Seneca James is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Butterfly Betrayal, the first novel in the Seneca James mystery series.

Welcome, Seneca. 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. The novel I live in, Butterfly Betrayal, is amazing! I run a butterfly farm, and also own the Painted Wings Café, where the people of Maple Junction, Indiana, can hang out and catch up on the latest happenings.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too? I definitely get a say! When Ruth, the author, has trouble coming up with the next line in the story, I give her a friendly nudge, telling her what I would like to happen.

How did you evolve as the main character? Since I’ve always wanted to own a butterfly farm, I was fortunate enough to inherit the one my grandmother had run. So many people come through my businesses, and I get to be involved in their lives and troubles, the same way they are in mine. When someone close to me turned into a person I didn’t recognize anymore, the trouble started for me.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? First of all, my cat, Winifred, is a crucial part of the story. She’s my little furry sidekick, although she can be moody and persnickety. But then, so are lots of cats. Just one more reason we love them! And my best friend, Cody. He’s also our town sheriff. I couldn’t do life without him.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? Maple Junction is a small, friendly town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, and gossip spreads fast! You can always count on your friends and neighbors for support if anything goes wrong. At least, I used to be able to, until my next-door neighbor threw me for a loop…

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book? The other characters and I can’t wait to meet you! And we’re looking forward to bringing you book two in the series, soon!

Thank you for answering my questions, Seneca, and good luck to you and your author, Ruth J Hartman, with Butterfly Betrayal, the first book in the Seneca James mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Seneca and her author, Ruth J Hartman by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Facebook Author and Bookbub pages.

The novel is available online at Amazon

About Ruth J Hartman: Ruth spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying. Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them.