I’ve reserved Wednesdays here at Catscapades to share something unique and since I use the word “wild,” I’d like to share with you a piece of wild art I purchased yesterday—a little Christmas gift for myself. The resident cats seemed to like it, too. As you can see, Lily spent a good part of last evening getting to know the leopard in the picture. The artist is Susan Colla and this is done in pencil. Exquisite, isn’t it? Lily thinks so.
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People often ask me how I develop the personalities for the cats in my Klepto Cat Mysteries. Most definitely from cats I’ve known. There are two cats who have contributed to the activities and demeanor of Rags, the main cat character—the klepto cat himself. I’ve talked about Smokey, my mother’s part Ragdoll cat, who looks nothing like a Ragdoll. Smokey is large, confident, and full of shenanigans, like making my 94-year-old mother beg and bargain to get him to come in at night.
You may ask, “Why is he allowed to go outside at all?” Well, it’s a sad story—but even as a kitten, although she dreamed of a lap cat to spend her days with, Smokey insisted on being an indoor/outdoor cat. And so it is. Did I say he’s also bull-headed and rather cunning?
The other cat who influences Rags’s character is Miss Lily. She delights in carrying things around in her mouth. She loves her stuffed toys. In fact, she has quite a collection of Folkmanis puppets and other small stuffed critters, including some that were once mine. So yes, she’s a bit of a thief.
Lily seems to have strong ideas about where her toys should be—she digs her favorites out of her toy basket as soon as the vacuuming is over and places them strategically around the house. At night the toys get moved. I might find one near or floating in a water bowl, several are surrounding the door to my bedroom when I get up every morning and, while I’m working, she brings me toy after toy, dropping them at my feet with a little “prrrrt” sound.
When I decided to write the Klepto Cat Mysteries, I combined some of Smokey’s traits and Lily’s activities and came up with Rags, the klepto cat—who, incidentally, goes way beyond anything Smokey or Lily would do. They only dream of following Rags on some of his adventures.
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For those of you not on my mailing list, yet, sign up here PLFry620@yahoo.com. Just let me know you’d like to receive announcements about upcoming books in the series and I’ll add you to my growing list. Don’t worry about receiving daily (or hourly) messages from me. I only do a mailing three or four times a year (yes, that’s all). In the meantime, be sure to download the latest Klepto Cat Mystery to your Kindle. That’s Meow for the Money. http://www.amazon.com/Meow-Money-Klepto-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B019X3WA9S/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451478084&sr=1-14&keywords=klepto+cat+mysteries For those who read from paper books, 10 of them are currently in print.
Big Announcement
The Kindle version of A Picture-Purrfect Christmas is 99 cents this week. Don’t miss this opportunity: http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Purrfect-Christmas-Klepto-Cat-Mystery/dp/0996673202/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451478221&sr=1-2&keywords=klepto+cat+mysteries
Get Involved
Do you have a cat story, warning for cat owners, tips, etc. you’d like to share? Leave a comment here or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com
