Blog Hop post #2

I'm sure I could come up with some kind of impressive title for this post--no..not really. So this is my second Blog Hop post. Later than I meant to be, as usual :)

I spent most of the day working on a variety of writer related stuff, not least collecting pet pictures. Some I had, some I asked for or went in search of. So, since I now have tons of animals to post on here, watch where you step...

Tomorrow, I'll be putting up my (late) column at Novelspot. If you go there now, you'll be able to read my past few months' worth of columns, but tomorrow afternoon, I'll have a new one up. My column-Monthly Monster or Myth--takes a look at whatever creature has my attention at that time. I talk about whatever it is,  and then I try to figure out where the thing came from, or what inspired folks to believe it, anyway. This month (or last month, as the case may be) the column is about the phoenix. It was inspired by my parrots.

Okay, actually, I have a Green Cheeked Conure, which is a sort of parrot, and my daughter's Nanday Conure is staying with us.

Banana joined our family through my daughter's boyfriend. I hope they never break up. I love the guy like the son I never had, so I'd like him to stick around. I'm sure my daughter would like it, too.

Having said that you've got to know that it would break my heart if Banana went away. I know he'll move home to my daughter's place soon. But for now, I'm enjoying his company -- usually. He does make a racket when he wants to. He also likes Harry Belefonte (The Banana Boat Song--go figure), several Eastern European singers, Tom Waits, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. He has very eclectic taste in music.

This little guy is Baker. He's about a year old now, and what a nut.

When he speaks, you can barely hear him, but don't make the mistake of thinking he's quiet. He has his moments if silence, sure. However, he's a mimic for odd or loud noises. His favorite this week is the high-pitched squeal of metal against metal when I move my wheelchair's footplate up and down. He likes to blow loud kisses if you're not paying attention to him, and he can sound exactly like a squeaky rubber dog toy--when he feels like it. He won't do it when you want him to. It has to be on his terms. *sigh* My daughter thinks I'm making it up.

The birds are great company, but they aren't very cuddly. That's why I have cats.

Roland is the only male cat surrounded by females. He's had his wires snipped, of course, but he's still pretty aggressive.

I know he looks sweet, but he's asleep. Keep that in mind.

On the other hand, he's a great sleeping cat. Very cuddly. But he licks. I don't like that. Roland is the Denis the Menace of cats. If he finds something that bugs you, he'll keep it up, just to see how long you can stand it. He can't help it--he's a guy. 

Roland is a very big cat, twenty pounds and three feet without the tail--four-and-a-half, with. His sister, KitKat, outweighs him by almost ten pounds, though. She doesn't take crap from anyone.

 She beats Roland up whenever she thinks he needs it, or if she thinks he might need it soon. Why take chances, I guess... She loves soda--they both do. Club soda is her favorite and I never leave a cup of it out (that's my preferred cold drink) She's a good sleeping cat, too, but not as huggable. Still, she's mighty warm in the wintertime.

Tomorrow, I'll show you my other furry house-mates. My sister also has a couple of cats and a dog. It's wild kingdom around here. Sometimes it even sounds like the jungle, what with the birds calling and the cats growling. 

In the past, Cosmo was a great inspiration to me. A lot of my characters borrow from his personality. The rest of the animals contribute though. 

Tomorrow, I'll post some bits and pieces from the duets I'm working on with Ashley Marie Lucas, along with one of the covers. I'll have some other things to share, too, so I'll look for you then.



Have a great Monday morning. I'll see you in the afternoon :)




J.J.