Woof... I mean, Meow...

Ok, so this was on the front page of Yahoo, so you may have already seen it, but I loved it so much I had to post.  Especially since this cat looks exactly one of mine - the sneaky one!

Cat Burglars and Covers

First of all, you may have noticed the slide show with your book covers has disappeared from the top of the page. That's not because I stopped loving you, but because Amazon cancelled all the affiliate accounts of people in Illinois due to some new tax law.  I'll add something else to point people to your great books later. :)

While you're waiting for that, let me tell you about our cat, Macy.  She has the bad habit of opening every drawer and cabinet she comes in contact with to examine the contents - she's worse than a toddler.  She goes through the kitchen cabinets and drawers at least once a day in search of food and entertainment.  One day, she pulled out all the pot holders and dish towels from a drawer and dumped them on the floor. The other cat promptly came over and peed on them. 

And my daughter wonders why I want to give them away...

This morning I got up, went to the kitchen, and saw that she had discovered there was actually a drawer under the stove she hadn't seen before.  This is a heavy, metal drawer full of pots and pans, but she somehow managed to get it open and sifted through my pans.  What was she doing?  Baking cupcakes?  Loaning the pizza pan to the neighbors?

Tonight, I think I'll post a sign on my door: "Cat burglars welcome. Steal my cats, please!" 
Of course, Macy might slip the muffin tin under her arm as she goes...

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Now, on an unrelated note (or related, since I did say "cats and covers"), in keeping with the 10 day overcome writer's block program, I've been bribing the right side of my brain with treats for writing.  For example, 20 minutes of writing = 20 minutes of something fun.  Tonight my reward was to play with making a cover for my WIP - a book unlike anything you've read from me so far - this one probably won't even have a single sex scene in it. ;)  It's more of an action/adventure with strong romantic elements.

Anyway, here is the result, and I kind of like it.  Of course, it's subject to change once the book is actually finished, but the right side of the brain had a good time, and it inspired me to keep writing.  (Oh, and I did another different sort of cover for my friend, Mark Diehl, whose drugs/guns/horror book will be released soon - you can find it on the Digital Art page - and if the cover I mention above doesn't show ((it keeps disappearing)), I'm going to try to add it to that page as well.)

CSI Chicago: Special Cat Edition

Eyewitness statement from Kate Sterling:

I was in the kitchen getting some water when Macy the Cat walked in. I looked down and saw her ears bleeding profusely. Alarmed, I picked her up to see what happened and noticed it was paint and not blood. I ran into the dining room where I saw that they'd knocked over several things on the table, including a big bottle of red paint, which had spilled all over the chair and floor.

I had to hurry and clean up the paint before it dried, so I couldn't get a picture of it. Then I noticed red paw prints all over the hallway, so I grabbed Macy and washed her paws in the kitchen sink. I tried to get her ears clean, but it wouldn't all come off.

When I returned to the hall to see where else she had walked, I saw red prints on the white living room carpet.

Macy took advantage of my brief absence by attacking the garbage.

Frisky was nearby watching the whole thing, but refused to comment other than, "I didn't do it."

Frisky maintains that she had nothing to do with the crime and that all evidence which would suggest otherwise is clearly circumstantial.

Families of the victims are asking jurors for the maximum penalty of imprisonment during crafting days, since evidence has show Macy to be a hardened criminal incapable of rehabilitation. Macy's attorney maintains that a thorough investigation will prove she was framed, and that Frisky actually committed the crimes in question.

More on Cats and Writing

I know there are a few of you who will appreciate this. :)

Mentally Ill Cats and Multitasking

I've been dealing with both. We thought for sure our poor kitty was nearing her last breath: hadn't eaten or taken water in nearly a week, was in perpetual hiding, breathing was shallow and rapid. We finally flushed her out of hiding and got her to the vet. Several hours & dollars later, we hear the verdict: cat is perfectly fine, she's just suffering a feline form of PMS. Might need some anti-anxiety medication.

I guess it's true that pets take after their owners.... :-P

But now that I can rest more easily knowing only a hefty dose of Midol is needed for kitty, I have more time to worry about my own issues. Like, when am I ever going to finish another one of the many manuscripts on my hard drive. The three shorter ones that I did finish have all been published, so shouldn't I try to something longer? After all, the last couple of rejections I received for one of them all said the same thing: this one is too short for us, but please send us something longer. They said they liked my writing - just needed to see more of it. Longer, more developed. Sigh...

However, I want to work on an idea I have for Samhain's Steampunk Anthology. These characters have been knocking on my door for weeks, and I'm on my last round of edits with the one coming out with Cobblestone, so I should be good to go, right? But... but those other editors... they were so encouraging. Shouldn't I jump on that first, before they forget they requested more material? Shouldn't I hurry and finish one of those novels for them? What's a gal to do?

Edie Ramer had a post about the various characters going in and out of her life this past year, and it was great. Shana Galen also has an article about when it's a good time to cheat on your books. (In truth, just like every other rationalizing cheater, I want people to tell me it's ok if I hang with several characters at a time.) ;)

So, what about you? Are you a faithful or a fickle writer?