A. L. Kaplan

Tag: Cat

  • WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Jennifer R. Povey

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    Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

    Current Spring 2017Jennifer R. Povey lives in Northern Virginia with her husband. She writes a variety of speculative fiction, whilst following current affairs and occasionally indulging in horse riding and role-playing games. She has sold fiction to a number of markets including Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Third Flatiron, and written RPG supplements for several companies. Her most recent novel is the urban fantasy Daughter of Fire.

    Wolf: If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

    Jennifer: A housecat. I mean, they’re the most spoiled critters ever. Why yes, I am a little lazy.

    Wolf: Lounging in a sunbeam sounds nice. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

    Jennifer: Beaver sausage. I do mean the animal. It was actually quite tasty. And when somebody offers me weird food, I take it.

    Wolf: So do I. You never know what you’re going to like. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

    Jennifer: Everyone knows I’m a sword girl. Sharp pointy things for the win.

    Wolf: Ouch. I’ll stay back. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

    Jennifer: Pretty much everything I put Anna through in Lost Guardians. If I went into details, it would be spoilery, but…sometimes you have to do really ruthless things to save the world, you know.

    Wolf: Indeed. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

    Jennifer: Both. Both have their charms. Which says a lot about how eclectic my tastes are in general. Kittens? Puppies? Both are good.

    Wolf: And so soft. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

    Jennifer: Teleportation. I hate wasting time on travel. (Road trips are a different thing, of course). But breakfast in Paris, lunch in London, with no travel costs? What’s not to love.

    Wolf: I’ll go for that. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

    Jennifer: Call for backup. Then open it. Ya know, once I have backup. Hopefully it’ll actually be something cute on the other side…

    Wolf: Won’t know until you open it. What is your favorite body of water and why?

    Jennifer: Probably the ocean. You can take the girl out of the island, but not the island out of the girl. Childhood seaside trips and all.

    Wolf: Sweet. What story are you working on now?

    Jennifer: The working title is Arana. It’s a companion book to Transpecial, takes place on a starship and involves first contact…and a very haunted MC. I’m about to start the third draft.

    Wolf: I look forward to reading it. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

    Jennifer: Ride horses. Play video games. Silly video games. I mean, I used to be a Farmville addict…

    Wolf: Thanks for visiting. You can connect with Jennifer through these links:

    Website: http://www.jenniferrpovey.com
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jrpovey
    Tumblr: https://jenniferrpovey.tumblr.com
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninjafingers

    Star Touched

    Wolf Dawn

  • A Little Something For Cat Lovers

    Back when I submitted my story, Mark of the Goddess, for In A Cat’s Eye, the publisher asked for my favorite cat story. I remember wracking my brains trying to think of any stories I had read about cats and coming up blank. I’m more of a dog lover and wolf fanatic. Cats, well, I like them just fine – in other people’s houses.

    the-boy-who-drew-catsAfter several days of hitting my head on the desk because all I’d come up with was The Cat In The Hat, I finally remembered  The Boy Who Drew Cats.
    The book I have was rewritten by Arthur A. Levine and illustrated by Frédéric Clément. It’s based on an ancient Japanese legend that was translated in the late 1800’s.

     

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    Go ahead and check it out. And don’t forget to get a copy of In A Cat’s Eye for yourself or your favorite cat lover.

     

     

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  • Coming Soon: In a Cat’s Eye

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    Keep a look out for In a Cat’s Eye from Pole to Pole Publishing this fall. It has a fantastic line up of authors, and of my short stories will be purring along with theirs. Don’t let the cover fool you. It’s not full of cute little kitties. 

    Mine is titled “Mark of the Goddess”

  • THE RESCUE

    I glare at the man who tried to kill me and spit the grenade pin onto the ground. He and his pals picked the wrong folks to mess with when they abducted Mistress. I’m way more than a little white dog. I scramble across the beach and into the water as the man turns into confetti.

    A little twist of magical energy and my fur vanishes, paws become flippers. I shoot toward the wooden dingy like a torpedo. Too busy gaping at the cloud of smoke on the beach, the four pirates don’t notice me until I transform and land amidst them as a king cobra. My venom splatters the man closest. He tumbles into the water. Ducking a machete, I bite another man. The machete gouges the bottom of the boat. Water bubbles up. Good thing Mistress still wears her magic boots.

    Something grabs me. Not good. I can change shape, not mass, so I’m small. Fur once again covers my body, this time with feline accessories. I twist and slash with my claws. Blood streams, but he holds me fast under the water. Spots fill my eyes. I have to wait for energy to replenish.

    Finally I can change shape again. My new eel form shoots electricity in one enormous blast. The two remaining pirates convulse, then collapse. It’s not over yet. The dingy is sinking. Mistress is too hurt and tired to transform. So am I, but somehow we make it to shore. Mission accomplished.

  • SHORE 4: DEAD SHORE

    “That’s the last time you clip your fingernails over my bunk,” said Flynn. His lip twisted into a sneer. “No more clip, clip. No more flying toenails.”

    That little habit had rankled Flynn’s patience for months. He holstered his flintlock and nodded, satisfied that Avery would never disturb him again. No one could survive a shot under the eye, not even Avery.

    Dealing with that man on board had been bad enough. Getting marooned together was more than either of them could handle. He plopped down under the lone palm tree on the uncharted island and leaned back, relishing the sound of lapping water. He’d worry about rescue later.

    “The least you could have done was close my eyes,” growled Avery. “I’m still seeing spots.”

    Flynn leaped to his feet. “How…You were dead….” he sputtered.

    “I fired. My cheek stung. Then I felt the sun burning my eyes.” Avery glared at him. “You can’t even kill a man right.”

    ***

    Do you think they will behave now?” said Catherine. Her golden-bronze tail flicked back and forth. “That’s the third time we have healed those men.”

    Tom sighed as he watched Avery and Flynn argue on the view screen. “I believe it will take more than nanites to fix these humans. They are nothing like the young man we hosted last year.”

    “What a shame. I thought for sure they could get along eventually,” said Catherine. “Very well, end the experiment and sent the results to headquarters on planet Mau.”

  • SHORE 3: HOSPITAL SHORE

    “They were aliens.”

    “You told me they were cats,” said the doctor. He tapped a pencil on his note pad.

    I glared at the doctor and raked my belly. I’d been relegated to the psychiatric ward ever since they found me unconscious on a barren island in the Pacific.

    “They were alien cats and they walked on two legs like we do.” The irritation on my stomach continued to irk me as much as this conversation. “I swear. I’m not making this up.”

    “I’m sure you believe that’s true. Tell me again how your ship sunk.”

    My teeth pressed together until they hurt. At least it distracted me from the damned itch. I’d told the same story for a month. No one believed me. Had I hallucinated Catherine and Tom? Had I really been that sun mad to have concocted the whole story?

    “We hit something during a storm and the ship sunk. I was the only survivor. Tom found me washed up on their spaceship disguised as an island. He and Catherine fed me the best seared fish I’ve ever had. That’s all I have to say.”

    The doctor’s brow wrinkled. “Looks like you’re not ready to face reality yet. I’ll have an orderly bring you back to your room.”

    The lock clicked behind me like a doomsday chime. Maybe I was crazy. Maybe I really had imagined the whole thing. I scratched my stomach again, then looked at the irritation. A tawny gold and black pattern decorated my skin, just like the spots on Catherine’s fur. My heart jumped. It was real, and I’d been tagged and released.

  • SHORE 2: HOSPITABLE SHORE

    “Tom, please get our guest another drink while I fix supper.”

    “By all means, Catherine.”

    The prim and proper manner of my hosts still struck me as odd. They sounded like an English couple, yet looked… well, they looked like huge cats. I was fair pickings when they found me washed up on their doorstep, but instead of being supper, they invited me to the meal.

    “Here you go,” said Tom. His long tawny tail swished back and forth. “I’ve added a restorative. Wouldn’t do for you to get sick after Catherine prepared such a lovely meal.”

    I took the cup, thanked him, and turned away. Tom’s luminescent gold eyes made me shiver. They’d been nothing but kind and gentle, but it was hard to ignore long sharp fangs. Not to mention, the retractable claw Catherine used to gut tonight’s dinner. The pan seared fish smelled magnificent, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was on tomorrow’s menu.

    I pushed that thought away. It wouldn’t be good form to turn into a bowl of quivering Jell-O.  “Where are you folks from?”

    Catherine’s golden bronze fur rippled as she cooked, making her dark spots move around. “We originally came from planet Mau, although Tom and I grew up just outside of London. Our ancestors have studied your species for several thousand years.”

    I put the cup of juice on the table before it spilled. My mind struggled to wrap itself around aliens and sentient cats. “A tiny, pacific island is a long way from London.”

    “This isn’t an island, dear,” said Catherine. “It’s our spacecraft. London got too dangerous with all the cell phones and cameras. That’s why we don’t go outside until after dark. Humans have come a long way, but you are still way too unpredictable and violent.”

    Sad to say, but she was right. And I was nothing but stray dog, a wild animal.

  • PURSE SNATCHER

    “Don’t just stand there! Go after him.”

    Concerned tourists gathered around the old woman. Purse snatching isn’t on my list of things to witness while vacationing, but hey, I’m a cop. I looked up the flight of marble stairs. The punk that grabbed her bag must have been part monkey. If I tried running him down I’d be clutching my chest like the old lady. I was a lot older than monkey kid and my daily donuts hung around my waist like banana custard. Good think I didn’t need to.

    “Don’t worry. He’ll be right down,” I said. “Those upper steps are slick.”

    No one noticed my fingers wiggle as I helped the woman stand. A thin glaze of ice formed on the steps. Not an easy feat to do in Southern California. But hey, I’m talented.

    Just my luck, monkey kid must have been part cat. He stumbled on the ice, then leaped past. I muttered an oath. At least I had one more ace up my sleeve. My little friend popped up to the top of the stairs just as the kid reached the uppermost step. By little I mean huge. Anyone but me saw Clyde as heat rising in the distance…Unless, of course, you ran into him.

    Monkey kid shrieked, then tumbled backwards down the steps. I couldn’t help but smile. Any mention of what he saw would be attributed to the huge crack on his skull. Score one for me and Clyde.

  • Tough Stuff

    “I won’t tell nobody,” said Tabs. “I swear, Oscar, your secret’s safe with me.”

    Oscar’s tail swished back and forth, the gray fur bristled out. Then he dug his claws into the tabby and grinned, watching Tabs’ eyes grow wide. “I know you won’t talk, Tabs. You did enough of that last night with your cluck, cluck jokes.”

    “I didn’t….”

    One sharp bite cut him off…for good.

    Leaving Tab’s body in the ally, Oscar purred, thinking about his youth. He hadn’t always been a cold hearted killer. At one time he’d been some kid’s prize-winning pampered pet. More importantly, he’d never felt right in his old skin. His heart wanted to roam the land, to hunt and kill. He couldn’t do that in a cage.

    First opportunity Oscar got he slipped his prison and found a surgeon who could make is dreams come true. It took two years to complete the change and another to work his way into the organization. Now he ruled the neighborhood. The last payment to the doctor was sent eight years ago.

    Tabs had been an old friend from the farm, the only one who knew his past. Some friendships get old, worn out. Last night’s joke in front of the guys was the last straw for Tabs. Now he was gone. No one else knew how Oscar really started life. Even the doctor had experience a small ‘accident’ recently. No one would ever know Oscar had been born a chicken.