I have had so many people asking about Lilian Jackson Braun, that I posted a link to a very good article which is an online newspaper. Unfortunately, they have taken the main page off of their site, and I just found out that I am not allowed to copy and paste their article here. So, I will simply say this:
Lilian Jackson Braun, the beloved author of The Cat Who *** Mystery Series, passed away on June 7, 2011 in South Carolina. She will be dearly missed by many.
Aurian says
I am very sorry to read this, I love her books. She introduced me to the cozy genre.
Susan says
What an inspiration she was to all of us who write cozies. What will poor KoKo and Yum Yum do now?
Elaine Faber says
I loved her book in years past but the more recent episodes over the last ten years have not had the same Pinache (sp?) as books from the 70’s and 80’s. Plots seemed thinner and the writing just wasn’t the same. I wondered if they were written by someone else, but probably due to her age, she was unable to maintain the same writing standards. I do love her series, and fashioned much of my own style after the CAT WHO writer of years ago. She was a wonderful talent and will be missed.
Donna says
My local newspaper ran a very nice obituary and it inspired me so much that I cut it out and saved it! Her books were wonderful. She refused to comply with her publisher’s demands to add crude language, etc to her books and look what happened – a fabulous 20 year career ensued! LJB must have been one spunky lady.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I wish more authors would refuse to “comply with” their publishers’s demands. (Maybe some of them have, and that’s why their publishers are dropping them…)
Becky says
Danna, I agree with you, would love to see more authors refuse to comply….
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Becky, unfortunately what’s that expression? Something like “the bottom dollar”… (Actually, I don’t know if that applies, but it sure sounds like it should!)
Annette says
she will be missed!!!!
Gina says
This is very sad news but I’m so glad you posted this. I’ve been wondering when the next was coming out….
Luckily for me, I enjoy re-reading!
Denise Z says
She will be sorely missed – I loved her writing and have read them all over and over again.
Jeff says
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/spartanburg/obituary.aspx?n=lilian-jackson-braun&pid=151629253
Here’s a link to the obituary.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Jeff, for the obituary. She truly will be missed…
Yvonna says
A couple of links to other obits:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/books/lilian-jackson-braun-cat-who-writer-dies-at-97.html
http://www.pettyfuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=92197
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Yvonna!
Joan says
Lillian Jackson Braun became a favorite author when my family and I were going through some very dark days. I haunted the book store for her beloved cats whenever I needed to smile. I have the entire seriesl. My deepest sympathy to her family.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joan, I think it’s great that an author has that kind of influence on our lives…
Donna says
I am not a ‘cat person’, but read all of her books and loved them. Are the cats looking for a new home? I’ll take them both!
DAWN O says
So saddened by reading of her passing both my husband and I loved her books and I read a lot of controversial blogs about who wrote 60 whiskers and it wasn’t up to her standard Cat Who mysteries. I saw sites saying Smelled Smoke would be released in in 2008. I have not found it anywhere. It is sad to lose such a cherished author.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Dawn O, I’ve seen the same “controversial blogs” about her last few books. Either way, she gave MANY, MANY people a lot of enjoyment with all of her books…
Carol says
How I enjoyed her books! I’m rereading her series on Qwill and Koko.
Her writings are delightful, freeing the reader to enjoy a delightful style of writing, without offense.
I will truly miss her.
Carolyn says
Myself and several family members have enjoyed reading this series over and over. The books are clean, clever, entertaining, and almost qualify as a calorie-free comfort food. If you haven’t yet met Qwill, his companions KoKo and Yum Yum, or the residents of Pickaxe (400 miles north of everywhere), you are in for a treat.
Even if you don’t usually like mysteries, Ms. Braun has a rare way of fitting the mystery into a story about people. Every detail builds a world where each character is alive and interesting, with flaws and feelings and dreams. These are the books that other authors aspire to, if they want to share a mystery rather than tell about one. For the price of a book we became members of a community where we will always belong. A place where odd and amazing things happen. Thank you, Ms. Braun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Carolyn, you and your family members are not alone! I have heard from more people about reading (and then re-reading) Lilian Jackson Braun’s mystery series than any other author’s.
Jackie says
I liked what everyone wrote about Mrs. Brauns books but I must correct Donna about her saying that Mrs. Braun had a 20 year carreer. Mrs. Braun started writing her books in 1966. At the time of her death she had a writing career of 41 years. I am so glad that she fought with her publisher about the language in the books. It would not have been the same if she hadn’t.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jackie, I wish more authors would refuse to “jazz” their Cozy Mystery series up! It’s unfortunate that “adult situations and language” seem to help books sell…
Donna says
I am so glad that you posted this – thank you, Danna! I clipped the obituary from a local paper with sadness, and filed it in my “don’t give up” drawer to be read every time another publisher tells me to “jazz up” my little novels. Ms. Braun is a real heroine to me for her tenacity and determination to give the readers what they really want – good mysteries without smut. Wish I could have met her in person.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I just don’t get why publishers want authors to not be true to themselves!
Donna says
I have no idea. But it is important to research a publisher and read their authors before submitting a manuscript, that’s a lesson I have learned the hard way! There are some companies who still want the classic mysteries, but you have to search for them. BTW, I clicked through your site recently and ordered a number of books from your Clean Mystery pages, and have not been disappointed in a single one! Thank you for including that category on your site. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I have to admit that I can see why the publishers think the “jazzing up” is important>>> I am always amazed when I see a parent walking with their young children with t-shirts on that have TOTALLY inappropriate language on them. It always makes me wonder what those children’s home lives must be like…
Kathryn says
My mother turned me onto the Cat Who books about 11 or 12 years ago. My twins were small and I needed a light hearted escape from my life! I was so happy that so many of her books had already been written and I could just read Cat Who’s continuously. It was my mother who informed me of LJB’s death. A Very Sad Day! I too, had noticed a certain degree of change in her writing, although I must say that it was not until her last 4 books. I knew how old she was and was always amazed at how well she wrote. I will miss her books so very much. They got me through nights of extreme tiredness after caring for my twins all day. Those 20-30 minutes that I was able to read about Qwill, KoKo, and Yum Yum were enchanting. What a truly gifted woman she was. I personally believe that she dictated her last couple of books, and it goes very differently when you are writing that way. It doesn’t flow exactly the same.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kathryn, with twin teenagers, you probably need even more “light hearted escape” from your life!
You have a great point about Lilian Jackson Braun’s last several books. I know there was speculation about Who wrote those last Cat Who mysteries, but I totally agree with you about long-hand writing (or typing) VS dictation.
Bill says
I have read and also own all the books that LJB wrote about Qwill, KoKo and Yum Yum…always entertaining and her writing will be missed. I only found one instance where she missed a fact…in “The Cat Who Said Cheese” when describing how bees do not like wool, I have searched everywhere and cannot find any reference to bees and wool. Oh well, nobody is perfect. Too bad, more people should write as she did…too much trash being published these days.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bill, the fact that you couldn’t find any reference to bees disliking wool on the internet>>> well, maybe they really do dislike it, and nobody has bothered to write about it yet? Just wonderin’…
Aunt Rosie says
Maybe Hallmark will pick this series and have a nice run. It’s delightful. And I hope they will stick to the way Mrs. Braun wrote it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Aunt Rosie, it seems like the one thing Hallmark is doing is changing the sleuths’ appearances quite a bit, so I doubt they would remain faithful to at least that aspect…