Interview with Herman, Henry and Holly, Cynthia Reeg's companions

I'm so happy! I have a trio guest today. Two cats AND a dog. It's nice to see they can be civilized with each other. At least in public...

My guests share their home with a very nice children's writer named Cynthia Reeg, author of such delightful picture books as Kitty Kerpunkling, Doggie Day Camp and Gifts from God. She keeps a blog, too. Cynthia travels a lot around the world and in fact she visited my mom when she came to Brussels. They had lunch at a cute restaurant in the Grand Place. I wish my mom had taken me. They make a mean paella valenciana...



BIOS: Herman is a black & white cat with tuxedo markings. He’s cool, calm and collected and likes to meet visitors at the front door. He acts as a morning alarm clock, whether his owners want him to or not.

Henry is a yellow & white cat who is rather clumsy and enjoys chin rubs and evening snuggles. Although he is a large kitty, he’s a scardey cat who runs from doorbells, vacuums, and dogs.

Holly is a young Schnoodle (Schnauzer and Poodle combo) who knows she is the life of the party. She loves to meet people and pets, and she is extremely glad that the world revolves around her. A beefy chew bone is heaven.

OKAY. Describe Cynthia as a writer and as a pet owner. No sugar coating here. Give us the real deal. This blog is only read by pets, so don’t worry, Cynthia won’t find out what you say. In the event that you find yourself into trouble, I can always offer protection. I have a good connection at the CIA.

Herman Meow….since I’ve known Mom Cindy longest, I’ll answer this one. She knows a good thing when she sees it—like picking me out from all those other noisy cats and dogs at the animal shelter adoption day seven years ago. I’m only noisy when it’s feeding time, and okay, I admit most anytime can be considered feeding time on my schedule. She gives excellent kitty massages.

As for her writing, I was there from the start. Helped her with her first picture book—KITTY KERPLUNKING. I think my name should be listed in the credits for that book, but I’m not one to toot my own horn—like our latest arrival.

Holly: Arrf! Arrf! I heard that! Want to play??? Pant! Pant! Pant! Whoosh! (Holly tackles Herman to ground. Herman, with white-tipped feet up in the air, fends off Holly’s friendly attack with half-hearted hisses. Finally, Herman squirms out, scampers away, and jumps to the safety of Mom Cindy’s desk.)

You're so lucky that Cynthia saved you from the shelter! She must have a very kind heart! Are you all the bosses of Cynthia?

Holly: Arf! I’ll answer that question. Of course, I’m the boss. Right from the start I set the rules—MINE! But don’t get me wrong. I’m all about tough LOVE. I mean, who could resist this face. And I’m extremely generous with kisses. I know when Mom Cindy needs to go for a walk and when she needs some play time. I don’t know what she’d do without me.

You do seem to have a very innocent face, Holly. Tell us, of all your mom’s books, which one is your favorite? Why?

Holly: DOGGIE DAY CAMP, of course. She got the idea from me. I told her all about my play days. I practically wrote the book for her—well, not the verb and adverb stuff. She did that on her own, but I was the inspiration. That’s for sure. I like Kit Grady’s illustrations—even if she did make the dog in the book yellow and not white like me. And I bark every time I watch Kim McDougal’s book trailer for DOGGIE DAY CAMP. She fools me with that barking dog sound effect. Good stuff!

Henry saunters into the office, leaps onto the desk, and promptly lays half on half off the computer—purring loudly all the while.

Kit Grady is a super cool illustrator! She's illustrating one of my mom's upcoming picture books. So tell us, how long does Cynthia work each day on a book and ignore you?

Henry: Way too long, if you ask me. I try to help as you can see. I’ve typed a few lines myself, from time to time, when Mom Cindy isn’t looking. See… (Henry paws the caps lock key and punches the keypad.) Oh, darn. She’s hogging all the keys again. How am I ever going to finish my story? Yes, I’m a writer too. I’m plotting out my latest’s sci-fi adventure, REVENGE OF THE SPACE CATS FROM PLANET PLUTO. And yes, I know all about the latest scientific theory debunking Pluto as a planet. Like I said, I’m still plotting this one out. I’m sure there will plenty of changes. Maybe I should start with a title change…

Is your mom as stable as she looks in her website photo?

Herman: Let me answer this one. I know the real scoop. Some major touch-up went into that photo. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s okay as humans go. But I think a pair of perky ears and some long, white whiskers wouldn’t hurt.

Does Cynthia ask your advice when she’s stuck? Does she even listen?

Herman, Henry & Holly: Here. Look at this blog entry and you can see what happens when we try to help her out:

http://www.cynthiareeg.com/blog/2007/09/catnip-lost-siberian-husky-and-cheese.html

Herman: Let’s just say that she doesn’t exactly appreciate our suggestions.

Holly: We have lots of good ideas too.

Henry: Purrrrfectly wonderful ideas, but she doesn’t listen. She’ll see. I’ll use those ideas in my book, and when it hits the top 10 list, she’ll be sorry.

What is the best part of having an author as a mom?

Holly: She works from home most days, and that means I get to have lots of walks and playtime. Good times!

The worse part?

Henry & Herman: We have to be on our best behavior almost every day. No catting around during the daytime when she’s around. We save that for the night. But we manage to make it through the days--napping is always on our schedule anyway. We make it work.

Will you be boasting to your other pet friends about this interview?

Holly, Herman, & Henry: We’re already twittering about it. We’re high profile pets, and we know publicity is the name of the game. Hey, where are the paparazzi when you need them?

If you come across any paparazzi, please send them my way!