Today Belinda Blake, the main character in Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, is joining us at Ascroft, eh? to tell us a bit about this latest novel in the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries series. Welcome, Belinda. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

BB: My latest mystery is Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. It’s book 2 in the Exotic Pet-Sitter series, because I happen to be an exotic pet-sitter. 🙂 In this book, I’m working at a wolf preserve in Greenwich, Connecticut, and let’s just say things get a bit hairy!

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

BB: My author, Heather Day Gilbert, writes a long synopsis in which she plans out the entire book…but I always like to throw a curveball her way. She gets to know me better with each book, and she actually seems to have a lot of fun stepping into my world!

How did you evolve as the main character?

BB: I was dreamed up from characters my author’s dad created when he entertained his kids with stories on long trips. Both me and my sister, Katrina, as well as our dog, Blitz (from childhood) were story characters. So my author kind of caught up with me, all these years later, and realized I’d turned into an amateur sleuth…so of course she had to write my stories.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

BB: My sister, Katrina, is a psychologist and although she can read me like a book, I’m always calling on her for advice. My mom and dad are so supportive, and their neighbor Jonas is quite an enigmatic farmer. I also enjoy my home in Greenwich, Connecticut, where my wealthy neighbor, Stone Carrington the fifth, is very friendly.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

BB: In this one, I land a job working at a wolf preserve on the outskirts of Greenwich, Connecticut. I quickly find out it’s not going to be a walk in the park, but I have to stick with it because I need the income and because I want to continue to be hired by the Greenwich elite, where I’ve been growing my exotic pet-sitting business.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

BB: I’m kind of a risk-taker (just ask my sister), but this job is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I’ve learned a bit more about the murderer psyche this time around, but somehow I’m not entirely sure this murderer will be easy to peg…

Thanks for introducing yourself and the latest novel in the series to us, Belinda.

Readers can learn more about Belinda and also Heather Day Gilbert, the author of the series, by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter (@heatherdgilbert).

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Kindle    Nook     Kobo      AppleBooks     Google Play

About Heather Day Gilbert: An ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, Heather is the author of the bestselling Exotic Pet-Sitter mystery series. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Like her amateur sleuth Belinda Blake, Heather plays video games, although so far she hasn’t done any exotic pet-sitting or hunted any murderers.