Li'l Tom, Cat Detective, and a Holiday Giveaway

Last month, I talked about the inspirations of the fall season.  In continuing with this theme, I would like to talk about the inspiration for my first novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos.  I will also be giving away a free signed copy!  This book is a cozy cat detective mystery set in the streets of San Francisco.  Li’l Tom is the Sam Spade of cat detectives and prides himself on always getting his man.  He was the runt of his litter, so although this could hinder his investigations, he tries to use his size to his advantage.  When some of the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill disappear, Li’l Tom is hired to take the case.  With the help of his lovely sidekick calico cat, a homeless rat, and an unbalanced Chiweenie dog, he sets out to rescue the exotic parrots.  But will they get there before it’s too late?

So what inspired me to write a book about a cat detective?  My husband and I moved to San Francisco in 2008, and a couple of our favorite areas in the city were North Beach and Telegraph Hill.

Telegraph Hill has about 400 steep steps, and every once in a while when we were feeling energetic, we would make the trek over these steps from the Embarcadero side over onto the North Beach side.

It’s kind of like walking through an urban rain forest with all the flowers, plants, and trees.

In all the foliage and nooks and crannies of the houses that are built up the side of the hill, we would see cats kind of hidden away and watching us.

For some reason, that’s the only place in the city we would see cats - maybe they stay inside in most areas of the city.  Another thing I came to love about the city was the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill.

These red-crowned conures have been in the city for decades and are said to have come from pet parrots, originally from South America, who escaped.  You can always see them around this area and can hear their unique squawking while they fly about in a large flock.  Out of these experiences, Li'l Tom was born.

Li'l Tom would make a wonderful holiday gift for the mystery, animal, and/or San Francisco lover in your life!  To enter to win a free, signed copy of the book, leave a comment below.  Happy holidays to you and yours!

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night.  She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales.  She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.