1. I hear you have a cat and other animals in your children’s books. Tell us about the books.
Yes, I have a deep love for animals, which is why they feature so prominently in my children’s books. One of my favorite series is The Jellibean Adventures, which stars a rainbow-hued cat named Jellibean who loves to explore and travel. In addition to that series, I’ve written other books that introduce young readers to more unique creatures, including an elephant, sea turtles, and even a porcupine pufferfish.
Jellibean Adventures started as a poem I wrote for my two six-year-old nieces, who live in different states, far away. Creating Princess Jellibean was my way of staying connected with them and sharing a bit of joy across the distance.
2. Why did you add a rainbow-hued cat to these books?
Oliver Twist
The idea of a rainbow-hued cat felt natural because her name, Jellibean, was inspired by the colorful candy. I wanted her to be vibrant and full of life, just like the adventures she goes on. I based her on a calico cat, and I did a lot of research on that breed to ensure that her personality and traits would feel authentic to readers. What’s funny about having a cat as the main character in my series is that I’m allergic to cats! I absolutely love them and all things furry, but I can’t have one myself. Instead, I have a rescued chiweenie named Oliver Twist, who keeps me company and inspires a lot of my love for animals:
3. Tell us about some of the other animal characters in the series?
Jellibean’s world is full of animated animal characters, like a bear who’s a baker, some playful parrots, and her best friend, Lady Jane, a cheerful dog. One of my favorite books in the series is Mama’s Map, where Jellibean meets Penelope, a shy possum who’s lost her way home. Together, they follow clues to help Penelope reunite with her family, all while teaching kids the basics of reading a map.
Mama’s Map Blurb:
Shy Penelope Possum is lost, and she’s not sure how to find her way home. Luckily, Princess Jellibean is ready to help! Together, they embark on a heartwarming quest, following clues and discovering more than they expected. In this second book of the Jellibean Adventures series, join Princess Jellibean and Penelope for a journey filled with friendship, fun, and surprising discoveries—because the best adventures are always just around the corner!
Mama’s Map: http://myBook.to/Jellibean2
Another one of my favorite books is Bunky & Lulu: Find Their Place, which tells the story of a clown and his elephant best friend. After retiring from the circus, they get bored and start looking for odd jobs together—with hilarious results! A word of caution: elephants should definitely not serve ice cream! There’s plenty of silliness as they stumble through different roles, until they finally find the perfect job where their unique talents shine, helping others in a way only they can.
Bunky & Lulu: Find Their Place Blurb:
Bunky the clown and Lulu the elephant are ready for a new chapter after their circus days, but retirement just isn’t exciting enough! Together, they set off to find the perfect job—though they quickly learn that not every role is a good fit (hint: elephants and ice cream don’t mix!). Join Bunky and Lulu on a hilarious adventure as they discover where their unique talents truly belong!
Bunky & Lulu: Find Their Place: http://myBook.to/BunkyLulu
My most recent book, Fish Patty, is the first in a new series called Fish & Fin. It’s about a young girl who dreams of becoming a marine biologist. The story follows her as she navigates her parents’ divorce and adjusts to life in a small town after moving with her mother. Along the way, she forms a special bond with a fish at her uncle’s shop. When that fish disappears, she meets a new friend who shares her passion for marine life. The story introduces kids to some fascinating fish species, and I spent six months researching marine animals to bring authenticity to the story!
Fish Patty Blurb:
Eight-year-old Patty has big dreams of becoming a marine biologist, but life hasn’t been easy. She’s had to navigate her parents’ divorce and adjust to a big move to a small town where everything feels unfamiliar. Eager to make a friend, Patty finds companionship in the most unexpected place. But when her new friend suddenly vanishes, Patty embarks on an emotional journey, discovering powerful lessons about friendship, love, and learning to let go.
Fish Patty: https://mybook.to/FishPatty
4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
There have been many wonderful reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Readers Favorite websites. My book, Ishkabibble Unafraid, received Honorable Mention in the 2023 Purple Dragonfly Awards. It also received the Bobos Babes Heart Award Seal! My book, Kai the Loneliest Palm Tree, received Honorable Mention in the 2022 Purple Dragonfly Awards. My book, Grandpa Moon, won First Place under the Family Matters Category in the 2021 Purple Dragonfly Awards.
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Links:
My website: WriteCute.com
Instagram.com/WriteCute_Stories
Facebook.com/WriteCuteStories
Publisher page: https://www.crimsoncloakpublishing.com/cindi-handley-goodeaux/
Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/cindigoodeaux
MARCIA: Thank you, Cindi, for being my November interviewee! I look forward to recommending your books to my family and friends who have children!
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!
Hi, everyone and thanks for stopping by to visit. Normally, people don’t think of horses as pets, but I’ve always been fascinated by the big, majestic animals! I went to local horse shows in my younger days and rode my cousin’s ornery pony.
1. I hear you have a cat in the first book of your Romancing the Guardians series. Tell us about the book.
2. Why did you add a cat to this book?
I’ve written a western historical romance series, a time travel romance, and have been included in several anthologies.
I thought up this elderly woman character, Felicity, who was widowed and lived alone, who had a unique way to supplement her Social Security. Her delightfully fluttery personality is cover for scary intelligence. The plot in my mind needed a catalyst, something or someone who could give it a little humor, and be present and perhaps responsible for some of the turning points. A large black cat her late husband had rescued from drowning appeared in my imagination. Thus his name, Lazarus. Then I threw in a romance to add spice and give the plot more dimension. It sort of fell together. Thus Lazarus was already in place for the next book, Dangerous Legacy.
Amazon Buy Links for the Legacy Series (and other Justine Wittich books’) are here: 
Above all, it’s a love story between two very different beings, both of whom have the same wish—to stop a series of murders in the main city of Planet Andaan. Kylie Sanderson is the independent-minded daughter of a wealthy family who wants to do more with her days than play. She has put herself through school, over her father’s objection, to become an exobiologist and police detective with SIRT, the Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. When a series of women turn up dead and mutated like lizards, she is assigned the case. Griff is a reptile shapeshifter who is kin to those committing the murders, who wants his brethren to stop what they’re doing because it is wrong.
Funny story. My former husband and I were part of an online RPG [role-playing game] that featured characters of our own making. I had created Kylie and he created Griff as part of our repertoires, and they ended up having a great love story in the RPG. After we had separated, I wasn’t ready to let go of the characters yet. So I dreamed up a plot they could inhabit, and here they are!
1. I hear you have a dog in Miracles from the Heart. Tell us about the book.
“The Christmas Gift” is dedicated to my late Jack Russell, Belladonna aka Belle, the best four-legged friend and shadow I could ever have. She brought me extreme joy and happiness. I’ve had some wonderful dogs in my life, but Belle was extra special. On or off a lead, she stuck by me. We’ve had Basset Hounds, Airedale Terriers, a Doberman, and at one time we had 30 birds–from tiny Finches to Amazon Orange-winged Parrots. [We also had] a house rabbit, several cats, and many, many fish–fresh water and salt.
Second Chance Bride blurb:
I’ve written about 30 or more books. Last Christmas is another book that stars Friday, a rescue dog that was found on a Friday and taken to a shelter. He’s adopted by a small-town police chief.
Someone recently called me a hidden treasure. *LOL* The hidden part is probably correct. There has been so much turmoil in my family because of medical crises that I’ve done hardly anything in years to promote my books. I realized I was becoming invisible to the reading public, so this year I vowed to do something about this. Thank you, Marcia, for giving me that opportunity.
The books I’m featuring here today are Will o’ the Wisp and The Haunting of Laurel Cove. Will o’ the Wisp is contemporary romance with suspense; The Haunting of Laurel Cove is a mystery romance with a bit of the supernatural. Both are published by The Wild Rose Press, and both have animals in the stories.
In The Haunting of Laurel Cove, Jane and her faithful, ragtag companion Pepper come back to Laurel Cove to recover from a vicious attack. She becomes obsessed with an old cabin in the Cove, but Pepper will not let her near it. Jane welcomes her dog’s presence while she discovers answers to the secrets and mysteries of Laurel Cove, while guarding her heart against falling back in love with an old flame, Brendan McGarren.
No Luck At All is a western romance set in the mid-1800s. The story centers around Creel Weston and his new wife, Racine. Creel is a Colorado rancher who went to Boston to obtain a medical degree. They met at dinner party hosted by Racine’s father, who was also Creel’s mentor, and Creel was instantly smitten with her, so much that he decided he wasn’t leaving Boston without her. But unbeknownst to him, Racine suffered deep emotional scars, so much that her father intervened and blackmailed Creel into marrying her, before Creel had a chance to propose. The wedding takes place, and they leave Boston for Creel’s home in Colorado. During an overnight stay in Denver, things come to a head and both realize they have made mistakes and unfairly judged the other…until someone from Creel’s past causes Racine’s doubt to return.
Royce Weston knows firsthand women are exceptional liars, especially the one who has wormed her way into his family’s good graces by claiming amnesia. Since Paige didn’t heed his advice at the poker tables, he reasons a bit of friendly persuasion is needed to send her packing. But when she matches him trick for trick and has his ranch hands jumping to please her, Royce is thoroughly disgusted. A simpering miss she is not. Sassy and daring, if only she’d give him a reason to trust her…
Lucas Weston is living proof of the damage a woman can cause. Determined to keep another miss from running roughshod over his heart, Lucas has garnered the reputation of a man who favors flirting and wild times between the sheets. When he’s roped into escorting Missy back to her home in San Francisco, he isn’t too pleased, until he discovers she uses her poker-playing, whiskey-swilling ways to hide her own fears. What they might be, he doesn’t know, but he’s going to find out. Drawn to her from the start, Missy represents the opportunity for the life fate cheated him seven years ago.
Grief and guilt are as much a part of Jess Jansen as riding herd. Twenty-two years he’s longed for the woman who ran out on him, and now his luck is about to change. Needing a place to hole up during a thunderstorm, the Lazy K looks to be a safe haven. There’s a barn―and a body with soft curves and sapphire eyes he’d know anywhere.
1. I hear you have animals in most of your novels. Tell us about your favorite book featuring animals.
In my contemporary romance, All About Charming Alice, my heroine rescues stray dogs—she has a whole house full of them. One stray, nicknamed Killer, brings the gorgeous and sexy writer Jace Constant into Alice’s life. But Alice doesn’t just like dogs. She also studies and protects snakes and actively protests against such cruel practices as snake shows where those creatures are tortured to death for the amusement of tourists. Jace, however, is terrified by snakes, and it does take a bit of coaxing to get him to change his mind.
Another book in the series is Desert Rose. Rose, the heroine, is Alice’s closest friend, and she very unwillingly adopts Noodle, one of Alice’s strays.