WHISKERS ABROAD:
Ashi and Audrey’s Adventures in Japan
by
CARRIE CARTER
Graphic Designer: Stacy Vickers
Fiction / Travelogue / Japan
Publisher: Bayou City Press
Pages: 170 pages
Publication Date: October 6, 2022
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whiskers Abroad is a lively and charming travelogue featuring a trip to Japan shared by two main characters, Audrey and Ashi, who alternate recounting their versions of events. Audrey, having won the chance to write a magazine article about traveling in Japan, takes along her cat, Ashi. Over the course of a twelve-day trip, the pair visit Tokyo, Wakayama, Shirahama, Kyoto, and Miura Peninsula. Food is of great interest to both, as they sample typical Japanese dishes from ramen to sushi to tuna specialties. They also explore Japanese culture, including food markets, a family farm, temples, and Tokyo nightlife.
Adventures abound, from Audrey losing Ashi in the fish market to Ashi slipping out of the hotel at night to go to a cat café, where he meets an alluring feline. Audrey is still trying to find her place in the universe, while Ashi believes Audrey would sink beneath the waves were he not present to rescue her time and again. Audrey is a dedicated reader of her horoscope, and the prediction for each day offers tantalizing clues as to what’s in store for the pair.
Written by author Carrie Carter and beautifully designed by Stacy Vickers, Whiskers Abroad is both an amusing travel story with unforgettable characters but also a useful guide for tourists going to Japan about such basic travel issues as how to get from the airport to central Tokyo, how to purchase a rail pass, what to visit in Tokyo, and what to eat. Lavishly designed with full-color photographs and arresting page layouts, Whiskers Abroad will delight both your eyes and your sense of adventure.
PRAISE FOR WHISKERS ABROAD
“Whiskers Abroad is simply a delight, offering respite and reflections that bring readers into Japan from different perspectives, capturing a writer’s journey through new foods, a different culture, and a cat’s eyes. It’s very highly recommended for its ability to reach beyond the usual travelogue audiences to immerse all ages in its fun adventure.” — The Midwest Book Review
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLICK TO PURCHASE!
$0.99 Kindle Pre-Order Sale Through 10/2/2022
| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve pre-ordered this book, but was able to get an ARC so I could experience this thoroughly delightful book sooner. I say experience, because this is more than a book to read. It’s filled with photographs and graphics and wordage that takes the reader on a virtual trip to Japan with Audrey and Ashi.
Audrey is commissioned by a magazine to write a travel piece about Japan. Her dilemma at first, is what to do about her cat. Sure, she could get a pet sitter. But she will be gone for weeks. He will miss her. She will miss him.
So she finds a way to take Ashi with her, and so the wonderful adventure begins.
The photos and illustrations are amazing, and I loved Audrey’s self-deprecating humor. It was also great fun to read the sections from the POV of Ashi the cat. While his sections do have a good deal of humor, they are written in a slightly different style, so there’s no mistaking who is speaking.
The author definitely understands a cat’s behavior and what a cat would probably be thinking in various circumstances, putting the perfect words to that. For example this quote from Ashi shortly after leaving the train that took them to their first stop:
“We got through the exit gates from the Narita Express platform with no issues. We walked down the hallway,
“No issues.
“All good.
“Then we turned the corner.
“Holy crap!
“This place was terrifying. “
That wasn’t the only experience that tested the cats resilience as well as Audrey’s. But they managed to rise to all the challenges they face on this trip.
It was great fun to share this adventure with Ashi and Audrey, and I really loved learning things about Japan and seeing all the wonderful pictures.
I highly recommend the book to readers of all ages, and it is one that could be visited again and again, to find one more delightful picture or moment.
Carri Carter has a profound love for Japan, cats, sumo, dioramas, and eating unusual foods. She has traveled with her husband Jim to Japan fourteen times, so her numerous holidays across her favorite country were the inspiration for her first book, Whiskers Abroad: Ashi and Audrey’s Adventures in Japan. Carrie has run multiple marathons including the Tokyo Marathon, and as expected, Carrie and Jim live with an adorable cat named Frenemy, who was unhappy at not being selected as the model for the book.
Carrie lives in Houston, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. At home, she loves to cook, design/create Halloween costumes, and daydream about meeting Jacques Pepin. She dislikes overly dramatic music used in reality TV shows. Currently, Carrie is working on her second book, a sequel to Whiskers Abroad, where Audrey and Ashi explore further into Japan and get themselves into even more interesting predicaments.
| Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon |
| Ashi’s Facebook page | Ashi’s Instagram page |
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
ONE WINNER:
Receives an eBook of Whiskers Abroad plus a set of Ashi stickers.
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, September 30, 2022.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLICK TO VISIT THE LONESTAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, OR VISIT THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS DIRECTLY:
| 9/20/22 | Boys’ Mom Reads! | Character Interview |
| 9/20/22 | Hall Ways Blog | BONUS Promo |
| 9/21/22 | Book Fidelity | Review |
| 9/21/22 | LSBBT Blog | BONUS Promo |
| 9/22/22 | All the Ups and Downs | Playlist |
| 9/23/22 | It’s Not All Gravy | Review |
| 9/24/22 | Rox Burkey Blog | Guest Post |
| 9/25/22 | Sybrina’s Book Blog | Author Interview |
| 9/26/22 | Shelf Life Blog | Review |
| 9/27/22 | StoreyBook Reviews | Top Ten Lists |
| 9/28/22 | The Page Unbound | Review |
| 9/29/22 | Forgotten Winds | Review |
blog services provided by
This sounds like such a fun book! Thanks for sharing your review. I look forward to reading the book.
It is a really fun book. A cross between a graphic novel and a travel guide, with tips on traveling with a cat. You will like it.
Thank you for the kind review! I appreciate it.
You’re welcome, Carrie. Happy to help promote your book.