Meet the Inspiration

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the cat I chose to be my model for Puss. He belongs to my parents, and his name is Chewie–short for Chewbacca.

I used Chewie for several reasons–first and foremost being that he is such a ham, and he has several distinct mannerisms and habits I could use for Puss. (The most recognizable one, is that he is obsessed with being carried, and as a male cat he is pretty heavy even though he’s lean.) It also helps that he is male, looks distinctive with his half mustache, and is familiar to me so I wouldn’t have a problem describing his body language.

A more emotional reason, however, is because Chewie can identify with Puss. Not because he’s a talking, magical cat–although he tries pretty hard to speak–but because before my parents, Chewie was also a stray. Our neighbor who lived on the corner of the street said she saw a car stop, and a man threw Chewie and his brother out before taking off. Chewie’s brother stayed at the farm where they were initially dropped off, but Chewie roamed the neighborhood. As my family owned horses we have a big horse barn, which he typically slept in at night because it was safe and warm as it was late fall/early winter. He was frightened, beaten up, had a lot of cuts and scabs, but in spite of his mistreatment, he still wanted to be with humans.

In the end my parents decided if he was friendly enough we should catch him and take him to a vet so he could be fixed, de-wormed, and de-fleaed. Thankfully a clinic in area had a special program where they would do all of that for a very low price–particularly if you were doing this for a stray. The day before his appointment I set about capturing him because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find him in the morning. He spent the day in a small cat carrier, and I felt really bad about that, so I locked the garage up, put a kitty harness on him, and let him out.

I think that moment was one of the saddest animal moments of my life. Chewie–after being cooped up for hours and putting up with a kitty leash–meandered out of the cat carrier, purring. He didn’t walk around, he didn’t try to escape, he just rubbed against any of my limbs he could reach. This cat had clearly been loved at some point before he was dumped just a few weeks before the winter snow started falling.

My entire family thought that after going through the horrifying experience of getting fixed, Chewie would run away the moment we let him outside. Instead, he took up residence in the garage, and apparently decided if we cared that much we must want him in our family. Now, Chewie is our best cat.

Puss is very similar. While he was loved by Angelique he was forced to leave and lived as a stray (for reasons that make sense if you Angelique's series), until he found Gabrielle–whom he decided he would serve for the rest of their lives.

The love and loyalty of animals is a precious thing. In spite of the suffering they’ve been put through, most pets will put their trust in humans again and again.

Because I have seen this kind of love played out, (SPOILER!!) it was important to me that it was the little, orange-colored stray kitty who killed the mouse-ogre and saved Carabas and Gabrielle!

So…thank you for loving your pets–whether they be canine, feline, equine, or other. In your pet’s eyes, you are the Gabrielle to their Puss!

Cover Reveal: Puss in Boots

It’s time for Puss in Boot’s cover reveal! Drum roll, please.

Here kitty, kitty!

As usual, clicking on the image will take you to the larger version. Anyway, this cover has been in the works for a LONG time. Usually Myrrhlynn uses stockphotos to craft covers, but this time we decided to take the photo ourselves, which is why this has been such an extended the project.

The reason for our little project is the cat. He is an exact physical representation of my Puss because I based Puss on him, and he belongs to my parents. His name is Chewie (named after Chewbacca) and he is a handsome, snuggly fellow. To get this image Myrrhlynn and I had a photo shoot with him last year. Chewie, you see, has the unfortunate tendency to get his face scratched up–in particularly the bridge of nose–and we weren’t sure what time of year I would release Puss in Boots, but the book itself is solidly placed in summer. Fearing an out of season photo, or that Chewie would get his handsome face beat up, last August we seized the opportunity and snapped over thirty photos of him. The boots are a pair of Myrrhlynn’s old riding boots. To get the grass flat we had to stomp around on it–otherwise it would have been over Chewie’s head. During the photo shoot we gave Chewie a lot of treats, so I can confidentially say he enjoyed himself but if you want some proof check out some of the blooper photos below!

While Chewie is clearly the adorable part of the cover, I continue to be a font nerd. From the fancy p of Puss to the kitty paw print dotting the i, I am so in love with this cover’s font! As I was actually hanging around when Myrrhlynn made this cover, I have to say it was surprising to see the great deliberation that goes into choosing the font. After I thought about it for a while, though, I realized that the font usually represents the tone of the book, which made me all the more thankful Myrrhlynn reads my drafts so she knows what the book is about.

I owe Myrrhlynn a big thank you for once again producing a beautiful, meaningful cover, and for taking the photos with me. This photo and cover so perfectly represents Puss it makes me really impatient for Thursday to come! (Remember, it will be available Thursday, August 6.)

Sadly, I don’t think I’ll get a chance to update again before Puss in Boots is released, but the second I learn its available on Amazon I’ll post here! Until then, have a wonderful weekend, Champions!

That’s a package of cat treats Myrrhlynn is holding. Poor cat, eh?

Cover Reveal: Enlighten

I hope everyone had a lovely and meaningful Memorial Day! Mine was filled with family fun, and an abundance of good food.

We’re launching into the remainder of the week with a cover reveal for Enlighten! Enlighten, Book 5 of King Arthurs and Her Knights, is slated to release June 11–just two and a half weeks away!

Myrrhlynn lived up to her reputation and created another beautiful and meaningful cover. But. BUT. The cover and the title are not spoilers per say, but big, huge warning lights of what happens in this book. Enlighten. Just think about it. Notice the crown, which for the first time in the series is actually girly and not masculine/neutral. As for the sheep…a few super observant readers might remember who has a remote tie to sheep….

I’m not going to say anything more because once people learn what happens in this book there is going to be a storm of comments, and I would rather be underground when that happens. Thanks again, Myrhlynn, for another fabulous cover, and thank you, Champions, for reading! Stay strong–only two and a half-ish weeks!