Blaize Clement, author of the popular Dixie Hemingway mystery series, worked for years crafting the perfect heroine for her novels in the picturesque setting of Sarasota where she lived for many years before her passing in 2011. Although not involved in writing the first seven books of the series, her son, John Clement, often enjoyed discussing the plots of the books with his mother. With her passing, John Clement continues his mother’s work—using her notes and outlines for future novels—resulting in the release of the newest addition in the series, The Cat Sitter’s Nine Lives.

The Cat Sitter’s Nine Lives takes place on Siesta Key, an island community that appears to foster more mystery than one would imagine. The plot follows Dixie Hemingway as a series of strange events involving a car crash, a missing cat, a murder and several creative disguises wraps her in a mystery she is determined to solve.

For Sarasota locals, reading about landmarks or places they’re familiar with creates a special bond between the story and the reader. Reading e-mails and letters from fans of the series has even led to the discovery that a few had moved to the Sarasota area because of how beautifully it was portrayed in the series.

For Clement, the character of Dixie Hemingway who, with every book, enraptures readers with her strongly independent personality and resiliency, reminds him of his mother in more ways than one.

“People often ask if it has been hard to capture Dixie’s style, and the truth is it hasn’t been hard at all. We each have that one voice in our head—a parent, a grandparent, an influential teacher—for me, it’s my mother. Like Dixie, she was a romantic, a dreamer, a fighter, an optimist, and like Dixie, she endured great loss in her life.”

Although his mother may be gone, her influence is evident in everything her son writes. Clement admits that whenever he feels a bit lost in the writing process, all he needs to do is pull out one of his mother’s books and read the words of a “voice so true, that it usually puts me back on track in no time.” Inspiration for future novels, he says, comes first and foremost from the readers, calling their support, “humbling, terrifying, and so incredibly inspiring.”

As for Clement’s future plans concerning the Dixie Hemingway series, he says he’s already finishing up the next installment, The Cat Sitter’s Whiskers, with the eleventh book also on the way.

Simply put, Clement said, “As long as Dixie keeps stumbling upon new adventures, I’ll keep writing about them.”