1. Hi, Karen ! I hear you have pets featured in your most recent cozy mysteries. Tell us about the book and series.

The Market Center Mysteries series is now up to four novels set at a fictional large convention center in Washington, D.C. The sleuth/main character is Heather McNeil, who is officially the assistant to the director of the center, and unofficially the chief peacekeeper and complaint collector. Her ability to listen, soothe ruffled feathers, and find solutions to problems helps keep the events held at the Center running smoothly. Those same qualities mean she’s in the perfect position to solve the crime when murder crashes the events.

The most recent book in the series, Unleashed for Murder is set at a pet products trade show, which means lots of pet references and even a few cameos for various furry (and a few non-furry) friends.

Blurb: Murder crashes the pet products trade show…

The Pet Palace booth is the undisputed crown jewel of the pet products trade show, and its owners, two retired pro football players, bring their own brand of star power to the sale of high-end, luxury gear. When one of them dies at the show, however, he leaves behind jealous competitors, angry suppliers, a line of women he pumped for information and then ghosted, and a fiancée he may not even have known about.

Heather McNeil’s job as assistant to the director of the D.C. Market and Commerce Center is mostly about keeping events running smoothly, dealing with disputes, accidents, and conflict. She never signed on for solving murders, but sometimes it’s part of the job, too.

Amidst the plethora of cozy canine couture, upscale pet feeding stations, slick kitty litter boxes, and unmentionable lizard foods, Heather has to sort through the human emotions at play and follow the clues to a killer, all while dealing with her own personal heartbreak.

My favorite scene in the book involves a pet fashion show, which doesn’t go entirely to script. But here is a description of the booth that is a main player in the story:

Large, complex, creative, and elaborate booths weren’t unusual at some of the bigger trade show events held here in the Market Center. I’d even seen a couple of other displays that emulated castles. But I wasn’t expecting it at a pet products trade show.

Although the booth was still being put together, the general outline and pieces already in place offered a pretty good idea of the final display. The area comprised eight standard ten-by-ten-foot spaces at the back of the aisle.

Faux brick columns, probably eight feet tall, gaudily decorated with red and gold swirls, stood at the four corners with two more in between on each side. The back wall, which separated the booth from the long rear aisle, was surfaced with faux stone, leaving openings for display screens or banners yet to be installed. Tapestries threaded in red and gold hung between some of the columns, showing representations of throne-shaped pet beds, feeding stations that looked like miniature banquet tables, and carriers fit for a king—or a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

The company logo blessed the top of each column, showing a stylized dog, cat, and guinea pig in a group, each wearing a crown.

Buy links for Unleashed for Murder:
Amazon (print and ebook): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVG552CL
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unleashed-for-murder-karen-mccullough/1148502547
Other ebook formats: https://books2read.com/u/bMvkV5

2. Why did you add pets to this series?

I worked as an editor for several trade publications serving a number of different industries. But my first job was with a journal that covered the pet products industry, and the very first trade show I ever attended was for pet products. I can still remember that event. And I remember thinking afterward that it would make a perfect setting for a murder mystery. It has a limited time frame, closed event, high stakes, and a group of exhibitors who know each other well and are sometimes friends, enemies, or even lovers.

I hesitated for a while to do a pet products trade show, fearing some people or events might come uncomfortably close to the actual thing. But enough time has passed now that I don’t think that is very likely anymore. And I’m careful to be sure I don’t use real names or events I do remember.

My family has had a number of pets over the years – a dog, a cat, a parakeet, a rabbit, and more hamsters than I can remember. The companionship and joy they bring is too good not to work into a story.

 

3. What other books have you written?

Over the course of a thirty-some year writing career, I’ve published close to two dozen novels, in a variety of genres including mystery, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and thriller, and even more shorter works in an equal range of genres. You can find out more about all my work at my website: https://www.kmccullough.com.

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

I’ve been fortunate to win or final in a number of writing contests over the years. My very first was being named a semi-finalist in the (science fiction) Writers of the Future contest, back sometime in the 1980s. Since then I’ve won a Bould Award (for short fiction) and an EPIC Ebook Award for Fantasy, and I’ve been a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Lories, and International Digital Awards contests.

I’ve gotten some pretty good reviews, too. Most of my books have four- and five-star ratings on Amazon.

 

5. How do you promote your books?

Not very well, in truth. I have a newsletter that goes out irregularly, when I have news worth sharing, which usually means every couple of months. You can sign up for it on my website. I post regularly on Facebook and Blue Sky, and I’m trying to get better with Instagram. I’ve done some advertising on both Facebook and Amazon. Both of those worked well for me a few years ago, but as more and more people have started doing it, the return has gotten less and less.

 

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

I try to keep my website https://www.kmccullough.com updated with the latest news and events. My most active social media presence is on Facebook.  I post on Facebook and my blog regularly, usually several times a week.

Links:

Website: https://www.kmccullough.com
Blog: https://www.kmccullough.com/kblog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/karenmccullough.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kgmccullough12/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kgmccullough/
Amazon Author Site: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Karen-McCullough/author/B0043TJ870
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-mccullough

 

MARCIA: Thank you, Karen, for being my February interviewee! I love cozy mysteries and look forward to reading yours!

MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! 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 blog 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!