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Goodreads asked Sophie Penhaligon:

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Sophie Penhaligon Thanks for your question. It really made me think! I thought for a while that I didn't have any mysteries in my life, but then I thought back to many years ago. This is a cat-related story so I apologize if you're not a cat person.

About 20 years ago I owned a beautiful but rather disdainful cat, ginger and white with a distinctive ringed tail. I loved him but sadly it was not reciprocated and he enjoyed ambushing me at various times of the day and digging his claws into my leg.

Whilst moving from one house to another there was a delay and I had to move in with my in-laws for several weeks (not a great situation.) Obviously, the cat came too and as he was an outdoor cat, he was keen to explore his new neighbourhood.

One day he never came home and I was heartbroken. I went around the neighbourhood pinning up posters and hoping that someone had found him. One evening I received a phone call from a stranger telling me that a cat fitting his description had been hit by a car on the highway and was lying dead at the side of the road. My then husband and I went to investigate and to spare me the dreadful task, he identified the body.

We came back to my in-law's house and had a funeral service with everyone in tears, and the cat was interred in their front yard. I was completely devastated.

Three nights later I was in bed in our upstairs bedroom when there was a tapping on our window. I'm sure you know what happened next. I looked out and there was our cat looking much thinner but very much alive. He'd been missing for three weeks.

Here's the mystery part:
1. Where had he been for 3 weeks and how had he survived?
2. Whose cat did we bury in my in-law's garden?
3. How did he know I was sleeping in that upstairs bedroom? The house was unfamiliar to him and it involved him climbing up on the roof to tap on the window.

The upside was he had a complete personality change after that event and became a lot more loving and grateful!

Sorry, that was a long and rambling story! Not sure if it would make a good plot for a book, but I can see it might appear in a romantic comedy. You've given me food for thought.

Very best wishes,
Sophie

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