Profile: For Brown, It's No Mystery Why Cats Rule

Kerry Lengel of the Arizona Republic recently profiled and interviewed Rita Mae Brown. Brown is the bestselling author of the Mrs. Murphy mystery series and the "Sister" Jane Arnold Foxhunting mystery series as well as several other books of fiction. Her most recent book, Puss 'n Cahoots, was the 15th mystery in the Mrs. Murphy series, and is co-authored (like all other books in the series) by Sneaky Pie, her cat.

A few highlights from the interview:Q: How old is she? [Sneaky Pie, that is!]

A: Well, we're on Sneaky 2 now. Sneaky 1 lived to 18, and her daughter is carrying on the business. Luckily, I get all my animals to live a long time. But I must say, it is interesting and fun to be overshadowed by a cat. She gets her own fan mail. She gets pictures from other cats. She has a whole life of her own.

Q: How are cats different from people in how they view the world, and in how they solve mysteries?

A: Their senses are much better. They aren't hagridden by ideology. The human animal lives in a state of constant self-delusion. We have these screens of religion and political ideologies, and they don't, so they're much more able to respond to a crisis effectively. We don't want to see the world the way it is, and sometimes when it breaks through we quickly reach for a drink. [Mystery Books News Editor's note: I have to admit I had to look up the word "hagridden". Not part of my everyday vocabulary! It means "worried or tormented, as by a witch". Hmm ...]

Read the entire profile and interview on AZCentral.com here.

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