BooksChatter: ℚ♫ To Catch a Cat Thief

Monday, 9 November 2015

ℚ♫ To Catch a Cat Thief - Sean Cummings

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Sean Cummings to talk about To Catch a Cat Thief (15 September 2015, Rebelight Publishing Inc, 104 pages) a Middle Grade Humorous Mystery.

“From start to eminently satisfying climax, To Catch a Cat Thief is a rollicking comedy adventure positively sparkling with eccentric characters, quick-as-a-cat plotting and the author’s keenly tuned ear for pitch-perfect teen-speak. Highly recommended!” Christian Schoon, author of Zenn Scarlett.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Hello Sean, welcome and thank you for joining us.

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Sean Cummings has shared with us his music playlist for To Catch a Cat Thief - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for To Catch a Cat Thief?

"I wanted to write something funny and for kids. I’d been writing some very dark stuff and I needed to step into the light."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Probably the way I look at the world. Sometimes I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist like Grandma Bev. Sometimes I’m a realist like Penelope. Sally the cat is an actual cat we had when I was a kid. Pure unadulterated evil, she was."

I can believe that! (We currently live with eight kitties...)

Why should we read To Catch a Cat Thief and what sets it apart from the rest?

"Because it’s laugh out loud funny. Because I can’t think of a lot of kid’s books where granny is an unapologetic flower child from the 1960’s. Because cats being abducted by aliens begs to be laughed at."

Can you tell us something quirky about To Catch a Cat Thief, its story and characters?

"Grandma Bev is actually my mother – her name is Bev. But she is 81 and was definitely as far from being a hippie in the 1960’s as you can get. She was in her 30’s when all of the counterculture stuff was happening. But I thought it was a good name so there you go."

Who would you recommend To Catch a Cat Thief to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Anyone who wants to give their 8-10 year old a laugh out loud mystery. Also, it was written with all the former hippies who are now grandparents. Maybe they’ll buy it and see a bit of themselves in the Groovy Gals of Thornhill or Grandma Bev."

If you could / wished to turn To Catch a Cat Thief into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Grandma Bev would be Lily Tomlin. Tough to say on Penelope."

What do you like to write? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I generally write about very dark stuff in the way of urban fantasy and my best selling book is The North, a Young Adult thriller that takes place during the zombie apocalypse. But there’s a part of me refusing to be stuck to a specific genre. I’m experimenting with some different style’s right now. My agent is shopping a very dark New Adult revenge story."

What is in store next?

"I have another book idea featuring Grandma Bev and Penelope – this time involving Bigfoot. There’s another middle grade I’m working on about a boy and his zombie bodyguard."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Me and Stormageddon, Dog Lord of All. She always looks surprised."

What a great picture! Hello Stormageddon! What a beautiful girl :-)
Stormageddon is such a star that she has her own Twitter tag, so do make sure to follow her! ;-)