Meet Mickey, Jennifer Gladen's 'Queen of the Household'

Welcome to my blog, Mickey!

Mickey lives with a very nice editor and writer called Jennifer Gladen. Like my mom, Jennifer writes children's picture books for Guardian Angel Publishing. She also edits a super cool Catholic ezine--My Light Magazine. In fact, Mom interviewed Jennifer for Suite101 last month.

But let's hear a bit about my guest....

Mickey is the spokescat for the Gladen home. She is the oldest of three cats, a dog and a turtle. She is the self-proclaimed Queen of the Household. She is known to eat only by herself. If another cat comes to eat while she is there, she will, out of the goodness of her heart, remover herself from the dining area until it has been cleared.

1. Thanks for stopping by and spilling the beans, Mickey! Tell us, how long does Jennifer work each day on a book and ignores you?

Jennifer works at the computer all day. Something about a magazine (My Light Magazine) and writing for children. I can’t understand how someone could sit in front of a boring screen all day when they have me for fun. I could understand if she was watching me bat around a ball of yarn, but this I will never understand.

2. So what do you do for amusement in the meantime?

Well, we have the two newbie cats, Mittens and Sunny. When Mittens came here, she walked in like she owned the place. Huh! I had to show her who was boss by tossing out random hisses and batting her once in a while. Now I do it just for fun, especially when I’m bored…and I’m sure you know how often THAT is.

3. I like to stare at my mom while she writes to make her aware that she’s ignoring me and make her feel guilty. What do you do to annoy Jennifer while she writes?

Ahhh. I have a few tricks under my paw.

The first thing I do is make her think I’m starving. Even though I just finished eating, I’ll sit in front of my bowl and push it around on the kitchen floor. I’ll do this until she gets up and feeds me. (She made the mistake of setting her office up next to the kitchen. Ha ha. ) Then I’ll take a few bites of the food and walk away. Yes, it is a little bit of work, but it’s all worth it when I hear her grumble in frustration.

Another thing I’ll do is sit 2 feet away from her chair and meow. Not just any meow. I make it a short raspy meow that is hard to ignore. When she turns and looks at me, I just sit there and stare. He he. Sometimes I crack myself up.

When one of her children needs something and she gets up, I steal her chair!!

One of my favorites, though, is just jumping right up on the desk and wedging myself onto her lap. I make it a point to step on the keyboard. Once I’m on her lap I don’t just sit there. I try to pace and turn. Then I’ll rub my head against her hand. If she doesn’t pet me, I’ll do that short, raspy meow thing again. Gets her every time.

In the event I am unavailable, I hired Sunny to park himself on Jennifer’s computer desk. That is his job. Although I’ve caught him sleeping on the job. I think he needs more training in this mission.

4. Good work! What advice would you give to those pets that have to live with irrational, egotistical authors?

Be persistent! I don’t know about your author mom, but when mine gets on a roll, she has been known to kick me off her lap and put me back on the floor. In that case, I keep hopping up on her lap until she realizes I am not going away.

5. What is the best part of having an author as a mom? The worse part?

The best part of having an author as a mom is getting to hear those time-stealing stories when she reads them aloud. I like to think she’s reading to me. The worst part is all the time it takes for her to work on a project. And then, when she’s done, she pulls out another one. It’s one huge everlasting cycle.

I know exactly what you mean, Mickey! It's so hard to share Mom with all her projects!

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!

Interview with Shalalu, Eva Batonne's faithful companion

My guest today is sweet Shalalu, a border collie/labrador mix who shares her home with crime fiction author Eva Batonne. Eva is the author of Resurrection Diva, published by Zumaya Publications.

Eva is also an accomplished artist. Check out her stunning work at www.evamontealegre.com.

Bio: Shalalu is 38 pounds of black and white velvet love. She has the classic markings of the border collie with the sleekness of a Labrador. She can hang out with her head in your lap while you read a book and be perfectly contented or go on the longest walk ever. Shalalu was rescued from animal control (they were going to put her down for being too timid!) but in four months she has learned that life is beautiful. When she gets happy she likes to run and it is a gorgeous site to behold because she is built for speed.

Tell us, Shalalu. Are you the boss of Eva Batonne? Oh, don’t you know that while I won’t say that I’m the boss, I know how to get her on program with food, walks, pets and rides in the car-car.

What type of crime fiction books does Eva write? She writes these grisly murder stories, and that is completely ludicrous because she is such a scaredy-cat. She actually scares herself when she writes and I can feel the tension in the room and before you know it she’s making these weird high pitched noises which can only be described as a frightened whining. All this while click, click, tap, tap, she’s typing away, staring at the computer monitor. Quite a worrisome behavior in my opinion but I can’t break her of it.

I can relate to that! My mom wrote a horror novel but she's a scaredy-cat too! Funny, huh? Authors are creazy, if you ask me. So, Shalalu, I don't mean to be rude, but what’s with your name? Did Eva choose it? What has that done to your self esteem and what does that say about her? The animal control named me Cherry. I wasn’t much impressed with that because they were going to put me down. They said I was too timid and not adoptable. But Eva knew better. She sat with her back to me for forty-five minutes leaning against my cage and so I knew she was a woman who could teach me something. I’m a black Labrador/Border Collie mix with red tinge to my short fur. I have a white flair across my chest and white sox and I would have preferred to be named Lightning as I can run so fast it can take your breath away but Eva named me Sha-la-lu. I don’t know, I guess it is feminine and it does have a magical quality to it. She likes to call it out very loud and emphasize the last syllable which I do find a bit unnerving because she actually does it so it sounds like she is howling and I don’t know, it’s just… it’s a bit much. Doncha think?

Now that you mention it, it does have a magical quality. That's quite a story, Shalalu. I'm so glad Eva adopted you. I was admiring her photo earlier today. For sure she's a kind lady, but is she as stable as she looks? I have to say she is way more fun than those photos would suggest. She doesn’t take herself seriously at all and I like that. Okay, I would say she is a little plumper than those photos suggest but I like it because when we watch television I can lay my head on her tummy and it is very snuggly and comfortable. Who wants to cuddle with a bunch of bones and muscle, I mean, let’s just be honest, okay!

I agree! What does your mom do besides writing? Is she a hermit or does she actually set her foot outdoors? Eva is a bit of a madwoman I have to say, she paints, she dances around. She does this thing with a bunch of other humans called Medicine Dance. I went with her once and was able to watch what she was up to. For five hours she did this. Wow, it was unusual. It’s amazing the things human beings do to entertain themselves. In this regard, I find human beings the most admirable and clever if sometimes a little worrisome.

Leave us with some wise words, Shalalu. What advice would you give to those pets that have to live with irrational, egotistical authors? Bite them in the ass! Ooops, don’t tell my mom I said that. I never actually bit her. Or anyone. I did chase the cat once and caught hell for that so I don’t do that anymore. Jeez, I thought she was going to take me back to animal control. No, no. No! I’m a good girl.

Thanks for spilling the beans, Mademoiselle!

Interview with Mischief, Anne K. Edwards' naughty cat

Mischief is a naughty cat who lives with mystery author Anne K. Edwards. Mischief is not the only cat in the house. He shares his home with DOZENS (yeah, you heard right) of other cats and a few horses. Anne is a fierce cat lover (my mom once sent her a coffee mug that says 'Crazy Cat Lady') and divides her time between writing and taking care of her demanding critters. She's the author of Death on Delivery, The Last to Fall, and the children's book, Jeremy and the Dragon. Together with my mom, they wrote The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. She also edits a cool newsletter for writers and book lovers, Voice in the Dark.

BIO: My name is Mischief and I am a Thief among my many other occupations. I steal ball point pens, balls, silverware, bits of paper and wood from near the stove. Mom doesn't have a picture of me, but if you picture a pirate with a patch over his eye you pretty much have an idea of what I look like. I only have one eye due to an infection I got from a raccoon last year and the doctor said it had to go. The incident hasn't slowed me down one whit. I get into as much as I can, open cupboard doors and snoop in forbidden places, play with other cats who only want to sleep, and in general am hyper active and into everything. I try so hard to live up to my name. After the operation I became a house cat and only one cat objects to my presence. I think she's a bully, but Mom loves her anyhow. I'm long, lean and fun in a gray coat with black stripes. I carry my tail straight up and love to sneak up on my housemates.

As a housecat I don't have a blog or website. Only Mom does. It's http://www.Mysteryfiction.net.

My favorite thing to do when I'm tired is to sleep with Mom, but I'm not a lapcat. I do love to get into things when she's on the computer however. There is a lot of interesting stuff on the table. Papers and books to knock on the floor, pens to steal, a printer to watch, and a cursor to chase on the screen.

Sorry about your eye, Mischief, but, you know, that black patch must look kind of cool. Gives a dangerous edge, you know. So, are you the boss of Anne K. Edwards?

There are too many other cats around for me to be the boss, but together we do run things. Even Dad gives his chair to a new gray and white kitten who is very nice, but has no name yet. He is Doodles' brother and they look alike.

Mom who is Anne K. Edwards doesn't sit still long enough for us to boss her much. She writes a little, and then runs to break up our fun and then one of us steals her chair. We do have it worked out so that she gets the most uncomfortable place to sit. After all, we are CATS and we deserve the best. Once, we were gods in Egypt.

Now that's something that has always puzzled me--our fall from favor. One day we're gods and mummified like the pharoahs and the next, some guy is digging up our little mummies and shipping them off to England to sell as doorstops. How undignified is that?

Does Anne fall asleep when she reads a book? Does she snore? What titles keep her awake the longest?

Mom falls asleep for anything. She is ancient in cat years and we look for Dad to hire a keeper for her any day now. The truth is, she does snore sometimes when she is very tired. And nothing keeps her awake now. When she is sleepy, off she goes. When she was young, she loved history and animal stories and they'd keep her awake until that last page. She loved The Black Stalliion series the best then. History took over later and mysteries followed. Today she reads almost anything when she has free time but with so much assigned reading for review, that is far between.

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

Mom doesn't put a photo on her website but as to her stability, we have our doubts. She talks about cooking our gooses when we're bad, but I've never had a goose. And now she's threatening to make dragon burgers out of some dragon she knows. She'd send you one but the post office wouldn't like packages with green goo seeping out of the wrapper. And I think they'd smell funny too.

Cooked cat, huh? Hmm... (shaking off evil thoughts) Does Anne plot like a madwoman or just write "down the bones"?

Mom is a madwoman I think. She writes as she gets time and picks it apart as she goes. She never outlines or plots out her work. It is a surprise to her when something takes a twist she didn't expect.

Well, my mom is a mad woman too, so we have one thing in common. Does she ask your advice when she's stuck? Does she even listen?

No to both questions. Mom doesn't ask cats anything about her work even though we willing to help. She talks things over with the horses though. She says she gets her straight in the barn while she's shoveling out a stall. I think the fumes get to her is what I think. That stuff I ripe...

Sounds like my kind of perfume, Mischief. The nastier, the better. What advice would you give to those pets that have to live with irrational, egotistical authors?

I'm not sure I can answer this. You do know that cats are more irrational and egotistical than authors. We expect and demand what we want when we want it even if we don't really want it. It's our way of showing our control of the person in our lives.

For instance the cats Wanda and Hobo meow to be let in and meow to be let out in the same ten minutes. They will take their time to decide if they really want in or out while Mom or Dad holds the door for them. Often they change their minds and walk awa.

It's the right of cats to have service and obedient servants who must put their writing after our wants. We expect to have their attention any time we need it.

Since Mischief is a talkative cat, I decided to publish his long monologue here:

Mischief's Ramblings...

Anne K. Edwards is not the most considerate pet owner. She's always taking one or more of us to see the vet. Now that is scary. What cat wants to ride in a cage in a car? She could let us drive though and that would be fun. She says that idea is why her hair is turning gray.

Mom writes anything that comes to mind. She doesn't belong to any one genre. Of my favorite book by Mom is probably Jeremy and the Dragon because I can identify with the dragon. He's always hungry and I like to eat often too.

Mom can't ignore me when she's writing because I'm often on top of the keyboard or pushing it on the floor.

When she's not around to ignores us, we cats hold meetings to decide who's going to bug her next. We take numbers for that. Then we like to walk around meowing like our heart is broken, just to make her jump up. She worries about us then. If that doesn't work, we jump in her lap, start fights, knock things over that makes a lot of noise or chase each other up and down the stairs, or pull things off the bookshelves.

Mom doesn't keep a schedule. She says its impossible with all of us around, but she hates discipline anyhow. She writes as she can or the mood strikes her.

Mom isn't a hermit, but she sleeps a lot...

Mom mostly ignores reviews. She gets them as publicity promo but she knows bad ones are part of life.

Mom doesn't need writer's block or procrastination not to write. She's got us.

We never try to get her to start writing, only to stop. We're more important.

Mom has frostbite on her nose and fingers from standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open. But she doesn't often take anything out. No connection between writing and obesity as most writers aren't that much overweight.

Mom doesn't like book promo work. She's done a few radio shows though and enjoyed them.

The best part of havin an author as mom or dad is they aren't aware a lot of what we get into and often they don't bother trying to find out what happened when we go tearing by after we did something and it crashes. She says if the house doesn't fall down, not worth the time. The worst part is probably the same thing. She doesn't pay us enough mind. As long as the roof stays up to keep the rain off her head, she doesn't care too much what we do. She knows we are inventive and nosy at what we get into. And we do reward her with quiet time when we nap.

Signed Mischief, The Thief

Thanks, Mischief! You make a very interesting blog guest!

Interview with Ted, Carol A. Guy's Cat

My guest today is one very conceited cat, Ted. This feline dud lives with author Carol A. Guy, a cat lover who's written several novels in the paranormal, mystery, romance, and true crime genres. He also shares his home with several other cats... and one canine he keeps abusing!

Gives us the inside scoop, Ted. Are you the boss of Carol?

Are you joking? I had her from minute one.. See, when I was younger, I was a "guest" of the Madison County, Ohio, Animal Shelter. Well, one Saturday, they caged me and some others up (a humiliating experience I hope never to repeat) and transported us to a pet store in Hilliard, Ohio. My future mommy and a tall dude, who I later learned was her son who was just visiting, came in that afternoon to "view" us for possible "adoption." I could tell at first glance she'd be an easy mark. She had that hungry look in her eye. She needed a companion. She came to my cage (awful word) first and lifted me out. Of course I put on a good show--I purred, I nuzzled, I did the slow blink with my big green eyes, and I licked her hand. Then, to my horror, she put me back in that awful contraption and started to walk away...to look at other, less worthy felines. No way! I pulled out all the stops and went for my sure-fire ploy. I stuck one of my front legs out of the cage opening and tapped her on the shoulder with my sweet little paw (claws retracted, of course) and gave her my most pitiful meow. She turned, took one more look at me and I could see that I'd scored a direct hit. I went home with her and the tall dude that day. Mission accomplished!

That's quite impressive, Ted! Good work! Tell us a bit about your mom as an author. What type of books does Carol write?

My human mommy writes what are called Paranormal Mystery/Romances. She's also written cozy mysteries and a true crime book. The paranormal is called Spirit Lake, Books 1&2 and was just released by Devine Destinies. I heard mommy say it has gotten good reviews. It's about ghosts and murder.That sounds a little scary to me. I think it has a wolf-dog in it, too. Unfortunately there's no cat. I punish her for this oversight by constantly knocking her pens from her desk onto the floor and scooting them underneath peices of furniture so she can't find them. Sometimes I drop them down the grates in the floor where the warm air comes out in the winter. I've also collected various pieces of her jewelry that she's carelessly left lying about, and relocated them to more obscure places. She'll learn.

Ghosts and murder, huh? If I were you, I wouldn't trust her one bit--even though she looks quite harmless. So, what do you do for amusement while Carol pounds at the computer all day and ignores you?

Well, you see, a couple of years ago we moved from Hilliard, Ohio to Dayton, Ohio and now live with my mommy's daughter, Sarah, and her offspring, Paul (he's five). This move, unfortunately, gave me "siblings" since Sarah and Paul have two felines and a.....canine. So, this opened up an opportunity for me to have "playmates." Yeah. We play all right. The older feline, named, Oliver, is a little cranky bites sometimes. He's always trying to sneak out of the house (I do too, but that's because he set a bad example.) The other feline, Tiger, spends a lot of time outside. For some reason, no one seems to mind if he goes out. They're no fun. But the canine....oh yeah. There's the one I can get running in circles anytime I want. Her name is Maddie. And she's soooo easy to torment. I especially like to get her barking, then wander away so she gets yelled at. She likes to follow me around, so when she does that, I squeal like I'm hurt and everyone comes running and there she stands with a guilty look on her face. I just lie there looking pitiful and she gets yealled at again. Of course, mommy gets extra mad when these things happen because it "breaks her concentration" while she writing and boy does she hate that! Maddie then gets put outside and I have peace and quiet, at last!

Shame on you for tormenting Maddie! (I'll have to get in touch with her and give her some self-defense tips) Does Carol let you sit on her lap while working at the computer?

Sometimes she'll take me up on her lap when she's taking a break. You see, I LOVE her padded, swivel desk chair. So whenever she gets up to do something else, I hurry in the office and curl up on the seat. If she's out of the office long enough, I fall asleep, but mostly she's not gone that long, so I just pretend to be snoozing when she returns, in hopes she'll let me stay. Most of the time she doesn't though, because she has what she calles a "writing schedule." But, I can always tell when she's finished writing for the day, and then the coast is clear and I make a beeline in there and take a real nap in her chair.

I'd love to sit on my mom's lap, but I'd probably squash her (soffocate her is more like it). What is the best part of having an author as a mom? The worse part?

The best part of having an author for a mommy is that she's home all day. So, she was around the other day when I got outside and got on the roof and then on top of the chimney and almost had a "bad incident." It wasn't my fault. It was all Oliver's doing. He got up on the roof first by jumping on the ouside garage window sill, then onto this lean-to that's attached to the side of the house. He coaxed me to follow. Then I saw a bird flying from the chimney top to the big tree next to the house and....well, I just had to follow so I made my way up the sloping roof of the house. Everyone was upset. Especially mommy. But, she got hold of herself and talked me down, so I wasn't scared at all. Well maybe just a little. It was awfully high.... When I finally jumped into her arms she was so glad I was all right that she just made over me like crazy. Oliver, who was still on the lean-to roof got ignored. Ha .Ha.

The worst part of having an author for a mommy is all the time she spends NOT paying attention to me. That's just not right. So, I'll just have to think of other things to do that will bring her attention back to where it belongs.... me!

Why did you have to wander on the roof? (Cats are always sticking their noses where they don't belong! I bet Maddie has more sense! But of course, she's a canine, isn't she????) Well, Ted, what can I say? Thanks for being my guest, though I didn't appreciate all your anti-canine innuendos.

Meet L. Diane Wolfe's Black Cat Duo: Rocko & Spunky

Today my guests are Rocko & Spunky, two feline duds who share their home with L. Diane Wolfe. Diane is a professional speaker and author of the young adult novel, Circle of Friends, and the inspirational nonfiction book, Overcoming Obstacles with Spunk. Her blog, Spunk on a Stick, is filled with promotional and publishing tips.

Meet the Terrible Two:

Rocko & Spunky are black, American shorthair cats. They were abandoned as kittens by their first owner, but managed to sucker their new parents into adopting them. Spunky is the dominant male at fourteen pounds and is known as “The Love Bug” or “Buoy.” Rocko is almost six pounds lighter, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for in mischief. Indoor-only kitties, they crave attention and love to play!

Welcome to my blog, Rocko and Spunky! What type of books does your mom Diane write?

Spunky: She writes YA fiction and some non-fiction. She says it’s all designed to inspire and help people. We’re just hoping someday she’ll write a book that helps cats! One that inspires people to serve… I mean, love us more.

How long does Diane work each day on a book and ignores you?

Spunky: She only writes an hour or so, but she’s always in front of the computer. At least I think so, because I tend to sleep most of the day…

Rocko: Oh, she is always in front of the computer!! I know, because I NEVER sleep!

I like to stare at my mom while she writes to make her aware that she’s ignoring me and make her feel guilty. What do you do to annoy Diane while she writes?

Rocko: I’ve got a whole list of things! Mom gave me a list when I first came into the house and said these were the things I should not do. So I start at the top and work my way to the bottom. First I chew on some plants. Then I try climbing to the top of the window, beating on the blinds as much as possible. Occasionally I’ll grab a stuffed toy and run off with it…

Spunky: Sometimes I’ll help. Rocko and I fight in the bathtub, shredding the shower curtain and making a lot of racket. Mom calls it drunken kitty tub wrestling…

Good work, guys. What does Diane do besides writing? Is she a hermit or does she actually set her foot outdoors? My mom has to be dragged outside.

Rocko: She’s gone a lot doing seminars & promoting. But sometimes she and Dad go to the movies or out to dinner. They watch movies at home, too. We prefer it when they play with us, though. Bouncing rubber balls sounds so much more fun than staring at that computer!

Is your mom crazy about book promotion? What does she do to promote her books? Does she ask your advice at times?

Spunky: Is she crazy? Wait, no, Rocko's crazy. Yes, Mom loves to promote her books! She’s very involved online and always out doing a seminar or speaking engagement or a signing. We tell her to slow down, but she never listens to us.

Rocko: She listens when we scream at her because our food bowl is empty! Which reminds me…

Which, in turns, reminds me too...! Woof!