Interview with Gandalf the White and Dumbledore, owners of Sylvia Engdahl

My guests today are two very special cats, Gandalf the White and Dumbledore (I wonder where she got the names from...). They're special because they live with a very special lady named Sylvia Engdahl. Sylvia has published many, many science fiction books (believe me, the list is long, just visit her website if you don't believe me!) With all those books, I doubt she has any time for these two feline critters... but I guess she finds a way, because they LOVE her! Follow Sylvia on Twitter and Facebook.

Read on to find out why...

Hey, Dudes. Welcome to my blog. So, how did you come to live with Sylvia?

We were six months old and were living in a nice resale shop that also serves as a temporary home for cats rescued from the pound by a group called the Shelter Animal Resource Alliance. We had lived with one of the volunteers until we were old enough to go there, so we were very eager to get into a forever home with a person of our own. When our mom, Sylvia, came in looking for a cat, I got right up on her shoulder and purred, so she couldn't put me down. They said I was part Siamese because I have blue eyes and dark orange markings on my face and ears, and Sylvia was afraid I might prove too talkative to fit into her quiet life -- but I had bever done any loud talking in the shop so she took me home anyway (and later I proved not to be Siamese, as the white fur on my back turned orange and I developed some orange tiger stripes on my sides). Mom didn't want me to be lonesome while she was busy, so she chose my brother to some along. She didn't like the names we had at the shelter so she named us after two wise wizards: Gandalf the White and Dumbledore.

Do you two get along?

We get along fine! We are brothers, at least Sylvia was told we are, though she has never been quite sure since we aren't anything alike. We were together as kittens in the pound and have never been separated. We still wrestle and chase each other sometimes even though we are 7 years old, but it's all in fun. We're too big now to fit in Mom's lap together so we take turns -- when one of us comes and looks wistfully at the lap, the occupant gets right down. Mom says it must be telepathy.


What's it like living with an an author? Is she one of those egotistical ones?

It's nice because she is home all the time and gives us nearly as much attention as we demand -- though at times her mind does appear to be on her work instead of on us, which we do our best to discourage. I, Gandalf, am particularly happy that there aren't any other people in the house because when somebody, even a familiar neighbor, knocks on the door, I go under the bed. Mom says this is strange because I saw a lot of people in the shop I came from and I wasn't shy then. My brother Dumbledore, on the other hand, would like to see more action around here. He wishes we were allowed to go outdoors.

What type of books does she write?

Sylvia says her novels have to be called science fiction because they are set in the distant future on other worlds, but she is unhappy with that label because it often means that people not looking for science fiction don't discover them. On the whole they are liked better by readers who don't read much science fiction -- or have not read any at all -- than by dedicated sci-fi fans. No background in science fiction is needed to enjoy them.

In the past, the novels she wrote were for Young Adults -- that is, for teens. One of them, Enchantress from the Stars, was a Newbery Honor book and won other awards. But although her YA books have been republished in the 21st century, it has been a long time since she did any writing for teens. Her recent novels are just for adults.

Of all her books, which one is your favorite?

We don't really know much about her YA novels, as they were written long before we were born. So our favorites are the two adult novels she wrote while we were around to help: Stewards of the Flame and its sequel Promise of the Flame.

Does your author mom have a website?

Yes, she has two of them. The main one, www.sylviaengdahl.com, is mostly about her Young Adult novels, her life (there's one page about us), and her advocacy of space colonization. The other one, www.stewardsoftheflame.com, is about her adult novels and has a video trailer plus lots of review quotes and information about the controversial topics dealt with in the book. Whichever site you visit first, there are links to the other, so you won't get lost.

Is she disciplined? What does she do all day?

She works at the computer all the time she's awake except for an hour or so watching television and a couple hours just before bedtime when she holds us and attempts to read. She says this is not a matter of being disciplined because she has physical problems that keep her from going anywhere. Usually she is not writing; her main work is editing nonfiction books for high schools, which is what she does to support herself and us.

Does she ignore you while she writes?

We don't give her a chance to ignore unless we're asleep -- if she tries to, we keep bumping against the back of her desk chair. For some reason even though says she enjoys having us with her, she is upset when one of us insists on being in her lap while she's trying to work. She says there isn't room for a 22-pound cat between her and the computer keyboard and when near a deadline she can't afford lose much time. Occasionally she even gets cross and pushes us off, although we really don't see why, since often she seems able to reach over with one hand and type with two fingers. She says it would be better if we sat with her while she's watching television, which we absolutely refuse to do; neither one of us likes the noise from the television and besides, we don't like the way it competes with us for attention.

Where are her books available?

They are all available at Amazon.com and at Sylvia's websites, and Enchantress from the Stars is also available in bookstores.

What do you like most about Sylvia?

She loves us and says we're her family. What more can we say?

Interview with Dax, Bruce Golden's cat

Please welcome my feline guest, Dax!

Dax lives with science fiction & fantasy author Bruce Golden, whose novels have received rave reviews on many prestigious publications such as Asimov's Science Fiction (I bet this has gone to his head!) His novels include Better Than Chocolate, Mortals All, and the upcoming Evergreen. His short fiction has also been included in several anthologies. Anyway, Dax is here today to spill the beans on Bruce. Welcome, Dax!

Bio: Dax was born in 1995, and began life, along with his sister, Odo (recently deceased), as a feral kitten, even though he comes from a very long line of cats associated with author Bruce Golden. However, Dax, unlike his sister, always came to eat when Bruce brought out the food, and adapted to his human friend quite quickly. (His sister had to be caught and coerced, but after a few weeks was as loving any cat could be.) Dax is known to be very human-like and very intelligent as cats go. Though age is beginning to slow Dax down, he still follows Bruce wherever the human goes.

Thanks for stopping by this side of the woods, Dax. Tell us, what type of books does Bruce write?

His first two books, Mortals All and Better Than Chocolate, were both science fiction, as is his latest book, Evergreen. He calls it his finest work in more than 30 years as a creative artist, but I think he gets a little carried away with the superlatives some times. Though he says some day he’d like to write a non-scifi book, I’ll believe it when I see it. He’s written 30-plus short stories, and they’re all scifi or fantasy. The cool thing is that from the very beginning he’s always liked to include cats in his stories whenever possible. He has an unsold screenplay in which a great-great-great uncle of mine, Nomad Muad’Dib, plays a large role.

Has Bruce immortalized you in any of his books?

That’s kind of a sore point with me. You see, in his first book, Mortals All, Bruce chose to include my nephew Jekyll as a character (Jekyll and I are not close. We tolerate each other, though, on occasion, I’ll chase him around, just to let him know who’s top cat.) I’ve been waiting and waiting for Bruce to put me in one of his stories, and he swears that I’m going to be in the book he’s currently writing, as a cat referred to as Prince Dax. The royalty thing’s a nice touch, don’t you think? And so purrrrrfectly fitting.

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 Bruce while he writes?

Lately I’ve developed this really pitiful cry—it would bring tears to your eyes. I’ll wander around the house crying until I get some attention. Bruce gets very annoyed when he’s writing, and sometime he’ll yell at me to shut up. But mostly he just asks me what’s wrong. The joke’s on him. Nothing’s wrong, I just like to cry pitifully to make him feel guilty.

Good work, Dax! Tell us, does Bruce let you sit on his lap while he’s working at the computer?

I’m not much of a lap sitter, though both my nephews, Joker and Jekyll, take turns on his lap while he’s writing. When Bruce was writing Mortals All, Jekyll spent the entire time sitting on the back of the chair (this was before he got fat, and still fit there). That’s probably why he got a part in the book. I’m more of a kneader than a lap sitter. I also like to get up on the desk and lay right in front of the computer, which drives Bruce crazy, because he can’t get at his keyboard to work.

I once tried to sit on my mom's lap, but she said I almost smothered her to death (what a lie!) Anyway, what advice would you give to those pets that have to live with irrational, egotistical authors?

Under the category “Do what I say, not what I do,” pets should give their authors a wide berth during those irrational periods. Don’t bug ‘em, or you might get a box of tissues thrown at you. But you also need to stroke their egos, so rub up against them, turn on the purr, and congratulate them on their accomplishments—even if they’re not making enough money with their writing to buy you the really expensive cat food.


Wise advice, Dax! Thanks for stopping by!