Spotlight & Giveaway: What the Cat Dragged In by Kate McMurray

Posted December 7th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 30 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kate McMurray to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Kate and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, What the Cat Dragged In!

 
Hello! Thank you for hosting me!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Paige is the event planner at the Whitman Street Cat Cafe. As part of her job, she regularly volunteers for animal-related causes, and one night at a cat rescue event, she meets a handsome man named Josh that she clicks with immediately. Neither wants the night to end, so they spend it together. In the morning, Paige puts together that Josh is actually the brother of her best friend/boss, which means this situation just got a lot more complicated!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“I’ll call you about the date. I’ll find some dull restaurant in Manhattan. No candlelight or tablecloths or anything romantic. Mediocre food you’ll forget as soon as you’ve eaten it. How’s next Thursday?”

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

The meet cute is based on a real experience I had. Years ago, I briefly did some work for a now defunct website for Brooklyn pet owners. We had a meetup event once at which I met a guy who ran a rescue organization that trapped, neutered, and released feral cats from the population that lives around the Brooklyn Museum (the series character Mitch is based on this guy). Actually, although the cat cafe in the book is fictional and I took some license with how cat cafes are run, it’s based on a real cat cafe in Brooklyn that doubles as an animal shelter. And my own cat Sadie has a cameo; in the books, she is the cat cafe’s only permanent resident. In real life, she’s a chubby rescue cat with a big personality.

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

They pair up to trap feral cats at a cat rescue event, so they meet while wearing very casual clothes and putting themselves in a slightly dangerous situation. They click right away. Paige finds Josh funny and charming. Josh is tickled by Page’s Type A tendencies. They both have some experience with the corporate grind and sympathize with each other on that level, too.

 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Paige takes Josh to buy supplies for his new cat (because all of the men in the series end up adopting cats, it’s an occupational hazard). Here’s a bit of the dialogue:

They stood before a display of toy mouse in various sizes and colors. But Josh was drawn to a display down the aisle. Paige followed him and saw that there was a display of toy mouse and other cat toys that looked like Star Wars characters. “Oh my god,” Josh said. “Mr. Knightly totally needs this Darth Vader mouse.”
“Darth Vader Mouse sounds like a German opera.”
Josh chuckled and started giddily loading up the cart with pop-culture themed cat toys. Paige picked up a Superman mouse and tossed it at Josh. It hit his head, but he laughed and caught it before it hit the floor. He grabbed a Batman mouse and tossed it back at Paige. She laughed, although it hit her shoulder and then rolled onto the floor. She picked up Batman, but when she moved to drop it in the cart, Josh stopped her by placing his hand on her arm. Then he swooped down and kissed her.
“I hate to be the one who points this out,” said Paige, “but we haven’t even gone on a second date. And yet you keep stealing kisses.”
“We’re planning to go on a second date, aren’t we?”
“Yeah.”
“Or this is our second date.” Josh scrunched up his face. “No, our next official date should be a smidge more romantic than shopping under these glaring fluorescent lights.”
“I thought you said no candlelight or tablecloths.”
“There’s gotta be a happy medium between candlelight and this.”

 

Readers should read this book….

if they like cats, snappy dialogue, and light-hearted romance.

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

The third book in the Cat Cafe series is in edits right now; it’s due out next year. (The cat cafe hires a baker who turns out to be Lindsay’s ex-boyfriend. It’s a second-chance romance.) I’m also currently writing a YA novel, which is something new and different for me!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A copy of the book in the winner’s choice of format.

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s the most over the top thing you’ve done for a pet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from What the Cat Dragged In:

(from their first meeting)

“You ready for this?” Josh asked.
“Not really. I’m still pretty convinced one of these cats will scratch my eyes out.”
Josh chuckled. “I’ll try to keep you safe.”
Mitch gave each pair two traps—which were surprisingly not very heavy—two pairs of gloves, and a couple of cans of cat food to start. Josh suggested watching Mitch and a few of the veterans set up their traps before they attempted their own.
As they set up their own traps, Josh said, “So I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m gleaning you haven’t either.”
“No. I’m an event planner. I like cats and all, but this type of thing is all new. But I run into Mitch at work sometimes, and he’s been trying to convince me to try this for like a year.”
“That’s a better motive than me. I’m here because my boss makes all of his employees do volunteer work. My sister knows Mitch, so she recommended I try this.”
“Interesting. What do you do?”
“Oh, I’m an evil corporate lawyer. The volunteer work is to mitigate some of the evil.”
Paige laughed. “Well, at least you’re upfront about that.”
They both stepped back from the traps. Following the lead of the more seasoned volunteers, they stood a few feet behind the traps and looked around.
“Corporate law, huh?”
Josh shrugged. “Yep. I work in litigation.”
“Isn’t that, like, especially evil?” Then Paige thought better of it. “Sorry. We just met, and I don’t actually really know anything about law firms.”
Josh laughed. “It’s fine. You’re not wrong. Well, not evil, per se. But the firm represents some, uh, less nice people.”
There was a metallic jingle followed by a feline howl that interrupted the underbaked joke Paige was about to make about lawyers. Probably for the best.
“I think we got one,” said Josh. He approached the closed trap carefully. Paige walked up behind him and gazed into the trap.
A very angry black and white cat was indeed inside. He hissed at Josh, which made Josh jump back and bump into Paige. She grabbed his waist to keep from falling and was startled both by how strong and hard his body was and by how good he smelled.
Hoo boy.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When Paige Danvers isn’t managing events for the Whitman Street Cat Café, she is busy navigating dating disasters as a single woman in Brooklyn. Urged by her boss and best friend Lauren to find a distraction from ineffectual dating apps, Paige volunteers with a cat rescue organization, where she actually meets a guy with some real relationship potential.

Recent law school grad Josh Harlow is putting in long hours at a Manhattan law firm as he gets over a messy breakup. When his boss requires him to do some volunteer work, Josh’s sister sets him up to help capture feral cats. Partnered with Paige, Josh is insistently drawn to the dynamic event planner and sparks between them fly.

One problem: after a steamy night together, Paige discovers Josh is Lauren’s brother and dating him would be a spectacularly awful idea. Particularly considering Paige’s track record. They’re both in too deep to walk away—but if they let the cat out of the bag, it’s going to wreak havoc with friends, family, and jobs alike.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Kate McMurray writes smart romantic fiction. She likes creating stories that are brainy, funny, and of course sexy, with regular guy characters and urban sensibilities. She advocates for romance stories by and for everyone. When she’s not writing, she edits textbooks, watches baseball, plays violin, crafts things out of yarn, and wears a lot of cute dresses. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with two cats and too many books.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |
 
 
 

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30 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: What the Cat Dragged In by Kate McMurray”

  2. Jenni oldhan

    We brought our dog a crown and Cape lol my daughts love princesses and super heroes what can I say

  8. janinecatmom

    I had one cat that loved paper shopping bags. One year I saved up all the shopping bags and set them all out on the bedroom floor for him. He had so much from going from one bag to the next until he found the one he wanted to nap in. Another time, I had a cat obsessed with crinkled up paper balls. I lined the bedroom floor with little paper balls. She had so much fun scattering them around and playing fetch (yes fetch, this cat played fetch like a dog).

  9. Pamela Conway

    My two rescue dogs are spoiled rotten in general! They sleep on the bed & couches & hog both of them! I’ve had picky eaters that I’ve hand fed to make them eat, put blankets on them if they’re cold.

  10. Glenda M

    I’m one of those pet owners who takes caring for them seriously. I’ve done a lot for dogs and cats that many people consider extreme. Right now I’m outside playing with my 12 week old puppy and waiting for him to take care of business – it’s in the 30s and I’m wearing shorts. Normal for us but not for everyone

  11. Rita Wray

    I adopted a dog and a rabbit my sister couldn’t take with her when she moved.

  12. Ginger Connatser

    When my cat had surgery, she would not keep the cone on, so at midnight I ran to the store to buy baby t-shirts. I then came home a refitted them to fit her.

  13. SusieQ

    My cats are pretty spoiled. They have cat toys everywhere. I have 4 cat trees for three cats.

  17. Amy R

    What’s the most over the top thing you’ve done for a pet? not really over the top but when my dog was sick I made her boiled chicken and hand fed her to make sure she ate and drank

  18. Dianne Casey

    I bought my cats a tall cat tree. It’s in the front window and they use it all the time.

  19. Banana cake

    My rescue dog Lola loves apples. I have an apple several times a week with lunch and i always have to cut up some apple for her. She wines if it’s not coming fast enough and if it sounds like someone is chopping apple she will run to the kitchen.

  25. Patricia B.

    It isn’t doing it so much for our pets, but for pets in general. After we lost our 17 year old beagle, we started fostering litters of puppies for the local animal shelter. The first was a mom and 7 lab puppies. We kept one from that litter and she also made it to 17. There were quite a few litters after that. At one point we had 2 rescue cats, 4 of our own rescue dogs, and a terrier mom and 9 puppies. We were renovating an 1898 house and kept them in the dining room which still hadn’t been done. Triple layers of plastic protected the floors. Total chaos, but great fun. We had to stop, but may do it again now that we are retired. Dogs that are well socialized are so much easier to get adopted out.

  26. Ellen C.

    While dog sitting for a friend, my husband slept in the spare bedroom so the dog could sleep in the trundle bed. I have allergies and cannot have pets sleep in our room.