BooksChatter: ℚ🎬 The Catnapped Lover: April Fools Duet [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Rue Allyn to talk about The Catnapped Lover (15 July 2019, Prowl Publishing, 172 pages), a Contemporary Romantic Comedy, book one in the April Fools Duet series.

"If you love animals and are on the lookout for a light, funny, breezy and all-out feel-good romance then The Catnapped Lover by Rue Allyn is just the book for you. [...] The Catnapped Lover by Rue Allyn is ideal for taking your mind away from the chaos of real life. A happily funny story that will leave you feeling buoyant and in good spirits." ~ Njkinny's Blog

"What a delightful read! The wonderful characters in this story, and all of the animals they were working with, as well as Adam trying to keep his part of the bet going, worked remarkably well and made this an excellent story. The Catnapped Lover had a very warm conclusion and leads me very eager to read the next book in the series." ~ Robin Loves Reading

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

A very warm welcome to Rue Allyn; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for The Catnapped Lover?

"The inspiration for The Catnapped Lover came from a classic movie titled “My Man Godfrey.” The movie has been remade several times but my favorite version is the 1936 film starring Carole Lombard and William Powell. The movie is the best (IMHO) of the film genre known as slapstick comedy/romance. According to IMDb “My Man Godfrey” is about “a scatterbrained socialite who hires a vagrant as a family butler . . . but there’s more to Godfrey than meets the eye.”

Of course, I didn’t want to re-write the movie, so I put my own spin on things. Dierdre, my heroine, works for a living and barely makes ends meet. Adam, my hero, is somewhat like Godfrey in that he’s a rich boy in disguise, but his disguise is intentional. Unlike Godfrey he doesn’t become someone else’s employee by accident. His purpose at the outset of the story is to win a bet. Somewhat like the role of Carole Lombard in “My Man Godfrey.” At the outset of the film she’s trying to win a scavenger hunt.

While The Catnapped Lover has similarities to “My Man Godfrey” there are some significant differences."

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

"Every author is represented somehow in every book. However, describing that for myself is difficult, especially in the case of The Catnapped Lover.

I’m not and have never been a social worker like Dierdre, although I have worked for my living for more than forty years. I don’t, and have never, run an animal shelter, like Dierdre’s Aunt Shea. My son did take riding lessons from a woman who used her farm much like Shea runs hers. I could only dream of having the kind of wealth and power that Adam has (I guess you could say I put some of my dreams into The Catnapped Lover), but I have felt out of place and overwhelmed as he feels while learning how to be a farm hand.

As you can see there are very small bits and pieces of my personal experience in The Catnapped over. The same is true of every book I’ve written, but the pieces are different."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Catnapped Lover - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover artist for The Catnapped Lover is Rae Monet, owner of RaeMInc. I highly recommend her to any author who needs an excellent cover. She’s patient and her work is top notch.

I knew I wanted a couple and ‘the cat’ on the cover. We had difficulty coming up with the couple because I didn’t want the standard ‘clinch.’ Rae is the one who discovered the image of the couple that is on the cover. I see them as lying down beside each other but in opposite directions. That’s often the case in the early stages of love. A guy and a girl are together but something about them is opposite, and that’s part of what creates the tension in a romance. I love the way the couple on the cover of The Catnapped Lover represents that tension.

Of course the cat had to be there. It’s the cause of much of the action in the book, and I wanted it to match the description of the cat in the book. We did fairly well, I think."

Why should we read The Catnapped Lover and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Well I don’t know that many romances that take major plot points from ‘My Man Godfrey.”

But aside from that, I think the book is funny. I made myself laugh while I was writing it. I also discovered that writing funny is much harder than writing straight drama or tragedy. Other author write books; funny books, books inspired by someone else’s story (fairy tales are a classic example), books that reveal something of the author’s life or personality. I’m no different.

What sets me apart? Oddly enough the same thing that sets every author apart. We call it ‘authorial voice.’ It’s the voice you hear inside your head as you read. It’s made up of tone, pitch, cadence and a dozen other qualities akin to an actual voice. Each author’s voice is unique and guarantees that no two authors will write the same story the same way.

I could add that my life experiences are a unique combination and that too makes my writing unique, but because only small pieces of that experience are put into any one book, I’d say that my voice, which is truly unique, is what sets me apart from other writers."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Catnapped Lover, its story and characters?

"Using My Man Godfrey as inspiration is quirky enough, but I’m pretty sure that the secondary characters (Shay, the farrier, the cat) almost steal the show."

Who would you recommend The Catnapped Lover to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I recommend The Catnapped Lover to anyone who loves animals, romances with ‘winning the bet’ tropes, or who need a smile (I wish I could say ‘need a good laugh, but I can’t guarantee that)."

If you could / wished to turn The Catnapped Lover and the April Fools Duet series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"I wouldn’t mind seeing The Catnapped Lover made into a movie.

I think Rob Reiner would be my first choice as director. He handles comedy very well.

As for lead actress, I can think of a number who could do the job well, but I’d like to see Dierdre played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis.

Adam needs a very talented actor who can pull off strength of personality and confusion at the same time. Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect.

And Kathy Bates is a must for Shae Doyle. I can’t imagine how to cast ‘the cat’ but for a voice over—if Mr. Reiner decided to go that way—probably Michael J. Fox. Although, I could see this cat having a ‘snooty’ upper crust English society accent as well."


Rob Reiner - Director	Jamie Lee Curties - ierdre	Robert Downey Jr. - Adam	Kathy Bates - Shae Doyle	Michael J. Fox - The Cat

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

"I like to write just about anything. My favorite genres to write are historical (medieval, regency, and Victorian in that order) and contemporary romance. A humorous twist or two makes for a great read.

I love reading suspense. I have trouble both writing and reading most paranormal romances. Getting past my own disbelief is difficult in the case of vampires, were-creatures and similar fantasy beings. Ghosts and angels simply don’t belong in a romance—for the most part, but I can suspend disbelief when those types of characters are secondary. I don’t have any problem with magic and magical beings (fairies, gnomes, elves dwarves etc). I suspect this is so because they seem more human to me than other types of paranormal creatures.

I love reading a good romantic suspense novel. I like series but want different characters in each book with previous books’ hero/heroine acting as secondary characters. Give me a book written in first person, and I’ll give it right back. There’s nothing wrong with first person stories. I just don’t like them. So my reading preferences in fiction are rather specific. Non-fiction about the only thing I won’t read is ‘how to’ books. I’ll even read them if I need to learn a particular skill."

What is your writing process?

"Pre-write (brainstorm, doodle, research, interviews, anything I do that comes before actually starting a draft. I’ll usually do this while drafting a story as well.)

Draft (Write the story with a beginning, middle, and an end. Nothing else matters.)

Revise (try to make sure all the various pieces of the story fit and eliminate any obvious story contradictions and inconsistencies.)

Put the darned thing away for a couple of weeks and work on something else.

Revise again.

Revise again (By now I should be looking for major grammatical problems. Tense shifts, POV shifts, paragraphs that are too long/short etc.)

Keep revising until I’m happy with the entire story.

Proofread (look for all grammar errors, typos, formatting problems.)

Keep proofreading until I’m satisfied with the entire manuscript.

Send the book to a professional editor.

Revise according to the editor’s recommendations.

Send the revised MS back to the editor for a second read through (Revisions almost always require at least two read throughs.)

Revise according to the editor’s recommendations.

Proofread (If I can afford it, I send the MS out to a professional copy editor.)

Format the MS for publication.

Publish.

Promote."

What is in store next?

"Right now, I’m supposed to be writing a Regency Era Novella for The Bluestocking Belles. I also have a full length historical western in the works (it’s on hold while I complete other projects). I have another contemporary romance, Deal of A Lifetime in the editing process. My medieval romance A True and Perfect Knight is being sent out for reviews.

Yes, there is a companion book to The Catnapped Lover. That book is about the bet Adam makes with his partner and is titled Devil May Clare. It needs major revisions and is not yet in the production pipeline."

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?

"We have been living petless until the last two weeks, when we rented a house that came with a cat. Her name (I didn’t give it to her) is Miss Kitty Kitty. My husband says we should get her a male friend and call him Marshal Dillon Dillon. I won’t insult a cat with a name like that. I’ll try to get you a picture within the next couple of days."

Thank you, we look forward to it :-)

A man, a woman, and a cat — what could possibly go wrong.