Jennifer Clark

August Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ August 15, 2026

Hello my lovely readers and fellow booklovers! For those of you new here, I, your fabulous host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today, Jennifer Clark is here with us from the adult Christian murder mystery Murder May I by Cathy Rueter. Cathy stitches together stories with a dash of romance and a slash of death while writing murder mysteries, cozies, and short stories with a Christian worldview. Retaining her Michigan roots, she’s now growing Texas shoots with her heart and accent firmly planted in both states.

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Meet Jennifer

Welcome to Fable Features! Oh, hold on.

[Patricia adjusts the curtains in the studio to block the sun from shining directly into her guest’s eyes.]

It is such a lovely day out, isn’t it? But I figure you probably don’t want to be blinded by the sun during the interview.

[Patricia sits across from her guest and smiles.]

So tell me: What was your family like, growing up?

Thanks for having me here, Patricia. Let’s see.

[Jen brushes a dark curl from her eye.]

At first, my family was just Mom, Dad, and me. Being an only child was great fun sometimes. They were strict but they also allowed me to do things other kids my age didn’t get a chance to do. Dallas, Texas, was homebase, even back then, but sometimes they’d pull me out of school and the three of us traveled all over for Dad’s work—he’s a science professor, now in the medical industry. And I tagged along to help my mom with her photography equipment when she was just starting out. She designs coffee table nature books. I got a lot of my parents’ undivided attention back then. But it could be lonely too.

[Patricia nods as she listens.]

That does sound like it could be lonely.

When I was seven, a new family moved to our block. Their daughter, Caribbean, was my age and we quickly became best friends. Her brother, Colin, was five years older than us. He didn’t want much to do with us “little kids” back then. Cari,

[Jen leans forward and whispers,]

pronounced like Kar-ee,

[she sits back and smiles like she’s just handed you a treasured secret]

was over at our house most of the time. Her parents were . . . well, they weren’t always real reliable.

When we were twelve, Cari’s parents were in a fatal auto accident. Colin was already at college and didn’t seem to need us too much, but they didn’t have any other family, so Mom and Dad took Cari in as their foster daughter. They made sure each of us had our own space to grow into.  You know, things like we weren’t allowed to sign up for the same teachers or classes, most of the time. And Mom took pains to make the rest of our teen years fun, once Cari moved in full time.

[Jen giggles.]

I have to admit though; we didn’t always make life easy for her.

Hah! I bet not. It sounds like you have some amazing, caring parents. I’m so glad they took in your friend and were intentional toward each of you.

On the topic of friends, what quality do you value most in a friend?

Loyalty. I’m not talking about the kind where you’ll do anything for your friend, right or wrong, just because they’re your friend. I’m talking the kind of loyalty that comes with knowing your friend’s good and bad traits and still loving them. Talking through hard things with each other—especially if it involves the other person. But being there for them as much as you can when they need you, even if it’s only through the phone.

Well said! I agree—loyalty means sticking around even when their bad traits come to light.

[Patricia considers Jennifer curiously.]

Did you ever fight with Cari?

Did we ever! Things like who used the last of the shampoo, which one went to the store with Mom last time. You know . . . mostly normal little squabbles that sisters get into sometimes. Mom once said we were like two bugs in a rug. Two very different species of bugs but same rug. That’s pretty accurate.

[Patricia chuckles.]

Sounds like me and my sister growing up.

Once Cari became a mom to the twins, we had some huge differences of opinions. Thankfully, she let me voice mine, but they’re her kids, and I’m not a parent so I have no real experience in that department.

[Jennifer chokes up a bit.]

I pretty much just deal with her choices when it comes to Ree and Auggie. And try to remember that she was raised very different than me during her formative years.

[Jen beckons Patricia closer.]

[Patricia leans forward.]

I don’t want to say anything further or it will give some of my story away.

Oh of course! Let’s move to the next question then. Our viewers will just have to check out your book to learn more.

[Patricia winks at the camera then settles back.]

Who do you usually turn to for help?

Here on earth? It depends on what I need. Mom and Dad have been stationed out of the country for the last few years, so I mostly get to talk to them on weekends. Cari and I were . . . are . . . still best friends, even though we drive each other crazy sometimes. Mostly, it’s been me, Cari, and her twins, Ree and Auggie.

[Jen beams a wide grin.]

They’re my godchildren. We’ve all been an unbeatable team. I also have my college roommate Sassafras. We live halfway across the country from each other, but she’s always ready to jump in and help whenever she’s needed.

I also rely on my faith. God and I have a lot of talks.

[Jen clears her throat.]

Well, mostly I’ve done the talking. He listens. I’m working on that, though.

[Patricia chuckles.]

Listening can be tough, huh? I love that you have people you can turn to.

What’s something you don’t often tell people?

[Jen’s cheeks heat and she gives an embarrassed cough.]

I promised myself I’d be honest in this interview so here goes. Sometimes I miss being an only child.

[She takes a deep breath.]

There, I said it. I loved having Cari as a sister growing up, but she could be larger than life . . . taller than me by a mile . . . and so beautiful. Sometimes, it felt like she sucked all the attention right out of the room. I know that’s not very nice to say, but jealousy can be hard to push away sometimes.

[Patricia nods with understanding.]

Yeah, that’s not an easy feeling to stuff down, huh? Well thank you for having the courage to share that. I think a lot of people can relate to feeling jealous of someone.

On a more lighthearted note, if you could make one big animal tiny or one tiny animal big, what animal would that be?

Hmm, I’ve never thought about that before. Give me a minute.

[Jen chews the inside of her cheek.]

Ah! I’ve got it. In my home office, I have a poster of a multi-colored elephant and he’s spraying paint of every hue imaginable. He’s the happiest little guy and he makes me smile. First of all, that exact elephant would have to come to life, colors and all. Then he’d need to be a manageable size. About the height of a German shepherd dog would be perfect, don’t you think?

Oh absolutely! I think that would be amazing. And such a unique pet to have.

Do you have any pets? Or want a certain pet at some point?

Do beta fish count? I never had a pet other than that.

[Jen sighs.]

It would have been fun, I think. But Mom and Dad didn’t want the hassle of boarding a fur baby when we traveled.

Auggie’s been pestering Cari for a dog for a few years now. We’ll see how that goes. I expect I’ll get some caretaking duties if he gets his way.  That will be enjoyable. Take care of them for a time and then give them back. Like being an aunt.

[Jen chuckles.]

Beta fish are still fun pets. They’re very smart fish. And that would be interesting to add a dog to the family! I think you’re right, though—you might end up with some caretaking duties if that happens.

What was the situation where you laughed the hardest you ever have?

I get the giggles when I’m around Cari and the kids a lot. Last year, we were feeding the ducks down by the pond behind my apartment building. It’s one of our favorite things to do. I was bragging how sweet our little feathered friends had all been to me since the last time we were there together. How the ducks now came right up and ate out of my hands, even the cranky drake. I had a pile of seeds for my favorite momma hen and was showing Auggie and Ree how gentle she was . . . until I got too close to her babies. She hissed at me so loud and flapped her wings in my face. It startled me and I fell backwards, right into the pond. Momma duck stalked over to me, snatched the rest of the soggy seeds from my hand, scolded me with more angry quacks, then waddled away with her brood. I was still laughing when Cari and the kids got me up to my apartment, squishing pond water from my espadrille sandals all the way down the hall.

[Patricia laughs.]

Well you sure upset that momma duck! Auggie and Ree are not going to forget that ever, are they?

[Patricia leans back and considers the next question.]

What’s a line you would never cross?

Up until recently, I would have said I could never kill someone.  Now I know, given the right circumstances, it’s entirely possible that statement is no longer true. And I didn’t think I’d ever lose sight of my faith, but for a while there, well, let’s just say it was hiding really well. So . . . I guess the line I would never cross would have to be, “never say never,” because you just don’t know what situation you’ll be thrown into that requires you to cross a line you never imagined yourself stepping over.

[Patricia nods and frowns slightly, intrigued.]

True, you never really know how you’ll react until you’re thrown into that situation. You’ve got me curious now—tell me about this situation that tempted you to consider killing someone.

Paraphrasing one of my favorite detectives, Sherlock Holmes, “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

[Jen winks at Patricia.]

Seriously though, I knew I was overly protective of “my people,” but I never realized how much until my inner Momma Bear came roaring out when someone threatened the kids while they were in my care. Looking back on it, I never want that woman to show herself again . . . or be that scared.

[Jen shudders.]

[Patricia shudders as well.]

That must’ve been scary to see yourself react that way. You never really know how you’ll respond until you’re in an extreme situation like that, huh? I’m glad it sounds like the kids were okay.

I’d love to hear your answer to this: If you had to tell someone one piece of advice, what would that be?

Believe in yourself. It’s so much easier said than done. Believe in who God created you to be and work towards becoming the best version of that you can be. Our journeys aren’t usually straight lines to our destinations. Thankfully, we can always turn around and retrace our steps if we need to.

I love that answer. I don’t think people realize how powerful it is to simply believe in yourself and who you were created to be.

[Patricia stands and smiles at her guest.]

Thank you so much for coming out here today!

[Jennifer heaves a sigh of relief that the interview seems to be over.]

Again, thank you for having me on here. I appreciate this opportunity to get to know you and your friends.

You’re very welcome! I enjoyed getting to know you and I appreciated hearing about your experiences and words of advice.

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

Jennifer’s author, Cathy Rueter, can be found on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and her website, https://www.cathyrueter.com. You can purchase Murder May I here. And check out her other books too: Scaring Miss Muffet Away (the prequel to Murder May I) and It’s Beginning to Look a Llama Like Christmas.

ALSO! The author is giving away a free digital copy of Scaring Miss Muffet Away. The giveaway runs from August 15 to August 30. To enter, simply leave a comment on this article!

The winner will be randomly selected on August 31 and will be announced on Instagram (@linnae_writer), Facebook (Linnae Klutchko), and X/Twitter (@linnaeus_writer).

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Author headshot: Photograph by Sheila Stone of Personal Perspective Photography

Cover: Mask designed and photographed by Cathy Rueter; cover art by Kelly Artieri

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Jennifer, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.