It’s Shock and Paw Release Day – giveaway!

By Liz, celebrating the release of Shock and Paw, the 8th Cat Cafe Mystery!

It’s release day for Shock and Paw!

The 8th installment in the Cat Cafe series takes place over Christmas – and it was even more fun because I wrote it over Christmas last year, so it felt extra festive. 

Aside from the electrocution and all. 

For this installment I was excited to be able to give Becky Walsh, Maddie’s best friend and the editor of the island’s daily newspaper, a starring role. 

Becky’s boss, the publisher of the independent newspaper, is murdered after Becky overhears her contemplating selling the paper. She’s terrified about what that will mean, both for her as a an employee and for the people who need the news on the island. 

I love writing about the newspaper biz. The reality is, what’s happening on Daybreak started happening everywhere back in the 2000s. A lot of smaller papers were sold and/or folded. Staff was cut. The way news happened changed with social media.

And yet. The sentiment of journalists doesn’t change.   

I started my career as a journalist, and it’s something that I don’t think you ever stop being. The mindset is ingrained. Curiosity, one of the main drivers of the job, is a given. None of that wanes if it’s in you, even when you go on to other jobs. 

I really believe that journalism gives you so many skills that are applicable not only from a writing perspective, but from a life perspective. Things like:

Deadlines. As a journalist, we lived by deadlines. You didn’t miss them, period. It’s a helpful skill to translate to writing books. 

Interview skills. You needed to get people to talk to you, so you learned to ask questions in many different ways. You learned to ask interesting questions. You learned to ask the question beneath the question. A journalist never stops asking. It’s why we’re so annoying to family and friends. 

Relationship building. People won’t talk to you if they don’t trust you. You have to learn how to cultivate that trust by keeping your word, being fair and as objective as possible, and remembering the people behind the stories. It’s never worth it to treat someone poorly to get one scoop – because the next time you need them, they won’t talk to you. 

Writing lean. When you have 13 or 15 inches for a story, you can’t waste words. Write lean, kill your darlings, and just tell the story. 

Time management. Juggling multiple stories every day in between checking in with sources, keeping track of developing news, running around to events or locations and getting the actual writing done means you’re always on the clock. Maximizing your time and working smart is key to being successful.

I love when I get to write about the newsroom again. It’s like revisiting one of my favorite career stops along the way. 

As for the sale of the Daybreak Island newspaper? You’ll just have to read the book to find out. 

Readers, who here is still a newspaper reader, even if it’s online only? I’m giving away a copy of the new book to a random commenter!