Thank you, Winchester Public Library!

Aren't libraries the best places? So proud to be in such good company on the WPL's new books shelf (and thanks to the reader who sent the pic).

This year, be Icelandic!

Do you know about the Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve? Because what's better than cuddling up with a good book on a long, dark night? Well, getting those books at a discount and with free delivery, that's what. That's why I'm pushing The Book Depository, which delivers for free worldwide. The Book Depository is now offering my two newest books, "As Dark As My Fur," and "Into the Grey," at SUBSTANTIAL discounts! Books make a great gift for oneself,too!

Cat (mystery) chat with Kameel Nasr on Cambridge Cable

Kameel (author of "The Symphony Heist" and "The Museum Heist") interviewed me on his Cambridge cable show. This link should work: here.

Not too late...

Well, you may have missed the Book Depository cut-off for free shipping to the US by Christmas/Chanukah (you can still get my books, many at a nice discount). But you can still order my other books from domestic sources, including Amazon or your local indie bookstore, and get them in time! Have you read "Into the Grey" yet? It's the latest Dulcie Schwartz feline-centric academic mystery. Gumshoe Reviews says: "I think one of the reasons I enjoy this series is that Dulcie seems so real. While it is unusual for anyone to so often be in the midst of mayhem and murder, it does fit with her interest in Gothic literature, active imagination, and tendency to rely heavily on emotions over logic when outside of class. She reacts as most of us would expect we would under the circumstances she finds herself in.

The crime has many possible motives and suspects. There's plenty of red herrings as well as a good measure of academic politics and procedures that tie into the crime and keep the pages turning."

"Into The Grey" makes it Into The Top Six!

Read about "Our Six Favorite Cat Mysteries" here. Thanks so much for the honor, Miss Cuddlywumps!

Last day for guaranteed delivery!

Do you want "As Dark As My Fur," the second Blackie & Care black cat mystery (which won't pub in the US till spring) in time for Christmas/Chanukah giving? If so, order it TODAY from The Book Depository for delivery by Dec. 24! They have my other books as well – most at a nice discount (shipping is free, worldwide!)

... and I am the queen of the cats!

It all started with a press release. Michelle, the wonderful publicist at Severn House, had sent around a notice about new/upcoming books being available for critics and bloggers on NetGalley. In it, she wrote:

"There's a strong feeling at Severn House HQ that Christmas wouldn't quite be Christmas without a cat mystery. As Dark As My Fur is a darker-than-average read from our very own queen of cat mysteries, Clea Simon."

I, of course, thanked her and asked if she knew the tale of the queen of the cats, which I remembered from a book of spooky stories from my childhood. She did not, and so after a brief, unsatisfactory Google search (I found one version, which I didn't like), I reproduced it - and I share my response to her here:

"In brief, an old woman is on her way home one evening when the strangest thing happens. A raven alights on a fence right alongside her and says, “Tell Aunt Kix that Old Polly is dead.”

“Strange bird,” she thinks, and keeps walking. But then on the next block, another strange thing happens. A black cat crossing the street stops right in front of her and staring up at her says, “Tell Aunt Kix that Old Polly is dead.” But the cat runs off before she can question it, and so she keeps walking.

Then, one block from her home, she sees three tabbies sitting on the curb, staring at her. She’s prepared by now and as she passes them, she says, “ I know, I know, I’m to tell Aunt Kix that Old Polly is dead.”

The three cats just sit there and stare at her, and she feels a bit silly. But by then she’s almost home.

IT’s all been so odd, she tries to put it from her mind, but that night she finds she can’t sleep. She’s tossing and turning, until finally her husband says to her, “What’s wrong?”
And she replies, “It’s the strangest thing. Three times on my walk home this evening, I had the oddest experience. Three times, I thought various animals said to me, ‘Tell Aunt Kix that Old Polly is dead.’”

And before her husband can respond, the aging tabby asleep at their feet jumps up as if shocked and exclaims: “Old Polly is dead? Then I am the queen of the cats!” And with that, she flies out the window and is never seen again.

Anyway, that’s more or less it - and I am quite proud to be queen of the cats!"

(By the way Dark As My Fur is available NOW from the UK-based site, Book Depository, which ships for free. But you can also pre-order As Dark As My Fur on Amazon!)

New book - in time for gifting AND at a discount!

Do you know the Book Depository? I love it - a great UK-based website that gets my Severn House books EARLY, ships them FREE worldwide, and offers HUGE discounts! They have just started selling my As Dark As My Fur at a 27% discount (that's almost a third off!) and will ship FREE in time for Christmas or Chanukah! So treat a loved one - or yourself! (This is the second in my Blackie & Care series, following up on "The Ninth Life" (which is also discounted!) It officially pubs on Dec. 30 in the UK and not until April here in the US).