IWSG + Cozy Mystery: Cold Case Cat, by Mollie Hunt

Busy day today, with the monthly IWSG posting--and I am honored to be a co-host!--and a Great Escapes tour post for Mollie Hunt's latest Crazy Cat Lady Mystery, Cold Case Cat! 

Let's do the IWSG first.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the October 1 posting of the IWSG areJennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

November 5 question - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

 

Cripes. I started writing as a child, and started fantasizing about myself as a writer from a very early age, so my imaginings of what that would look like were pretty different from reality. Also, I started writing more seriously (as an adult) in a time before the internet, when submissions were by mail (remember that?) and all my visions involved traditional publishing. There was a time in my life when I envisioned supporting myself as a writer, but by the time I began publishing in late 2011, things were very different. Self-publishing was a practical possibility, and I chose to do that, having been bruised enough by the previous 10 years or so of rejections (deserved, but still bruising).

So for me, the biggest surprise is that I can self-publish, give pleasure to my readers and earn some pocket-change, and that's okay. In other words, the biggest surprise is that I don't need to make a living at it, and that (most of the time) I'm fine with not having the validation that traditional publishing would, I suppose, provide.

How about you? Did your publishing path go as you expected?  

 

Writer's Report:
I've been futzing around since mid-summer when I finished Edited Out, though of course I was traveling for a lot of that time. What I have gradually managed to do is produce my plan for the next book, and this week I finally started writing! (No, the "plan" isn't really done, but it never is. I can't really envision the middle of the book until I get there). So... I did 550 words on November 2nd. That was in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I'm now working on getting into my groove of daily writing, with the usual target of 2-3000 words a day, which I totally missed the first couple of days. I've added a running tally to the sidebar of the blog to keep myself honest(ish).

No submissions, no acceptances or rejections to report, but I have joined Seattle's Author Events Network and did my first in-person sale with them on Saturday, where I made enough sales to be worth my time, though I hope for better at most events. 

 

Now for some fun--an interview with Mollie Hunt, creator of the Crazy Cat Lady series, and fellow-member of the Northwest Independent Writers' Association. My thanks to Molie and to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the chance to read and review Cold Case Cat.

(also a review of her latest book). 

 

Cold Case Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
12th in Series
Setting – Oregon
Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 29, 2025
Number of Pages – 237
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FSTGWQ3R

An injustice done, a murder unpunished.

It’s Pride Month in Portland Oregon, but instead of hanging rainbow flags and streamers, Lynley finds herself obsessed with a cold case murder. Starting work at the Cat Park, a sanctuary for senior and hospice cats, is challenging enough for Lynley, but then she learns the founder of the Park was murdered and the murder never solved. Lynley’s cat-like curiosity won’t let her leave the case alone.

But why is the Park’s new owner so fiercely opposed to Lynley’s sleuthing? What’s making the Director of Philanthropy grumpy all the time? Who is sneaking around listening at doors? The dead woman’s ancient cat Silver has a twinkle in her eye, but she isn’t telling.
As Lynley’s granddaughter and her beau make plans for their upcoming wedding, Lynley has other things on her mind. Something is going on at the Park. Is there more to her new job than playing with cats?

 

My Review:
A quick, fun read for cat lovers! I do think you need to at least *like* cats to like this book (or the series?), because it is seriously full of cats, and people who dote on cats. Not surprisingly, since I've also chosen to write about an older protagonist, I appreciated the Lynley is no sweet young thing, but a slightly feisty senior, about to see her granddaughter marry the love of her life. 

The writing is solid, the story line engaging. There are cat factoids and cat tips at the head of each chapter, which generally relate to the story in that chapter.  Cold Case Cat is a well-put-together mystery, with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but which worked for me.

My Recommendation:
A fun, quick read for cat lovers! 

 

About the Author  

Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She recently released a COVID memoir which she calls, “a tale of a plague and politics, of depression and inspiration, and an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats.” In her spare time, she pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, Willamette Writers, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

 

I'm happy to have Mollie here today for an interview!

What are your books about and who is the audience?

My books are about cats, mysteries, and happy endings. My audience generally runs toward older women like myself, but I have fans of all ages and genders. My cats enjoy being read to as well.

 

What is the strangest job you’ve ever held?

“Herring Lass” (Herring Roe Processer), 1972, Vancouver Island, BC. $3.25 an hour, a high wage at the time.

 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Right where I am in my home town of Portland, Oregon. I don’t have the energy to move. But I’d like to travel to places like Cat Island in Japan and the Hemmingway Museum in the Florida Keys.

 

If you garden, do you focus on vegetables or flowers?

Things I can eat, pickle, preserve, and use. But flowers are nice. (Did you know weeds often have pretty flowers too?)

 

Hey, "weed" is just a word meaning a plant is growing where we (think we) don't want it!

 

Do you draft your books longhand or compose at the keyboard?

Oh, keyboard, definitely, though when I travel without my laptop, I write longhand in a notebook. I need to write, wherever I am.

 

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for one of your books?

Cat poop.

 

Is there anything else you would like your readers to know about you?

A word of advice: Be kind to your fellows whenever possible. If they mistreat you, you can always kill them later in your book.

 

Can't argue with that. I once responded to my bike being stolen by writing a short story in which the saddle of said bike proved to be a demon. With very sharp teeth.

 

Thanks for coming by to answer our questions today, Mollie, and best of luck with the new release!  

 

Author Links

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/

Follow Mollie’s Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliehuntcatwriter/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt

Purchase Link – Amazon

Mollie has been kind enough to offer a give-away of a signed paperback of Cold Case Cat.

 

 

 

 

 

FTC Disclosure: I was given a digital ARC of Cold Case Cat, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  



Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.


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