As longtime readers of this blog know, I lost my three beloved cats within nine months of each other the past two years. They were all elderly, but it was still heartbreaking and brutal. I was NOT ready to love a cat again. Not yet.
But, as many cat-lovers know, you don’t choose the cat(s). They choose you. Or, in my case, they choose my husband.
In the middle of my year of goodbyes, a feral kitten (maybe three or four months old) showed up under our porch. We had no idea whether she was male or female until she became pregnant shortly after finding us. I had no capacity for kittens at that time, so even the one time we could have intervened, I couldn’t do it. I was broken.
But lo and behold, the kittens found us anyway. And my husband spent the summer socializing them. Our house literally had an open-door policy when it came to cats.
And now, the two kittens we were able to socialize are our new beloved cats.
I wasn’t ready. But they needed us. And I must admit…every home needs a cat. At least, every home I want to live in.
Cats just make everything better.
That goes for fiction, too. Just ask Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She’s the curator for the latest Cattitude StoryBundle. Here’s what she has to say about the subject:
Cozy mysteries, serious witches, not-so-serious witches, musicians, dead musicians, pirates, pirates in space, space opera, fantasy, and romance. What do these things have in common? Cats, of course. Delightful cats. Dozens of cats. More cats than most clowders usually have.
This Storybundle has all of these cats and these stories, plus maybe a dozen more. From short stories to novels, novellas to anthologies, you’ll find it all in this bundle, so long as the fiction contains a cat. For $20, you’ll get all the books, including three exclusive to this bundle, and a chance to donate to an important charity.
You can read more about the bundle here.
You know who else likes to feature cats in his fiction? That’s right: Dean Wesley Smith. A group of kittens even play a prominent role in one of his Cold Poker Gang mysteries: Ring Game.
And there’s still time to support the Case Card Cold Poker Gang Kickstarter, featuring the newest novel and collection in the series.
We’ve hit three regular stretch goals and a special stretch goal so far, which means all supporters at the $5 level and above also get the following:
Books:
“The Road Back: A Doc Hill Story”
WEIRD CRIME: A Collection of Six Really, Really, Really Whacked Out Crime Stories
TWIST OF A KNIFE: Mystery Stories from the Pages of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine
THE CASE OF PILGRIM HUGH: Five Strange Detective Stories
Workshops:
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT CRIME THROUGH THE AGES. The Year: 1700
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT CRIME THROUGH THE AGES. The Year: 1750
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT CRIME THROUGH THE AGES. The Year: 1800
Click here to check out all the amazing rewards!
So much great fiction, so many deals, and so many cats! But you’ll want to act fast. Both of these fantastic projects are ending soon, so don’t delay!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.