Welcome to our weekly Coffee Chat!
Today’s guest is multi-genre author Kris Bock, featuring The Furrever Friends Cat Cafe Collection, books 1-3 of this sweet romance series.
Thanks for providing us some distraction in the middle of the pandemic, Kris. What may I get you to drink?
KB: I can't stand coffee! I'm totally a tea drinker. Black tea, only, please – most herbal teas smell nice but don't taste like anything. I'm not affected by caffeine.
Ally: No problem. Black tea it is! While I fix our drinks, please introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.
Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Something unusual that isn't in your regular bio: "I’m writing about a cat café. However … I am very allergic to cats, so I cannot have one. Instead, my husband and I keep ferrets. At least writing about a cat café gives me a chance to look at lots of pictures and videos of adorable cats and kittens."
Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter at https://sendfox.com/lp/1g5nx3 to get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in this book and future cat café novels.
Author Contacts:
Kris Bock website
Kris Bock Blog: The Southwest Armchair Traveler
Kris Bock on GoodReads
Kris Bock on Facebook
Kris Bock on Twitter
Kris Bock on Pinterest
Kris Bock on Instagram
Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.
Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Something unusual that isn't in your regular bio: "I’m writing about a cat café. However … I am very allergic to cats, so I cannot have one. Instead, my husband and I keep ferrets. At least writing about a cat café gives me a chance to look at lots of pictures and videos of adorable cats and kittens."
Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter at https://sendfox.com/lp/1g5nx3 to get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in this book and future cat café novels.
Author Contacts:
Kris Bock website
Kris Bock Blog: The Southwest Armchair Traveler
Kris Bock on GoodReads
Kris Bock on Facebook
Kris Bock on Twitter
Kris Bock on Pinterest
Kris Bock on Instagram
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Why did you write your featured book?
KB: I've noticed lots of sweet, small-town romance series involving dogs, but few with cats. I think it's because dogs clearly bring people together – think dog parks, walking your dog, obedience training – while cats don't.
Until you consider cat cafés. These are a relatively recent trend, but you can now find dozens and dozens of cat cafés all around the world. Typically they partner with a shelter, so all the cats are available for adoption. This gives visitors a chance to spend more quality time with the cats before they choose one. Those of us who can't keep a cat in the home for whatever reason can at least visit some.
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
KB: Real life experiences sometimes give me ideas. What We Found is a mystery inspired by finding a dead body while hiking. Someone in law enforcement said that people often don't report crimes they stumbled across. That got me thinking – Why? What reasons would you have for not calling the police? The book also includes falconry, based on experiences I’ve had hanging out with a falconer.
Whispers in the Dark follows a young archaeologist who stumbles into danger as mysteries unfold among ancient Southwest ruins. That was inspired by a trip to Hovenweep National Monument some years ago. I loved that setting and had to use it in a book!
I had an idea for a series about treasure hunting adventures in the Southwest, so I read up on some lost treasures. In The Mad Monk’s Treasure, two friends search for the Victorio Peak treasure – a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. Their experiences in the desert are based on my experiences hiking in New Mexico, though they get more danger and drama.
The cat café series is less inspired by my life, but I look for lots of fun cat behavior in videos, friends’ Facebook posts, etc.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you can pass on to other writers?
KB: I blog about writing at Write Like a Pro!. (I don’t post often now, but check out the older posts. I especially love cliffhanger chapter endings.) I've also published two books of writing advice. Advanced Plotting is designed for the intermediate and advanced writer who still struggles with plot. The book includes insights and detailed tips to help you build a stronger plot and become a better writer.
You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers is available for the Kindle, in paperback, or in Large Print paperback. When you write for children, you have the most appreciative audience in the world. But to reach that audience, you need to write fresh, dynamic stories, whether you’re writing rhymed picture books, middle grade mysteries, edgy teen novels, nonfiction, or something else.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
KB: I expect to keep writing in the cat café series. I'm hoping to have one out every couple of months. I also put a mystery on hold when I got this idea, and I'd like to get back to that.
In another genre, my brother is a script writer who wrote the original screenplay that eventually became the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Together we're writing prequel novellas about the characters when they were teenagers. The first one – tentatively titled Felony Melanie and the Pageant Pandemonium – may be out by the time this blog goes live.
Ally: Which of the short answer questions did you choose?
KB:
Ally: Why did you write your featured book?
KB: I've noticed lots of sweet, small-town romance series involving dogs, but few with cats. I think it's because dogs clearly bring people together – think dog parks, walking your dog, obedience training – while cats don't.
Until you consider cat cafés. These are a relatively recent trend, but you can now find dozens and dozens of cat cafés all around the world. Typically they partner with a shelter, so all the cats are available for adoption. This gives visitors a chance to spend more quality time with the cats before they choose one. Those of us who can't keep a cat in the home for whatever reason can at least visit some.
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
KB: Real life experiences sometimes give me ideas. What We Found is a mystery inspired by finding a dead body while hiking. Someone in law enforcement said that people often don't report crimes they stumbled across. That got me thinking – Why? What reasons would you have for not calling the police? The book also includes falconry, based on experiences I’ve had hanging out with a falconer.
Whispers in the Dark follows a young archaeologist who stumbles into danger as mysteries unfold among ancient Southwest ruins. That was inspired by a trip to Hovenweep National Monument some years ago. I loved that setting and had to use it in a book!
I had an idea for a series about treasure hunting adventures in the Southwest, so I read up on some lost treasures. In The Mad Monk’s Treasure, two friends search for the Victorio Peak treasure – a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. Their experiences in the desert are based on my experiences hiking in New Mexico, though they get more danger and drama.
The cat café series is less inspired by my life, but I look for lots of fun cat behavior in videos, friends’ Facebook posts, etc.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you can pass on to other writers?
KB: I blog about writing at Write Like a Pro!. (I don’t post often now, but check out the older posts. I especially love cliffhanger chapter endings.) I've also published two books of writing advice. Advanced Plotting is designed for the intermediate and advanced writer who still struggles with plot. The book includes insights and detailed tips to help you build a stronger plot and become a better writer.
You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers is available for the Kindle, in paperback, or in Large Print paperback. When you write for children, you have the most appreciative audience in the world. But to reach that audience, you need to write fresh, dynamic stories, whether you’re writing rhymed picture books, middle grade mysteries, edgy teen novels, nonfiction, or something else.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
KB: I expect to keep writing in the cat café series. I'm hoping to have one out every couple of months. I also put a mystery on hold when I got this idea, and I'd like to get back to that.
In another genre, my brother is a script writer who wrote the original screenplay that eventually became the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Together we're writing prequel novellas about the characters when they were teenagers. The first one – tentatively titled Felony Melanie and the Pageant Pandemonium – may be out by the time this blog goes live.
Ally: Which of the short answer questions did you choose?
KB:
- a. ebook or print? Ebook. My eyes prefer the larger font now.
- b. favorite accessory (jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc.): Um … scrunchy to hold back my hair? I’m pretty casual, especially living in New Mexico and working from home. Dressing up means jeans instead of sweat pants.
- c. most beloved comic book character: Scooby Doo. I've been reading Scooby Doo mash up graphic novels, which I get to the library app Hoopla. Scooby and the gang partner with everyone from Batman to Hong Kong Phooey. They're fun.
- d. Your pets: Our ferrets are Princess Pandemonium (Panda) and Teddy Black Bear (Bear Bear). They are similar to cats in some ways. When they play, they are as rambunctious as kittens. Like adult cats, they sleep most of the time. They provide us with lots of amusement, snuggles, and cute photos for social media
- e. If you couldn't write anymore, what would you want to do? Read all the time.
THE FURREVER FRIENDS CAT CAFE COLLECTION:
Furrever Friends Sweet Romance books 1-3
Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: G, "clean and wholesome."
The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm, fuzzy feeling of cuddling a purring cat.
Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café
What do you do when you meet the guy of your dreams? Set him up with your sister, of course.
Kittens and Kisses at the Cat Café
He’s loved her forever. She still sees him as the neighbor kid. Can five desperate kittens bring them together?
Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café
Can two lonely people get a second chance at finding love?
Buy Links*:
Now get all three books in the series!
ebook $7.99, free with Kindle Unlimited, paperback $14.99
Get the collection on Kris Bock's Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
(*Direct Link to US ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Furrever-Friends-Cat-Caf%C3%A9-Collection-ebook/dp/B084DYXKTY)
Furrever Friends Sweet Romance books 1-3
Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: G, "clean and wholesome."
The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm, fuzzy feeling of cuddling a purring cat.
Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café
What do you do when you meet the guy of your dreams? Set him up with your sister, of course.
Kittens and Kisses at the Cat Café
He’s loved her forever. She still sees him as the neighbor kid. Can five desperate kittens bring them together?
Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café
Can two lonely people get a second chance at finding love?
Buy Links*:
Now get all three books in the series!
ebook $7.99, free with Kindle Unlimited, paperback $14.99
Get the collection on Kris Bock's Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
(*Direct Link to US ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Furrever-Friends-Cat-Caf%C3%A9-Collection-ebook/dp/B084DYXKTY)
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