Meet Louisa and Vivian by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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Last month I began introducing the new Cat Tales characters with Buster Parker. This month I'd like to introduce Louisa and Vivian.

Louisa is a great blue heron and Jasmine's business partner. If you've read the first book in the Cat Tales series, All the Furs and Feathers, you'll know that Jasmine is a Russian Blue cat and Smokey's best friend, and you may remember Louisa who made a very brief appearance as part of Jasmine's web design team for Oneness Park. In All in the Furry Family, Jasmine and Louisa have teamed up to form Blue Landing Web Design. Smokey's not sure how she feels about Louisa. She finds her standoffish, but if she's being honest with herself, she's really a little jealous of Jasmine's growing friendship with Louisa and worries she'll lose her best friend.

Vivian is a flamingo and an old college friend of Louisa's. When she stops by to visit Louisa on her way to meet her dance troupe for a competition in the Canary Islands, Louisa brings her to a Hunter's Moon Night party at Smokey and Autumn Amelia's cottage. 

In this excerpt from All in the Furry Family, Louisa and Vivian regale their hosts and the other party guests with tales of their college exploits. Vivian has just described a prank Louisa pulled on one of her professors. The guests ask for more stories and Vivian obliges:

"Well, there was the time she had a huge test she was not ready for. So, on the morning of the test, instead of studying, she made a huge banner with the words, 'All classes canceled this afternoon' and flew over the campus with it tied to her tailfeathers, hoping no one would show up for class and the test would have to be rescheduled."

"Did it work?" asks Rivet.

Vivian snorts and Louisa groans.

"No," says Vivian. "But she did get out of the test after she flew straight into a tree and spent the rest of the day in the infirmary."

"Louisa!" Jasmine exclaims.

"Don't remind me," says Louisa, covering her face with her wing. "That was the worst headache of my entire life," she tells Vivian. "You were at that party, too."

"But I did not have a test the next day."

"Oh, yes, the model student. But what about the time we went to the Bahamas?"

Vivian sits taller. "We had a lovely time."

"Sure, until the last night. Remember the beach party?"

"Oh. That," says Vivian, trying to stifle a giggle by wrapping a wing around her bill.

"What happened?" asks Sam.

If you'd like to know what happened, you'll just have to read All in the Furry Family, but let's just say when you party on the beach with drunk iguanas things can get out of control quickly.

If you'd like a chance to win a signed copy of All in the Furry Family, go to the "Giveaways" page on Goodreads to enter anytime before March 30, 2025. Winners will be chosen in April.

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Meet Buster Parker by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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All in the Furry Family, Book 2 in the Cat Tales series was just released on February 1st. Many of readers' favorite characters from All the Furs and Feathers are back, but there are also some new ones. I'd like to introduce you to one of the most important new characters, Buster Parker.

Buster is Smokey and Autumn Amelia's new neighbor. He's a white cat with large black spots.  His face is white on his mouth and cheeks and in a wide line that narrows as it goes up. The black fur starts at his eyes and goes back to the top of his head and ears. There is a black triangle from his nose to his mouth that Autumn Amelia finds simply adorable. In fact, his markings remind her of a miniature cow. Also adorable, according to Autumn. Could part of her attraction be that Autumn, who fantasizes about being a pirate, found out he owns a boat on Niptucket Island? Well, she liked him before she knew that, but it sure doesn't hurt. Fortunately, Buster likes Autumn Amelia, too. Before long a romance between the two cats begins to brew. 

In the following excerpt from All in the Furry Family, Autumn and Smokey have gone out for a walk when they see a moving van in the driveway of a house that has just sold and the new owner standing in the driveway. They decide to introduce themselves. Autumn, a locally renowned chef whose reputation is spreading far and wide, wants to welcome him to the neighborhood by making a meal for him.

From All in the Furry Family:

"I'd like to make dinner for you and your family. How many will I be cooking for?"

Buster's eyes widen. "That's awfully nice of you, but it's just me. I figured I'd grab a bite somewhere."

"Oh," says Autumn. "How about lunch? I can drop it off when I leave for work."

"Don't go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble," she says.

"Autumn is a chef," Smokey interjects. "She runs Mama Cat's Kitchen at Oneness Park in Faunaburg. Have you heard of it?"

Buster's eyes grow wider. "You're that Autumn Amelia?"

Later, as they walk back home, Smokey and Autumn discuss their new neighbor.

From All in the Furry Family:

"He's very handsome," says Autumn Amelia.

"You think so?" asks Smokey, unable to keep the teasing from her voice.

"Don't you?"

"I suppose. I think he liked you."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw how he looked at you. He probably can't wait for you to drop off that sandwich."

"It's the sandwich he's interested in, not me."

"Well, you are that Autumn Amelia, after all. I still think he's interested in you."

Autumn and Buster have many adventures in All in the Furry Family as they begin dating and continue getting to know each other.

Buster's character is based on my neighbor's cat of the same name. Here he is enjoying a Christmas gift from my own Autumn Amelia:

Buster Parker is just one of several new characters that I can't wait for readers to meet. Next month, I'll introduce Louisa, a great blue heron, and her friend, Vivian, a flamingo visiting her from Palm Ray.

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Meet Smokey and Autumn Amelia by Eileen O'Finlan

 

                           

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All in the Furry Family, Book 2 in the Cat Tales series is scheduled for release in February. The main characters of the series are two sister cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia. For those who have read the first book. All the Furs and Feathers, this is a refresher and for those who haven't read it, an introduction.

Smokerina "Smokey" Koshkyn:

Smokey is the elder of the two Koshkyn sisters. She is a Russian Blue cat, taking after her father's side of the family. Smokey is an architect employed by Fluffington ArCATechure, a highly successful business owned by Abigail Fluffington. Her best friend is Jasmine, also a Russian Blue and a web designer.

Coloration: Solid bluish gray

Strengths: Highly competent at her job and most other things, self-confident, formerly a superb mouser

Weakness: Terrified of coyotes
Quirks: She gets the zoomies about an hour before a storm and when excited. If it happens at work, she has to go to the basement to keep from zooming around the office.

Regrets: She feels responsible for making Autumn Amelia believe she's not a real cat.

Autumn Amelia Koshkyn:

Autumn Amelia is Smokey's younger sister. She's a calico Maine coon like their mother. Autumn is a baker and chef. In All the Furs and Feathers she works from home for Furry Confections, a bakery owned by Tabby Furry.

Coloration: Calico - white, burnt orange, and various shades of gray

Strengths: She is a culinary genius. Her lovable personality naturally brings furs and feather together.

Weaknesses: An overload of odd quirks and the fact that she's not sure she's a real cat because she's never caught a mouse.

Quirks: She snacks without realizing it while she's cooking because it gives her inspiration for new recipes. She can't go to restaurants because the aromas put her into a trance-like state that makes her take food from waiters' trays or other patrons' plates without knowing she's doing it. More than once, she's found herself in a restaurant's kitchen improving their recipes. She has a secret fantasy about being the Pirate Queen of the High Seas.

Regrets: She has never caught a mouse, not that she'd know what to do with it if she did catch one.

The characters Smokey and Autumn Amelia were inspired by my own cats of the same names. Sadly, the real Smokey went to the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago. Autumn Amelia, though getting on in years, still lives with me. She does not cook, but she does like to eat.

The real Smokey and Autumn Amelia

Coming in Early 2025: All in the Furry Family by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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I am delighted to announce that the second book in the Cat Tales series, All in the Furry Family, is scheduled for a February 2025 release. If you've read the first book, All the Furs and Feathers, you've met sister cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia and their friends in Wild Whisker Ridge and Faunaburg. Now, join them for the wedding of the century when Abigail Fluffington marries their cousin, Greyson. That is if Abigail can stop being a bridezilla long enough to finalize the wedding plans.

On top of all the wedding chaos, Smokey is now Abigail's partner at Fluffington ArCATechture and Autumn Amelia is running Mama Cat's Kitchen in Oneness Park. It seems they've both achieved their dreams, but something odd is going on. Smokey is being stalked by two strange cats, and Autumn Amelia is running her paws off trying to juggle managing her own restaurant and bake two days a week for Furry's Confections. When Autumn meets her new neighbor, a handsome cat named Buster, and wants to spend more time with him, she knows something has to give. But what?

Join Smokey, Autumn Amelia, and all their furred and feathered friends as they try to navigate the many changes in their lives. Lots of new characters and loads of surprises await readers in All in the Furry Family Book 2 of the Cat Tales series.

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Meet the Cat Tales Characters by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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I recently acquired a new skill - creating images using A.I. I know there's a lot of controversy over A.I., but the images I've created likely don't fall into a controversial realm. They are all images of the characters in my Cat Tales series. These characters are all highly anthropomorphized animals. They hold jobs, drive cars, go shopping - all the stuff humans do while retaining most of the characteristics associated with their species. They also have to learn to live in harmony with one another. That's not easy to do when Smokey is designing a cat park that will abut Rodent Way. Not if Jerome J. Rately has anything to say about it. And, he does have plenty to say.

I learned how to create these images a few weeks ago while I was home recovering from COVID. I had noticed that my friend and fellow author, Jane Willan, had been creating images of her characters and using them in her Facebook posts. They looked terrific so I asked her to teach me to do it. In one Zoom call, she showed me how it's done. Then I got to work making my own. It's actually very easy to do. And it's fun. So, here are a few of the characters from the first book in the Cat Tales series, All the Furs and Feathers:

                                                  This is Smokey, one of the main characters.

                                                  She's employed as an architect at Fluffington

                                                  ArCATechture.

                                              This is Autumn Amelia. She's the other main 

                                              character, Smokey's sister, and a baker who works

                                              from home.

                               

    Here we have Greyson. He's cousin                                 Abigail Fluffington is the owner of

    to Smokey and Autumn Amelia. He's                              Fluffington ArCATechture and Smokey's

    the retired CEO of PAWS UNITED.                               boss. She's a very astute businesscat.

                          
    This sweet kitty is Dusty Fluffington.                                Jasmine is a web designer and Smokey's

    She's an amazing designer and seamstress.                        best friend. They're both Russian Blues

    She's also Abigail's sister. They both live                           and are often confused for twins.

    in Abigail's luxury apartment, but poor

    Dusty is terrified to leave the building.

    Until she meets Autumn Amelia, that is.

Not all the characters in the Cat Tales series are cats. There's a wide variety of animals in the series. Here are just a few of the non-cat characters:

                                     

    This is Rufus Tailwagger. He's a PR                                       Jerome J. Ratley is the head of the         

    professional. Rufus is a great guy. Just                                   Rodent Placement Agency. He's also

    stay out of the way of his maniacally                                      an activist for rodent rights. And he's

    wagging tail.                                                                            not at all happy about the idea of the cat

                                                                                                    park Smokey is designing that will abut

                                                                                                    Rodent Way.

                                                 Sally is a sous chef who works for                                            Here are Simon and Sam Squirrel

    Chef Gustav, a snooty world-famous                                        on their tandem bike. They work for

    chef, at Miguel Gato's private club.                                           Autumn's boss, Tabby Furry who owns

    Sally likes Miguel, but she'd rather not                                     Furry Confections. The Squirrel                have to work for Gustav.                                                           brothers are curriers who deliver the                                                                                                           baked goods Autumn makes to be sold

                                                                                                       at the bakery.

These are only some of the images of the characters from All the Furs and Feathers. There are more on my website. You can check them out here. More will be coming in early 2025 when the second book in the Cat Tales series, All in the Furry Family, is released. Meanwhile, here is a sneak peak of a couple of the new characters from the second book:

  

                                          

    Meet Buster Parker. He's a printer,                                               Give a warm welcome to Professor

    but he also owns a boat. I don't want                                            Chewy. He teaches botany at Verdant

    to give anything away, so I'll just say                                           University. He's also Smokey and

    he'll become important to Autumn Amelia.                                  Autumn Amelia's new neighbor.

  
    

Break Out The Bubbly! by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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Time to celebrate! All the Furs and Feathers, the first book in the Cat Tales series just won First Place Best in Category for Humor & Satire. It was awarded by Chanticleer International Book Awards under their Mark Twain Award category.

To say I'm delighted is an understatement. As the book made it through each stage in the process, my excitement grew. First it had to clear the slush pile and make it to the Long List. Next came the Short List. After that was semi-finals. I had my fingers crossed each time an email arrived announcing the books that advanced to the next round. When All the Furs and Feathers finally made it to Finalist, I knew it had a good chance at winning one of the prizes.

The awards banquet was held on April 20th in Washington State. That's on the other side of the country from me, and I was unable to attend. None the less, I knew all the CIBA winners would be announced shortly afterwards. 

Day after day, emails trickled into my inbox announcing winners, usually two at a time. Every day I'd open an email only to find announcements of winners in categories other than Mark Twain. 

Finally, on May 1st the email announcing the winners in the Mark Twain Humor & Satire category landed in my inbox. I clicked on the icon holding my breath. It was a short but torturous scroll down the page to find the list.

And there it was. Right after the grand prize winner's name (Congratulations Mike Murphey!) I saw it: Eileen O'Finlan - All The Furs And Feathers

Okay, it was hardly the Nobel Prize for Literature, but it definitely made my day and then some!

The first thing I did was text or email my family, writing group, friends, and coworkers. Then I posted it on my Facebook page. Most importantly, I gave my cat, Autumn Amelia, a huge hug and thank you. After all, she's one of the main characters in the book. Without her and her sister, Smokey, (who is at the Rainbow Bridge), the book would never have been written. They inspired it.

Autumn Amelia assisting in the writing process.

As I write this post, I am more than halfway through the first draft of the next book in the Cat Tales series, All in the Furry Family. With an expected publication date of February 2025, readers won't have to wait too long for the further adventures of Smokey and Autumn Amelia. Expect a lot of surprises, silly antics, new characters, and even a wedding in Book 2.

It's NaNoWriMo Time Again! by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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November is here which means I am now seven days into this year's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). My goal this year is to write 50,000 words of the first draft of Book 2 in the Cat Tales series, tentatively titled All in the Furry Family.

This is my third time doing NaNo. It's a fun, motivating, supportive, and very large group (about half a million writers worldwide take part) that comes together every November to write our hearts out. Some folks have even been known to write an entire novel in that one month! At least a first draft, anyway. I have no delusions about accomplishing that feat, but I do depend on it to get a huge chunk of the first draft done. 

Each day participants log the number of words written and the site keeps track of the total, marking important milestones along the way. For me, it's a great way to hold myself accountable and track my progress.

There are ways to connect with other writers (the ever-important networking!) for inspiration and a little cheerleading. Joining the postcard group gets the month kicked off right by sending and receiving encouraging postcards to and from other participants. There are also ways to connect with other participants online.

I've even found out that there will be some in-person write-ins happening at a library in a nearby town. Perhaps I will try joining in to meet some other local writers and soak up the writerly vibe. Or maybe, I'll see if my own town's library would like to become a write-in location. 

You don't have to go anywhere, though. Writing from home or where ever is fine. It's all about the writing. Getting words down on paper or up on the screen is what counts. This isn't the time to finesse. That's for later after the first draft is done. But what a huge step it is in the process from idea to finished book.

I am hoping to get the second Cat Tales book out before the end of 2024, so fingers crossed that NaNoWriMo gives me a huge boost in making that happen.

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Writing with Pets by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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As people who share their homes and lives with pets can attest, their furry companions are often involved in everything that goes on at home. For me, that includes writing. My two cats, Smokey (now a Rainbow Bridge Angel Kitty) and Autumn Amelia even inspired my latest book, All the Furs and Feathers. In some ways, they helped me write it since I often took my cues from their personalities.

It's one thing to pay attention to the pets, think about how they might respond given various fictional situations, and put it in a story. It's quite another to have them physically involved while trying to write that (or any other) story.

About a year ago, I became a Rover.com sitter and began boarding small dogs in my home for weekends while their pet parents were away. Two of them, Chewy and Bruce Lee have become regular clients. They are getting used to me spending time on my laptop while they are staying with me, though if a writing session runs too long in their estimation, they make their feelings known and cut it short. However, the last time they were at my house, Bruce Lee decided that rather than trying to drag me away from my writing, he'd help out. Here's how that went:

Does this mean he's now co-author on my next novel?

Not to be outdone by the dogs, Autumn Amelia has been spending more and more time huddle as close as she can get to my laptop whenever I'm working on it, inching ever closer to the keyboard. A strict editor, she keeps a close eye on my writing. I can tell when she thinks her editing skills are needed. Here, let me show you in pictures how that progresses:

Autumn settles in, ready to start assessing my current writing session.

Hmm...this could use some help.

Autumn thinks she can write it better so she takes over

It's well-known that pets bring us many joys and having them in our lives offer a number of benefits. Who knew writing help was one of them!

Like Catching Up With Old Friends by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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When I wrote Erin's Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, I really enjoyed revisiting the characters I'd spent so much time with. It felt like catching up with old friends. I met new friends, as well, as I introduced new characters in a new setting. As authors, we spend so much time with our characters both when we are and when we aren't actually writing that they become part of our lives. They live in our heads, tell us their secrets, dreams, ambitions, faults, and desires. We know the most personal things about each of them. When a novel is finished and sent off for publication it can be like saying goodbye to people to whom we've grown very close. So writing a sequel or continuing on in a series is a kind of reunion.

My current work in progress (The Folklorist - expected release date: October 1, 2023) is a stand alone. However, once that is finished, I plan to dive right into writing the second book in the Cat Tales series. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with Smokey, Autumn Amelia, and all the other animals in Wild Whisker Ridge and Faunaburg. There will be some surprises as Smokey and Autumn find out that there is more to their family than they knew. There will also be a wedding, but I'm not saying who's it is yet. I just know it will be loads of fun to write the next set of adventures for a group of characters who can't help but make me grin from ear to ear while I'm doing it.

At the same time, I will start the research for the book that will follow Erin's Children. I plan to focus on the next generation. Meg, Rory, Kathleen, and Nuala will still be there, and it will be wonderful to reconnect with them, but I'm also excited about finding out what their kids are doing with their lives. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the history of Worcester, Massachusetts (the city where I work and closest to where I live and where Erin's Children is set) and incorporating some of it into the story. 

I also have an idea for a fantasy that I plan to work on in between these two projects (could someone create a few more hours in the days, please?!) so I'll be meeting and getting to know all new characters and a whole new world. This is also very exciting. New friends are great, too! 

I hope my readers will enjoy catching up with the old friends and meeting new ones as much as I enjoy writing them.

                                                                           

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Shelf Life by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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One way to know if you are a genuine bibliophile (aka bookworm) is by how much you love your bookshelves. This is more important than how many bookshelves you have. That could simply be determined by the amount of space available in your home. Therefore, it may not accurately project the depth of your love for books. It is more about how you feel when you look at the shelves you have. I have been known to spend time gazing lovingly at my shelves of books, taking them in as the things of wonder that they are. A warm, cozy feeling wells up in me as I contemplate my book collections. It's no surprise that I nearly swoon upon entering a library or bookstore. But the bookshelves I can view in the comfort of my own home are the best simply because they are mine. 

I have always dreamt of having a library in my house. Given the number of books I own, I suppose I do have one, but I mean one specific room dedicated to books. As yet, that is not a reality for me. Nonetheless, I take great pleasure in turning my entire house into a library. With the exception of the hallway, there is not a single room in my house that does not contain books. There are even a few shelves on the walls in the kitchen holding stacks of cookbooks. 

Despite the four bookcases in my living room...

     

                            (An antique from my grandmother's home holds non-fiction history books)

(A bargain at a second-hand store holds non-fiction and poetry)

                                                         (An online purchase hold fiction) 

(A rotating bookcase handmade for me by a very dear friend holds biographies)

... the shelves in the front entryway...

      This set of shelves holds a mix of fiction and non-fiction history books)

... the bookcase in my den...

(This one holds the books in use for research on the topic of whatever historical novel I'm writing at any give time.)

... the bookcase on the sunporch, and the five bookcases in my half-finished basement, I still have trouble finding places for all the books I collect so I've had to get creative.

The eight shelves lining either side of the fireplace once held a tea set, framed photos, and an assortment of knick-knacks. Four of those shelves have given up their accoutrement to make way for books.

(Mostly fiction on the shelves; Art & Photography books on one side of the mantel and Irish history on the other)

                                 

I have recently been thinking that I may have to find another spot for the tea set even if it means packing it away. There are too many books waiting for a good home. Many are currently piled in artful stacks around the house.

You may rightly ask if I've read all these books. Alas, I collect them much faster than I can read them. I also donate large amounts of books to the local library once I have finished reading them unless they are likely to assist me in research for a future writing project. This allows others to love them, too, and frees up space for more books. But no matter how full my bookshelves are, I find there's always room for more and even one small space on a shelf calls out to me for a book. This and the swelling of my heart that occurs when I take them all in, tells me that I am, without a doubt, a true bibliophile and proud of it!

                                                   

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Writing in Multiple Genres by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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I've heard it said that writers should only write in one genre. Why? I read and enjoy more than one genre. Why shouldn't I write in more than one? For me (and, I dare say, for most writers) characters and story ideas pop up in my head unexpectedly. I can't help what genre they fall into.

Though I began my writing career with historical fiction and that will probably constitute the bulk of my writing when all's said and done, sometimes the characters who visit my head are not historical. Sometimes they're not even human. Take for example, my newest release, All the Furs and Feathers, the first book in the Cat Tales series. Though the animals in this book are highly anthropomorphized, not a single human is in the story. Nor are any mentioned. For the animals of All the Furs and Feathers, humans don't even exist. Obviously, this is not historical fiction. It's fantasy. Not the epic sort of Lord of the Rings, but the cozy sort. I couldn't anymore banish the characters in it from my head than I could banish those in my historical novels.

So what's yet to come? Definitely more historical fiction. There's one in the works right now and another taking shape in my mind. As for fantasy, there will be more of the Cat Tales series to come, but there may be others as well. A few months ago I awoke from a dream that featured characters I haven't been able to get out of my thoughts ever since. I picture them in period clothing, but they live in a world that does not and never has existed. Fantasy!

The parade of characters that march through my mind on a regular basis range from historical to fantastical to contemporary. So for the moment, historical fiction and cozy fantasy are my focus. What else may come depends upon my cerebral visitors and how insistant they are about their stories being told.

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