Beyond the Veil ~ Paranormal Romance Authors: cats

Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts

17 May 2012

Why Join a Fan Club?

This month at BTV, we've been discussing fans, fandom and fanning. Well, nobody has talked about fanning, unless you count the fanning one might need to do after seeing the book cover of Bianca D'Arc's new release: http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/brotherhood-of-blood-wolf-hills.html. Other fanny (heehee!) posts include

http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/what-im-fan-of.html -- Amy Ruttan, with a list of 10 things she is a fan of.

http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/im-fan-of-fans.html -- Sela Carsen, writing about what it's like as an author to be fans of other authors.

http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/celebration-of-fans.html -- A Catherine Noon, writing about all types of fans, from Chicago fans to Star Trek fans.

http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/celebrating-fan-in-all-of-us.html -- Jean Marie Ward, writing about fanfiction before the days of 50 Shades of Twilight, I mean, Grey.

I myself have experienced fandom from both sides. While I never wrote fanfiction, aside from one Supernatural spoof I wrote for a friend, I read quite a bit of fanfiction of a show I wanted to love but which was failing to live up to its potential. What drove me to read the fanfiction was my disappointment in the show, though, and I gather that what drives a majority of folks to read fanfiction or write it themselves is their love for a show or book series. I did grow out of my disgruntledness (is that even a word??) and even managed to make myself a few great friends to show for my time in the fanfic trenches, which is one of the things Jean Marie discussed in her blog (linked above).

From the other direction, one of my creative endeavors used to have tons of fans worldwide because I shared something with the world of which I am a huge fan. No, not my publishing career -- I only wish I had tons of fans worldwide! -- but my cat's website, www.meankitty.com. Back in the nascent days of the internet, before LOLCats (DAMN THEM!), Meankitty.com got thousands of hits a day. She got lots of fan mail and plenty of submissions of new cats for her gallery. She also got hate mail, but it was more of a hoot than most of the fan mail. The things people feel compelled to yell at you about because you happen to maintain a funny website about cats is pretty incredible. And, as with my fanfic reading, I met several folks through Meankitty with whom I've stayed in touch.

I don't know what fans did in the days before the internet -- write lots of letters to Shawn Cassidy on pink notebook paper, I guess, and Jean Marie also talked about the old-style fanclub newsletters -- but I do think the internet has definitely facilitated fan culture. Folks from all over can meet groups of "their people", no matter where everyone lives. There's something for everyone.

And why join a fan club? Sometimes it's that group, that culture, that lures in and pleases the fans as much as the original show, series or activity (like knitting!). I've heard such amazing things about DragonCon, for example, and other large conventions geared toward fans, and it makes me want to go, just to immerse myself in people who...who love cool stuff! Even though I'm not a particular fan of their obsessions, I think I'd really enjoy it.

Well, except for the fact I don't like large crowds. Or being too hot. Definitely not a fan of large crowds and being too hot.

So what fan clubs are you in? What punches YOUR fandom buttons? Love of a show...or disappointment in it? Love of a fandom...or an actor or actress? Love of yarn? Love of cats who can't spell? Whatever it is that you love, there's probably a fan club and a fandom out there for it. And if you want to join the "Jody Wallace, Author" fanclub, first you'll need to be the president, and then you'll need to find some other members (PS Don't even bother asking my MOM, she hates my books), and then I'll help you guys come up with a secret handshake. Just let me know!

Jody Wallace
When is an alpha not an alph-ass?
Pack and Coven: http://www.jodywallace.com

01 December 2011

13 Things That Did Not Happen In Claustrophobic Christmas

13 Things That Would Have Made It Even Harder for Darcy and James to Get Their Romance On

My latest Samhain release doesn’t have anything paranormal in it, I'm embarrassed to admit. It's the tale of snow-crossed lovers stuck in a holiday traffic jam on the interstate. I know, I know, how can you make a sexy situation out of a traffic jam?? Well, let's just say it was cold and they needed to cuddle together for body heat.

Anyway, a reader / Meankitty fan emailed me to say the book would have been a lot funnier if one of the protagonists had been travelling with a bad cat. Yes, yes it would have. But would I have been able to make it a sexy romance? I'm not so sure.

So here's a list of 13 things that would have seriously challenged to my ability to make this traffic jam tale romantic. (Meankitty helped make this list.)

1) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat.

2) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog.

3) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog who had recently been sprayed by a skunk.

4) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and also had diarrhea.

5) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog with diarrhea who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and it was not just any dog but a Saint Bernard.

6) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog with diarrhea who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and it was not just any dog but a Saint Bernard. Also, the Saint Bernard was named "Dumb-ass."

7) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car.

8) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car and ran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser.

9) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car and ran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman.

10) One of the protagonists was travelling with a wonderful cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun.

11) One of the protagonists was travelling with a lovely cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun. He arrested the protagonists for public indecency and arrested the dog for assault and battery and...other stuff.

12) One of the protagonists was travelling with an oh so well behaved cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun. He arrested the protagonists for public indecency and arrested the dog for assault and battery and...other stuff. Their brief stay in the county lockup fostered great resentment in the protagonists for one another, as each blamed the other for having the great idea to pass the time in the traffic jam with some sexxy sexxy, and they never spoke to each other again.

13) One of the protagonists was travelling with a very smart cat...who cleverly hissed at spat at the dog-owner until the romance was nipped in the bud before any of that crap happened. But it was a pretty good story about a cat and her human, in the end.

If you'd like to see how the story ACTUALLY went, you can check it out at my website, where there are buy links and the first chapter is free. Neither Darcy nor James has a pet :).

So, would you read Meankitty's version of the story? Would it be romantic?

Jody W. (w/a Ellie Marvel)
Claustrophobic Christmas - November 2011. All ice will melt.
www.elliemarvel.com * www.meankitty.com

07 September 2011

13 Plus Books About Cats

(Pictured: Sometimes Meankitty and Big D are quite lovey dovey!)

Some of these books are books in a series. There are actually quite a few mystery series about cats, but I only listed one here since it mentioned Cupid in the title. There was one Harlequin Intrigue mystery romance series about Familiars which looked really interesting! And, of course, the many, many Regency Kitten type anthologies, and I didn't list all of those. There might be some romances in the Cat Fantastic anthologies, too.

I also have to say, after double checking with Google just what reading one can find involving cats and romance, who knew there was so much slash CATS fanfiction? Or so many books by Cat Johnson (probably her readers)? That woman is crazy prolific.

So, got any favorite housecat type cat books you love? Read any of these and care to share a quick review in the comments?

Jody W.
www.jodywallace.com * www.meankitty.com

27 January 2011

13 Articles about Writers and Cats

So I've got this book releasing in a few weeks called One Thousand Kisses, from Samhain, that Meankitty made me write about her. Well, there's a romance between some two-letters as well, but the important part is the cat. Why do I do what the cat says?

Cats and writers. Writers and cats. It's no secret the two go together like dogs and bones. And it's not just my opinion, either! Here's 13 fun, relatively brief, enjoyable articles and blog posts about the relationship between cats and their writers, with a few nods to the fact some writers even like dogs.

1. http://dereksvandalblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-know-why-real-writers-have-cats.html -- The most recent post in the list wherein the author compares dogs to cats and points out cats are better (but picks a dog anyway)

2. http://www.fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue10/themecatsandwriters.htm -- Written by a cat as to why writers are the best breed of humans to own

3. http://magicalmusings.com/2007/10/05/why-cats-like-writers-by-mean-kitty/ -- One of the top search links is by Meankitty! Naturally.

4. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/nov/12/writers-and-cats -- An essay about the inevitable cats that appear in so many author bios.

5. http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/2010/06/writers-and-cats.html -- Some authors from history with cats as well as library cat preferences

6. http://lmmay.com/2010/11/21/writers-and-cats-and-dogs-too/ -- How cats (and dogs) contribute to a writer's livelihood

7. http://sadkins.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/cats-and-writers/ -- Photo and quote series

8. http://www.laferle.com/tag/cats-and-writers/ -- Cats as part of a writer's ritual

9. http://www.passagestothepast.com/2010/01/guest-post-by-julianne-lee-author-of.html -- Do cats read with their butts?

10. http://www.cheriepriest.com/2005/08/11/cats-and-writers/ -- Wherein we learn about poo-netting genie pants

11. http://www.anyabast.com/2007/01/10/cats-and-writers/ -- She loves cats so much she named herself Bast.

12. http://jrobertking.com/2009/10/why-cats-love-writers/ -- Why cats love writers (they're sedentary and warm!)

13. http://www.feelingfictional.com/2011/01/authors-animal-antics-cat-clarke.html -- Posted in 2011 as part of a series called "Authors Animal Antics"

***

Jody W.
So many cats in cyberspace, so little time!
http://www.jodywallace.com/ / http://www.meankitty.com/

30 December 2010

13 Things about Fey Cats

Yeah, yeah, this post is totally promotional. I have this new book coming out from Samhain on 2/8/11, see? It's the sequel to my older book, Survival of the Fairest, and it's called One Thousand Kisses. The cover is A-mazing! See?

Anyway, Survival of the Fairest mentioned Fey cats -- cats in the Fey Realm who are "more" than the standard cats in humanspace. It mentioned them but it didn't feature any cats as main characters. Meankitty, my boss, was not pleased by this, so believe me, I was very careful to make sure cats were featured more prominently in One Thousand Kisses. So here are thirteen things about fey cats from my upcoming novel.

1. Cats do not like gnomes. One could argue cats and gnomes are the fairy version of yin and yang. And besides, gnomes eat cats, while gnomes, cats have discovered, don't taste good at all. Not even roasted.

2. Cats in the Fey Realm come and go as they please, despite magical shielding, stone walls and the like.

3. Some Fey cats communicate with fairies. Some don't.

4. Cats can appear all over the Realm without warning, from cities to deserts.

5. They also travel to humanspace, possibly through things Princess Talista from SOTF calls gnome holes and possibly by means of their own devising.

6. When Master Fey--the primary cat in One Thousand Kisses--first appears in the book, it's not when he actually appears in the book. Tricky, huh?

7. Master Fey is, to quote Anisette, "glossy black with tuxedo markings—white chin, chest, belly and paws. He was neither small nor large, longhaired nor short, striking nor drab."

8. Whenever cats appears in a dwelling in the Fey Realm, the inhabitants are considered lucky, blessed by the spirits.

9. As such it is tradition to pamper cats if ever given the opportunity.

10. Cats rarely come to Court, except sometimes to Court sessions, to the dismay of the Elders, who resent the fact they cannot bar the cats from entrance.

11. In conversation, cats are perfectly capable of being concrete. So when they are not, they are choosing not to be.

12. For all their twistiness, cats are not liars.

13. Even Fey cats like to watch birds.

Sincerely,

Jody Wallace & Meankitty
http://www.jodywallace.com/ * http://www.meankitty.com/

18 December 2010

Yes, Virginia, There Is Another Holiday Post--With Pictures

'Tis the season to be stressing, fa la la la la la la la,
Baking with my head is messing, fa la la la la la la la...

That's what I brought home from Costco in anticipation of my annual baking marathon. It's 1:30 a.m., and I have miles of brownies to bake before I sleep. (Yes, I use a mix. Don't judge me.) That doesn't count the cleaning and the decorating (done, at last) or the cards (don't remind me) or the book signing (more later) or the out-of-town guests (whee!)
Which brings me to the point of today's blog. Holidays are hard. They come with a load of emotional freight and outsized expectations that can all too easily overwhelm you. That's why, in the middle of giving to others, you need to give a little to yourself, too.

With everything else on the agenda, I'd be the last person to tell anyone to decorate anything. But if you're like me and have this overwhelming urge to turn the house, apartment, barn or loft upside down once a year, pull out the stuff that gives you joy. For me, it's a mass of wax angels, reindeer and a Bavarian music box bought in Germany when I was very small. When I was eleven, I thought the richly gowned figures were the most beautiful things in the whole world. I still do.

Get together with the people you love. As the season's short days remind us, we're no more than candles in the greater dark--quick burning and all too easily extinguished.
If the stars line up for a splurge, take advantage of it. An unexpected chance to take high tea at the Willard Hotel sent Ellen Byerrum, the ever stylish author of the Crimes of Fashion mysteries (shown here lifting a glass to the holidays), and I scurrying into Washington, D.C. on the coldest day of the year. It was well worth the chill, taking the edge off deadlines and pre-release jitters (Shot Through Velvet, her latest Crime of Fashion novel, debuts in February 2011) and jumpstarting our holiday spirit. (With tea! With tea! That glass was just for show. Honest!)
But the occasion doesn't have to be extravagant. I've already made a date with the spouse for our annual in-home viewing of the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol (sometimes called Scrooge), simply the best version of the story--possibly the best version of any Dickens story--ever. And we can watch it wearing fuzzy slippers. (Or we could if we owned any--there are some crimes of fashion I just won't commit.)

It wouldn't hurt to take a page from our pets either. Indulge your inner feline with a nap in a favorite spot, sleep late or spend a few minutes hidden away with a book. Put on the dog with a big goofy smile, lolling tongue optional.
In short, be kind to yourself and follow your bliss whenever and wherever you're able.

And if your bliss happens to be books and you're in the neighborhood of the Borders in Bowie, MD, from 7-9 p.m. tonight, I'll be signing with five wonderful authors:

- Rising romantic suspense star Jeanne Adams,

- Bestselling science fiction and fantasy writer Catherine Asaro,

- Break-out historical romance author Grace Burrowes,

- Award-winning children's author Deborah Da Costa, and

- Three time Nebula Award nominee and veteran SF short story writer Bud Sparhawk.

If that weren't enough to make your Saturday, Catherine will be singing, as well as signing, with keyboardist Don Wolcott providing back up. Hope to see you there. After all, 'tis the season for commerce, too.

Wherever you are and whatever you do between now and January 1, I hope the days find you happy in the company of those you love. May 2011 be healthy, joyful and prosperous, and bless us, everyone.

13 March 2009

I See Dead...Coffee Cups?

I don’t normally steal blog ideas from The Colbert Report, but this was too perfect: Too much caffeine will make you see ghosts.

Finally! A magic potion to make me psychic like the cool kids! And it’s legal. In fact, it’s already in my kitchen.

Wait a minute, it’s in my kitchen, I already drink enough tea (not to mention eat enough chocolate) to qualify for my own wing in the Caffeine Hall of Fame, and so far it hasn’t done anything except let me squeeze out a few more words on my project of the minute and inspire the name of the spouse person’s latest cartoon blog. It’s never helped me see any ghosts. I want my money back!

But I’m not going to get it. Turns out the original study never made a direct connection between caffeine and ghosts. What it said was caffeine seems to exaggerate the effects of cortisol, one of the brain chemicals associated with stress—and stress predisposes folks to visual hallucinations.

Dangerous stuff that. The ghosts I know wouldn’t take kindly to being called hallucinations. They’re people too, you know. Well, most of them. Among the various corporeally challenged critters in our neighborhood is a little gray and white ghost cat. Yes, people are more likely to catch sight of it when they’re tired or stressed, but that doesn’t appear to be a requirement.

Then there’s the whole visual thing. Just because I almost never see ghosts doesn’t mean they don’t interact with me. Take the ghost cat, for example. Occasionally, it jumps up on the bed and curls up on the comforter, just like our flesh and blood fur ball, except they never share. Believe me, there is very little quite as unnerving as waking in the dim pre-dawn to the press and pad of little cat feet atop the covers, only to realize our Lord of the Litterbox is sitting in the doorway, watching.

And cat—the real one—doesn’t use caffeine. Or get stressed. That's not how he rolls.

Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

19 November 2008

Lioness mothering antelopes

A few years ago I followed the story of a lioness, apparently childless or cubless, who kept adopting baby antelopes. I was fascinated. On the surface, the story is cute, but unfortunately doesn't end well, which isn't really surprising. What it does show is this lioness's drive to mother.

In 2002 on a game reserve in Kenya, a lioness adopted an oryx calf. Usually lions eat oryx calves. But this lioness protected the calf from other predators and lay down with it, the calf apparently "curled up under the belly of its adoptive mother". I remember thinking when I first read about it, oh, it was an orphan. But, no. The lioness "chased away the oryx's natural mother". When I realized that, I thought, uh-oh. Because not matter how good its intentions, I just don't think a lioness is as well equipped to mother a baby oryx as a mother oryx is, even if the lioness sometimes allowed the calf to nurse before reasserting her relationship.

Said relationship lasted a fortnight before a lion stalked the pair, killed the calf while the lioness was sleeping, and then ate it. The lioness was apparently very angry and "went around the lion about 10 times roaring".

Three months later she was on her third adoption. The second adoption failed because the oryx (and the lioness who did not hunt during this time) was becoming malnourished and the wardens removed the calf from the lioness and placed it in a zoo. The third adoption was a 3-day old calf. The poor calf's mother kept hovering around trying to presumably reach her baby while the lioness was fiercely protective of the calf, not letting humans near them.

Well, the lioness became a tourist attraction, which must have been a bit intrusive for her and the calf, being surrounded by vans and tourists. They even named her Kamuniak, meaning "blessed one".

By the fifth adoption, one animal behaviorist describes the lioness as having a mental disorder. After rescuing three of the oryx calves from the lioness, the wardens decided to let nature take its course. So the fifth adopted calf died of starvation. Clearly the lioness had figured out how to protect her "babies" from other lions—she didn't hunt while in mother-mode—but not how to feed them.

After the fifth calf starved, the lioness…well, she ate it. And there doesn't seem to have been more adoptions since. At least they didn't reach the international news. Perhaps that put an end to her adoptions. She hasn't been seen since 2004.

There is a wikipedia page for Kamuniak. There are also some video clips of the dysfunctional relationships. It's an unusual story, I think. Some people hold it up as heartwarming, but I actually find it more sad than anything. I mean, what a life for the calf! There is some suggestion that the lioness did not have a pride and this may have played a role in her adoptions.

Jorrie Spencer
Now available: Puma