Mollie Hunt's Blog, page 46

Lynley Cannon’s FRIDAY FELINE FACTS & FANCIES, Hero

 

Lynley Cannon, star of the Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series, is often referred to as a crazy cat lady herself, but when it comes to the feline species, this sixty-something cat shelter volunteer knows her stuff. Check here each Friday for instructive and intriguing information on our favorite subject: cats!

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Artwork by Alana McCarthy

Despite their aloofness, cats have proven themselves loyal and brave. History honors Tony (alerted their human to fire, 2015), “hero cat” (guided man lost on Swiss mountain to safety, 2013), Crimean Tom (led starving soldiers to food, 1854), Smudge (defended child from bullies, 2014), Simon (protected ship food stores, 1949), just to name a few.

~Cat Call, Chapter 29

 

Check out more of Lynley Cannon’s kitty tips, tricks, and facts preceding each chapter in CATS’ EYES, COPY CATS, CAT’S PAW, and CAT CALL.

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COMING SOON: CAT CAFÉ!

 

I’m thrilled to announce Cat Café, the 5th Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery is well on its way.  I don’t have a release date yet, but I am thinking it’s going to be out before the planned month of November. I’m checking over the proof copy as we speak. I take it as a good sign that the story still excites me, even though I’ve read it many times.

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Coffee, Tea, or Me? by Leslie Cobb

A body is discovered on the floor of the cat café, and all the black cats are missing!

Sixty-something cat shelter volunteer Lynley Cannon always seems to find more trouble than a cat in catnip, but this time it’s not about her. Someone is targeting very senior citizens, and when Bea Landrew, owner of the Blue Cat café turns up dead, Lynley’s mom Carol could be next.

Handsome Detective Devon is looking for a link between the victims when he makes a different sort of connection— with Lynley! It’s been a long time since the cat lady had romance in her life, but while her mom is in danger, the case comes first.

It appears the cat café will go the way of its deceased owner, but Bea’s grandson, a slick Miami businessman, steps in at the last minute. Arthur is not a cat person so why would he bother? Romeo, the big Russian Blue, senses ulterior motives, but who will listen to a cat?

A black cat rescue, a discovered photograph, an elaborate payback. Is this killer seeking justice or vengeance? With death as the objective, the results are the same.

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Cat and His Pretty on Paris Roofs, by Atelier de Jiel

Cat Café, the 5th Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery

Other books in the Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery Series:

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Books need not be read in order.

Learn about cats! Lynley’s cat tips, tricks, and facts precede each chapter.

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PLACID RIVER RUNS DEEP GIVEAWAY WINNER

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Thanks to everyone who entered the PLACID RIVER RUNS DEEP Giveaway.

The winner is….

Cherilyn

Congratulations, Cherilyn!

Lynley Cannon’s FRIDAY FELINE FACTS & FANCIES, Rescue

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Lynley Cannon, star of the Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series, is often referred to as a crazy cat lady herself, but when it comes to the feline species, this sixty-something cat shelter volunteer knows her stuff. Check here each Friday for instructive and intriguing information on our favorite subject: cats!

Why buy a pet from a breeder when so many “accidental” animals need loving homes? And if you must have that special breed, try a Breeder Rescue. Shelters also offer breed animals as well as mutts. Adopt your next pet from a shelter.

~Cat’s Eyes, Chapter 26

Artwork by Nancy Halverson

Check out more of Lynley Cannon’s kitty tips, tricks, and facts preceding each chapter in CATS’ EYES, COPY CATS, CAT’S PAW, and CAT CALL.

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FOSTER SUCCESS

 

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Anyone who fosters animals knows that someday the time will come when they take that animal back to the shelter to be adopted out. The expression used if per chance the foster parent falls in love with that animal and chooses to adopt it themselves is foster failure. As I write this, my latest foster fail purring on my lap, I am changing the term to foster success, because giving Blaze a forever home is one of the best things I’ve done in a while.

The 10-year-old tuxedo male came to me as a temporary foster from the Oregon Humane Society in March of this year. He had arrived from another shelter back in January with a badly broken front leg. OHS set the leg and sent him out to foster with another person. Two months later, when they found the leg still hadn’t healed, they put pins in it and sent him home with me.

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I’ve been fostering with OHS since 2006. Foster time for a cat with upper respiratory infection, the most common shelter illness, is usually around two weeks. A cat who is going through a surgery may come preceding surgery and then return to recuperate afterwards, taking nearer three to four weeks. I have twice fostered hospice cases who spent their final days with me. (As it turned out, they perked up once they were in a real home— one lasted another year, and one, several months.) When the time came to say goodbye, the loss was as if they were one of my own. Two weeks is easy; four is doable, but the longer they stay in my care, the harder it is to let them go. Blaze was with me for three months.

I have a dedicated room with a large kennel where I can house sick and injured cats until they are well and ready for adoption. This was especially important for Blaze who was on indefinite cage rest in hopes that this time the break would heal properly. It isn’t as dismal as it sounds, having all the kitty comforts— a big bed, litter box, scratcher, food and toys— plus a window that looks onto an overgrown back yard with the promise of bird TV. Even so, it can’t compare with the freedom of a normal cat’s life, so I spent a lot of time with Blaze, overseeing his actions. Luckily Blaze’s favorite thing on earth was to sit on my lap, so every morning, we would work on my book, and every afternoon we’d sit in the rocking chair and watch Dr. Who on my phone.

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I kept taking him back for his check-ups, and the doctor kept saying another week, another two weeks. With each increment of time, wBlaze and I grew closer. The shy but affectionate cat came to trust me, and I began to think of him as one of the family. Eventually as his leg improved, he was taken off cage rest and put on limited exercise. That meant he could walk around a bit as long as he didn’t run, jump, or play. I fixed up a few beds around the room, and his exercise, when he wasn’t sitting on my lap, was moving from bed to bed. He limped a little at first, then it stopped. I couldn’t leave him unsupervised but got him out whenever I could.

Weeks rolled into months. Over time, Blaze met my cats Little and Tyler. Little, a foster failure from ten years ago, hadn’t been getting along with Tyler whom I adopted last year. The big male wanted to play with her, but she perceived it more as an affront, and it usually ended up in a hissing match. Suddenly there was Blaze. Both other cats were so astonished they forgot their peeves. Tyler tried his aggressive move on Blaze, but the mellow tuxedo cat just looked at him like, “I so don’t care.” Little gave a few hisses, but soon she and Blaze were cozied up at the screen door, looking out the wildlife. Could it be that this third cat was the ingredient that could defuse the tension between the other two?

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Finally the day came when I was to take Blaze back to OHS to have his pins removed. From there, they would decide what came next, adoption or more time in foster. Even though I wanted him to be well and healthy, I found myself longing for him to come back home with me. I convinced the doctor it would be good for me to keep him a little longer, just to make sure everything went okay with his leg. She gave him another week. Suddenly I was faced with the fact I loved this cat, he fit with my community, and yes, I really wanted to adopt him myself.

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I put the idea out on Facebook and got a 100% “do it!” response. Everywhere I looked I found positive signs; after all, the month of June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month. Everything pointed to my keeping Blaze, but there was that one lingering guilt: You’re not supposed to keep your fosters— Foster Failure!

I was talking to some cat friends a few days before the return day, and needless to say, the subject turned to my desire to adopt Blaze, but when I mentioned foster failure, a friend immediately got on my case.

“I don’t like the term, foster failure,” she said. “There’s nothing failure about it. You know this cat better than anyone and have determined that you can give him a great home. I’d call that a foster success!”

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A foster success? I’d never thought about it like that. But why not? It’s not like I adopt all the cats I foster, and at ten years old, a shy cat with a few health issues isn’t the most adoptable cat in the shelter. Though OHS tries its best to find every animal a good home, sometimes it takes a while, and it doesn’t always work out even then. Why put this boy through that if we didn’t have to?

So I took the plunge and brought Blaze home. Now he can have the run of the house. I’m happy. He’s happy. My Facebook friends are happy. (He’s already been asked for an interview with Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog.)

And I’ll never again use the term, foster failure. It will be only foster successes from now on.

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Remember our Animal Heroes

“From the carrier pigeons of World War II who delivered critical messages between soldiers on the frontline and their counterparts back home, to the sniffer dogs detecting deadly improvised explosive devices in more recent conflicts, their contribution should never be underestimated or forgotten.”

Read about a special cat Simon who served aboard the HMS Amethyst.

Source: Remember our Animal Heroes

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Lynley Cannon’s FRIDAY FELINE FACTS & FANCIES, Back from Hiatus

 

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Dear Readers,

You may or may not have noticed I’ve been absent from your Friday mailbox for a few weeks. I’d like to say I was on vacation in a tropical paradise or winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but alas, it was just my writer who has gotten behind. Don’t worry. I have many more cat stories and choice bits of advice to give you, and I promise to get the writer writing again soon.

Thanks for your patience,

Lynley Cannon

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CAT WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2018: PARTING THOUGHTS

 

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The trouble with having procrastinated my recap of the Cat Writers’ Association Conference for so long is that those CWA members who delivered their blogposts in a more timely manner have already said it all: how amazing the conference was this year; how helpful the networking; how interesting the presentations; how fun to go to El Gato cat café for a book signing and fur fest; how humbling to win the prestigious Muse Medallion awards; and finally how wonderful it felt knowing we’d made real connections, real friends. Since I can only elaborate on things already mentioned by those who didn’t wait two weeks to blog, I’ll take a different approach and talk about a few things that stood out to me.

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This year the conference was structured differently than in the past, with a single track of presentations, breaks, meals, and networking. The obvious result of this format was that no one had to pick and choose which event to attend and no one missed anything. The more subtle result was an atmosphere of calm and unhurriedness which I found conducive to listening, learning, and sharing among the group. Over the time spent at the tables, we got to know each other. For me, someone not so good at multi-tasking, it made for a more intimate setting without that frenzied feeling of just trying to remember everybody’s names.

Our keynote speaker, the charismic and intelligent Dr. Marty Becker of Fear Free Pets, was wonderful, as were the other presenters, but I personally got the most useful information from Rick Reichenbach’s “Cat Photography Made Simple”. If you’re like me, or maybe I should say, if your cats are like my cats, every time I get out the camera, they either come straight toward me or plop down and lick their tail parts, so I was very interested in what Rick might have to say, especially the “made simple” part. The lesson did not disappoint. Rick was a skilled and effective teacher, and I came away with new, easy-to-implement ideas for how to get the best photos of my cats.

Rick’s book, How to Take Beautiful Pictures of Your Cat: A Step-by-Step Guide to Cat Photography, is available here.

[image error]Who doesn’t love a good cat café? El Gato Coffeehouse in Houston, like many cat cafés, is a one of a kind.

“Our mission is to provide a comfortable environment for adoptable cats until they find their furrever home. If guests aren’t looking to adopt, they can enjoy cat therapy, which also helps socialize the cats.”

El Gato partners with Friends For Life No Kill Animal Adoption & Rescue Shelter that supplies the cats who inhabit the “Cat Cottage”, a fixed-up older house in a residential neighborhood of Houston.

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Ramona Marek, Cats for the GENIUS

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Sandy Lerner, author of Caticons

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Janiss Garza, author of Rescued and other cat books

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Anita Aurit, FelineOpines

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CWA had been invited to sell our books in their parking lot on Friday evening. It was hot, of course, being Houston in June, but the gravel lot was shaded by big trees and a breeze cooled it comfortably. Each of the several participating authors had a nice big table to show off their books. We were even supplied with cat ears upon request. Though I doubt any of us sold a ton of books since the event hadn’t been widely publicized, it was great fun, and we all got time to spend with the cats in the cottage.

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Kiril Kundurazieff & Amy Shojai

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Lee-Ann Germinder

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Deb Barnes

I can’t get away without a nod to the Awards Gala, where everyone had a chance to show off their finery, cat themed or otherwise. We enjoyed a cocktail hour chatting and watching the parade of finery. I thought the buffet dinner was excellent, and they didn’t run out of desserts like all too many catered affairs. Then came the awards themselves.

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Jessica Spawn & Rick Reichenbach

Contest categories were many and varied, not just covering writing itself, but all aspects of cat-creativity. The bar that must be met to qualify for the awards shortlist is high, and winning, an honor. The Cat Writers’ Association understands how important it is for creative people to receive acknowledgement of their work from time to time. There is nothing quite like hearing your name called, walking up onto the stage to the applause of your peers, and having your picture taken with one of CWA’s elite. (The big, beautiful medal doesn’t hurt either!)

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There is so much more I could write about— the cat show, the informal get-togethers in the bar, the swag bag stuffing party and the swag itself (my cats are still getting surprises from that big green and white bag)— but I don’t want to turn this post into a tome. Instead I’ll finish with a huge thank you to everyone who made the conference possible.

Note: If you are a cat writer, blogger, photographer, poet, artist, or anything else creative that has to do with cats, consider joining the Cat Writers’ Association, and be part of something that really works!

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The 2018 conference of the Cat Writers’ Association was made possible by the generous support of our Sponsors. Thank you. We are so very grateful to you all.

@alleycatrescue #aafp #catalystcouncil @ceva_usa @cfacats #cfagulfshore @clawguard @cornelluniversity @drelseys @fearfreepets @felinefixbyfive @gentleharvest @goodnewsforpets @hartzpets #hogs4paws @metropaws_llc @petcofoundation @petsafe @petsittersinternational @pettreehouses @pioneer_pet @prestoncares @purina @sleepypod @sturdiproducts @ticashows @tikipets @worldsbestcatlitter @zenbycat

SALE AND GIVEAWAY for PLACID RIVER RUNS DEEP

Now through July 6th
get the Kindle version of Placid River Runs Deep for only 2.99
and enter to win a giveaway print copy of the book!

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Independence Day! Nobody does it up better than a small rural town. Ember Mackay needs that right now— the potlucks and picnics, the fireworks, the friends. Recently learning she has a life-threatening illness, her first instinct is to run to her secluded Placid River cabin, built in 1950 by her grandfather. She hopes for the peace and pleasure she experienced as a child, but instead she finds mystery, murder, and a revenge plot that has taken a generation to unfold.

From now through July 6th, I’m running a sale on the Kindle version of Placid River Runs Deep for only 2.99 and a contest giveaway of a print copy of the book.

Click here for the Kindle version of Placid River Runs Deep.

To enter to win a signed print copy of Placid River Runs Deep, please Like & Comment in the Comment Section below. The last day to enter is the 4th of July, and the winner will be announced on the 6th. Good luck!

#giveaway

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About Placid River Runs Deep:

Like stones beneath Placid River, a dark tragedy lurks.

When Ember Mackay learns she has a life-threatening illness, she flees to the old Placid River cabin, but instead of solace, she finds mystery, murder and a revenge plot that has taken a generation to unfold.

Diagnosis: hepatitis C. It’s a shocker for Ember Mackay. In 2010, there is no cure and she is far too young to die. Ember needs time to process, so she makes for River Lane, the Southwest Washington summer community her grandparents helped establish long ago. The old cabin holds happy memories, but can they ease the grim reality that will change her life forever?

Her focus shifts when an elderly River Lane patron is found horribly murdered and his brother dies a mysterious death. A handsome artist whom Ember hasn’t seen since childhood becomes friend, lover, and then protector, but his care may be coming too late. When a third neighbor is killed and the cops are no nearer to discovering a motive, let alone the killer’s identity, it becomes clear no one is safe.

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Praise for PLACID RIVER RUNS DEEP

“…A thrilling combination of menace and pastoral beauty. After reading this book you may want to rethink  your summer holiday.”  —Lily Gardner, author of Betting Blind

Praise for Mollie Hunt

“…People like Mollie are rare in this world because they infuse their own curiosity about that world with true empathy… the recipe for not only a quality person, but, in the end, a great artist as well.” —Jackson Galaxy | Cat Behavior Consultant

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I wrote Placid for two reasons. Firstly, of course, was the story which came to me like they do, demanding to be put into print.

But equally as important was my desire to address the dilemma of hepatitis C in today’s society. Even though hep C affects an estimated 3.5 million people in the U.S. alone, and even though they have finally, after years of research, come up with a cure, there is still much stigma around this blood-borne disease. For many, the stigma is more damaging, mentally and physically, than hep C itself.

This stigmatizing is largely due to ignorance about the disease such as the misconception that it can be transmitted through a hand-shake or a hug. (Though hep C is potentially infectious, the only way it is passed is with blood-to-blood contact.)

Its link to injection drug use also causes people to shun those with the disease, though many contracted it by other means, such as a blood transfusion or other association with the medical profession.

“Former injection drug users may feel haunted by their past and want to avoid this label. Active injection drug users carry the burden of having two stigmatized diseases, addiction and hepatitis C.”      Stigma and Hepatitis C, the Harvoni website

“Many people are unaware they’re infected. 55 to 85 percent will develop chronic HCV infection. For people with chronic HCV, the chance of developing cirrhosis of the liver is 15 to 30 percent within 20 years. 71 million people around the world are living with chronic HCV (as of) Jun 1, 2018”    Hepatitis C by the Numbers: Facts, Stats, and You

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Kitty says: Isn’t it time for a summer read?

 

 

Changing the World Through Fiction

I recently gave a presentation at the Cat Writers’ Conference called Changing the World Through Fiction: 7 (plus 1) techniques to effectively promote your point of view and was asked if I had recorded it. I had not, but I do have a this for you:

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Today’s society calls for more from a fiction writer than a fluff-piece. It’s our obligation to bring light to the causes and conflicts of our world. In my presentation, Changing the World Through Fiction,  I offer methods that even the coziest of writers can implement to gently present their values within their story.

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If you feel something strongly, it’s easy to talk about it. Sometimes ad nauseam. I’m like that when it comes to cats. I love cats, have cats in my home, I foster sick cats and volunteer at a cat shelter. I attend classes about cat health and behavior. I write cat mysteries and cat poetry as well as a little cat fantasy sci-fi.

It’s not just a cute kitty thing with me; it’s a lifestyle, a relationship, and with it comes responsibility. A lot of bad things happen to animals in this world, and that must change. Indian visionary Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” I’ve chosen to be a cat advocate, both in real life and on the page. It may come down to saving one cat at a time, but it’s okay. No kindness is ever too small.

Sometimes I get carried away talking about shelters, rescues, or animal aid. People’s eyes glaze over, and they begin to hear only the words: cat cat cat cat cat. If that happens at a meeting, they can just walk away, but if I bore them on the page, they will put the book down and may never pick it up again.

As fiction writers, it’s important to remember the point of our writing is to tell an entertaining story, but that doesn’t mean we can’t educate and enlighten at the same time, without using soapbox rhetoric or putting our readers to sleep.

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Pick your battles, and your cause. You can’t champion everything. Choose 1 or 2 matters significant to you.

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Tighten up. Keep your cause-talk short, but make every word count.

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Establish your place. Use epigraphs, quotes, or an afterward as the vehicle for your cause.

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Why so serious? Don’t forget to include your cause’s lighter components.

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Show, don’t tell. Weave the cause into your story instead of pitching it on its own.

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Whisper, don’t shout. Be subtle: don’t give in to the urge to lecture or preach.

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Write to entertain. Make it fun. After all, that’s why people read fiction.

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“Eliminate the negative.”

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As my father-in-law often sang:

   “You’ve got to accentuate the positive,

Eliminate the negative,

Latch on to the affirmative

Don’t mess with Mister In Between.” 

    –Music by Harold Arlen; lyrics by Johnny Mercer; singer: Bing Crosby 1944  

All causes are based on something bad that needs to be changed, but keeping your attitude “positive” will leave your readers feeling optimistic about both your cause and your book.

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Thanks for playing along, and please let me know if you have any questions. Now, go out and change the world!

Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer

www.lecatts.wordpress.com

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