This cat has an official name, Misty, but around our house she is known as Momma Kittty. She was our first in a long line of rescues. Six years ago, she was a young mother cat with two half-grown kittens. They showed up in our neighborhood during the summer. She was friendly and let the kids hold her.
I didn’t think too much about her until one cold fall day. I was walking over to the store next door and heard a pitiful meow. I thought, someone needs to feed their cat. As I was walking home, I looked into the garage, and there they were, Momma Kitty and her two kittens.
Realizing they were taking shelter in our garage, I bought some cat food and started feeding them.
After a few weeks, I took her to a clinic to be spayed. I also took one of the kittens. The other one escaped, and I’ll tell you about his journey in a later post. The kitten who stayed, we named Boots. He was friendly.
After one cold season of feeding them in the garage, the following winter we started letting Momma Kitty come in the house to get out of the cold. At first, she was in and out. Then one bitterly cold day, she refused to go back outside. I bought a litterbox, and she became a house cat.
Now Momma Kitty is the grand old lady among our rescued housecats. She doesn’t tolerate the other cats well and prefers to be by herself.
She still likes to be held, though. She jumps up on our laps whenever she can. When I’m lying down, she’s right beside me. It’s nice to have her warm snuggles.
Yes, she just showed up, but she found a place in our home and in our hearts.
Today I’m interviewing Jenn Pierce, author of the Christian romantic suspense series, Small Town Guardians. Jenn is here today to talk about Deadly Connections, the third book in her series. Jenn, thank you for joining me. Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
I live in Arkansas with my husband and two children. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life and an author since 2015.
What is Deadly Connections about?
Quinn Matthews and her son JJ are plunged into a deadly situation connected to Joe Lockhart, her ex and JJ’s father. When he dies trying to keep them safe, she must turn to Reid Lucas for help. Reid answered a request to meet fellow private investigator Joe about a job only to be charged with keeping Quinn and JJ safe while trying to figure out who is after them and why.
Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?
I do have a fulltime job. I work as a paralegal. I do my writing on my lunch break, in the evening, and on the weekends.
Are you a night owl or morning person?
Night owl. The night is so quiet and peaceful. I also love to sleep, so once I get to sleep, I want to stay that way as long as I can. Lol
How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?
I don’t have a set way to come up with names. Sometimes the characters tell me their names and sometimes they don’t. For Quinn, I was playing on Facebook and saw the name Quinn and was like that’s her name. Reid told me his name was Reid. JJ was the same. Funny thing though, I had Reid’s last name as Matthews first but then decided it sounded better as Quinn’s last name.
Are you a plotter or a panster?
100% pantster. I start with a scene in mind and the book writes itself from there. I figure things out as I go. Example: In Hidden Danger, I didn’t even know who the bad guy was until I was halfway done writing it. Sometimes, my characters throw snags at me and I have to go back and edit what I’ve already written. Example: In Expecting Danger, I was a third of the way into the book when Jake told me he his pregnant wife died several years prior.
What does your family think of your writing?
My family is very supportive of my writing. They’re my biggest fans and supporters.
Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it?
I do experience it. A lot. Getting through it is not always the same. Sometimes I’m able to sit down and push through. Sometimes I need to sit down and brainstorm with other people. Then there are times I just have to put it up for a period of time and focus on something else, like making a dent in my tbr (to be read) pile.
Excerpt from Deadly Connection:
Reid’s phone vibrated on the tabletop. He didn’t recognize the number. He contemplated ignoring it but decided against it. He swiped the screen and put it to his ear. “Reid.”
“Are you at the meet?” Joe’s voice boomed from the other side.“Where are you? I’ve been waiting over an hour.” Reid let his annoyance be evident in his voice. “I’m not coming.” The answer was clipped.
“You had me sit in this hole-in-the-wall for an hour and didn’t even bother to call and tell me you weren’t going to make it?” Annoyance turned to anger as he clenched his fist.
“Do you see the waitress behind the counter and the little red-haired boy that just ran in? Quinn Matthews and her son, JJ.”
Joe must be close by and watching if he knew the boy had just shown up.
“Yes, I see them. Along with the druggie busboy, thieving cashier, and ogling cook. What about them?”
“You have five minutes to get them out of there before men come in and try to kidnap them.”
“Five minutes! What is this? What’s going on, Joe?” His pulse pounded as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Joe couldn’t have called to have him get her out sooner. Now, the window of time was dwindling.
“There’s no time to explain. They’re here now. I’ll stall them as long as I can. Get those two out now!” The line went dead.
Great. Just great. He had mere minutes to convince that woman to grab her son and leave with him—a complete stranger. He wasn’t sure his rusty powers of persuasion would work this time, but he’d give it a shot. Joe had saved him several times, and he’d returned the favor on occasion. This was serious business, and Joe trusted him. Reid wouldn’t let him down.
My guest today is one of my favorite authors, Melanie D. Snitker. I have read and reread her inspirational Love’s Compass series. Melanie joins me today to talk about the first book in the series, Finding Peace.
Melanie, let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
Hi, everyone! My name is Melanie D. Snitker, and I live with my family in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. I’m blessed to have been married to my husband, and best friend, for over twenty years. We have a son who is almost fifteen, and a nine-year-old daughter. We share our home with two dogs, a guinea pig, and a number of cold-blooded critters.
I love to write inspirational and sweet romance novels. I usually have more characters begging for their stories to be written than actual time to write them.
In my spare time, I enjoy photography, computer gaming, and I keep two bioactive terrariums complete with anoles and tree frogs.
What is Finding Peace about?
Finding Peace is an inspirational romance and the first book in the complete six-book Love’s Compass series. Police Officer Kentucky “Tuck” Chandler is determined to protect Laurie Blake and find out who keeps breaking into her photography studio – assuming she lets him! As the case unfolds and the mystery deepens, another question arises. Will the past get in the way of their future?
What was the catalyst for your interest in writing?
I loved to write stories since I was a child making up new episodes for Rescue Rangers or Star Trek: The Next Generation. I used to think I’d write science fiction stories. My mom introduced me to romance novels when I was in high school. I remember devouring Lori Wick’s books among many others. I quickly discovered, however, that finding clean romance books wasn’t always easy. That’s when I decided to write them myself. I vowed to write the kind of books that I wouldn’t hesitate to let my mom, grandma, or daughter read. When I published my first book in 2014, it was truly a dream come true!
Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?
Our kids are my day job. Our son has severe autism as well as epilepsy, and sometimes it’s a challenge to simply navigate the autism waters, especially while distance learning at the same time. I also homeschool our daughter. It’s rarely easy to find times to write, and I am most successful when writing in the early morning or the evenings after the kids have gone to bed.
Do you reward yourself when a book is finished? If so, what is your favorite treat?
I do – and I usually reward myself with a new season of a favorite show to binge watch. LOL I find that if I do watch a show while trying to write, it definitely takes away a lot of that free writing time. So having that incentive to look forward to is definitely a motivator.
How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?
Kentucky “Tuck” Chandler’s name is definitely different. When I originally started to plan out the Love’s Compass series, I was going to have a set of five siblings, all of whom were named after different States in the USA, including Kentucky, Arizona, and Dakota. I ended up changing my mind, but liked Tuck’s name so much, he got to keep his.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m definitely more of a pantser. However, I tend to get bogged down in the editing round because of it. So I’m trying to transition to being more of a hybrid (if there is such a thing). I jump right in and write several scenes I already have formed in my head. Then, once I know the characters a little, I try to plot out a general list of possible scenes so I don’t get lost in the process. The scenes, however, are only described by four or five words, that way the characters can kind of guide me as I write. If I have everything plotted out perfectly, I find I miss those curveballs that my characters like to throw my way.
Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it?
The biggest cause of writer’s block for me is to not have regular writing time. Thanks to all of the challenges 2020 has brought along with it, writer’s block has been more of a problem now than it ever was before. The best thing I can do to get through it is to set a specific time aside and make myself write without stopping. That way I’m not second-guessing myself and wasting the precious time that I have! Also, shorter, but frequent, blocks of time are the most effective.
What’s next for you as an author?
I’m hoping to have a Christmas novella to add to the Sage Valley Ranch series this year. I’m also looking forward to writing Marrying Emma, the fifth book in the Brides of Clearwater series. There is a new series planned for 2021 that I’m especially excited about. It will take place in Kitner, Texas, where the Love’s Compass books are centered and will include some of those characters.
These two kittens had a rather fiery beginning. For months, we had a stray long-haired black female cat hanging around our garage and other cats. We tried to catch her to take her in to get spayed, but she ended up pregnant last spring. We knew she was close to giving birth but hadn’t seen signs of the kittens yet.
Unfortunately, a neighbor found the kittens when she started a bonfire. The mother cat had hidden her babies in the boxes that were meant to be burned. The neighbor heard the crying and immediately doused the fire. Two of the kittens were singed. One died from the injuries, and another had a bald spot. The other two were unharmed.
With the neighbor’s help, we reunited the three living kittens with the mother and kept them in our bathroom until they were weaned. We let the mother cat go back outside, as clinics were closed for spaying/neutering at that time. We posted photos on Facebook for free kittens. Only one person responded, and adopted the kitten with the bald spot. That left us with two.
We named them Tigger and Puff. We gave them lots of love and attention as we fostered and continued looking for homes for them. Tigger is a cuddler. Puff is a little mischievous. They like to play-fight together and chase each other through the house.
At four months, we took them to a clinic for spaying/neutering. Shortly after, a family member saw some photos of the kittens and decided to adopt both of them. Since the family is going on vacation this month, we will hold onto the kittens for them until they return. For these last few weeks with them, I am making sure to get all of my snuggles in and take some precious photos to remember them by.
The home they are going to will be a safe and loving place for them. I’m glad they are going together. They will bond well with their new family, and we hope they will have a long and healthy future.
Inspirational Author 