The Summer Cat

Hi Everyone - Is it summer yet? I hope so, because I just released my newest work of short fiction, called The Summer Cat.

But wait, this one actually has horses in it! And a horseshoer. A very good horseshoer, who is also a very bad horseshoer. (But that is all I'll say about that.) Here's the official blurb:

When Spuds goes missing, Hannah's whole world comes crashing down, and an interloper who shows up only makes things worse. Can a faraway friend help find this special cat, or it is already too late?

Available world-wide as an eBook from Amazon, the price in the US is only $0.99 (and comparable elsewhere.) It's the third in my series of short fiction about people and their cats, including (so far) The Winter Kitten and The Springtime Cat. Each of these is stand-alone fiction, and they can be read in any order.

So for those of you who have read The Summer Cat (or will read it - it's a short read) I have a question. At the end of the story, should Hannah and her mom still use Joe Johns as their horseshoer?? What would you do?

The Barn Cat

We are not cat people. Honest. I mean I like cats, but a nice barn cat that doesn't spread cat hair all over your house. Now, my husband is one of those macho guys (a former Army Ranger and SF Weapons Sergeant) that didn't like cats at all. At least, he "claimed" he didn't.

Two years ago, an orange tabby moved into our barn. Hey, I was fine with that. They're ruthless mousers, and I'm all for a friendly little barn cat.

So we fed him... And we took him in to get shots and to be fixed. In exchange, he would leave us little presents, usually headless, on the front porch. I imagine he has a trophy room somewhere in the woods where he mounts all those heads to display to his other feline friends. Even better, our mole problem is gone. We understand the moles moved to the neighbors’ lawn.

BUT Kat had greater aspirations than mere barn cat. He wanted to be a house cat.

A year ago, my husband injured his back at work and was flat on the couch for a few weeks. Day two on the couch--I came home from work. There was the cat on Dennis' chest, both of them sound asleep.

A year-and-a-half later....

If you have cats, you know the rest. He now sleeps on the couch, the bed, my husband’s chest, or anywhere else he pleases. He harasses the dogs and can send them running for cover with one withering look. He has special prescription cat food. His own little bed. In other words, he owns the place.

So much for the barn cat.