Spotlight + GIVEAWAY: Cindy Vincent and "The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks"

       Readers, I want to introduce you to Cindy Vincent – a talented author, woman of faith, and dear friend. Cindy, who loves both cats and mysteries as much as I do, writes the inspirational Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective series.
       I first met Cindy almost four years ago when reviewing her sweet devotional, Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too (please click on title to see my review), a thoughtful collection of meditations that will touch any cat lover. Not long after that, I discovered her delightful Buckley & Bogey mysteries, one of my all-time favorite series. What I love about these stories is that they are fun and entertaining on one level, but they also subtly teach Christian values – like respect, teamwork, gratefulness, reaching out to people with disabilities, etc. They’re great for young readers and for the young at heart of all ages.
       I’m excited about this series, as you can surely tell – because of the enjoyment factor, but also because of all the Christian lifestyle teaching opportunities. If you haven’t already discovered Buckley and Bogey, I hope you’ll try one of these stories soon.

Here’s my review of two books from the Buckley and Bogey series:
The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues
The Case of the Clever Secret Code

I’ve asked Cindy to tell us about Buckley and Bogey’s Christmas story, The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks. This would make a great gift for young readers or as a read-aloud family story. Now enjoy as Cindy shares about Buckley and Bogey’s Christmas story …


Q: Cindy, please tell us a little about The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks.

First, thank you so much, Carole, for hosting me here today!  It’s always a pleasure to be part of “The Power of Words!”

       The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks is the second book in my Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers series.  In this book, Buckley, a two-year-old Maine Coon Cat, is spending his first Christmas with his new forever family, after being adopted from the local cat shelter.  Being a naturally nervous guy, Buckley is a little scared when he first sees the Christmas tree going up in his home.  But Bogey, his older brother, takes him under his paw, hands him a couple of cat treats to calm him down, and starts to explain about Christmas.
       Minutes later, Officer Phoebe Smiley of the St. Gertrude Police Department arrives to let everyone know about a recent break-in in the neighborhood. Days later, another robbery takes place just a few houses away, and before long, the Christmas Crooks have hit homes all over town.  And since Buckley and Bogey are worried their own home and family may fall victim to these brazen burglars, the boys set out to solve the case and uncover the identity of the crooks.  Their investigation leads them all over St. Gertrude, including their mom's antique store and a local Christmas craft fair, where they meet some interesting and sometimes scary suspects — both human and feline.  Along the way, Buckley continues his quest to understand Christmas, and the boys engage all the cats in the house to help protect their family.  Their action plan is put to the test one dark night when someone starts pounding on their door . . .


Q: What was the inspiration for The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks?

       As you know, my own cats, Buckley and Bogey, are the inspiration behind this series. We had adopted Bogey first, and as a kitten living in a house with three much older female cats, he was pretty bored. Naturally, he wanted to play 24/7, but the older girls had no intention of playing, and we soon realized that Bogey needed a brother.  So we adopted Buckley, too, after seeing him at a Petco adoption center.  Within five minutes of meeting, the two boys became best friends and have been inseparable ever since.  And because they seemed to explore our house together every night, we joked about them "running surveillance" to make sure the place was secure.  That's when the idea hit me — Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers.
       But the idea of writing a Christmas book came to me after Buckley's first Christmas with us.  He was both fascinated and nervous as the tree and decorations came out of storage and went up around the house.  Bogey, who'd already been through one Christmas, seemed to take the lead and show Buckley around the trees and decorations.  It was as though he was explaining it all to his little brother and telling him not to be afraid, that Christmas was "the best."  I knew right then that I had to write a Christmas book as one of their mysteries.


Q: What are your favorite scenes in this book?

       Ha! This is a hard question to answer, since, of all the books I’ve written, Buckley and Bogey’s Christmas adventure is very near and dear to my heart. But even so, two scenes stand out to me. The first is the night when Buckley accidentally gets locked out of the house, and he cuddles up next to Baby Jesus in the Nativity scene in the front yard.  He looks up at the night sky, and tries to find the brightest star, thinking of the star that led people to where Jesus was born.
       And my second favorite scene has to do with the ending of the book.  I can’t say more, so that I don’t spoil it for anyone, but there was a part where I found myself shedding a few happy tears as I wrote the words.


Q: Is there a single character that really touched your heart and why?

The Buckley character is probably the most special to me, since he is so anxious and fearful about every new thing he encounters.  Yet he somehow manages to swallow that fear and go on to do brave and daring things.  He even ends up saving others, despite his own anxieties.  That to me is the mark of a true hero.  It's easy to be brave when you're not afraid, but much more of a stretch when you are terrified.


Q: How has this story touched your life?

       I'm always a little surprised whenever I finish writing a book.  I look back and think, now where did that come from?  I especially like the "feel good" ending on this book, which takes place right on Christmas Eve.  Not only did I have the chance to write about the true meaning and spirit of Christmas, but I got to feel it the whole time I was typing away.  And since Christmas is my favorite time of the year, this book holds a special place in my heart.  As the story talks about the joy of giving rather than receiving, I feel like this book is my Christmas present to my readers.  Though in all honesty, I’m the one who has been blessed, as writing and publishing this book has brought so many wonderful people across my path, and I am always thankful for that!
       And I’m very thankful that I met you, too, Carole, during one of our blog tours. You are such a blessing to so many!  Thank you again for hosting us.  Buckley and Bogey send hugs your way.  Here’s wishing you a very merry and blessed Christmas, and all the best in 2018!

Cindy, it has been an honor to have you visit, and your most gracious giveaway is greatly appreciated. I hope you’ll be back very soon.

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GIVEAWAY

Three winners will be awarded a copy of The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks plus Cindy’s new Christmas novella, Yes, Carol … It’s Christmas! To enter, please do the following:

1) Click on this link and share my Facebook post, then leave a comment here letting me know you shared;
2) Briefly tell about your favorite Christmas tradition.

BE SURE to leave your name and your email address in a safe format - [at] and [dot] - for the drawing. E-mail required for entry. Contest ends at midnight PST on Wednesday, January 3. Each winner will be contacted by e-mail.

Eligibility: US residents

Review: The Case of the Clever Secret Code + Tour GIVEAWAY

The Case of the Clever Secret Code
By Cindy Vincent
Buckley & Bogey Cat Detective Caper, #4
Whodunit Press, 2015

Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Children's
Number of pages: 223


Summary

Buckley and Bogey, Cat Detectives, find their next big case with the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Agency to be their most difficult yet. It all starts one hot summer day, when the boys are sitting in the front window of their Mom’s antique store. That’s when they see a big, black limo crawling up the street and going right through downtown St. Gertrude. So who is in that long, black car? None other than famous movie star, Steele Bronson! And his surprise arrival sends the entire town into a tizzy! Especially when he announces his plans to shoot his next movie right there at the St. Gertrude Library, housed in a historic four-story mansion. And wouldn’t you know it, but it all happens just Gracie, the boys’ human sister, is a finalist in the town’s Fourth of July essay contest. Holy Catnip!

But it isn’t long before Buckley and Bogey realize there is something very wrong with the whole picture . . . including the one that Steele Bronson is filming. Because it soon becomes very clear that the guy is after much more than just an Academy Award. And when the drama turns to danger for the boys and their family, that’s when Buckley and Bogey jump into the scene. Because this is one case that has it all — from Fourth of July festivities to tales of the American Revolution, and from a secret code to a hidden key! And unless Buckley and Bogey want to see this movie turn into a tragedy, it’ll be up to them to crack the case . . . as well as the secret code . . . Holy Mackerel!

Purchase at Amazon

($2.99 Kindle / $9.57 paperback)

My thoughts

After turning the last page of The Case of the Clever Secret Code, I now know that it is possible to read an entire book with a smile on my face. This story is well crafted, imaginative, heartwarming, and funny. I love Cindy Vincent’s mystery series about Buckley & Bogey so very much! Written on a level that young readers in the 8- to 12-year-old range would enjoy, these stories not only entertain, but cleverly project faith values throughout. In fact, it’s like Cindy uses storytelling as a method to convey important Christian life lessons.

Buckley and Bogey simply stole my heart, as did the other three household kitties, Princess, Lil Bit, and Miss Mokie, the “Wise One.” The story is told through the eyes and voice of Buckley, and these cats have the human abilities of communication, reasoning, and problem solving. But going much deeper than fantasy and humor are the valuable life lessons conveyed on every page – such as teamwork, thinking about others instead of self, and doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. Buckley conveys a deep thankfulness for being rescued and having a forever home.

_________________________

“Humans have a rather odd notion that fame

makes a person more important.”

- Miss Mokie

_________________________

The arrival of a Hollywood celebrity creates all kinds of havoc and the lesson of human worth is conveyed, that it is “age and wisdom” that truly makes someone valuable. Twelve-year-old Gracie also learns the hard way that winning has to be deserved, for in the words of Miss Mokie, “Without the sense of having achieved something, what good is the trophy?”

Another theme that I loved is that of freedom, conveyed through Gracie’s essay and the story told by her classmate, Dylan, of his grandfather in Russia who defected to the United States. The American Revolution has always been my favorite historical era and I was intrigued by a bit of history that I had not read about before. The night freedom from England was declared, 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence, known as Dunlap Broadsides, were printed and sent throughout the colonies. What an exciting ride that must have been, and the value of one of these documents today is incredible!

Among all that pulls at the heartstrings in this series, it is especially touching how Cindy always includes the adoption of rescue cats – in this case, three kitties who lost their human and need a new "forever home" together. On a spiritual level, that concept makes me think of the “forever home” we will one day have in heaven. And I can’t help but mention how Cindy has honored the memory of my beloved Ebony through the character of Luke, a black cat with a white collar who runs the Buckley and Bogey Cat Shelter at a local church.

The Case of the Clever Secret Code is enjoyable in every way, even for adult readers. It would also work beautifully as a read-aloud story with children, creating many opportunities for instilling important life lessons. Highly recommended for young readers and cat lovers of all ages.

Click on these titles to see my review of the previous book in this series, The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues, and a lovely devotional drawn from Cindy's interaction with cats, Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too

Cindy Vincent, M.A. Ed., was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has lived all around the US and Canada. She is the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls. She is also the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper novels, and the Daisy Diamond Detective book series. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines. Cindy is a self-professed “Christmas-a-holic,” and starts planning and preparing for her ever-expanding, “extreme” Christmas lights display every year, sometime in the early Spring . . .

GOODREADS | FACEBOOK| PINTEREST| AMAZON

BLOG | WEBSITE

Thank you to Cindy and Singing Librarian Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues
By Cindy Vincent
A Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper, #3
Whodunit Press, 2014


Summary

Buckley and Bogey, Cat Detectives, find their next big case with the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Agency to be their most complicated ever! It all starts when someone hides a mysterious package in their Mom's antique store --- in the middle of the night! Of course, the boys find it, and put it in a nice, safe place, until they can open it . . . and, find the rightful owner. But that's when a whole bunch of suspicious people show up in St. Gertrude, and every single one of them seems to be after that package! Holy Catnip! Plus, everything happens just when a priceless, jeweled statue collection goes on display at the St. Gertrude Museum. Missing from that collection are two jewel covered cat statues that disappeared almost a hundred and fifty years ago.

But soon Buckley and Bogey wonder how long those statues will stay missing. Because this is one case that really keeps them on their paws! From a trip to the Museum, and to an old church for the Blessing of the Animals; and from dinosaurs to diamonds, they end up dodging shady suspects the whole time. It sure helps to have their friends with them, especially when the bad guys make a beeline for boys. That's because it becomes very clear, very quick --- the priceless cat statues aren't the only cats those crooks are after! Holy Mackerel!


My thoughts

While The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues by Cindy Vincent is written for young readers, somewhere in the 8- to 12-year range, I enjoyed every minute spent with these delightful felines and their humans. Obviously, I'm an easy audience for this story because I'm a cat lover, but no amount of loving cats can make a bad book enjoyable. Cindy's story has so much going for it because it's very well written, funny, imaginative, heartwarming, and important life lessons are cleverly woven throughout.

Best friends and cat detectives, Bogey and Buckley, are quite a pair. Lead detective Bogey is thin and kind of wiry, able to "run so fast that some say he can even fly." His crime-solving partner and narrator of the story, Buckley, is a two-year-old Maine Coon. Buckley and Bogey love their humans, run surveillance at night to protect them, and prove to be quite adept at solving mysteries. Other household cats and their friends populate these pages, including Princess, Lil Bit, and Miss Mokie, "The Wise One" who rules the house with an iron paw. The cats talk among themselves, even use the Internet, and have distinct personalities and strengths which they use to help.

____________________

"It was funny how humans never understood what good crime solvers cats could be."

- Buckley

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In some ways, The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues makes me think of a fable - for a fable is a tale that teaches a moral lesson, often with animals as characters - and that is exactly what Cindy's stories do. In addition to the well-plotted mystery and tons of humor, Christian values are gently and quietly woven throughout, in a way that offers a springboard for discussion with young ones - values like teamwork, mentoring, growing pains, love of family, hard work, persistence, the wisdom that comes from a long life, learning to look beneath the surface, and reaching out to people with disabilities.

I found several parts of this story especially touching. First, that the senior Miss Mokie was loved, respected, and sought after for both her company and the wisdom she offered. Secondly, the way other cats reached out to two special-needs cats, Annie (blind) and Henry (deaf), and worked to find them loving homes.  What a difference it would make if these essential lessons could be learned in childhood! Another part was how Buckley and Bogey interacted with 12-year-old Gracie as she struggled with her piano recital piece, something to which I can totally relate!

I believe one reason I enjoyed this book so much is that I could connect with the cats through their feelings, fears, desires, etc. - and even those who aren't cat lovers can do that. I loved how Buckley, with the help of his brother and other loving cats, grew throughout this story and made a most important discovery . . .

"Friendship was the real treasure. . . . Without friends, we'd never really be happy."

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues is a book that will entertain young readers, easily opening up teaching moments if adults read it also. And in thinking back to how much I enjoyed my mom reading to me, I believe this book could work very well as a family read-aloud book. I fell in love with all these cats and will be reading more from this series. Highly recommended. 5-star rating for young readers and cat lovers of all ages.

This review is approved by my Ebony.

Last year I reviewed a sweet devotional by Cindy, drawn from her experiences with the cats in her life. You can see this review by clicking on the title, Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too.

Now you can get to know the real Buckley & Bogey, cat detectives . . .

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues can be purchased online at Amazon, B&N, Books a Million

Cindy Vincent was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has lived all around the US and Canada. She holds an M.A.Ed, and is the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls. She is also the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper books, the Daisy Diamond Detective book series, and the Cats are Part of His Kingdom, Too: 33 Daily Devotions to Understanding God's Love. She lives with her husband and the real, live Buckley and Bogey, who run surveillance on her house each and every night.

Meet Cindy, Buckley, and Bogey online at buckleyandbogey.com, Facebook, and Pinterest

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Be sure to visit Cindy's Litfuse tour page to learn more. And join Cindy, Buckley, and Bogey in celebrating with a “jewel” of a giveaway by clicking on this link to Cindy's website to enter.

Review: Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too

Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too
By Cindy Vincent
Mysteries by Vincent, LLC, 2013


A touching devotional that cat lovers will enjoy!


Summary

As Christians, sometimes it’s hard for us to comprehend the love our Heavenly Father has for us, His Earthly children. Author Cindy Vincent began to realize the depth of His love after caring for several rescued cats and then bringing them into her home. That’s when she began to notice the parallels between her relationship with these precious felines and God’s relationship with us. After all, as a pet Mom, she works in so many behind-the-scenes ways to make life wonderful for her little feline family, much like God works behind the scenes to make life wonderful for us. Yet much like her cats have no comprehension of all that she does for them, we have no comprehension of all that God does for us.

Before long, she began to see lots of parallels, and decided to put these down in the form of Daily Devotions, to demonstrate just how very much God loves us.

My thoughts

First let me state that I love cats, so Cindy had a very receptive audience for this book to begin with. This is not a deep or theological book, but rather a tender collection of meditations that anyone who loves cats will relate to and find inspiration from. I was also pleasantly surprised at Cindy's spiritual insight in being able to draw parallels between her relationship with her beloved cats and our relationship with a loving God. Indeed, Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too!

"Witty, inspiring, feel-good, heartwarming, and touching" are a few ways I would describe this sweet book. It contains 33 short devotionals, each with an observation of behavior or characteristic, followed by a brief application and Scripture passage. Cindy is an excellent writer and her words easily flow across the page. These devotionals would be good for personal meditation, but I also think they would work extremely well for teaching moments with children.

Here's one of my favorites as an example:

        When we adopted Moose, he was an orphan kitty and barely three weeks old. he was probably the runt of the litter, and his Mom had been killed before he'd even been weaned. That meant we had to bottle-feed him with special kitten formula if he had any hopes of survival. So there he was, this teeny, tiny little black fuzzball, curled up in the palm of my hand, sucking noisily from a doll-sized bottle and staring up at me with adoring eyes.
        I asked my husband what we should name this miniature kitten. He smiled and said without hesitation, "Moose."
       "Moose?" I laughed. "That's a pretty big name for such a little guy."
       "He may be little now," my husband said. "But someday he'll be a great, big cat."

Cindy goes on to write that God "doesn't just see us as we are today. He sees our future and he sees what we'll become, as long as we continue to walk with Him and keep growing in our relationship with Him." That's a message that always brings comfort and touches my soul.

Other devotionals remind us of even more spiritual truths:  that God loves us in spite of our imperfections or brokenness . . . that we really don't need to worry, because God will take care of us . . . that we can trust Him because He's always there for us . . . that God has blessed each of us with special gifts . . . to open our eyes because there are miracles all around.

I appreciate all that Cindy has done to rescue and love cats, a precious part of God's creation. I enjoyed every minute spent in reading this collection and recommend it all who have a love for cats.

Please note that Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too is free for Kindle from now through May 6!

Cat Show Princess

Cindy Vincent was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has lived all around the US and Canada. She is the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls. She is also the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper books, and the Daisy Diamond Detective book series. She lives with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines. You can learn more about the Buckley and Bogey books at www.buckleyandbogey.com.

Connect with Cindy Vincent on Pinterest - Buckley Bergdorf, Cat Detective, Goodreads, and Buckley’s Blog.

This book can be purchased at:
Amazon - Kindle version - free through May 6, $2.99 after that
Amazon - Paper - $7.79
Barnes & Noble - Paper - $7.79

You can also add it to your Goodreads bookshelf.

Thank you to Amber Stokes for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY

This giveaway, like the tour, is a special one - and a little different from the usual set-up! To enter, all you have to do is leave an honest review of Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and/or Goodreads (it can be the same review on all three sites!). Then share the link(s) via the Rafflecopter form below, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a Swarovski cross necklace (valued at $130) or a set of the Buckley & Bogey Cat Detective Capers (one of which was featured here back in December)!

To make this giveaway even easier to participate in, check out these tidbits:

1) The book will be FREE for Kindle through Tuesday, May 6! You can pick up your copy HERE. (Regularly priced at $2.99.)

2) The giveaway will be open throughout the month of May. The tour only lasts a week, but the giveaway will stay open the whole month so you have plenty of time to read this short but sweet read and submit your entries!

Follow the Rafflecopter link below or visit the blog tour page to enter when you're ready!

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