Tag Archives: book

For the Love of Chris

My newest book titled For the Love of Chris is out now. It is about Chris’s life but told from the perspective of Chris himself.

Technically, the book is fiction because, well, cats are not known from their ability to write non-fiction. Also, the first part of the book, which talks about his early life, is pure speculation based on hearsay and the few early documents that I have. If you are interested, the book is available on Amazon here. You will also be able to get it on other retailers soon.

Here is a snippet from the book:

A couple of days later, Rose and Chuck showed up again. This time I showered them with ear licks and nose bites. It worked. They took me to their home.

They opened my carrier in a room that seemed designed for cats. It was similar to the shelter, only smaller. I stepped out of the carrier and jumped onto the big cat tree near a window that overlooked a pond. That seemed interesting, but I had more important things to do. I needed to survey my new territory.

A big ginger cat lay on the floor, watching me. I left the room and checked out the rest of the home. There were more rooms like the one I was in, but those had big beds in them and no cat trees. I examined every room and found more cats who just watched me. None of them wanted to challenge me. This home desperately needed an alpha cat, and I was ready to fill that role.

I soon learned that Chuck and Rose were my new mom and dad. Of course, they were not cats, but they acted as if they were in charge, like my cat mom did. The major difference was that with my cat mom, I was more inclined to listen and even sometimes obey.

You can read more about the book from my personal blog here. Let me know what you think.

Two Years without Chris

26 Replies

Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of Chris’s passing. I wanted to post something about it yesterday, but I lost track of time and didn’t think about it until today. I also wanted to publish the new book about his life on that day, but my cover artist’s mother fell ill and the cover was delayed. It arrived this morning.

I added text to it and formatted it, which I will show you when it is ready, perhaps tomorrow. What do you think?

I thought a lot about Chris while writing the book and I hope this keeps his memory alive. He really was special and is missed very much.

My Newest Book, Last Breath

11 Replies

I recently published Last Breath, which is the sixth in my Last Healer Mysteries series. If you want to read about where the idea came from, check out my blog post here.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the victim in the story had a cat which Katie and Joe adopt. The cat becomes a minor subplot as it wakes Joe up early every morning. He also adds a little bit a humor to the story as in this snippet:

After Katie hung up, she sat on the sofa with Joey and started reading him a children’s story. Max lay on top of the sofa, casually watching them, but the smell of bacon and eggs drew him to the kitchen, where Joe was cooking breakfast. He rubbed his face on Joe’s leg, then sat, looked up, and meowed.

“I fed you already,” Joe said.

Max meowed again at Joe.

Joe sighed. “This is not going to be a habit.” He picked up a piece of bacon that he had already cooked, blew on it to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then put it on a small plate. He put the plate on the floor next to Max and whispered, “Katie doesn’t need to know about this.”

Max sniffed the bacon and picked it up. He then ran into the living room with it. Joe put his hands on his head, both in surprise and dread.

“Joe!” thundered Katie’s voice from the living room a few seconds later. “The cat is eating bacon on our clean floor!”

As always, I need reviews, so I hope you consider checking out my books and reading one that sounds like it might interest you. Now I need to get on with writing Chris’s memoir.

Katie and Joe Get a Cat and Other News

20 Replies

I am in the final editing stage of Last Breath, which is the sixth book in the Last Healer Mysteries series. I decided to add a minor subplot to the story that involves a cat.

In the story, they are expecting a second child and learn of the death of a woman who had stolen Katie’s identity. They also find the woman had a cat. They couldn’t leave the cat behind, so they adopt him. Joe expects the cat to be a pleasant addition to the family but soon learns the cat is very needy, especially at 5 a.m. Sound familiar?

While I am editing that book, I started my next book. It is one I hope many of you will be interested in: a retelling of Chris’s story from Chris’s perspective that I am tentatively calling For the Love of Chris.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the book. Keep in mind it is a first draft.

Telling my life story was not something I had ever thought about. In fact, I was incapable of doing so until recently, but then something life-changing happened. I died.

Some say Heaven is only for humans, but I can say for certain that Heaven is also for cats. Perhaps our heaven is different from the heaven that humans experience. I don’t know. I can only say that for myself, there was a profound sense of enlightenment after I died. Everything that I didn’t understand as a cat suddenly became clear.

Often, when humans describe a near-death experience, they talk about going into the light. I have come to realize that “the light” actually refers to enlightenment. It is a time when one learns the meaning of life.

I’ll tell you a little secret: the meaning of life is not important. What is important is that which gives life meaning. When I was alive, I knew the thing that gave life meaning. I knew it deep in my soul. Unlike other cats I knew, I embraced it and lived my life in a way that was meaningful to me and to those around me.

The story starts with Chris as a feral kitten with his mom and siblings. This part of the story is pure speculation, so I emailed Terry from Brian’s Home for advice. He had experience with TNR and described in detail what happens to feral kittens that are young enough to be domesticated. I am grateful for his help.

I am still very early in the story so it will be a while before I have anything new to report about that, but I do hope to have Last Breath published relatively soon.

My Newest Book is About Cats

10 Replies

After I finished my most recent book, Last Hope, I went back to work on another book I started in 2023, but kept starting and quitting whenever I got stuck. I got stuck again, so I decided to write a short prequel to my Last Healer Mysteries series called Last Seen.

The book was challenging to write because it happened before Joe’s tenth birthday in 1926. I may be old, but I knew nothing about 1926. In the story, Joe and his best friend, Jimmy, discover that many of the neighborhood cats are missing, including their own. Their quest to find the missing cats is a distraction from the drama in Joe’s life, including the death of his father and the discovery that his healing abilities are unique, and he could be a freak.

The book is different from the rest of the series, as it is written in first person and is suitable for all ages. Here is the official description of the book.

In this prequel to the Last Healer Mysteries series, Joe shares with Katie the story of his very first investigation, a poignant story from 1926 Brooklyn that opened his eyes to the uniqueness of his healing ability.

Shortly before his tenth birthday, while he was dealing with the untimely death of his adoptive father, Joe learns that no one else has his healing abilities, and he may be a freak. He then discovers his beloved cat, Smokey, has vanished along with many other neighborhood felines. Teaming up with his best friend Jimmy, the boys become detectives on a quest that turns into a lifeline amid grief and worry. The boys’ investigation eventually reveals the surprising truth about the cats’ fate, but it also draws them into a deeper, more urgent problem that will test whether Joe can heal anyone besides himself.

Last Seen is a family-friendly tale of friendship and the many forms of healing.

You can read more about it on my personal blog here. As usual, I need your help with reviews. The book is free today and tomorrow on Amazon. It is also free after that if you have Kindle Unlimited. I know some people prefer physical books, but because it is a short 11,000 words, it is only available as an eBook. You can get your copy here.

Bad Cat Chris is also free today and tomorrow, as is a short story I wrote called Repeat.

I hope you enjoy the stories, and if you can, please review on Amazon.

My Newest Book: Truth Be Told

7 Replies

I just released my latest book, Truth Be Told.

Here is the official book description:

Peter Beckett awoke 25 years ago with no memory of his past. Since then, he’s been haunted by a gift he never asked for and doesn’t want. People can’t lie to him. To Peter, it feels like a curse that has left him isolated and feared by all who get to know him. Only his priest accepts him for who he is.

The FBI has been watching him, and they need his unique talent to track a deadly drug cartel that has infiltrated Milwaukee, fueling a dangerous spike of fentanyl overdoses. Rookie agent Hannah Meyers is assigned to recruit Peter, who is reluctant to help, but is intrigued by Hannah after she lies to him.

As the investigation deepens, details of Peter’s former life emerge. With secrets unraveling and lives on the line, Peter must decide whether to return to the glorious life he once knew or give it all up for love.

This one was a bit difficult to write because a man whom people couldn’t lie to would make short work of any investigation. To counter this, I added layers of deception and other obstacles to slow them down. You can read more about the story and where my idea for it came from on my personal blog here.

As always, I need your help with reviews. If you are okay with eBooks, you can get a free copy until Saturday on Smashwords. Click here and enter code WUUWD. If you want to read any of my other books, send an email to “me at charleshuss dot com and I will arrange to get you a copy.

In other news, I have not taken Frankie for a walk since we were attacked by a pit bull. I did order a dog repellent for future walks. Hopefully it won’t be needed.

Finally, the incident with the pit bull reminded me of the story of Casper the friendly cat. You can read it here.

Update: I forgot to mention that there is a cat in this book. He is a gray cat that looks similar to my cat Vinny from years ago but I didn’t want to use his name as well so the first name that I thought of was Sammy from the blog One Spoiled Cat. I asked and Pam was okay with me using Sammy’s name.

Last Flight – My Newest Book is Available

10 Replies

I recently published the fourth book in my Last Healer mysteries series. You can read more about my writing process here.

Here is the description from the book cover:

In book four of the Last Healer Mysteries series, Katie and Joe witness the deadly crash of a prototype aircraft and save the life of one of its occupants. After Joe discovers evidence of sabotage, Katie insists she is capable of investigating the crime despite being almost nine months pregnant.

Someone planted an explosive device in the aircraft, killing the company’s founder and jeopardizing the struggling startup’s future. Was the attack meant to destroy the company, or was it something more personal? As Katie and Joe hit one dead end after another, they learn the killer isn’t finished.

With time running out, they race to save the next victim, but with people dying, a murderer on the loose, and Katie in labor, what’s a Healer to do?

What do you think? Does it sound intriguing?

Revised Bad Cat Chris Book is Free

20 Replies

After Chris died, I read the book I wrote about him for the first time since I published it over eleven years ago. I’m embarrassed to say I found a lot of errors, most of which were commas. I feel I am a much better writer today, but commas are still my kryptonite. Either I don’t put them where they belong, or I put them where they don’t belong.

I went through the book and corrected the mistakes I found without changing the story. I also updated the backmatter with information about my current books. In addition, I changed the cover. I was never entirely happy with the cover. I don’t know why I didn’t change it years ago.

I decided to offer the corrected version for free today through Saturday. Unfortunately, it is only available on Kindle, so you can’t get it as a physical book. Maybe someday I’ll look into doing that. To get your free Kindle book, click here.

As always, writing a review of any of my books would be very helpful and I would appreciate it.

My Newest Book – Last Chance

15 Replies

My latest book, Last Chance, is out today. It is part three of the Last Healer Mysteries series. In this book, Katie and Joe just finish a murder investigation in Milwaukee when they learn someone was murdered at Joe’s resort. They debate whether they should get involved after almost getting killed during their last investigation. Of course, they do or there wouldn’t be a story. You can read more about it on my personal blog here.

I still need reviews for my other books so if you have read one of them, or plan to, please help me by reviewing it. Also, let me know here what you think.

My Latest Book – Last Rites

18 Replies

My newest book is now available. It is called Last Rites and is a sequel to The Last Healer.

I didn’t plan on writing a second book but several people said they wanted to read more about Katie and Joe, so I thought a sequel was in order. I know see potential for a series. In this book, Joe learns more about his healing abilities and how to control them. Here is the description from the back of the book.

In this gripping sequel to “The Last Healer,” Katie and Joe, fresh from their honeymoon, must race to Milwaukee to save the life of Katie’s dear friend Ashley after she and her mother fall victim to a ruthless attack. With Ashley on the brink of death while a priest delivers Last Rites, her only chance for survival is Joe’s remarkable healing powers.

What starts as a rescue mission turns into a murder investigation as they investigate the killing of Ashley’s mother. While searching for the shooter, their investigation leads them to a chilling conspiracy centered on the city’s homeless population. As they uncover more of the truth, they become targets as someone is determined to silence them. Will Katie and Joe find who is behind a series of murders, or will they become the next victims?

This book can be read as a standalone book, but it would be better to read The Last Healer first. As always, you can help me by leaving reviews on Amazon, or anywhere. If you would like to read and review this or any of my books but are on a tight budget (which I more than understand) send me an email to cehuss at tampabay.rr.com. Let me know which book or books you want and weather you want the paperback or Kindle version. I will give out as many as I can afford.

As of this writing, the print version is not available because of a problem with the cover but I hope to have it fixed later today or tomorrow.