A Cozy Chat - Jackie Layton interviews Ruth J. Hartman

Hi, I’m Jackie Layton, and today I’m interviewing Ruth J. Hartman. Ruth and I became friends through our agent, Dawn Dowdle. We bonded at Malice Domestic, and our friendship grew through grieving Dawn’s passing. It’s fun that we’re both Level Best Authors, and we both have books releasing this year.

Hairless Hassles was released on April 15.

Ruth, have you ever been a cat groomer, or have you hired one?  Do you give your cats baths? And how many cats do you have in real life?  

Hi Jackie, it's good to be here with you! I've never been a cat groomer or used one, so the research for them was fun. Especially since the groomer in my Mobile Cat Groomer Mysteries goes to see many of her feline clients in her van. I normally don't bathe my cats since they're indoor kitties, but two of them we have now, a brother and sister, had a skin condition when we got them as kittens. 

So, for the next ten weeks, I had to bathe them in special shampoo three times a week. Even though that period was hard on them and me, it bonded us, and even now, four years later, they love to be with me and follow me around.  That time period was a learning opportunity for me too, since it gave me a small picture of what a cat groomer does. Along with the brother and sister cats, we already had an older cat when we got them.
 
I like cats, but because of allergies I’m more of a dog person. I include dogs in all my books. In A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series, my main character, Emma Justice rescues a puppy. In An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series, Kate Sloan is rescued by a stray dog. You probably guessed that this becomes her dog. How do you keep up with all your fictional and non-fictional cats?
 
I love the dogs in your books! I'm sorry that you have an allergy to cats but am glad you can be around dogs with no problems.  I understand about the stray and rescued dogs in your mysteries. All of the cats we've had are either strays or rescues. I think it makes them more grateful when they finally get a forever home. For my non-fictional cats, we have three. The two I mentioned, Murray and Molly, are almost four years old. And our Calico, Remmie, is fifteen this year!

As far as the fictional cats, that's more complicated. All of my series have cats in them. In the Mobile Cat Groomer Mysteries, the main character, Molly Stewart, has two of her own - Percival and Jasper. Then, of course, there are lots of others in the stories since Molly spends most of her days grooming and taking care of her fluffy clients. Since every one of my four series has at least one cat in it, I keep track of them in a notebook where I write down all the characters, both human and feline. In my notes, I list the people and cats, their names, appearance, and personality quirks - yes even for the cats! (And the main character in this series was named after our cat, Molly.)

     I include dogs in my stories because I love them. I also think they add a layer to characters' development. Sometimes you can judge a person by how they treat dogs. Also, dogs need to be walked. So, they get my characters out and about in the community.
Why do you write stories that have cats? 

I've never had dogs, but my brothers, as adults, have had them. I've always had cats my whole life. In most of the pictures of me as a little kid, I'm holding a cat or two. My mom was the same way, and so is my sister. Cats are smart, funny, and each has his or her own personality. It's always a joy to get to know each different cat and see what kind of quirks or habits they have.

All my books are set in small towns, and Whitewater Valley is charming. Did you base it on a real place?
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    Thank you! It's loosely based on the small Indiana town where I live, with people who all know each other, and who are mostly friendly and quirky, with the occasional nut tossed in!
 
Ruth, thanks for answering my questions. Congratulations on Hairless Hassles.
 
 
Ruth J. Hartman loves a good mystery. That’s probably why she happily gave up a life of
cleaning other people’s teeth to write books. With several cozy mysteries under her belt,
her main problem is keeping the characters straight – sometimes they have a tendency to
hop on over to a different series, just for laughs.

Over forty books later, consisting of romances, a children’s book, women’s fiction, and
now cozy mysteries, Ruth still enjoys the thrill of taking the thoughts and images of her
characters from her imagination to her computer screen.
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She lives in rural Indiana with her husband, Garry, and their family of spoiled cats.
Because of Ruth’s love for felines, every one of her books has at least one cat in it. Her
cats, who’ve deemed themselves her editors, act like they’re supervising her writing,
even though they’re often loafing off or napping.