Category: Blogging

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WHISKER WISDOM CATERVIEW WITH ALOYSIUS

Whisker wisdom caterview with Wishes the cat!

WHISKER WISDOM CATERVIEW WITH ALOYSIUS, A ONE-IN-THREE-THOUSAND FELINE!

Whisker Wisdom Caterview with Aloysius, or “Wishes,” special not only because he has an extra chromosome. He’s much more than that!

Tortoiseshell males occur only one in 3000.

And like most tortoiseshell males, he’s sterile.

Wishes, until now, patiently lounging on a chair beside me in my office, let out a chittering cackle, and sat upright with a stiff spine.

Wishes: Wait just a minute! Isn’t that a little too much information? My ability to reproduce is not the subject of this interview. May I remind you that my being here is a favor to you? So, shall we commence?

Me: That was an unfortunate slip. I apologize. But you jumped in before I could finish. What makes you stand out is your ability to traverse time and your ability to talk. We all appreciate that you’ve come forward again. How was your journey?

W shrugged: No more, no less complicated than the dozen times I’ve done it before.

Me: And Jacob Blessing. How’s he doing?

W: He’s well, considering his age. He often talks about when I brought his eleventh great-granddaughter, Theodosia, back to meet him and praises her for helping that poor boy escape the gallows. She was expecting her first child when I left. That kid should be four.

Me: A nod to you, reader. Wishes is referring to the young boy from the 1700s who appeared in Theodosia’s, or “Theo’s” driveway, with an odd request. Clear his name as a murderer.  Wishes, Theo and Ethan had twins, and yes, they are four. Everyone wonders why you abruptly left in the 21st century and returned to 18th-century North Carolina. You had a pretty good life here. Theo assumed your work was done after the boy was free, and you accompanied them back. Can you tell us more?

W: Whoa! Firstborn twins? Trust me, that’s never, ever happened in the line. Since gifted one’s firstborn inherits the ability to bring the dead forward, heaven help us if both can. But it will be years before it manifests. I hope Theodosia figures it out before then. Is the new cat I picked out any help? When I found that kitten, I could tell that little creature needed training but could be a great familiar for her.

Me: Theo will be fine. But you chose a very quirky cat. By the way, she’s the subject of the next Caterview. But you’ve dodged my question. You really disrupted the centuries-old plan. You’ve always been assigned to a magical Blessing. And you stay with that person until the gift passes to their firstborn. You were Theo’s father’s familiar until the gift passed to her. That’s how it worked through all the generations before. Always forward. Never back.

W fiddled with something caught between his splayed toes on a back foot. With the foot still sticking in the air, he looked up at me: Oh, I’m sorry. Was there a question in there?

Me: I think you know it was.

W: Indeed, I’ve faithfully upheld my duty. For centuries, I’ll add. But when I brought Theodosia and her man back to 1718 to save that boy and saw Jacob again, I knew he needed me more than Theodosia did. Aside from Theodosia, he was the smartest Blessing I’ve known. And I’ve known them all, back to old England. Only someone like Jacob could get that stubborn woman to travel back in time to save a life. The convincing letter he wrote to her was sheer brilliance.

So I doubt the universe minds that I bent time a little so we could relive his last years together. I can be with him and serve his firstborn at the same time.

Me: I don’t put anything past you. But when Jacob Blessing passes, which I guess will be the second time, what then? You’ve completed your obligations through the generations up to Theo. This is all so confusing.

W canted his head as he considered an answer: Valid on all counts. I’ve been with so many Blessing generations that I’ve lost track. But dear Jacob always had a special place in my heart. I can keep going as if nothing had changed. Only I will know that I’ve been with each firstborn before. They won’t suspect a thing. I might catch up with Theodosia again at some point. Time means nothing to me.

Me: So you’re confirming there are parallel time periods? Are we side-by-side with past generations?

W cast an unbelieving eye roll: You’re the author who wrote our story, and you still say you don’t know the answers?

Me: I make stuff up, Wishes. The whole idea of time traveling was made up. And I invented you, remember.

W squinted his eyelids to a slit and stared hard at me. After a moment, he spoke again:  You invented me? Seriously? I’ve been around a lot longer than you. When will you realize you are a sideline observer of our stories and simply writing what happened?

Me: But, Wishes…

The little ‘tortie’ interrupted with another throaty chitter that could be interpreted as disgusted if one were inclined to judge it as such.

Then he was gone.

Into thin air.

Again.

**

I can’t say this interview went precisely as planned.

Wishes left me with more questions than answers, especially the bit about me being a scribe of events and not the inventor of them. I need time to process that.

But, in classic Wishes style, he comes and goes when he wants, back and forth over three hundred and twenty years.

He didn’t give me time to tell him that Theo, her husband Ethan, and their twins are relocating to Baga Shores for a fresh start. Ethan, who has never completely healed from a traumatic military deployment, accepted a promising job opportunity. A gifted potter and magical, Theo is opening a new studio, once again hoping to escape the selfish dead who continually hound her for help.

She hopes a new life in Baga Shores, where magicals are embraced, will be different, and the hauntings will end.

**

In the meantime, Wishes got me thinking.

Is magical time-traveling an author’s invention or an actual phenomenon?

Could a cat live for centuries?

Are writers simply observers recording events? If that’s true, I can’t wait to see who shows up next wanting their story told!

What do you think?

Whisker Wisdom Caterview next time is with Scarlett!

Keep up to date with Candace and all her magical characters–feline and human. Sign up for her newsletter and get a free read!

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WHISKER WISDOM CATERVIEW WITH CREALDE!

Whisker Wisdom Caterview with Crealde! I’m launching this series with Crealde, a 19-pound pure white male feline with a real ‘catitude.’

Crealde is the first Caterview! He first appears in The Falcon Finds a Mate by Candace Colt


If you’ve read the stories, you appreciate how difficult it was to get him to sit for this interview.

After all, it was my idea, not his. If you know cats well, you know they don’t do anything they don’t want to do.

He can be a bit aloof to say it nicely depending on his mood. Graciously, he agreed to our chat. But, under one condition. The interview must be all about him. We struck a good deal, especially when I reminded him he was the first in the Caterview series.

Crealde’s human is Echo Stargazer, an eccentric psychic mind reader. They live on the second floor of their Pepto Bismol pink home in Nocturne Falls, Georgia. Echo’s fascinating Carpe Diem shop is on the first floor, full of potions, oils, costumes, gems, books, and assorted magical knick-knackery. In her private quarters, Echo gives psychic readings.

I met Crealde in the garden behind his and Echo’s home, where he was seated like a palace prince waiting for me to curtsy. As I ran my fingers through his beautifully long pearl-white fur, I swear his purr revved like a B-52 airplane engine. Realizing how cat-like he was acting, he quickly snapped back into character.

ME: Crealde, good to see you. We haven’t had a chance to catch up for several years. How’s it been going for you?

CREALDE: (He gave a long, squeaky, wide-mouthed yawn and a noticeable shrug.) Things are good. The litter box stays clean. I go in and out as I please. I’m fed well.

ME: I would agree with that last point.

C: (Crealde raised a paw in warning and let out a ‘meorowoww’ that shook the pen out of my hand.) Ah ah ah. No innuendos about my size.

ME: I didn’t mean to come across as fat-shaming you. But you do have a bit of a reputation.

C: Don’t go there, lady!

ME: (With a wink to you, reader, a character once compared his size to a child’s ottoman.) I understand you still live upstairs over the Carpe Diem. Did Echo ever return?

C: I do. She did.

ME: Can you elaborate? Did she tell you much about her extended trip?

C: Not much to tell. She ran off with her Tai Chi instructor and then came back.

ME: So our readers don’t get the wrong impression, she didn’t exactly run off with him, Crealde. Echo, whose age is a matter of dispute and is at least in her late eighties, practices Tai Chi weekly with Master Cheng and has done so for years. One day, with no warning, she left a note saying she’d traveled back to China—that is, back to China three hundred years ago with Master Cheng. She made one brief return visit and another for her granddaughters’ weddings, but I never heard if she returned for good.

C: If ‘for good’ means ‘forever,’ I tend to doubt it. She is back for now. Business is going well. Her psychic reading schedule is packed. It’s too full if you want my opinion. Always someone tramping in and out. It’s hard to get a good day’s sleep.

ME: It’s been said that you have three waking faces. Sleepy. Angry. Skeptical. Is that a fair assessment?

C: (He cocked his head to the side and thought a moment, then I swear he gave me the slant eye.) Fair, indeed. But I’d add another: bored.

ME: Most residents in Nocturne Falls are magical. The rest are regulars who are only aware of the magic. But you don’t have a gift. Does that bother you?

C: (He dipped his head, adding a disgusted headshake.) Hello, human writer! Are we not talking right now? Besides, cats are innately magical. I understand humans—all kinds of humans—just fine. Probably better than they know themselves. I choose not to talk to them. Consider yourself lucky.

ME: Fair points. And I appreciate you’re honoring me with this conversation. Are there any magicals you really can’t stand?

C: I am not fond of anything that shifts into a critter with claws or talons that would consider me their dinner. The exception is the Ford family. They are all falcon shifters, but to my knowledge, they’ve never snacked on a cat or dog. I like them.

ME: Good thing since the Ford brothers married Echo’s granddaughters. How are they doing, by the way?

C: You’ve asked about someone else twice now. The deal, remember? (Crealde made another noisy yawn.)

ME: I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m sure you have a tight afternoon schedule. Is there anything else I should mention to our readers before we end? 

C: (He made a long, languid front and back stretch.) Nope.

Crealde trotted away, his backside to me, and his tail lifted straight up. Evidence to me that this was the ‘end.’ He stopped halfway and flashed a glance over his shoulder.

C: This went well, don’t you think?

ME: Yes, very well.

I invite you to read the Falcon Shifter series. Visit Nocturne Falls Universe to learn more about Kristen Painter’s series.

If you think Crealde had terms and conditions, wait till you meet Wishes next time!

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Romance Beyond the Veil

Paranormal Love Stories: Romance Beyond the Veil

My fascination with otherworldly love stories began when I heard my first fairy tale! In a child’s innocence, it’s natural for witches, wizards, and all sorts of specially gifted characters to exist in harmony with regular everyday people.

I never lost that feeling!

Something about a paranormal love story has always grabbed me, but I’m specifically drawn to those with engaging characters that could be your next-door neighbor. Or your kids or grandkids.

My characters know they are different from others. Often, they don’t appreciate these differences or may even try to hide them. But in the end, they realize that who they are is enough, and they are all they need to be.

And they mean the world to someone else, even if, at the beginning of the story, they don’t see it.

That’s why my sweet romance beyond the veil stories are unique.

Authors and screenwriters who’ve influenced my writing blend romance with other genres, such as science fiction, fantasy, or magic. But there’s enough realism in their and my stories to make you think…um, maybe this could happen!

Diana Gabaldon tops the list, whose Outlander series has a massive reader following that can’t get enough of the time-traveling romance between Jamie and Claire. See my hand waving here?

I loved writing my time-traveling story for Cat’s Paw Cove, where the main characters return to the 1700s to save a young boy from the gallows.

In one of my Nocturne Falls Universe stories, a pilot from WWII returns to reclaim his reputation. The ending to that story made me cry, and I “wrote” the book, for heaven’s sake!

Have you seen these: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Bell, Book, and Candle? The movies are all about waiting for the skeptical Ordinaries to come around to accept the extraordinary world.

I love Ghosts, currently running on CBS. You have to empathize with poor Jay. But he’s done a great job adjusting to life in a mansion inhabited by ALL the spirits of those who died on the property…even back in the Viking age!

Remember “Bewitched”? Sam tried hard not to use her magic, but sometimes it was the only way.

Promise me you’ll catch one of these movies or shows and let me know what you think!

The fun of writing my stories begins when Ordinaries start seeing beyond the veil!

Trust me, I’ve tried creating “regular” stories, but once a gifted character jumps in, that’s it. They demand to be heard and hijack the story. I can’t stop them and, frankly, don’t want to. I’m simply the scribe.

This is precisely what happened in my new indie sweet romance series set in Baga Shores, a small coastal town on Florida’s west coast.

I started writing about Ordinary humans in an Ordinary world.

Suddenly, the main characters reveal their true nature. They are witches, wizards, psychics, and shifters.

They start out solving day-to-day problems like any other human.

When that fails, they have to rely on their gifts.

In the first book, BEWITCHING ANDIE, Andie McCraig discovers that magic doesn’t always work how you want!

And she should know.

She’s a single mom and a witch!  Unfortunately, she isn’t a very good one. When her young son courts danger by flaunting his emerging Draiocht wizard gift, she has no choice but to return home to Baga Shores.

As soon as she arrives, her grandmother, Mimi Tanner, arranges for a mentor for the boy.

But the last thing Brett Austin wants is a protégé. He renounced his gift long ago and has no intentions of being a mentor, much less a role model, to a powerful young Draiocht with a mother who couldn’t cast a proper spell if her life depended on it!

A frightening prediction changes Brett’s mind. As danger swirls around the enchanting small town of Baga Shores, Brett soon realizes he and Andie must work together to protect her son.

Here’s the catch: Can Brett let go of the past long enough to help Andie, or will he fail again—this time losing everything important to him?

My passion is intertwining realism with the supernatural. If you’re like me and love a good paranormal love story, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Be sure and sign up for my NL here on www.CandaceColt.com to begin exploring my world of sweet romance with a magical twist!

~Candace~

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Keep Showing Up and Shining Out

Hello!!  I was so happy to be invited to guest blog on fabulous author Joanne Guidoccio’s webpage.  I wrote about the challenges of the second act–whether you plan for them, or it happens to you. Here’s a snippet from that blog.

***

When you read another person’s story, and it doesn’t sound exactly like yours, perhaps you will find encouragement that change can be good no matter what the circumstances. Maybe you’ve already made a change (planned or unplanned). Another person’s story might give you the reassurance that you will be “okay.” The most important thing is this: have trust and faith in yourself!

“In my day,” a woman’s career options were a bit limited. That’s an understatement. Honestly, there were very few choices. Wife and mother (in tandem), nurse, airline stewardess, secretary, teacher. All worthy paths, yes. But even with a professional degree, many women quit the job after they got married. In my case, I got married, but I did not stop working. In fact, except for a few in-between-job periods, I worked full time until I retired in 2014.

I followed the teacher track and taught K-6 for several years. But then my husband’s job took us to a university town where teaching jobs were non-existent. Why? Because all the male grad students’ wives were teachers supporting their husbands. Does this sound familiar?

So, what’s a girl to do? Reinvention!

***

What came next? Check out the full guest blog. What I hoped to convey is this: you are unique! Your life story is unique. And to paraphrase my yoga studio motto–no matter what, keep showing up and shining out!

After you read the full blog about my many challenges of the second act, I hope you’ll hop over and join my private readers’ group on my Facebook (open to everyone) and let’s chat.

Again, thank you Joanne Guidoccio for the opportunity to guest blog for you!

Bright red rose

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What is the craziest thing I’ve ever done?

I think this counts as the craziest thing!

Years ago, my husband and I were talked into training for a 26.2-mile marathon. I was a plodding runner—well, walk-runner. So, guess which one we decided to do first? London! I know. Crazy, right? Yes, it was. We finished but looking back now, I have no idea how. We started in Greenwich, a town in southeast London.  The race goes over Tower Bridge and finishes at Buckingham Palace. Amazing experience, but would I do it again? Nope. Am I proud of my finishers’ medal? Yep!

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First Date

Remember that first date? Sometimes it’s all good. Sometimes, not.
My flash fiction piece originally appeared in FLASHQUAKE e-zine.
Otherwise Unremarkable © 2004
Oh hell, goodbye, she said.
Wait, you just got here, he said.
I know, but this just isn’t working.
C’mon. Stay longer. Only one drink; just one.
No. This isn’t right.
One drink.
No. I mean it.
Scotch? Vodka?
Too strong.
Beer? Ale?
Too bitter.
Merlot?
Headaches.
Chardonnay?
Hate the taste.
Zinfandel?
Too sweet.
Tea?
No caffeine.
Water, then?
Bottled only.
Perrier?
Evian.
Oh hell, goodbye, he said.
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Words

Writers have a love-hate relationship with words and I am no exception. I am convinced that words have their own agenda. 

Words  by Candace Colt © 2006
Glazed periwinkle blue, a clay jar sits alone on the window sill. Loosened, the cork stopper no longer shields my stash from daylight’s glare.
Single file my words escape to the floor, sidle past the sleeping cat, and bow to those who lie in repose on bits of crumpled paper.
The motley parade scrambles onto the blank page and jostles for a position like misbehaving schoolchildren; jabbing ribs, batting heads, and pulling shirts.
With self-satisfied smiles, they whisper. Take the pen, give us life, or else we die.
I take pity and write till my hand goes numb and my knuckles crack.
When the ink runs dry, they still come.
The little bastards never utter a single thank you.
Played like a fool by my own words,  I reseal the jar to quiet the others.
Almost too late, I realize their plan to exchange my life for theirs.

Photo from https://www.pexels.com/@lanophotography

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My Favorite Girl Scout Badge?

The Dabbler

They retired it years ago. Did you even know they retired badges? I didn’t. Today, there are badges for things I would never have dreamed.

GEOCACHING?  COMPUTER CODING?  CYBERSECURITY?

I loved being a Brownie and a Girl Scout. Fun times and great memories.  

For the record, and full disclosure, I’m still a dabbler. Whew. It felt good to admit that. Along with my writing, I dabble in cooking (not really my strong suit unless it’s something I can throw in a crockpot!).

And rock painting. And yoga. And Tai Chi. And line dancing. And journal making. And leathercraft. And jimbe drumming.

Here are a few of my dabble-examples. 

I’d love to hear about your dabbling. Leave a comment and let’s start the discussion!

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Why Do We Love Sunsets?

A sunset is, after all, a natural astronomical phenomenon.  Scattered gas molecules and changing light waves.

Not a big deal, right?

Something that happens every day when our little rock (sorry, I’m not a flat-earther) sails around the monster gas ball we call the Sun in a solar system that is an infinitesimal blip in one of a billion galaxies.

Sometimes we witness the sunset, sometimes it’s cloudy or rainy and we can’t. The precise time is a mathematical calculation. Even my smartphone can tell me what time it will happen.

Ancient cultures to modern times have revered the sun and its daily trek across the sky, even to the point of worshiping the sun as a god.

And we still love sunsets. Some studies suggest why.

Relieves stress

Boosts well-being

Increases life satisfaction

Elevates mood

Helps us live in the moment

Turns everything into beauty

Considering the fifty dozen sunset photos I’ve saved in the cloud, I love them. What is the attraction for me? It might sound a little out there, but for me, the setting sun is a reminder of nature’s unconditional love and assurance that we did everything we could to make the most of today.  And a reminder that if we are lucky, we’ll get another shot at making tomorrow even better.

What say you?

(All photos property of Candace Colt © 2018)

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Are ye bewitched?

How did a self-proclaimed God-fearing community condone hanging their citizens, based on the hysterical rantings and accusations of a gang of pre-teen and teenage girls?

No single reason.  No precipitating event.  No one tipping point.  Comprised of a hundred pieces, it’s a puzzle with common elements.

Fear. Superstition. Power struggles. Greed. Jealousy. Disenchantment.

The Puritan settlers’ strong belief system evolved from a complex evolution of theology and religious practice that ultimately caused their separation from the Anglican Church. Yet debate continues over whether religious persecution caused them to leave England. Could it have been the allure of a new land?  The promise of religious freedom?  Or something else?

Regardless, the Puritans were among the first settlers in the colonies but were unprepared for the harsh realities they faced in the new land: a bitter climate, smallpox, the Anglo-French War, the constant threat of attack by Native Americans.

Over time, the town elders began to lose their tight rein over the community. As some families prospered, others’ resentment grew. Neighbors feuded. Distrust and malcontent escalated as did the fear of outsiders.

Fuel for collective paranoia.

Then the new minister arrived—a man who had failed in business but felt the ‘calling’ to preach.

Ironically, as heated discussion ensued over Reverend Samuel Parris’ demands for a higher salary, so did his daughter and niece’s fits.

parris-1-204x300

Image of Rev. Samuel Parris from Danvers Archival Center–Peabody Institute Library

Mystified by the girls’ bizarre condition, the town physician attributed this to the only thing it could be—the work of the devil’s handmaidens. Witchcraft. With the stage set for disaster, an ugly chapter in American history unfolded.

What parallels do you see in modern history?

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