Aunt Fran first appeared in Escape Claws and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Aunt Fran.

What is your full name?
Frances Caphart Clarkson

How old are you?
I’m a woman of a certain age, as they say, but I haven’t quite hit sixty. Soon, though . . .
What is your profession?
Before my knee surgeries, I was a full-time schoolteacher. I now substitute when I’m needed, which gives my schedule great flexibility.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes!

What is their name and profession?
Jerry Whitley, police chief of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire.

Do you have any children?
I do not. My husband died shortly after we married. I never had the chance to have children. But my niece, Lara, is as close to me as any daughter ever could be.

Do you have any siblings?
My only sibling was Roy Caphart, the father of my dear niece, Lara. Sadly, he died from cancer some years ago.

Are your parents nearby?
No, both are deceased.

Who is your best friend?
Daisy Bowker, proprietor of Bowker’s Coffee Stop. She’s also a master cookie baker and has a second profession creating her famous sugar cookies for specialty gift baskets.

Do you have any pets?
Do I ever! I have three cats of my own—Munster, Twinkles, and Dolce—plus several others who share my home as residents of our cat shelter.

What town do you live in?
Whisker Jog, New Hampshire—a spot of heaven on the western rim of Carroll County.

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Small town, New Hampshire

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I own my home, a lovely Folk Victorian hunkered at the top of a gentle hill overlooking the town center.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The rocking chair in my bedroom, which has a view of the back yard and the field beyond. It’s the perfect place to read, or just to meditate about life with a cat nestled in my lap.

Favorite meal and dessert?
My niece Lara makes a killer lasagna, using a recipe she got from a dear friend who lives in the North End of Boston. With my sweet tooth, almost any dessert will do. I’m especially fond of the blond brownies I’ve been baking for Lara since she was a child.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reading, and now writing, are probably my top two. Caring for cats is a joy that I experience every day.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled very far. On occasion Jerry and I spend a weekend at Newfound Lake, where we can relax and tune out the world. It all depends, of course, on whether or not Jerry is embroiled in a local murder. It happens more than you’d think in this quiet little town.

What music do they listen to?
Don’t laugh, but when Lara’s not here I listen to my old Bee Gees CDs. I also love both Streisand and Lady Gaga.

Do you have a favorite book?
Oddly enough, it’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. To me it’s less a horror story than a tale of human tragedy. Imagine: a scientist creates a living, breathing being capable of deep feeling, and then rejects it for its grotesque appearance! The first time I read it, it stayed with me for a long time.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
It’s funny you should ask that. I’ve never been the adventurous type, except when I’m immersed in the pages of a book. There, I can imagine myself in all sorts of places all over the world, both in the past and present. I especially enjoy women’s fiction. If it’s set around World War II, then I’m pretty much in my happy place. I guess you could say I’m a true homebody.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Oh, that’s hard to say. I think I might title it something like: “Life, Rearranged.” But I do think I’m much too boring to write a memoir that anyone would care to read.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
If I’m a sleuth at all, I’m a so-called “rank amateur.” It’s my niece Lara, a watercolor artist, who has the mind of a sleuth and the heart of a lioness. Of course, she has a secret weapon known only to a few, but I’m afraid I can’t reveal that—I can only tell you that it’s feline.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
If I’m not substitute teaching, I’m working on writing my novel. I also help my niece with shelter duties, but she does the bulk of the heavy work with our wonderful assistant, Kayla. Shelter decisions—such as approving adoption applications—are made by both Lara and me.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win one kindle copy of The Girl with the Kitten Tattoo. Giveaway ends May 30, 2020. Good luck everyone!

The Girl with the Kitten Tattoo is the fifth book in the “Cat Lady” cozy mystery series, released May 26, 2020.

The fur is going to fly . . .

Wedding bells will soon be ringing in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. But instead of church bells, they may be tinkling above the door of Bowker’s Coffee Stop. Lara Caphart’s best friend Sherry and her fiancé David want to tie the knot where they met—in her family’s coffee shop. Lara is overjoyed for her friend, but as she feeds and grooms the kitties at the High Cliff Shelter for Cats in her aunt Fran’s Folk Victorian, she can’t help but wonder when her own beau, lawyer Gideon Halley, will stop hinting and make their union legal.

It doesn’t help that Gideon’s old flame, Megan Haskell, just showed up with a tearful yarn about being fired that smells fishier than a can of tuna. But Blue, the Ragdoll cat who only Lara can see, appears to be on Megan’s side. Should she ignore her green-eyed monster of jealousy in favor of her blue-eyed spirit cat? When Megan’s ex-boss is found dead, Lara has to retract her claws long enough to follow Blue’s uncanny clues and clear her rival of a murder charge . . .

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About the author
Linda Reilly is the author of the Cat Lady Mysteries published by Kensington Lyrical, and the Deep Fried Mysteries published by Berkley Prime Crime. A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, she lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband, Bernie, and her cat, Panda. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Cat Writers’ Association. You can visit her on Facebook at facebook.com/Lindasreillyauthor.

All comments are welcomed.