Meet Boboko and Laptop, proud owners of fantasy author Alma Alexander

My guests this week are Laptop and Boboko, proud owners of fantasy author Alma Alexander. Alma writes the exciting Worldweaver series! Read on to find out what's it like living with a fantasy author and what these cats' names have done to their self esteem...

Laptop, since you claim to have twice the brains of your brother Boboko, I'll begin with you. Tell us, how did you two came to live at Alma's household?

She doesn't think I know this, but I do - they wanted two cats, and two of my siblings were grey striped tabbies and she originally wanted at least one of those. But both were spoken for by the time she came to look for us, and it was me who joined Boboko in the household in the end. Boboko, by the way, was ALWAYS first choice - but he's all beauty and no brains and I'm comfortable in my own place. For instance, it is only I who sleep with Alma under the covers, not the Fluffy Prince. So there.

Boboko, are Laptop's claims true? Or is this some annoying feline feminist phase she's going through?

Er, what she says. What's "phase"? Or "Feminist"?... Ooooh, look, shiny toy. 'Scuse me...

What is it like living with a fantasy author?

Laptop: A cat is all about truth and integrity...

Boboko: I thought those were dogs...

Laptop: ....never mind him. He never left kittenhood. As I was saying. A cat is all about truth and integrity, and our Mom, well, tells lies for a living.

Boboko: They're pretty lies.

Laptop: Well, that's neither here nor...

Boboko: And they keep us in kibble. That's true enough.

How did Alma come up with your names and what has that done to your self esteem?

Boboko: There was a cat called Boboko in Charles de Lint's book "Mulengro" which Mom thought was the quintessential cat - and she wanted to call a cat of her own by that name, just because. I don't remotely resemble the Boboko in the book, but I like to think that *I* am her yardstick for the name now, and not that other cat who did nothing other than inspire it...

Laptop: And I was named by Dad, because Mom got to name the Fluffy Prince. Let me tell you we get some weird looks. Laptop? A cat called Laptop? But you know what? it kinda fits, now. And it lends itself to twisting. Apparently Mom thinks I"m a chatty cathy because now and
then I get called Yaptop...

Boboko and Laptop: Of course, we have our REAL names. Which she has no clue about.
That's okay, she's only human, she isn't supposed to. We love her
anyway.

So Laptop, tell us a little about your mom's books and her writing habits? Is she one of those self centered, egotistical authors?

Nah. If anything, the opposite. It takes the concerted effort of all three of us (Dad, me, Fluffy Prince himself) to keep up her self esteem when it comes to her writing. I keep on thinking that if only she'd start writing about CATS I could do a lot more with this.

Boboko, which one of Alma's books is your favorite? Are there any cats in her books?

Well, there's a nook on the shelf of the hardcover "Jin Shei" edition where it's good to nap, so I guess those... and I'm told that there was a cat in that book, an important cat.... ooooh, shiny toy, look!

Who does Alma love the most between you two?

Laptop: There are times I think she ONLY loves FLuffy Prince. But then, in the evenings, she lets me curl up next to her and we hold paws for hours - and there's the fact that she and I are bedmates, especially in the winter, when it's nice and warm under the covers with her. And she worries so when there's something wrong with either or both of us, or when we squabble. She loves us both. We both love her.

Boboko: I know I was a Chosen One. I know that all I ever have to do is ask and what I want is usually given to me. She indulges me shamelessly; I nap inside her oversized red sweater in winter and curl up comfortably against her belly for hours and she would rather die of hunger and thirst than move and disturb me before I'm ready to wake up. She fusses with me when I demand it. She gives me treats. Yes, she loves me. Oh yeah, and she loves my sister, too, She'll make a point of fussing us both if we're in the same range of reach, But she's mine. Mine, mine, mine. MINE.

Tell us something weird about Alma nobody knows.

She can lucid dream. She can control the dreams, sometimes. We know this because we are cats and we can go freely into her dreams when she falls asleep at night.

Sometimes, she even dreams about us.

We make sure of it.

Thanks, kitties!!!

Laptop: (preening) Most welcome, I'm sure.

Boboko: Anything else we can... oooooooh! shiny toy! Scuse me!

Laptop: (quiet sigh) did you know we have our own website? go to www.worldweaversweb.com adn click on "cats" to see our portraits...

Thank you, Kitties!

Meet Drop-dead-gorgeous Miss Lucy, M. Jean Pike's Black Lab

Say hello to my beautiful brunette guest, Miss Lucy. Miss Lucy shares her countryside home with romance author M. Jean Pike.Visit Jean's website and Blog to learn all about her writing, books and stories.

Miss Lucy's Bio (in her own words):

My name is Lucille and I’m two and a half years old. The best way to describe me is I’m a naughty-but-nice Labrador retriever/English setter mix. I have a beautiful black coat and gray speckled toes. I am drop-dead gorgeous and I think my best feature is my big, brown eyes. When mom rescued me from the animal shelter, they told her I wasn’t anything special. Boy, were they wrong! I’m very loyal, though I’m not very brave. I’m secure enough in my doggihood to admit that I’m afraid of the dark. I live in the country, even have my very own creek in the back yard. So basically I live in doggie heaven!

I'm so glad Jean adopted you, Miss Lucy! I'm a sucker for happy-ending stories like that. Okay, so give us the lowdown. What's it like living with an author?

My mom’s name is M. Jean Pike, but mostly I just think of her as Mommy. She is a very busy lady. She and my boy get in the car early every morning and drive away. My boy goes to school, and Mommy goes to work. When they come back home, Mommy feeds me my lunch, and then we go out and play. Mommy usually throws the Frisbee or a ball and I run after it. She tries to get me to give it back, but I never do! After play time, Mommy works in the kitchen and sometimes she washes the clothes or turns on the vacuum cleaner. After supper, she takes my boy places. I don’t really know where they go, but he is a very busy boy. He plays football, wrestling, and track. So there is always someplace for Mommy to go. Soon my boy will be going in the car all by himself and Mommy says she is not looking forward to it! In the evenings, and almost all day on Sunday, Mommy writes stories. She sits at her computer for hours. Daddy, the boy and I are not allowed to bug her then!

What type of books does your Mommy write?

Mommy writes mostly love stories that she calls romances. Some of them are really spooky stories about ghosts and people traveling to other times. When she finishes writing a new chapter she always reads it out loud. Some of the chapters are so scary I have to go and hide under the bed!

Next time you get scared, give me a call. I'm quite the chivalrous golden and will be glad to offer protection. Remember I also have connections with the CIA. So tell us, has your Mommy immortalize you in any of her books?

Right now Mommy is writing something called a “series.” The first book is called Shadow Lake and was released on April fool’s Day from Black Lyon Publishing and that’s no joke! It’s awesome, and probably one of my favorites of all Mommy’s books. The story is set in a campground in New York State. In one scene there is a black lab playing Frisbee in the lake with his boy. I think that is the best scene in the whole doggone book! (Pssst … the black lab is me!)

Good for you, Miss Lucy! My mom is working on a picture book about me (at gun point). Can't wait for her to finish it. So what do you do for amusement while Jean pounds at the computer all day and ignores you?

Mostly I don’t care if Mom ignores me, as long as I get to be where she is. I like to lie on my rug beside the computer where she can reach over and scratch my ears once in awhile. I like it when Mom reads her work out loud to me and I always wag my tail at the good parts. We have a cat named “Boy” and I’m careful to keep him out of Mom’s office while she is writing. He tries to get in Mom’s lap, and it makes it hard for her to work. Sometimes, when Mom writes for a really, really long time, I get bored and I start to chew on stuff. Mostly the legs of the wicker chair. I don’t mean to be naughty, but sometimes I just can’t stop myself. You have to remember, I’m only two!

What happens when Jean gets a bad review?

Mommy definitely doesn’t like to get bad reviews! Thank heavens it doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I am careful to listen, wag my tail, and give lots of extra kisses so Mommy knows I think she’s the greatest. Personally, I don’t think they should let crazy people write reviews. I know they are crazy people because when Mommy shows Daddy a bad review, he always puts on his angry voice and says, “What is she… crazy?”

Does Jean like to snack while she writes? Sometimes I have to block the entrance to the kitchen to prevent my author mom from snacking too much—but of course, she refuses to give me treats and believes I’m fat! (oddly, the vet agrees with her). Do you think there’s a connection between writing and obesity?

No, but I definitely think there’s a connection between eating and obesity. My vet told Mommy an evil, evil thing. He told her to be careful about overfeeding me, because black labs don’t know when to stop eating and tend to be obese. So Mom doesn’t allow me to eat people food very often, but she keeps a box of my favorite biscuits in the drawer in her office. She keeps cans of cashews for herself. She probably goes through fifty cans while writing a novel. When I beg for her cashews she always says “No!” But like I said, my best feature is my big, brown eyes, and I have learned how to use them! I just keep staring at Mommy and make my eyes really sad and she caves every time!

I totally understand! I wrote something on the FAT subject the other day. Thank you so much for stopping by this side of the woods, Miss Lucy. It's good for my reputation to be visited by young pretty brunettes such as yourself!

Meet Mr. Boots, Gloria Oliver's Cat

Please say a big hello to Mr. Boots, Gloria Oliver's feline companion...

Bio: Yo! I’m Mr. Boots. All muscle and all fun all the time. Black and sleek with white boots and white tummy. Mighty feline of the jungles am I! I will fearlessly protect my chosen housemates from evil lint, waving papers, and rays of sunlight till the end of time! Booyah!

Thanks for the cheery intro, Mr. Boots. Go ahead and give us the lowdown on Gloria. What type of books does she write?

Fannnnntasy. Young Adult Fantasy, even. Don’t even know why. I mean, you can just stare at a wall, unfocus your eyes a little and fantasize all you want while lazing about on the floor. Me, I fantasize about shinny objects I can swat around with my claw, or maybe catching Nightshade with his guard down and doing a preemptive strike. Yeah…Sweet… But if you actually want to see what she writes about, hohum, she’s got samples at www.gloriaoliver.com Mine are more fun. Believe you me.

I often fantasize about stake and spicy sausage. Good stuff! Anyway, what do you do to annoy Gloria while she writes and ignores you?

Well…if you must know…I meow loudly from the other room. Once or twice is normally all I need, long pitiful meows, to get her to look over at me. Then she will make ‘come over’ gestures to me and scratch me behind the ear. Mmmm. At other times, I will set my sights on the high backed chair and pick up speed from back in the kitchen and leap at the thing! My claws will clamp onto it, like it’s a feral animal I must protect her from. If my angle is real good, the chair will roll away with both of us on it. It’s not good to do it if she’s not in it though. Tried that once. Me and the chair took a dive. Not fun… no, sir…

Nice work, Mr. Boots! Does Gloria plot like a madwoman or just write ‘down the bones’?

She’s a weird one, that one. She does it all kinds of ways. Kind of depends on what she’s working on. She’s had full written out plots, worked on a book just from one scene, faked things as she went along. Kind of like a cat, and quite sensible as far as I am concerned, she follows her instincts.

Hmm. Sounds a bit like my mom. Quite erratic, that one. Does your mom like to snack while she writes? My mom can't stop snacking then she says I can't have a snack because I'm fat. Do you think there’s a connection between writing and obesity?

Ooo, snacks. I like snacks. But no, she doesn’t snack much. Though her male will sometimes buy containers of Whoppers and leave them on her desk. She can’t seem to resist those. But honestly, who cares if she snacks? I’m the one who should be getting served a snack! Sometimes I have to sit there and stare at her when it’s getting late so she can get a clue and give us our late night yummies. Sheesh.

I know what you mean! I wish I had free access to my own stakes! Does Gloria let you sit on her lap while she writes?

Yeah, but it’s no fun.

Why not?

There’s not enough room. I’m a big boned boy and there’s just not enough room between her lap and the keyboard drawer for me to fit under there. Now Keiko, Queen Bee around the place, (and total grouch – but you didn’t hear it from me), she’s petite and super tiny. She crawls up under there with no problem and takes naps. I have to wait for Gloria to go watch TV to get lap time, and that’s if Queen Bee has decided to be elsewhere. You know, you swat her once for play and she holds a grudge forever! Like, what’s wrong with sharing? Shouldn’t we all get equal lap time? You wouldn’t think something that tiny could be so, uhm, feral. Not that she scares me or anything. Don’t you dare think that. Nuh uh. (Oh, she’s coming. Gotta go!)

I can sympathize! I'm the only dog here for the moment, but my mom has been talking about getting me a little brother... as if I needed one!! Scary stuff!!!!