Mouse Watch agents Bernie Skampersky and Jarvis Slinktail are back to encounter cat rescues, deep sea adventures, questionable characters and a whole lot more Tabasco sauce.
If you are not yet familiar with The Mouse Watch series, strap in. You are in for one heck of a high stakes, cheese-filled kind of ride.
The Mouse Watch tells the story of Bernie Skampersky; a small, young, brave mouse who tries everything to catch the attention of famed mouse inventor Gadget Hackwrench and be welcomed into the Mouse Watch: a group of elite, crime-solving, tech-savvy agents. Her mission to prove herself as being anything but small compliments the Watch’s mission: to save the world.
Author Jason Lethcoe, under the pseudonym J.J. Gilbert, is back to tell the second story in the series, Mouse Watch: Underwater.
Six months after being recruited to the Mouse Watch, Bernie and Jarvis are now officially Level One agents and best pals. They have already completed their first successful mission, and now it’s now back to basic training with the goal of moving up the ranks in the Mouse Watch.
But more pressing matters are at hand (or rather, at paw). A mysterious radio transmission reveals that the S.S. Moon, a long-lost spy vessel, may still lie hidden under the sea. Legend has it that on board the ship is an energy source called the Milk Saucer that could save―or destroy―the planet. The Mouse Watch must get to it before it falls into the claws of their evil nemesis, R.A.T.S (the Rogue Animal Thieves Society; which yes, happens to mostly consist of rats)!
I was excited to pick J.J.’s brain about all things Mouse Watch, including writing a sequel, underwater creatures, new and improved gadgets, and what Bernie and Jarvis might find themselves up to next:
Q: Jason, thanks for chatting to us here at Laughing Place. Shall we call you Jason or J.J.?
A: J.J. is my childhood nickname, so since we’re talking books for young people let’s go with that.
Q: Thanks, J.J. How are you feeling now that Mouse Watch: Underwater aka Mouse Watch 2 is now out in the world? Did you do anything fun to celebrate its release on May 4?
A: I was particularly excited about Underwater. My wife and I celebrated with some wine and a very nice Stilton cheese! It was a great way to honor Bernie and Jarvis.
Q: How did your approach to Underwater differ from the first book in terms of your writing routine? Did you have the second adventure already mapped out in your head while writing the first book or did you start anew after completing book one?
A: I had the adventure ready to go on this one. The first book was challenging because I was still getting to know Bernie and Jarvis as the main characters. Underwater gave me the chance to really let loose and have fun. Bernie and Jarvis are close friends after what they went through together in book one and it was great to see their personalities play off of each other in book two.
Q: When we last spoke, you said and I quote: “My books have to be about themes that I strongly believe in or I can’t find the conviction and will power to write them.” We identified various key themes in Underwater, including facing fears, friendship, acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, teamwork and independence, preconceived judgments, and the power of positivity. What were the most important themes that you really wanted to bring to the forefront in Underwater and why?
A: You’ve hit on the most important ones for sure. But in this book I particularly wanted to show how teamwork in close friendships is very important. The ability to have empathy when someone close to you is suffering and to do all you can to help them is an important part of life’s journey. In this case, Bernie’s love for Jarvis really comes to the forefront as she helps him confront his fear of water. But he’s also a help to her when it comes to her feelings about cats!
Q: I always look forward to the new gadgets that the Mouse Watch agents will be using during their missions. Aluminum cylinders that fit into the agents’ backpacks and then unfold into mouse-sized motorcycles sounds both mega cool and very handy. Do you have a favorite gadget from book two?
A: I really loved giving Bernie and Jarvis new goggles for using underwater, I mean, who wouldn’t want a pair of “Soggies?” I know I would! I’ve always loved aquariums and used to live on a boat, so anything ocean related was especially fun to create.
Q: There are some confronting ocean encounters in Underwater, including one mishap with a great white shark (not a spoiler – there is a shark on the cover, after all!). What deep sea creature frightens you most and why?
A: I’ve always had a deep love for the sea and there’s not much down there that gives me the creeps. But for me, growing up as a kid in Oregon, Sasaquatch gave me the night terrors! So, I guess land-based cryptid creatures would be much scarier!
Q: Without giving too much away, can you share with us some of your favorite moments in Underwater and why?
A: There’s so many! I loved writing how annoyed Jarvis was with Bernie calling him “Jarvie.” I also really liked introducing the mouse version of Dungeons and Dragons called “Mice and Dice.” But if pressed, I would have to say that when I was writing Catlantis, I smiled the most often. (We have a very large orange cat that served as inspiration.)
Q: When we spoke about characters in book one, you said that while you love Bernie, you had a lot of fun with Jarvis. Is Jarvis your favorite character in Underwater or does someone else steal the title?
A: Captain Crumb and Octavia were a joy to bring to life. I liked the Captain Nemo qualities in Octavia and Captain Crumb was a bit autobiographical. As a side note, when I was a member of a secret society called the Brotherhood of Thaumaturgic Cartographers my name was Phineas Crumpt and, well, that’s all I can really say about that.
Q: What are the pros and cons of writing a sequel story?
A: The pros are that you know the world you’ve set up and who your protagonists are. But the cons are that you don’t want to bore your audience with too much backstory… you want to get the adventure going right away! Thankfully, I have a great editorial team to help me with those things.
Q: Can you give us any hints as to what the next adventure might hold for the Mouse Watch?
A: Being an avid fantasy and sci fi reader when I was young made writing book three especially enjoyable. It seems like each book in this series gets more and more fun to write! In this latest adventure Bernie has to come to grips with a new kind of creature, one that used to give her nightmares as a mouseling. I don’t want to give too much away, but book three has some incredibly harrowing moments and might be the most action packed of the three so far. I really can’t wait to share it!
And we can’t wait to read it!
Mouse Watch: Underwater was released on May 4 and is available now.