have i become a crazy cat lady?
I’m not sure how many cats a girl needs to qualify for the title of Crazy Cat Lady. But I’d guess I’m well on the way. I have six in my life. They do an important job, helping to keep the mice in check in the stables. Pretty ridiculous really, but I’m terrified of mice and so the cats do an important job. I could write a book about my encounters with mice and their larger cousins, rats. All part of country life, so the much loved and cared for cats live outside, in the barn. It’s hilarious to watch them each morning when they’re let out of the barn, heading up the fields for breakfast at my ex-husband’s house before they return to me in the evening for more food.
A few years ago, one of my lady cats had a litter of kittens, one of which was slightly disabled. He was poorly when he was born. I nursed him, spooning milk into him, determined he wouldn’t die. He did live, but it soon became apparent that he was slightly different from the ‘normal’ cats. His hips don’t work quite as they should, which means he can’t jump, but he also found the world a terrifying place and spent his time hiding in the hay bales. So he came indoors, where he has thrived and become a much-loved family member.
And now a second cat has come indoors. My favourite ginger cat, Morris, contracted Vestibular disease, which is a neurological problem, of unknown origin, that mainly affects dogs. Poor Morris came home acting like he was very drunk; he was struggling to balance and stand up. My brilliant vet treated him, which slightly improved Morris, but a few trips later he is better, but by no means safe to be outside, he sleeps a lot, even for a cat and is still slightly wobbly, but the disease has left him with a strange, but very endearing head tilt. He’s very happy as a house cat and it looks like he will stay indoors for the foreseeable future. He did venture outside one morning, but looked very frightened and disorientated, so I quickly brought him back inside. He’s now taken on the role of author support along with my other house cat, Shorty and snoozes close by me while I write.
Just released – The DI Grace Tallis Boxset
This month has seen the release of The Grace Tallis Boxset, a three book collection of all three of the currently available novels in the crime series featuring DI Grace Tallis. The boxset, which is only available as an ebook, through Amazon contains the first three books in the series, The Sins Of My Father, Where Is My Daughter? and Why Did He Die?
Discounted this month
THE SINS OF MY FATHER
This is the first in the DI Grace Tallis series and is available this month for 1.49
THE SINS OF MY FATHER
INTRODUCING DI GRACE TALLIS
Sometimes the end is just the beginning
When Mia’s father commits suicide, it is the conclusion of a killing spree which ended the lives of ten young women.
His death marks a new beginning for eight year old Mia. She is adopted by the well to do Lewis family and grows up surrounded by love and security. Fifteen years later a visit from the police shatters their world. More of her father’s victims have been found, amongst them the body of Mia’s mother. The woman Mia thought had abandoned her had been killed by the man she loved and trusted.
As the fragile foundations of her life crumble around her Mia begins to discover the painful reality of her childhood. Is she the product of the family who nurtured her, or of the blood-soaked genes she carries?