Code Grey by Clea Simon Interview & Giveaway

Code Grey
by Clea Simon

I particularly enjoyed the Gothic excerpts, the story behind the silver cat printer’s mark, and especially Dulcie’s relationships with her beloved Mr. Grey and current feline Esme.
~Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows

Code Grey relates fascinating details not only about academic and literary life but also about history of other importance.
~Laura’s Interests

Ms. Simon writes a great story, with very interesting characters.
~Book Babble

Code Grey: A feline-filled academic mystery (A Dulcie Schwartz Mystery)
Series: A Dulcie Schwartz Mystery (Book 9)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (August 1, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0727885067
E-Book ASIN: B010SWRCLE

Synopsis

Did a down on his luck former student steal a priceless book? Grad student and cat lover Dulcie Schwartz thinks not and she sets out to prove it”

It s spring break, and Dulcie Schwartz has stayed behind in almost-deserted Cambridge, Massachusetts to concentrate on her thesis. But when a former student turned vagrant, Jeremy Mumbles, is found injured, with a valuable missing book clutched in his arms, Dulcie can t seem to let it go. What was he doing with the book? And why has it turned up after all these years?

With Jeremy now the prime suspect for a series of break-ins in the area, Dulcie is determined to clear the unfortunate former scholar s name. But when she finds a connection between the book he was carrying and her own research into an anonymous Gothic author, the search for clues takes on a new intensity and a new menace.

About The Author

Clea Simon is the author of 18 mysteries in the Theda Krakow, DulcieSchwartz, and Pru Marlowe pet noir series. The latter two are ongoingand include her most recent books, Code Grey (Severn House) and Kittens Can Kill (Poisoned Pen Press). A former journalist and nonfiction author, she lives in Somerville, Mass., with her husband, the writer Jon Garelick, and their cat Musetta. She can be reached at http://www.cleasimon.com

Interview

Where are you from?

I grew up in suburban Long Island, New York, but now I live in Somerville, Massachusetts, a little city right next to Boston. I came to Massachusetts for college and fell in love! (Kind of like Dulcie, my heroine….)

Tell us your latest news?

Booklist – the book review publication of the American Library Assocation – LOVED “Code Grey”!  They said, “This unusual and intelligent series continues to surprise, with additional backstory on some of the characters adding layers of interest. Readers will not want Dulcie to finish her dissertation anytime soon.”  I’m so excited about this because these are LIBRARIANS reading and reviewing this, so how cool is that?

When and why did you begin writing?

I can’t even really remember when I started. I always loved making up stories and as soon as I could write, I wrote them down.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Ah, that’s a different question! Some days, I still don’t … I kind of eased into it. First I was a journalist, and I used my writing to get information for people. It took a long time and a big leap of faith before I realized that my writing by itself might have value or interest for people.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Well, my first three books were nonfiction, so I’ll tell you about my first mystery (which kind of ties in with what you asked me before):

I have always read mysteries and I befriended the proprietor of a local mystery bookshop, Kate Mattes of Kate’s Mysteries in Cambridge, MA (it’s closed now). She knew I had a nonfiction book out about cats – “The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats” – and she invited me to come sign my nonfiction book at her annual holiday mystery party. I said, “But, Kate, it’s not a mystery!” To which she replied, “Believe it or not, Clea, there’s a lot of overlap between women who love cats and mystery readers.” So I did and it was a blast and we all drank some wine. And at the end of the night, she said to me, “You should write a mystery.” And it was like she was giving me permission to do something I had always wanted to do. So the next day I started the book that became “Mew is for Murder,” my first mystery.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I try to write in the voice of my characters and to write slightly different styles for my different series.

How did you come up with the title?

All my Dulcie books have “Grey” in the title, because the one constant in her life is the ghost of her late, great cat, Mr. Grey. (NO relation to that OTHER Mr Grey –mine came first!)

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

My Dulcie books always stress friendship and love – trusting your heart and trusting those you love.

What would you like my readers to know?

That I write to entertain. If my books leave you feeling warm and cozy, then I’ve done my job!

Author Links:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clea.simon.author

My blog: http://cleasimon.blogspot.com

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Clea_Simon or @Clea_Simon

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49559.Clea_Simon

Publisher: http://severnhouse.com/author/Clea+Simon/9497

Purchase Links: 
Amazon B&N Book Depository

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