Round Up Time by Victoria Chatham

 

FOR RELEASE IN FEBRUARY 2026

About this time every year, I look at the calendar and, along with many, many others, think: where has this year gone? What have I done with my time? I write nearly every day, whether it's a work in progress, blogs, or just jottings for the next book, but here's a look back at my highlights for 2025.

January. I took a winter break in Puerto Vallarta. The highlight of that trip was a day of whale watching. We had only just left the harbour when a humpback breached close to the boat. There were several moms and calves, one mom and calf breaching again and again, which was an absolute delight to see. 

Humpback breaching, Banderas Bay, PV, Mexico

February. We celebrated a friend's seventieth birthday in fine style at a local restaurant, which kindly opened two hours early for a drop-in , say-hello, happy-birthday kind of event. There was a great deal of mirth and merriment.

March. Shih Tzu month! First, pet sitting for a fun and sometimes naughty pair of sisters. The next client was a single dog, but equally fun.

April. My daughter and eldest son visited from England. I was happy to tour them around. Apart from places like the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum, Banff, and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, we had a walking tour of Calgary, which took us to parts of downtown that I had never been to, so I learnt something new about my city.

My daughter and eldest son, Banff

Later in the day, we visited the Chinese Cultural Temple in Calgary's Chinatown, and then returned to the Calgary Tower for supper in the revolving restaurant. The day was clear, so it was easy to point out landmarks. One of the things that so impressed them was the length of the train passing beneath us through Calgary. Just when they thought the last of the cars were coming around a bend, my daughter's excited, "There's more!" left the couple at the table adjacent to ours laughing. We had a wonderful ten days, and it all ended too soon.

May. House and pet sitting and a visit with a friend in Victoria, British Columbia. I love being on the coast, but I still haven't seen all the sights Victoria has to offer. Highlights of that trip were lunch and a tour at the Legislature Building, a textiles exhibition at the Royal BC Museum, but I have to say I loved the quirky teacup tree.

The Teacup Tree, Victoria, BC

June. House and pet sitting in various locations with a variety of pets. Plus a milestone in my life - I parted company with my last pair of high-heeled shoes. My 80+ knees no longer appreciate them!

July. House and pet sitting again, with a splash of research on breweries at The Establishment, a brewhouse in Calgary, courtesy of fellow author A.M. Westerling's son. Of course, we had to taste a brew or two and have lunch on the outside patio in the sunshine. What could be better?

August. Wonders never cease. I spent the whole month at home.

Sitting beneath our shade tree.

September. The release of my first cozy mystery novel, A Murder in the Meadow and a book launch at The Purple Platypus in Castor, Alberta, with many thanks to Lynn for being such a wonderful host, and author Nancy Bell for accommodating me for a couple of days.

October. Mostly at home writing, and then away with writer friends on our annual retreat. This time at Sylvan Lake, Alberta, in glorious weather.

Sylvan Lake

November. Two house sits this month, and a lot more writing. One of the exciting aspects of a new book is seeing your cover for the first time, and I love what BWL's artistic director, Michelle Lee, has produced for my second cozy mystery, A Body in the Brewery, shown at the head of this blog. I hope you agree. 

December is just around the corner. I have one more short house sit with old faithfuls Brandy the greyhound and Ghillie the Scottish Deerhound, and then it will be Christmas. Again. 

Victoria Chatham

AT BWL PUBLISHING INC

 ON FACEBOOK

 MY WEBSITE

 

All images in this blog are from the author's collection.

From the Editor's Desk: Creativity - JD Shipton

 I was wandering around in my mind the other day, kicking over the occasional mental rock in search of plot devices for this book I'm planning to write. Essentially trying to imagine the unimaginable: a post biological intelligence, in this case. 

 As a motive for their investigation of our humble and bucolic little lump of dirt, I had given some thought to creativity as being something they'd come to value in their machine age- so much so that perhaps they'd send probes to their galactic neighbors in search of it. One could make the argument that its a faculty which must be lost when all your synapses become circuit boards, and all your thoughts algorithms. I suppose some manner of random number (binary, in our digital case) generator could be implemented to bring forth novelty (much as our DNA seems to do), but the result would be almost complete conceptual gibberish, rather than, say, Dali's "Swans Reflecting Elephants".  

 However, nothing in this painting is a truly created concept, just re-imagined.  Everything we do and see is processed by our meat computer in exactly the same way as would be by a silicon/gold matrix of circuits and diodes- which shouldn't be surprising, as have we not built computers as emulations of our own, lipid-based thinking machines? Short and long term memory, interconnected circuits, binary outputs down at the level of the receptors at the end of the synapse, programming based on commonly understood notions that are coded as fact. 

 So don't beat yourself up too badly when you can't seem to conjure from the ether completely novel concepts, unheard of and unseen by the eyes of man or machine.  I say it is simply not possible, given our tools and programming. What we can do is what has ever been done: stretch the boundaries of the framework we have to the point that maybe you can burst the seam a little at one side and spill into the unknown. 

Another Year - Slow Writing #BWLAuthor #MFRWHooks #Another year #Slow Writing #Future Projects

 

Another year has passed. I'm now working on 89. Though my writing has slowed a bit, I released a series of short stories including an Mrs. Miller novella. I also set off the first book in a new murder series The Horror Writer's Demise due out I believe in October. At present I'm working on a romance story that involves a Phone Call and A voice From Her past. I have a second idea for another book concerning a phone call. I also plan to finally write the second book in a Regency series that began with Gemstones, This one called Silks. There will eventually be a third in this grouping. There will also be a second mystery. 

The past year plus was a slow one because of some health silliness. All better now. Having ideas is great but finding all the time is sometimes not all. The writing for me goes smoothly but the typing is slow. All my books are had-written for the first and often the second draft. Looking forward to the new stories to tell.

Dead of Winter by J. S. Marlo

 

Undeniable Trait

is available now!

Click here

   

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

Hubby and I just spent Christmas in Victoria, BC, with our son and his growing family. The magic of Christmas shone in our two little granddaughters' eyes. House was decorated, tree was full of ornaments with some of them ending up on the floor. The food was delicious and plenty. I even wrote a child story featuring my eldest little one. The youngest little one will get her own story next year.

We had a wonderful time and made precious memories, even though it rained every day. In all my years, and there are too many to count, I've always had a white Christmas. It was the first time there wasn't a single snowflake on the ground or swirling in the air.

Now I'm back home in northern Alberta, in the snow, in the dead of winter.

I love looking out the window and seeing snow. I also enjoy shovelling. It feels like I'm exercising and I feel less guilty about eating chocolate.

Truth be told, I spend most of my winter days in front of the fireplace with my laptop. January and February are my two most prolific months when it comes to writing.

My latest novel "Red in the Snow" will be released in Sept 2025. Like the title suggests, it takes place in winter.

I also have another story in progress tentatively titled "Misleading Truth" which I'm hoping to finish by this spring. The next two months will tell if I'm on target. 

Happy Reading & Stay Warm! 

J. S. 

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Writing Gone Astray by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #Thinking

 

I'm working on a new book The Horror Writer's Demise and halfway through, I discovered a problem. Not with the writing but what I forgot. This is a mystery with a budding romance built into the first of the stories. The heroine and hero will begin noticing each other. The problem came when I realized I'd become so involved with the murder, I forgot the romance. I'm more than halfway done with the book but I'm going back and finding places to focus on what will be a growing relationship.

Was it age or was having the mystery explored that caused the problem? I'm not sure but back to the beginning I go. Then I will start the Regency story I began probably 20 years or more ago. Thi story was put aside when I was taking courses to finish my BA in Nursing. I found this and several other starting outlines for other stories when sorting out my file cabinet. So now it's off and running with romance on my mind.

Polishing the novel, my favorite part of writing - by Vijaya Schartz

Coming in October: “An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil knocking at the gate… what could go wrong?”
Find my other books at: BWL Publishing
Also at: amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 

After lots of research, after sweating the plot, the character motivations and conflicts, the surprises and roadblocks along the way, the setting, the technology, and all the details that come into creating a good story, my favorite part of writing is what some writers hate: the “rewriting.” I prefer to call it “Polishing.” It’s an opportunity to take a story and make it better.

I like to watch the credits at the end of movies to see how many screenwriters were involved. The more writers, the better the script, the better the lines, the better the character development, the better the story. These are my favorite stories. Even in a movie, I like good writing.

Now that I went through several rewrites for each chapter, got feedback from my critique partner, there is still much work to do.

I spent several months with my free-thinking tiger-riding Valkyrie and the strong disciplined angel who oversees her, I know them well. I have discovered things about them I would never have suspected when I started writing the novel. I have found deep emotional connections in their past, and I have come to love and understand them. They are my children and I want them to do well, grow, and find their happiness.

But this can only happen after I make them suffer, sacrifice, and deserve their final reward. Although I do not enjoy the suffering, it is a necessary phase of their evolution.

This stage of writing is the reward for me. No more stress about deadlines, or whether or not the story will come together at the end. I can finally relax into the polishing, adding texture, flavor, color, emotion, and a deeper meaning to each scene, each paragraph, each character. I can go back to the beginning and implement the quirks they developed while I was writing.

I will also add a few scenes, flashbacks, dreams, to bring more layers to the story.

Some early secondary characters have become more important as the story developed, and now deserve a name and a little more time in the spotlight. The villains also deserve a chance to explain themselves. No one is totally good or totally evil. We are all shades of gray… even the red devil from another universe threatening to take over our galaxy.

ANGEL REVENGE, Book 3 of the Blue Phantom series, will be released in October 2024. “An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil knocking at the gate… what could go wrong?”

amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

In the meantime, catch up with the first two novels in the Blue Phantom series: ANGEL SHIP and ANGEL GUARDIAN: There is a phantom ship that glows like a beacon in black space, appears and vanishes, and never registers on scanners. Rumors say it will save the righteous, the oppressed, and the downtrodden… and slay the unworthy without mercy. The space pirates fear it. Their victims pray for it... but its help comes at a price... 

Happy Reading.

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author

Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

October - New Book - What I'm doing now by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mystery - new #Fantasy - old #Regencies - new

 

Here is the cover for October's release - The Horror Writer's Demise. Having fun researching the mny things I need to know. Probably not a cozy like The Mrs. Miller's books but more of a mystery and developing romance. The heroine is about 30 and has a five year old son and a mother who watches the child. The hero is a widower with a five year old son and who owns a house that was divided into two living areas. Even though four years has passed since his wife's death, he has clung to memories. As for her, the father of her son left without marriage and has successfully vanished. She has passed the regret stage and has entered the thank heavens he's gone. At this poing there are two more ideas floating for stories here. The Historical author's Snuff Boxes and The erotic writer's Nightgowns. I;m sure more will come.

I'm also looking at some Regencies I was working on when Gemstones was written. They were shoved away since other things came into being and were found with the great cleaning of writer's file cabinet. One has six chapters written. The second has a long working synopsis done and the third just an idea. Looks like I'll be busy.

I am finishing up the last of a fantasy series story though I have no idea what I'll do with it but being the writer I am since there are fifteen chapters rough drafted, I must finish this. Then I'll decide if and when Keltoi will appear.

My Places

   https://twitter.com/JanetL717

 https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f

bid=113639528680724

 http://bookswelove.net/

 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

 

Buy Mark My Places

 

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

So there's a bit of work ahead and I'm slowly gathering the words to put all together.

Bucket Lists & Memoirs by Diane Bator

 

To Buy All That Shimmers

A funny thing happened while Victoria Chatham and I were at a Christmas Farmer's Market selling our books. A lovely woman came over to share that people kept telling her to write a book of her experiences because she'd had some interesting ones. When she told us about a Christmas tree her family had when she was a kid, we were both hooked! The longer we chatted, the more intrigued we were. I lost track of how long we talked with her, but came away in awe.

Over the years I've done a few podcasts and blog posts and always find it fascinating how other people actually want to hear my story. I know I'm not alone in that. This woman doubted the validity of how wonderful her stories - and her ability to tell those stories - actually was. The more Victoria and I encouraged her, the more animated she became. I have no doubt she went home and started figuring out how to write her story.

The last thing she told me before she left was how she'd recently turned 70 and decided she wanted to go to Europe. Her husband had no interest in going. So she went alone and had the time of her life! She's also been indoor skydiving (something on my bucket list), and checked off a few other items she's only dreamed about doing. Writing her book will be next.

That got me thinking about my own bucket list and how I've been ticking a few boxes of my own.

I won't lie, 2023 has been difficult in so many ways, but I have done a few things I'm proud of:

• published my 15th book, All That Shimmers
• moving across Canada solo with two cats
• driving from Calgary to Penticton for the Wine Country Writers' Festival, again solo but no cats!
• setting a few personal boundaries
• meeting new people
• meeting people I've known virtually for years
• attending When Words Collide in person!
• started to learn some new skills that will come in handy in 2024
• connecting with writing friends and starting a monthly Zoom chat 
• guesting on several podcasts and blogs and making some great connections
• starting to read other people's book again!
• moving closer to the mountains
• starting to write short stories again and having them published in anthologies
• hanging out with family when we can
• becoming my own cheerleader - something a lot of people struggle with

What's on the horizon for 2024? Probably catching my breath after 2023!

The good thing is, I have a month to figure it out!

What's on your bucket list?

Is there a book you long to write? I'm not only a writer, but also a book coach and can help! For coaching info:  https://www.dianebator.ca/

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Diane Bator

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

Writing - Choosing a Plot by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Plot #Mystery #Horror writer #Demise #romance

 

Back to my way of writing.  When I begin, I decide what kind of book I plan to write. This time, I wanted to start a new mystery series and several things were buzzing in my thoughts. I decided rather than a straight mystery, I wanted this series to have a developing romance along with the mystery. Then came the idea for the first one in this series. I needed a title before I began.

I'm funny this way, but I need to have a title before I can begin the book. I knew the dead man was a horror writer. A number of titles flashed in my thoughts. Finally I decided on the Horror Writer's Demise. Not sure why that stuck in my head. Then the planning for the book began. 

Setting became the Hudson Valley and one of the places there was a house that had been turned into a place where writers and other people involved with the arts couldrent a space where they could write. There once was such a place not far from where I live. Not sure if it still exists.

Te Characters came next - Not all of the but they will either increase of combined in versions of the story. The heroine is Valentina Heartley. With a name like that she thinks she should writea romance, especially since there have been no good ones in her life. She does research for professors, attorneys and authors. Her interest is Dane Grant, a local detective and widower. Theyboth have five year old sons. She has a mother who helps her and he has a sister.

What happens next will be my taking these two characters and writing a synopsis of the story. For good or not, I organize my stories completely. At present there are a few questions I need to answer before I can start writing.

That's how I work and the system has evolved over the years since 1968 when I soldmy first story.

My Places

   https://twitter.com/JanetL717

 https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f

bid=113639528680724

 http://bookswelove.net/

 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

 

Buy Mark

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

The Characters in the Stories by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #characters

 Once the Idea is in order and the Plot is decided upon, the characters must be found for your stories. There are a number of ways characters have ventured into my stories. The oddest one happened about a month ago. As I was falling asleep, a voice spoke in my head. "Hi. I'm Valentina Heartly. With a name like that I should write a romance novel." I haven't found a story for her as yet but the ideas are slowly forming.

Often when developing characters, I use Astrology. Now I don't cast their entire charts but I look at the Sun sign, the Moon sign and the Rising sign and combine these to make a person come to life. Then I use one of the many baby name books to find the right name.

Sometimes the characters are well established and are part of a series. At present I'm working on Murder and Iced tea staring Katherine Miller, now married. Along with Robespierre, he Maine Coon cat, I know her almost as well as I know myself. This time I am using many of the characters from the other stories in the series. There are also new ones. There's the Mayor, his wife, his two children and his "yes" man.

I once found a character in a research book on Egypt from a single sentence. "Mermeshu was his name." Amazingly he took form and set forth on a time travel story.

How do you find and name your characters? Sometimes, for me, this takes the msot time but I love Plots and they come fairly easy.

My Places

   https://twitter.com/JanetL717

 https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f

bid=113639528680724

 http://bookswelove.net/

 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

 

Buy Mark

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

 

After the Idea, Plot Comes Next by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #plot

 

 

Once I've spend days of hours with the idea for a book, I then decide what's next. For me, that's the Plot. While there are many types of Plots, I must choose the one that's right for the book. For a fantasy story, I usuallt choose the Quest plot. This emns sending my characters out into the world in search of something. Sometimes a physical thing and sometings more of a growingup quest. These are fun to write.

The story I'm talking about today is pursuing Doctor West. This uses the chase plot. That's often the case of a romance, at least the romances I write and enjoy reading. In this story, Zelda has loved Doctor West since they were children and next door neighbors. Her attempts always seem to be futile. How can she win.  The opening scene shown him returning home as a surgeon and joining and group of doctors. He learns Zelda is the nurse manager of the surgical unit. He wants to avoid her but tha doesn't seem possible. Zelda sees him andknows what she wants. The middle of the book is the chase and her many failures to succeed. Then comes the twsit as the middle comes to an end. Zelda decides she will never succeed and she decides to leave. Suddenly the reverse happens and he decides to chase Zelda.

So having decided on the plot, I begin the process of writing which ever book I've decided to write.

Bon Voyage To Meee by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

    So curretly I am en route to Toronto Ontario, so I fear there will be but a small blog post this month. I flew via Flair Airlines without a hitch, and am typing this up as I sit in the very front of the Robert Q bus. What a flight, I must say! I was glad to have a bit of liquid courage on the plane because the landing was rocky at best. The wildfires in Canada mean the skies are clouded in smog, which I suppose corresponds to mega turbulance. However, I am lucky to find myself here and on the way to plan and map out another book!

It was a lovely view in New Brunswick today at least. Though, if you have ever flown flair you may know how cheap it is. This comes at a price however, as every little thing has an extra charge. For example, carry on baggage. Now... I am but a humble writer. I'm no Stephen King nor Dean Koontz. I can't afford all the extras can I?

Well... not on a novelists salary! So, I planned ahead! I wore all my clothes on the plane, packed a fanny pack, and made sure even my boots had pockets!

I wasn't kidding! Good for one pair of underpants! 

Now that means as soon as I arrived I had to change. Holy heck its hot here! New Brunswick was crisp 10 degrees maybe, but by the time I arrived at TO I was due for a wardrobe change. I'm only here a few short days, but I am hoping to take in some sights while I'm here. I'm also going to be meeting up with my co-author for the Ballroom Riot series, Tara Woodworth! 

I'll have more to report next month when I return from my first trip since the pandemic! So stayed tuned then and keep writing! 

                

Before Flight and after flight... I felt much cooler after changing! 

Bon Voyage to Meeeeeeeeee

Writing with Pets by Eileen O'Finlan

 

Click here for purchase information

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!

Write one, knit one

 

Write one, knit one

by Priscilla Brown

 

 

 http://books2read.com/Hot-Ticket

 

          Lawyer Olivia is  familiar with her calculator, 

and would barely know what to do with a knitting needle.

Callum knows his way around a kitchen, 

does complicated arithmetic in his head and knits without a pattern.

💕💕

 

 Writing contemporary romance fiction and knitting whatever appeals to me at that time are my most important creative pursuits. With the ambitious aim of saving time, I started working on these almost simultaneously, in that I handwrote the story in a notebook when pausing the knitting of an adult broad-brimmed hat at the end of a row. I am an experienced knitter, but knitting a hat is of course not like, for example, the unshaped part of a sweater's back. I find working on these two needs more concentration than I allowed for, and calls for frequent coffee stops. So writing and  knitting, while not of course precisely simultaneous activities, for me are both works in progress. 

My current romance fiction on the computer awaits resolutions to assorted dilemmas and attention to the 'villain' of the piece, while the wool yarn in its basket shows promise that it will end up like the hat pictured on its pattern. Fortunately I don't have official deadlines, though I do need to get the hat out into the craft shop which sells my textile work because this is a cold winter in my area of inland Australia and head wear is a good idea.

If you have a work in progress whatever it may be, then good luck for its successful outcome. 

Warm regards, Priscilla.

https://bwlpublishing.ca

 

https://priscillabrownauthor.com 

Labels: knitting, writing, contemporary romance fiction, hat, wool, creative pursuits, works in progress

From Hisses to Kisses by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE HERE

 

Retirement from day-to-day formal employment in 2013 was a dream come true, but as many retirees have found, the dream can fade. My dream was to concentrate on my writing, which I did for a while, and then I started getting restless.

But then a writer colleague asked if I knew anyone who might house-sit for them and look after their animals so they could have a family vacation. Who better than moi? With years of property management experience, I thought I was well qualified to look after a house. I’ve had a couple of cats and dogs for most of my life. I've been around horses since age five. In addition, I have several more qualifications, including being a mature, non-smoking individual. So now it’s have laptop, will travel. I have clients in different places, from almost on the doorstep to within a few hour’s drive from home. I enjoy very different scenery, from watching glorious sunrises on an acreage to spotting hummingbirds in an urban garden, all while I  get my pet fix.

My house and pet-sitting career started with two horses, a dog, four cats, and a bearded dragon lizard. Since then, I’ve cared for chickens, turkeys, rabbits, pigs, fish, sheep, calves, birds and goats in the ten years since then. Now I’m more mature (IE: older, but I dislike that word), I’m pickier about caring for the larger animals, goats especially. They may be adorable as kids, but in my book, they are evil beasts as adults and their horns hurt.

My mandate is to maintain as much of the pets’ routine as possible. Are pets allowed on the furniture or beds? What is their feeding routine? Are they afraid of anything? And then there are the practicalities such as where is the electrical box and main water shut-off? I always ask for emergency contacts, especially a vet. Before accepting a new client, I like to meet them and their pets. It’s a two-way street, giving the pet owner a chance to know me and see how their pets interact with me. I’m not offended if they are uncomfortable and prefer to make other arrangements, as for me, it is all about the pet(s) and their comfort.

The hardest part of my client interviews, especially where senior pets are concerned, is the ‘what if’ discussion. However much we love our pets, the sad part of being a pet parent is that they are likely to pass on before we do. Of all the seven dogs I’ve had over the years, I’ve had to make end-of-life decisions for every one of them. My first was the hardest as I had not had him long, and he wasn’t much more than a pup. The others were between twelve and nineteen, all living happy, healthy lives until they were no longer happy or healthy.

Animals give us so much joy, and I often think humans are undeserving of their love and loyalty. I’ve spent hours in the paddock with the horses, watching and talking to them. There is nothing as willing as a horse's ear. Chickens can be charmers, and many enjoy being cuddled. I've had them go to sleep in my arms. I ran a lukewarm bath for the lizard to help her slough her skin and made a mud wallow for the pigs, laughing at their antics as they splashed in and out like children playing. I had a panic attack at the house with six cats when I could only find five. It turned out that the sixth cat was very shy, and I didn’t see her until the fourth day.

My current charge hissed at me every time he saw me for the first couple of days, but now we’re joined at the hip, and I get kisses. I go to the kitchen, and he comes too. I go upstairs, and he follows. I go to the bathroom—you get the picture. I flatter myself that he really likes me, but being a cat, it could just be his way of ensuring the person who feeds him and cleans his litter tray doesn’t stray. He snuggles up to me in bed, although I draw the line at having my ear washed, and sits beside me on the sofa when I’m done writing for the day.

I consider myself fortunate to have such a variety of furry friends. Once I know their routines, I can settle into writing when they curl up in their beds and sleep. Do I have favourites? That would be telling. Life being what it is, I’ve lost some four-legged clients and gained new ones. Retirement? One day I might find out what it’s like, but until then, I’ll continue writing and house and pet sitting. 

VICTORIA CHATHAM

AT BOOKS WE LOVE

NB: images from the author's collection.