Read about the role animals play in A Cadence Mystery series

I’m so excited to share my interview with GO PETS! author and blogger, Marcia James. It isn’t often I get to talk about the role animals play in my books, and I enjoyed the opportunity to do so.

One lucky commenter on the GO PETS! blog will win one of my books– winner’s choice!

You can read the blog below, but please click on this link to read it at GO PETS! if you’d like to comment and enter to win a book. Here’s the link to the blog:

1. I hear you have pets, as well as wild animals, in your multicultural mystery series. Tell us about the books.

I write “A Cadence Mystery” series. Six books are available and book 7 is with my editor and due to be released in December 2025. Cadence, located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, is a fictional Utopian community established in 1789 on sacred Seneca land, gifted by the Todadaho, the spiritual leader of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. This is a place where everyone is welcome, and people live in harmony with one another and with nature. The town is governed based on the Onondaga principles of equality, respect, collaboration, and unity.

But bad actors had been trying to destroy the town since its beginning. After a horrific race massacre in 1921 that left hundreds dead and hundreds more fleeing, the town agrees in a secret covenant to go into hiding for 100 years, when it is hoped that the country will have reconciled its racist past.

The stories pick up in 2021, when certain conditions of the covenant are met with the arrival of the three main characters in the book: Marian Greene, the narrator; her husband, Lester; and Enoch Shenendoah, who becomes the couple’s close friend and neighbor.

The books are character-driven cozy mysteries with strong elements of thriller/suspense, folklore, social justice commentary, and Gothic horror. Literary Titan compared my books to Louise Penny’s “Three Pines” series and Julia Spencer-Fleming’s “Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries,” while a reader review compared Fallen Deer [book 6 of the series] to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Many of the stories, as I mentioned, explore the myths and legends of the First Nations People of the Americas and Africa. These are cultures that hold animals in high esteem, and animals play important roles in the Cadence stories. For example, Enoch Shenandoah has a Maine coon cat named Jí:hah, which is the Onondaga word for dog, who might or might not be a reincarnated tiger. His pet dog, Ęhní’da’, the Onondaga word for moon, is a silver-haired terrier who sometimes assists in solving crimes. Enoch, who is Onondaga, is known in the community for his special relationship and bond with animals. He’s assisted animals in crossing over and communicates with them.

Wild animals play important roles in the stories, too, and include Clear-Eyed bear, a bear with cataracts who may or may not be the reincarnation of Sheriff Craig Lawton, who dies in Stony Place (book 3), an eagle, an owl, deer, and in book 7 (yet to be released), bats. All the animals serve as warnings, messengers, or protectors, as Seneca Lake, or Assiniki, the Seneca name, releases the secrets it has witnessed. Each secret released is part of Cadence’s tragic past but is also connected to the secrets and tragedies of the present.

I’d like to highlight three of the books in the series:

Fallen Deer (A Cadence Mystery, book #6) blurb:

A penumbral lunar eclipse of the worm moon is imminent in Cadence where the spring rain is constant and the chill in the air is palpable. Lester Greene and Enoch Shenandoah are called to an emergency at the Hill Place Resort. Marian Greene decides to run errands. She is stopped in her tracks by a deer. And a dead body. When Police Chief George Powless receives a report that there are monsters in the woods, and two more bodies are discovered, chaos ensues. The community of Cadence is left to wonder once again what secret the lake is about to reveal. Will Cadence be destroyed when the secret is revealed, or will it be saved?

As far as the role of animals in the story, deer and the el cadejo of Guatemalan folklore play important roles, both as metaphors and as helpers/messengers to the people of Cadence, a sanctuary town. The town needs all the help it can get in discovering who the real bad guys are when two busloads of immigrants are sent to Cadence from one of the red border states. A secret from the past is revealed and connected to one of the passengers. The community is about to learn that the sins of the past cannot be buried and forgotten.

It’s sold on Amazon and Audible. You can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/25sk4r5n

Stony Place (A Cadence Mystery, book #3) blurb:

As dawn breaks on July 2, 2023, two brothers steal a vintage car, load it with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and drive two hours to Cadence to start a race war. Their fantasy of mayhem and notoriety brings anguish and loss to the multicultural, inclusive community. Seneca Lake, known for millennia as Assiniki, or Stony Place, by the Seneca tribe, dredges up a shameful history of Cadence. Or perhaps it is the Great Serpent who orchestrates the shocking revelation. Once again, Marian and Lester Greene, Enoch Shenandoah, and their family, friends, and neighbors must rise to the challenge or lose everyone they love and the town they’ve committed to keeping safe.

This book introduces Ęhní’da’. He stops the brothers from finishing their deadly mission and teams up with Jí:hah to prevent Enoch Shenandoah from making a fatal decision.

You can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/3hxnxff7

Stone Coat Man (A Cadence Mystery, #4) blurb:

“What could possibly happen?” Marian Greene quips to husband Lester, as she sets out for a quiet walk in the woods. But life in Cadence is neither quiet nor easy. Stunned after a fall, Marian stumbles upon a mutilated corpse. Kneeling beside the corpse is a menacing giant. Is the ogre a figment of her imagination, or is it the Genoskwa, the mythical creature of Seneca legend?

Gunfire, a second body, and two missing people ignite a community-wide search for the answer. When hidden truths and secret agreements are uncovered, the Greenes and their friends are soon confronting their own demons and wondering, “Who is the real monster?”

In this book, Ęhní’da’ is with Marian when she goes on her walk but runs off to visit an old friend, causing Marian’s fall. He plays a crucial role in solving the mystery, too. Clear-Eyed bear is awoken from his state of torpor by nefarious characters. He serves as a protector in this book and others.

You can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/mu8r83jx

My cover drawings are done by Brad Jimmerson, a Seneca Nation artist. He brings my imaginings to life with his line drawings, and several of the book covers feature animals. AI covers are popular, but I’d rather stay authentic and unique, just like Cadence and the people and animals who live there.

You can purchase all “A Cadence Mystery” books here, including The Rightful Future (A Cadence Mystery, #1), The Eagle Speaks (A Cadence Mystery, #2), Improbable Future (A Cadence Mystery, # 5), and Creature of Secret Sorrows (A Cadence Mystery, #7) [to be released in December 2025]:

2. Why did you add pets to this book?

I’ve had pets my whole life. The neighbors called my childhood home The Liuzzi Menagerie. We had a cat and dog, of course. My Australian mother loved birds, so we had canaries, parakeets, and green parrots. We called them budgies. I had rabbits. We had pet turtles and goldfish. And we had a pet caiman. He wasn’t much fun.

My oldest brother was a psychology major, and when it came time to put down his lab rat, he brought him home instead and gave him to me. I named him Ratso and smuggled him into my dorm room when I went to college.

When our four-year-old twin daughters asked my husband and me for a cat, we ended up with Zara, a tabby who mostly terrorized us with her demands. I told my husband we couldn’t give her away, when he said she was mean and might seriously injure one of us. “What should I do?” I quipped. “Place a classified ad that reads, ‘Vicious cat needs good home?’”

Zara insisted we ruined her life when we brought China, our Shar-Pei, home. She made sure to remind us daily. But the two of them joined forces one evening on pizza night. China pushed the kitchen door open, and Zara jumped up on the counter to grab slices. Then, they made a run for the basement with their stash.

Our most recent pet, Ru, was a silver mini schnauzer. He was a man-about-town type, but he loved his people, especially his mama, and every night he and I would do floor time before bed. He never met a human he didn’t like, and he wore ties with panache. He kept an inventory of his toys, tossed our bed if he were angry at us, and was the only dog my mother-in-law wasn’t afraid of. She would pet him for hours. We lost Ru four years ago, when he was 15, but we still talk about him often and miss him so much. He lives on in spirit as Ęhní’da’. Here’s a pic of my handsome boy. He cut his eyes at me because he’d just come from the groomer and wasn’t happy. I know, what’s not to love?

Like my mother, I love birds. I don’t go to the beach to sunbathe. I go to photograph birds. An Eastern bluebird honors us with visits each morning. He goes from window to window searching for us. Sometimes he joins us at the dining room window, eating his worm while we eat breakfast. We talk to him, and he has a lot to say. Yes, I talk to animals and they talk back. The birders claim he’s seeing his reflection and being territorial, but we don’t believe that. Otherwise, why would he look for us? Share a meal with us? Here’s a pic of him. What a beautiful bird.

3. What other books have you written?

My two memoirs are also available on Amazon and Audible:

Another Day in Post-Racial America: To Mothers of the Black Lives Matter Movement, With Love blurb:

Dedicated to the mothers of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and set among the stories of unarmed black men, women, and children who were victims of excessive use of force and racial bias, Liuzzi Hagan’s memoir is a candid, emotionally intimate account of the devastating personal effects of politically motivated and systematized racism in America. She is white; her husband is Black. They have mixed-race twin daughters. Their relationship spans over forty years. As both a witness to and a target of racial bias, her stories, ranging from microaggressions to the truly terrifying, are told in vivid and affecting detail. Interwoven throughout the stories are appeals for empathy and insight, as well as suggestions on how to dismantle systemic racism and change the race narrative to make America safer, egalitarian, and a place where black lives matter. This is a story of shock, outrage, heartbreak, forbearance, love, and hope for her family, for the families who lost loved ones to racially motivated violence, and for America. It includes discussion questions for classrooms and book clubs.

Named one of the Best Black Lives Matter Books and Audiobooks by BookAuthority, and a semi-finalist in the North Street Book Prize 2020, you can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/2vem22ma

American Dreaming: A Memoir of Interracial Love, Estrangement, and Race Equality blurb:

In a country that can’t seem to close the divide between Black and white Americans, Dianne and Ronald’s enduring love shows how. In the 1940s, Liuzzi Hagan’s father, Frank, an Italian-American, met Ruth, an Australian of Irish descent, in Ryde, Australia, where he was stationed during World War II. They married and settled in Albany, New York, where Frank’s family refused to accept a foreigner into their fold. Much like our country today, the resulting division, vitriol, and isolation were overwhelming for the couple, and their relationship disintegrated into arguments and alcoholism.

Thirty years later, in 1976, their daughter, Dianne, met Ronald, who is Black, during their freshman year of college at Syracuse University. Against external judgments, threats of violence, and her family’s strong disapproval, they fell deeply in love. Unlike her parents, Dianne and Ronald found solace, equality, acceptance, and a peaceful reconciliation in their relationship–a lesson for America on healing the racial divide. Liuzzi Hagan artfully weaves the stories of two generations, who struggle against convention, with dreams, commentary about the state of systemic racism and race relations in America, and an intimate portrayal of fractured family relations.

Winner of an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 29th Annual Self-Published Book Awards. You can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/4j53aymb

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

A Cadence Mystery is the winner of five Literary Titan five-star Gold Book Awards and four American Fiction Finalist Awards. Here’s what reviewers and critics are saying about A Cadence Mystery:

“What I love most is how effortlessly Hagan blends cozy small-town dynamics with high-stakes suspense. The relationships feel real—warm, complicated, and filled with the kind of teasing and deep loyalty that makes the town of Cadence feel like home. Every character feels like someone you’d meet in real life.” Literary Titan

“Small-town mysteries are nothing new, but Cadence certainly is, as are the inhabitants. It’s not simply a novel set in a small town, but a murder mystery, and not just a mystery, but one about long-buried (but still simmering) slights. It’s also a tale of community, spite, legacy, and, beyond anything else, healing. Hagan’s characters are realistic and vivid. The cast is lively and multigenerational. And Cadence, the town, is another character of sorts, the secretive kind who, when she finally does give up a secret, keeps a dozen more.” Booklife Prize

“A gripping, emotionally rich, and culturally aware mystery that exemplifies character-driven storytelling at its finest.” Reader Review

“Hagan’s ability to balance a deeply personal story of survival with a pulse-pounding mystery is exceptional.” Reader Review

5. How does the inclusion of animals help you deliver your main message to readers? 

The animals in my books are not props. They’re active participants in the stories. But they also represent truth, wisdom, knowledge, intuition, and trust. When Clear-Eyed bear nudges a shoulder with his messy snout, the receivers of his gesture must have trust that he is there to protect them. The mythical monsters that visit Cadence represent fear, secrets, distrust, sorrow, and the dark tragedies of the past and inside the hearts and minds of certain characters.

What I hope my stories convey is that although we may have cultural differences and different perspectives, one thing we share is our history. It connects us more than separates us. Much of our history is brutal and unforgiving. The legacy of colonization and subjugation hangs over us like a shroud. But I believe we can reconcile our past and heal the wounds it caused, as the characters in my books are learning to do as each awful secret from the past is revealed.

Cadence is a place that values and promotes stewardship of one another and of nature and the earth. They do that by treating everyone with respect; acknowledging each individual’s agency, which is the ability to make decisions and to act independently; and by believing that they’re on this journey together. They include, nurture, and support one another along the way, especially during the difficult times. Those simple acts can make the world a better, kinder, and more forgiving and accepting place. A place like Cadence.

Animals deserve the same respect and stewardship. They serve important roles in keeping our earth vital. We should honor them for their contributions, in the wider world, and personally in our lives. Our pets offer us unconditional love, emotional support, and joy. They teach children empathy and how to nurture and appreciate others. Some people claim animals have no souls. I beg to differ. Just like I know our Eastern blue bird is coming to visit us, not to stare at his reflection. We’re his people. And he’s ours.

6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

Website: https://diannelhaganauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianneLiuzziHagan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17598423.Dianne_Liuzzi_Hagan
Amazon Author’s page: https://www.amazon.com/author/diannelhagan

WIN A Dianne L. Hagan Book!

One lucky commenter on Dianne’s interview will win one of her books—winner’s choice! So don’t forget to comment below!

MARCIA: Thank you, Dianne, for being my September interviewee!

MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks!

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