Around the Fire In-depth interview with Kris Bock.

​Hi, everyone. Before we get to today’s guest, just a bit of news from me. Today, I’m highlighted on N. N. Lights Book Heaven. https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/book-promos. If you want a bit of my crazy musings, check them out. While you’re there, you may notice a book you’re not familiar with. A Christmas Storm has a cover. But I’m only revealing part of it. If you want to see the whole enchilada, then sign up for my Monthly Newsletter, which will go out on May 1st for a First Look. Around the Fire Monthly Newsletter, sign-up will also get a Mortar & Pestle bonus for all the books in the series. Now, enough about me. You may be familiar with my guest. Kris Bock is a fellow Wild Rose Press author, and she’s shared my fire before. 

Welcome back, Kris. Let me pour you some iced tea while you tell us what the best way to market your books is.
If anyone figures it out, please let me know. I haven’t found it yet.
 
Yup. That’s what I thought. There’s no magic wand or stone to slay that giant. We’ll move on to something more concrete. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? For example, I’ve visited sites and museums to get a feel for several book scenes.
The amount of research depends on the type of book. I did a lot more research when I was writing historical fiction for middle-grade readers! For my cat café romance novels, I don’t typically have to do too much research – though there are always things to explore, like the main characters’ jobs. For Pride and Prejudice at the Cat Café, I studied the original Pride and Prejudice to look for elements I could adapt.
 
Historical fiction is so labor-intensive. What did you edit out of this book?
The original novel had a lot of characters, so I got rid of some. I also made Lydia, the youngest Bennett sister, into a cat. In Pride and Prejudice, Lydia runs off with a scoundrel, and the problem is solved by getting them to marry. That doesn’t exactly work today!
 
Meow! Eh, who’d want to marry a scoundrel anyway? If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
Edit or teach writing (which I also do now). I don’t really have any other skills.
 
Hmm, I didn’t know you did that. Let’s get personal. What’s the worst household chore?
I really dislike housecleaning in general, but mopping the floor is the worst. Fortunately, we have carpet in many rooms and my husband mops the kitchen!
 
I’m the opposite. I pulled up all the rugs and now have only throw rugs. Do you play board games? What games do you like?
I am not much of a gamer, because I don’t like competition, but I will play some cooperative games. I’ve played Pandemic a couple of times and one called Grim, where you’re soldiers in World War I.
 
Okay, opposites again. I’m very competitive. Ever seen The Big Bang Theory, where they go on the scavenger hunt? I resemble Bernadette. What subjects should be taught in school but not?
I must admit, I don’t even know all the subjects that are or aren’t taught in schools these days. But I think schools should teach a lot of life skills, everything from understanding finances to mental health topics.
 
Those are good ones. Mine are Home Eco and Shop, but both sexes need to take them. What’s the most amazing natural occurrence you’ve witnessed?
I lived in Alaska in high school. We weren’t in an area that got a lot of Northern lights, but I saw them a couple of times. Glaciers calving (pieces breaking off into the water) is also impressive!
 
Wow. The lights are on my bucket list. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I occasionally browse through book reviews, mainly to see if there are any good quotes I can pull to share on social media. I try to only read the positive ones, but fortunately I haven’t had many highly critical reviews.

Kris, thanks for popping in and sharing my fire. Before you leave will you give us information about your latest release and were to find out more?

Pride and Prejudice at The Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance
by
Kris Bock
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a fortune should donate to a cat rescue.

About the story.
Overworked PhD student Liz takes a brief break at the local cat café with her friend Jade, who wants to start a special needs cat rescue. Jade pitches her idea to Carl, who is in charge of corporate giving for a rich local family, and sparks fly between the two.
Meanwhile, snark flies between Liz and Carl's best friend. William seems stuffy and rude, and worst of all, he doesn’t like cats.  William is intrigued by Liz even though every one of their interactions seems to go awry, in part due to his terrible cat allergy.
For the sake of their friends and the animals, the two figure out how to get along – until Liz learns some horrible facts about William. But is she trusting the right person? Then the feisty kitten Lydia disappears – perhaps stolen – and they have to overcome their differences in order to rescue her.
The Furrever Friends Cat Café helps people find furry forever friends – and just might lead to romantic love too. This Pride and Prejudice modern adaptation features fresh twists to delight both fans and new readers.

Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series on Amazon US or Amazon UK or see the series with links to all retailers.

What others are saying.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is fun and I had several laugh-out-loud moments – really out loud! It also passed the ‘I'm awake in the middle of the night so I'll read test’ because then I stayed up for 4 - 5 hours reading and didn't actually sleep.” – reader review 
A peek inside.
On Sunday morning, Liz closed her computer and rubbed her throbbing forehead. Jade had been singing for the last hour. It was like living with freaking Cinderella, the Disney version where she had all the animal friends and was unfailingly cheerful when she should have been enraged by her mistreatment.
But Liz would not go into a rant in her own mind. What was the point of arguing with someone who agreed with you? 
Anyway, apparently Jade had a reason for singing. Carl had liked her business proposal. Carl understood that while the local cat rescue was on sound footing, it didn’t have the resources to handle special needs cats. Carl loved cats. Carl, Carl, Carl.
Liz had to smile, seeing her friend so giddy. She just hoped Carl was the sincere and not merely showing enthusiasm because he wanted to impress Jade long enough to get her into bed. If he was playing games, Liz would have to destroy him, and she didn’t have time for that. But he’d seemed nice enough.
Once she’d shaken off her annoyance at the cat-hater and the squealing girl desperately trying to attract him, Liz had watched Jade and Carl with great interest. The chemistry between them had been off the charts. Liz might have envied Jade for that too. 
Not that she envied her best friend for anything. She wanted wonderful things for Jade, and Liz didn’t have time for a relationship anyway, or know anyone interesting, so … 
Wait, what had she been thinking about?
Jade hit a particularly high note.
Oh, right. Good chemistry.
Liz chuckled and headed to the kitchen to refill her coffee. She was pretty sure she’d already taken the last cup, but if she was lucky, Jade would have started a second pot. She found Jade scrubbing the counters as she sang. Liz scowled at the coffee maker, or more specifically the empty space where the glass pot should be. The dishwasher was running; apparently Jade had decided to wash the coffee pot as part of her enthusiastic cleaning binge. Freaking Cinderella. 
About the Author
Kris Bock writes romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a billion-dollar lottery. Can they build new dreams and find love amidst the chaos? In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Learn more at KrisBock.com. Get a free 30-page story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for Kris Bock’s Romance and Mystery newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of "22 recipes from the cat café” and a free Accidental Detective mystery short story with bonus material.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. The series starts with Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium. Sign up for their romantic comedy newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. Or find the books on Amazon US or All E-book retailers.