1. I hear you have a pet in your novel, The Squeaky Clean Skeleton. Tell us about the book.

The main character of The Squeaky Clean Skeleton is Victoria Solitaire Madison, but her friends call her Tori. She’s a widow who started a housekeeping business with her best friend, Hazel. There’s just one problem–she hates scrubbing toilets (and most other household chores). When they segue to cleaning out the attic of the Livingston mansion, Tori finds a stray cat and takes it home to keep it from winding up at the shelter.

When I was writing the book, I had no idea the cat had any special quirks, like being a cursed totally hot Irishman that only Tori can see. Staying within the rules of magic was a fun challenge and one that gets some awesome tweaks for the next book in the series, which is called The Deadly Dust Bunnies.

Here’s the buy link: https://amzn.to/2TtAc20 and the full blurb for The Squeaky Clean Skeleton:

Hi! I’m Tori Madison, and I hate scrubbing toilets, which is unfortunate because my BFF Hazel and I own Bubbles and Troubles, Blueberry Bay’s premier cleaning service. When Mrs. Livingston asked us to sort through the contents of her attic, however, we thought our toilet-scrubbing days were over. That is…until we found her corpse. As if finding our client’s body stuffed in a steamer trunk wasn’t enough of an upset, someone needed to save her cat from being sent to a local high-kill animal shelter. That person, as it turned out, was me. I had no sooner set up the critter’s litter box in my guest bathroom when he revealed another side. A six-foot-four, hunky, Irish side that only I can see.

Before I could come to grips with my new feline friend’s secret, Mrs. Livingston’s relatives, eager to claim their inheritance, asked Hazel and me to solve the murder. And the amount of the reward was many times over what their aunt owed for the job she hired us to do. Soon we had a plan that included Rune, my new housepet-turned-houseguest.

The more I got to know Rune, the more I wanted to confide in Hazel. But was I risking our lives by keeping my cat’s secret as we went through with our crazy plan to catch a killer? Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice.

2. Why did you add a pet to this book?

The Squeaky Clean Skeleton is part of a shared world from Sweet Promise Press that takes place in the fictional region of Blueberry Bay, Maine. Each series featured some kind of an animal. I hadn’t decided when I started writing the book, but Rune, the cat-Irishman worked himself into the story.

So, I guess you could say it was the cat’s decision, because I’m actually a total dog person.

Our family has three dogs and a turtle, but a cat just felt right for the book. Once Rune revealed his secret, he became one of the most important characters. Rune has already given me some sneak peeks for the third book, called The Merry Messy Mummy, and I’ve been taking diligent notes.

3. What other books have you written?

Two of the other books I’ve written are Protecting Peyton and Healing Hawk. They are part of the Gold Coast Retrievers shared world of romantic suspense books from Sweet Promise Press. In the photo of my three dogs, the golden retriever on the left is Cinnamon, who inspired some of the scenes with Gilda, the dog in Protecting Peyton.

I’ve also written No Time For Lattes, which is part of the No Brides Club series. I’m currently working on No Time For Fairy Tales, which has some characters from the first book.

One of my first romances was Love’s Silver Lining about an older couple who get a second chance at happily ever after, and Love’s Wonderful Life which was inspired by two of my favorite Christmas movies, a Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life.

The first book I ever wrote was Screaming Jenny, a novella set in my hometown of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It’s inspired by my favorite haunted story, which takes place just outside the train station. It kicked off a series of short stories set in various states in the Appalachian region of the United States.

You can find all of my books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2A0gBPV

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

The readers who review my books are the best because they’re honest. They let me know what they loved–and what they didn’t–which helps me know what to add to (or leave out of) future books I write. I love sharing reviews on social media, especially the glowing ones that make me cry tears of joy. The whole time I’m writing, I worry about whether readers will like it. It’s a big relief when they do.

5. How do you promote your books?

I promote my books on social media, through www.litring.com (which is also my employer) and during in-person events. Although all of my in-person events have been canceled for 2020, I look forward to seeing readers face-to-face again in 2021! As details become available, I’ll add it to the calendar page of my website: https://beckymuth.com/calendar

6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

I love interacting with readers! Here are all the places we can connect…

Website – https://BeckyMuth.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckymuth
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/authorbeckymuth
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authorbeckymuth
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/authorbeckymuth
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/author/beckymuth
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/authorbeckymuth
BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/becky-muth
Newsletter – https://beckymuth.com/newsletter

Marcia James: Thank you, Becky, for stopping by my Go Pets blog! I look forward to reading your novels!

READER INVITATION: Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!