.
You can visit Abigail at www.ambostwick.com or @bostwickam.
Here’s my 5 Star review: What do you do when your prize-winning show cat is missing? Call Ace – reporter/detective feline – who knows the neighborhood like the back of his paw. This delightful adventure is told from Ace’s point of view and takes the reader on a fun-filled ride through the lives of local cats, dogs and their human caregivers. This time out, Ace is on the trail of a missing show cat named Ruby who appears to be kidnapped. At first it’s just a good story for the newspaper. But soon, things get heated up and Ace realizes Ruby’s life might be in danger. He and his feline, canine, and rat friends set out to solve the mystery and bring Ruby home.
Curl up under a blanket with a cup of cocoa and be prepared for a great escape.
Darlene Beck-Jacobson 