A curious cat muse. Each day is a discovery. I am five again, and my nine lives are creeping away…
Time is ticking and I yowl to tell stories, so dear MJ grasps her keyboard and pounds the keys, stealing seconds, minutes and moments.
No wonder MJ writes about time: time is precious, each day offers vast adventures. Writing has taught her to embrace and explore every moment.
So on her way to work she prowls, stalking victims. We imagine stories, we marvel, or rage at the inequality in our society. Memories invade our consciousness: a homeless person standing up, swaying in his sleeping bag like a ghost in motion, a lady in a red hat glaring at us.
MJ is an addict: a nosy parker, an eavesdropper. People notice and give her evil looks. What they don’t know is that evil look is her’s. It just became a character in her new story.
MJ spent her teenage years in 5 Craigcrook Park, Scotland. Such a strange sounding address. No wonder she possesses a cat-like curiosity, a criminal intention to steal words.
And a love of trees. Trees have oodles of energy and some have grumpy faces!
And… a zest for the beauty of the natural world: rocks and crystals.
Creep into our crystal grotto in Juniper Artland, Scotland.
Or explore five crystal beauties in The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone: Merlinite, Red Jade, Quartz, Black Obsidian, Bloodstone.
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Witness a grasshopper sculptural clock in Cambridge, England, The Corpus Christi Chronophage Clock.
MJ is no Mathematician. She isn’t obsessed with the number five. She is much older than that but a writer has an advantage many don’t. MJ has the power to create worlds, perhaps long into old age.
We have everything to live for, writing fantasy is our life. We are blessed.
PURRR…
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Hope you enjoyed my strange entry!
The above is my entry to the #BloggersBash Blog Post competition which you can enter here:
Welcome to Kyrosmagica, Shadow – the black cat who features in my book – The Curse of Time: The Bloodstone. I’m so glad you agreed to this interview opportunity today to help me promote my book which I hope to release this summer. You are such a handsome fellow and quite the gent I hear. Today, we’re going to discuss all manner of things and we will also have a #mentalhealthawarenessweek discussion about anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders.
Tell me about yourself…
Purrrrr.… Thanks for being so welcoming Marje not everyone is so kind to cats. Luckily, I have a lovely owner Amelina who cares for me. I discovered her one day when I was playing in her garden; I peered in the window and I knew she was a special person so I stayed. I’m persuasive that way, one purr, and a stroke of my sleek black fur and humans can’t resist me!
When you say not everyone is so kind to cats does that mean you have had a rough life?
Oh, to answer this question I have to think back in time. The strangest thing happened to me one day. I felt this abundant change in my spirit. One minute I was chasing birds, playing with the mice in a field and then kapow, it hit me. I felt this overwhelming feeling of change. I felt different, overcome with these overwhelming feelings of goodness. But, the goodness felt alien, like it belonged to an earwig or something! The weird thing is in rare moments I feel like I’m someone else entirely and that someone else isn’t nice at all. One day, I experienced this intense moment of evil flooding my poor furry body, it only lasted a second but it shook me up real bad. I’m still trying to recover, my fur is all matted and ruffled. Shadow shivers…
Oh, my goodness that sounds horrible!Perhaps we better change the subject. Could you tell me why you’re called Shadow?
That is a very perceptive question. Shadow twitches his whiskers while considering it. I think it’s because I arrived in the Scott’s house when something good happened that revealed something bad. I represent yin, (shady side,) and yang, (the sunny side,) light and dark, but I am more yang – of sunny disposition – than ying. My tiny moments of ying disturb me…
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That’s deep…
Yes, life can be full of perplexities and this story is a fine example of that. I prefer the simple things in life… exploring, enjoying the sunshine, lying on the grass, hanging out in my garden, chilling, eating, playing, cuddling, purring, and looking adorable!
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What is it like living in the Scott’s household?
Challengingggggg! They are such a strange family. The dad is half dead; the mum is stroppy and Amelina has this sister called Esme whose not a sister but behaves like one. Esme always seems to be up and down in her emotions. Her ying and yang are out of control. She is one confused girl and behaves like a prisoner to her own reflection. I listen to them nattering on… They all have a tragic story and mum, dad and Esme inadvertently tell me their individual stories. More about that in the book…. no spoilers! I know all of their secrets. I’m a snoop! Oh, and I nearly forgot to say Amelina has an aunt Karissa who owns a dog… UGH… a critter called Toby – most unfortunate. The bloody thing comes to stay, breaks things, eats all the time and causes havoc. The aunt drinks, tea, and alcohol too, and eats a lot, mainly chocolate unless she’s dieting. She’s always losing her glasses. Toby and her are quite a pairing!
My goodness sounds like you have to put up with a lot. Getting back to the stories – they sound shocking. Did one confession shock you more than the rest?
The dad’s and Esme’s are the worst. The dad because something has happened to him that is out of his control, (and seems to have impacted upon the whole family,) and I relate to that (after my weird overload of goodness episode,) and Esme because she self harms or did.
Self harm… that and other mental illnesses like anxiety, and depression, are a rising problem in our young people. What’s your opinion about it?
Kids nowadays have a lot of problems and it’s not their fault. I sympathise, I really do. The word pressure sums it up. Pressure to succeed, pressure to look good, (on Instagram, and other social media,) pressure to be thin, pressure to be popular, pressure to have the best-looking boyfriend/girlfriend, pressure to have money, pressure to get to the best Universities… the list just goes on and on.
There’s bullying too, and it isn’t just face to face like it used to be now its via social media too. It’s like there’s no escaping meanness, and rudeness. It’s so immediate, one little tweet, or nasty message via an Instagram shot can go to masses of your ‘friends’ in a mere second. So it’s not surprising that our young people often have mental health issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression and self-harm. In the worst case scenario some resort to suicide and that makes me so sad. No one should ever feel that way, there is always help out there. Talk to your mum, dad, a close friend you can trust, a sibling, a counsellor, an aunt, anyone who loves you. Just don’t bottle it up that’s the worst thing you can do.
All youngsters should own cats, Meowwww, cats are good for you. We have superpowers. Truly, we lower your heart rate, boost your immunity, help you relax – we release a calming chemical called oxytocin into your body, and that helps induce love and trust and make you smile. We increase your sociability, yes having cats makes you more sociable, and stops you feeling lonely. Purrrrr. We have a stack load of medical health benefits too: we reduce the risk of heart disease, and heart attacks. We lower your triglycerides and cholesterol levels.Hey, we even reduce your chances of having a stroke. See we cats are superheros! Oh, and top of all that we reduce the carbon footprint, not like doggies like Toby who eat a ton. We eat small morsels, fish, and catch our own prey.
Is there anyone in Amelina’s life who has an eating disorder?
Yes, there’s this girl called Emily, who struggles with her desire to be thin, and to be loved. I don’t have that problem – I know that Amelina loves me. Also, I take a lot of exercise to keep fit and trim. But, I have a huge heart so I cry real cat tears when I think about poor Emily and others like her.
Does Amelina have a lot of friends?
No, not loads, she’s smart that way, she knows it’s not the number of friends but the quality of friends. Though, not all of them are to my liking… Except me, of course… (I’m her best friend.) She has three close human friends: Jade, Joselyn, and Ilaria. Jade is Amelina’s best human friend. She is arguably the prettiest but the most spoilt. She has this huge house, owns horses, and gets everything she wants. Joselyn is the worrier, (this girl needs a cat!) and Ilaria is the joker, but I sense the jokes hide something deeper. My favourite is Ilaria because I like a laugh. The four of them play in a band and write their own music. It’s pretty cool.
What about guys, does she have a regular boyfriend?
There is nothing regular about Amelina! She stumbled upon this guy called Ryder down a scary river pathway. I tried to follow her, but she shooed me away. The guy’s dangerous I don’t know why I know but I do. He has too much ying in his soul. I don’t trust him. He dresses all in black and has one green eye and one black. But sometimes that green eye looks red to me, like it is bleeding. Creepyyyyyyy. But, Amelina thinks he saved her, from what I can’t imagine, some prank probably.
Is there anyone else you’ve met through Amelina that has left a lasting impression on you?
Oh, yes, Kyle. Love him, he is Ryder’s best friend. He’s so snuggly and nice, I love to sit on his lap and purrrrr. Ohhh….
If you could sum your owner Amelina in words what would you say?
She’s poetic, artistic, musical, kind-hearted, magical and brave but makes mistakes. She is a flawed human, poor thing! Miaowwww.
Thank you so much Shadow for coming on to my blog today and telling us all about my forthcoming new book, The Curse of Time: The Bloodstone. I really appreciate it.
It is my pleasure my dear. Any time… Oh, before I go can I be cheeky and ask one question?
Yes of course you can Shadow.
It’s about Lily who models for me, can you set me up with a date? She looks real cute!
Of course I can Shadow, will do! I chuckle… imagine a date between yourself, (Shadow,) a fictional cat and a non-fictional cat, (Lily,) it could only happen in a writer’s life. Next time, (as long as Lily is willing,) we’ll have the date on Kyrosmagica… and she can tell us all about herself!
Shadow purrs a rich note of contentment in reply.
All above photos of Lily (our black cat model,) courtesy of my lovely blogging friend Samantha Murdoch – photography credit her son Alex Marlowe.
Samantha has recently started an Instagram account so please do click the link to see her lovely cats, (they are all supermodels,) and her crystals : Samantha’s IG account
What Breed of Cat Are You? It came up with Scottish Fold, a cute breed with folded ears, silver fur and yellow eyes. The Scottish Fold’s little ears give it an owl like appearance. They are loving, good natured, and playful! Folds are also known for sitting with their legs stretched out and their paws on their belly in the “Buddha Position.”
Wikipedia Facts about The Scottish Fold:
The Scottish Fold is featured in-depth in the short novel, The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers. The book and its two sequels, A Cat Abroad and The Cat Who’ll Live Forever: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Catand his imperfect human document the life of Gethers and his Fold, Norton, from their first meeting to Norton’s eventual death and Gethers’ experiences after the loss.
Fiction
In the 2012 novel The Bone Bed, Kay Scarpetta rescues a Scottish Fold cat from a murder victim’s home. She brings her home to meet the greyhound rescued in an earlier novel. They apparently get along well.
In the Anime series Beyond The Boundary, the Youmu form of the Anime-exclusive character Ai Shindo is a two-tailed Scottish Fold cat.
In 2009, Maru, a Scottish Fold cat, became an Internet sensation due to his obsession with boxes. Due to his Internet popularity, several commercials have been produced featuring the cat.
Popular YouTube bloggers, Simon and Martina aka Eatyourkimchi acquired a Scottish Fold kitten, Dr. Meemersworth, in July 2012.
“Waffles” is the name of a Scottish Fold cat, featured on the Facebook page “Waffles The Cat”. The page has over 440,000 likes as of July 2014.
This morning I’ve been editing my manuscript and I came across an advice note to add more detail to a little comical fight scene between a cat and a dog in my story. I don’t own any pets so I thought I would watch a few videos on YouTube for inspiration. Glad I did, it was very cute and entertaining. Boy, those cats can stand up for themselves! Enjoy.
Either watch on the full screen icon option below or head over to Youtube.
