When my cat Truman was barely older than a kitten, he thought he could fly. I know this because I saw him do it. Having spied a hummingbird on our deck, he launched himself through the air to catch it, landing a good four feet off the ground and attached to our screen door (like one of those Garfield toys you used to see suction cupped to car windows). We didn’t have smartphones with cameras back then (or the technology addiction that leads them to be constantly in our hands), so I didn’t get a picture, but it’s burned into my memory. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
And although at 16 he can no longer leap like he used to, I can see him thinking about it when he birdwatches. If he could fly, they’d be in serious trouble. He might be old in body, but definitely not in spirit.
And he most certainly approves of our latest book projects. I’m sure he thinks he inspired them (and he might have a bit of a point there).
The second volume of The Year of the Cat series, edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith, releases on Tuesday, June 23. Here’s what you can expect in A Cat of Perfect Taste:
Cats very clearly find themselves superior to humans. And we humans just nod and accept that fact.
This might come from early history when Egyptians worshipped cats. Or from how humans pamper cats to this day. We have bred them to expect the royal treatment. Sometimes, we even treat them like gods.
And why not?
A Cat of Perfect Taste, the second volume of The Year of the Cat series, focuses on this major trait of cats. Cats as rulers.
And cat people would not have it any other way.
Includes:
“Cat in Waiting” by Dean Wesley Smith
“The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat” by Saki
“Pudgygate” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Calvin (A Study in Cat Character)” by Charles Dudley Warner
“Cats” by Philip Gilbert Hamerton
“What Fluffy Knew” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“The Secret of Catnip” by Stefon Mears
“The Magic Cat of the Hidden Springs Inn and Spa” by Kari Kilgore
Click here for more information and buy links.
The latest StoryBundle WMG is participating in is also Truman-approved.
Dean Wesley Smith has a brand-new Poker Boy collection called Playing a Hunch exclusively available in The Up, Up and Away Superheroes Bundle, curated by Kevin J. Anderson. Here’s what Kevin has to say about this bundle:
If reading is your kryptonite, I’ve put together a superpowered StoryBundle—thirteen books with marvelous heroes, supervillains, secret identities, mutant powers, and extraordinary gentlemen (and ladies).
In curating this batch, I included my novel Captain Nemo—one of my favorites—the life story of Jules Verne’s fictional friend, who fights pirates at sea, is marooned on a mysterious island, finds a passage to the center of the Earth, crosses Africa in a balloon, and builds the extraordinary sub-marine boat, the Nautilus.
Dean Wesley Smith presents a brand-new book featuring his popular and unnaturally talented character Poker Boy. Heroes comes in all shapes, sizes, and personas. What makes a hero super? Mark Leslie’s collection Nobody’s Hero contains seven stories that explore what makes a hero.
To read more about all 13 books in this bundle, which is available for a limited time and allows you to name your own price, click here.
Perfect reading for lovers of cat fiction and superhero fiction alike. Truman approves.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.