Q: How long did it take you to write the manuscript?
 
A: It took ten years, but I didn’t work on it consistently.  I never dreamed it would be published, and stopped writing on it for two years after my cat, Buddy, died.  He was the hero of the story, and it took me awhile to get back in to it after that.  Also, I was starting a new business then and was very busy.

 Q: What inspired you to write this story?

A: Buddy was the inspiration…but also, I had just returned from living in Los Angeles for eight years.  I had given up a 30-year career in radio and television voice over and acting and had started a pet product manufacturing company.  After a couple of months, it became pretty clear that I desperately needed a creative outlet.  I’d always been a writer and a dear friend of mine invited me to visit her writer’s group…Trinity Writer’s Workshop.  I joined, and the rest is history!

Q: What audiences is the book for?

A: The audiences are middle school/young adult/adult crossover and animal lovers of all ages.  The genre wasn’t as clear-cut as most books, so my agent knew it would have to be seen by just the right person to sell. Happily, it sold within the year to the wonderful Margery Cuyler, my editor at Marshall Cavandish.

Q: The themes in this book (sibling rivalry, moral justice and corruption of power) apply to humans don’t they?
 
A: They apply to humans much more than they apply to animals!  Let’s face it; our species is the most dangerous one on the planet.  Animals always operate from a place of purity.  They need food, water, shelter, and a way to reproduce.  Period.  There are no ulterior motives.  I’ve never met a corrupt or immoral animal.  I also wanted to explore the effects of animal abandonment, human cruelty and indifference toward animals, as well as human compassion, what it’s like for animals, (wild as well as domestic), to survive on their own.

Q: Talk about the two main cat characters, Buddy and Jett? And were those personalities based on people or situations you’ve known? 

A: Buddy was the wonderful stray cat who ‘found’ me when I lived in LA.  He was so loving, so funny, so eccentric, and such an individual, that even people who didn’t like cats…loved him.  He only lived to be eight, but he had a huge impact on my life.  Like the Buddy character in the book, he was found in a dumpster with the lid closed during a scorching Texas August.  If he hadn’t been such a survivor and meowed so loudly, he would have died.  But a kind woman heard him and pulled him out.  The Jett character is a combination of every tough, hard scrabble, feral cat I’ve ever seen trudging through alleys and neighborhoods.   Life is so difficult for these guys…and only a very few survive longer than two years.

Q: How many cats do you own and what are their names?

A: We now own five cats…three indoor cats, Zekki, Cookie, and Poncho…and two office cats…Sweetie and Snickers.  They’re all strays.  Zekki, Cookie, ( I changed her name to ‘Pris’ in the book) and Poncho are characters in the story.

Q: You’ve developed a successful business around your love for cats haven’t you?

A: Yes, my company is called, Fe-Lines, Inc.  When I came back to Fort Worth after living in LA, I had to re-invent myself.  I’d always loved animals…and my cats were tearing up my furniture.  I didn’t want to declaw them, and nothing on the market worked to deter the destruction…so I invented a double sided adhesive application called, Sticky Paws for Furniture.  It worked wonderfully!  Since then we’ve added a number of other products dealing with controlling cat behavior in a humane way.  It’s amazing how well we’ve done.  We’re sold in pet stores all over the world.