What TV show would you choose?

Many people ask: “If you could write yourself into any TV show, what TV show would you choose?”

During quarantine, we binge-watched a ton of television (mostly cable and subscription). If you had asked me then which show, my answer would have been one of the British shows. It doesn’t matter that they are really old. Classy writing and acting are timeless. And you never know what actors might show up as their younger selves. As very young actors, Sam Heughan and Tobias Menzies (OUTLANDER, if you forgot) were both on Midsomer Murders. Tom Ellis (LUCIFER) had a starring role in MIRANDA, a classic British comedy.

With my quirky sense of humor, I’d fit right in with Miranda. (“What fun!”).

Five actors from the British show MIRANDA. A woman is sitting forward on a couch giving a vexing smile.

Then, there’s DOC MARTIN. Oh, to be a teacher at Louisa’s school. I love Doc’s quirks. At some level, he was the inspiration for little Sam McCraig in BEWITCHING ANDIE.

Or an investigator on the edgy series LINE OF DUTY. The ensemble acting team in DEATH IN PARADISE is terrific. I could live on Saint Marie and work at Catherine’s Bar in a heartbeat. Over the years, they have made many cast changes, but I love them all!

FATHER BROWN is charming, though the plot is predictable. Did you know this was a book series written by C. K. Chesterton? And was a remake of an older version of the show? VERA is another clever detective show where I think I’d be a good fit. Vera carried around a lot of emotional baggage, something that endeared her to me.

But who wins? MIDSOMER MURDERS! How can such a lovely place as Causton have so many gruesome and wicked murders?

Either of the DCI Barnebys needs an industrious, savvy, intelligent, never-say-die associate!

I’m the perfect choice.

The only itsy problem is that I don’t know how to drive on the left side. Hey, if I’m writing myself into the story, I can simply add that skill set, right?

If you asked me now in the middle of 2025, it would be these.

Netflix’s THE DIPLOMAT and THE RESIDENCE and THE GENTLEMEN. Not to leave US TV shows out, how about GHOSTS (the season 4 cliffhanger actually surprised me) or RESIDENT ALIEN? Of course, I get hooked on a show that’s being canceled!!!

Tell me about one of your favorite series or shows. What character would you play?

March 16, 2025July 22, 2025

🚀 Love, Magic, and a Cat in Space! 🌌💖

Have you ever had a midlife crisis so epic that it flung you into the far reaches of space?

Well, Rhea Tanner has. One moment she’s dabbling in a bit of spell work. The next—boom! She’s on an old spaceship with her familiar, Alika. (Honestly, though, if you’re going to get lost in the cosmos, having a cat sidekick is an elite move.)

Love, magic, and a cat in space—are you ready?

So you know, space isn’t all stardust and adventure—Rhea’s journey takes a dramatic turn when she realizes the ship’s captain is C’tloc, a brooding, battle-worn alien whose ship is on the verge of collapse. And because she has a heart bigger than a black hole, she sacrifices her way home to save him. Because, hey, what’s a little cosmic detour when you’ve already accidentally launched yourself into deep space?

🌠 A Sweet Sci-Fi Romance Written in the Stars (Literally)

C’tloc isn’t just any alien—he’s a widowed former leader from Akerlon in the Segarian galaxy. Once a respected figure on his home planet, he lost everything when invaders took over. Now, he roams the stars as a solitary space junk collector, a far cry from his former life. The last thing he expected was for his lonely voyage to take a turn toward romance when a feisty, spell-slinging human crash-landed into his world.

Cue the slow-burn romance in zero gravity.

Rhea and C’tloc come from different worlds—literally—but their connection is undeniable. As they navigate space and their growing feelings, they discover that love doesn’t care about species, galaxies, or the logistics of interstellar dating.

💕 Home Is Where the Heart (and the Spaceship) Is

C’tloc takes Rhea to the planet Drakarus, where his exiled family and other Akerlons live; until then, everything seems to go well. He’s ready to introduce her to his people, repair his ailing ship, and continue their happily ever after among the stars.

But—plot twist!—not everyone on Drakarus, including his adult children, is thrilled about their plan to be together forever.

Can Rhea’s charm, humor, and sheer determination win over C’tloc’s skeptical family? Or will their love story be just another cosmic tragedy?

This sweet sci-fi romance is proof that second chances at love aren’t just for Earthlings. With magic, adventure, and a touch of intergalactic intrigue, this addition to the Baga Shores series will sweep you off your feet—and possibly into another dimension.

So, are you ready to take a leap of faith into the unknown? Are you ready for love, magic, and a cat in space? I hope so because love—much like space—has no limits. 🌌✨

Grab your copy of GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? wherever ebooks are sold!

Cover with gold and copper background, space ship, planets and an amethyst.

What do you think? Would you risk an intergalactic romance for true love? Drop a comment below! 👇Or hop over to my Candace Colt’s Reader’s Salon and let us know!

2 responses to “🚀 Love, Magic, and a Cat in Space! 🌌💖”

Jill Wallace

July 11, 2025

Very cute premise, my lovely Candace.xxxx KUDOS!!

Reply
1. Candace
  
  July 21, 2025
  
  Thank you, Jill!!
  
  Reply

WHISKER WISDOM CATERVIEW WITH ALOYSIUS

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

This Whisker Wisdom Caterview with Aloysius, or “Wishes,” is special, not 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 begin?

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 Riley. How’s he doing?

W: He’s well, considering his age. He often talks about when I brought his eleventh great-granddaughter, Calandria, back to meet him. He’s forever grateful for helping that poor boy escape the gallows.

Me: A nod to you, reader. The cat is referring to the young boy from the 1700s who appeared in Calandria (Cassie’s) story. Wishes, I don’t want to spoil the story’s ending, but everyone, including me, wonders why you abruptly left the 21^st century. You had a pretty good life in Baga Shores. Can you share?

W: I have a good life wherever or whenever I live. I will make sure to.

Me: You’re dodging my question. Leaving Callie like that disrupted the centuries-old heritage. You’re always assigned to a gifted Riley. And stay with that person until the gift passes to their firstborn. You were Callie’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 chewed at something caught between his splayed back toes. With the foot still sticking in the air, he glanced up at me: Oh, I’m sorry. Was there a question in there?

Me: I think you know there was.

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

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

Me: I put nothing past you. But when Jacob Riley passes, which I guess will be the second time, what then? You’ve completed your obligations through all the generations up to Callie. This is all so confusing.

W canted his head as he considered an answer: Valid on all counts. I’ve been with so many Riley generations that I’ve lost track. But dear Jacob always had a special place in my heart. I will keep going as if nothing had changed. Only I know that I’ve been with each firstborn Riley through history. They won’t suspect a thing. I might catch up with Callie 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. I made up the whole idea of time traveling. And I invented you, remember?

W squinted his eyelids to a slit and stared hard at me. After a moment, he spoke: 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 I interpreted as him being disgusted.

A moment later, 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 his classic style, he comes and goes when he wants, back and forth through three hundred and twenty years.

He didn’t give me time to update him on Callie and Reid. Reid, who is working on healing from a traumatic military deployment, accepted a promising job opportunity. A gifted potter and magical, Callie’s studio is thriving. And she is doing a much better job managing the selfish dead who continually hound her for help.

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?

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

March 10, 2024November 22, 2024

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!

July 30, 2023May 6, 2025

Romance Beyond the Veil

Paranormal Love Stories: Romance Beyond the Veil

I love when magically gifted characters live alongside everyday people.

Enter: Love beyond the veil!

My characters know they are magical. Some embrace it. Some hide it. In the end, who they are is enough. They are all they need to be.

That’s why my stories are unique.

My idols are authors and screenwriters who blend romance with other genres.

Diana Gabaldon tops the list. Her Outlander series is spellbinding. Seriously, it is!

Remember The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Bell, Book, and Candle? These classics are about skeptical Ordinaries who finally come around to accept the extraordinary.

I love “Ghosts,” currently running on CBS. Poor Jay does his best. But he lives in a house inhabited by ALL spirits of those who died on the property…even a Viking!

Remember “Bewitched”? Sam tried hard not to use her magic until she had to.

Then the fun begins!

I tried creating “regular” stories. Once a gifted character jumps in, demanding to be heard, they hijack the story. I can’t stop them. I’m simply the scribe.

Precisely what happened in my Baga Shores series.

Extraordinary humans in an Ordinary world.

There are witches, wizards, psychics, and shifters. They start out solving day-to-day human problems until that fails. Then they rely on their gifts.

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

She should know.

She’s a single mom and a witch! Unfortunately, not a very competent witch. When her young son courts danger by flaunting his emerging 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.

A protégé is the last thing Brett Austin needs.

Brett gave up his talent a long time ago. He’s no role model, particularly for a young wizard whose mother is a poor spellcaster. At any price!

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?

I invite you to join me on this sweet PNR journey.

www.CandaceColt.com

~Candace~

April 23, 2021July 20, 2024

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!

April 14, 2021August 21, 2025

What is the craziest thing I’ve ever done?

I think this counts as the craziest thing!

Years ago, someone convinced my husband and me to train for a 26.2-mile marathon. I was a plodding runner—well, walk-runner. So, guess which one we did first? London! I know. Crazy, right? Yes, it was. We finished, but looking back now, I do not know 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 finisher’s medal? Yep!

How about you? Your craziest thing was….?

October 9, 2019June 5, 2024

First Date

Remember that first date? Sometimes it’s all good. Sometimes, not.

**My flash fiction piece originally appeared in FLASHQUAKE e-zine.**

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.

September 12, 2019June 5, 2024

Words

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

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

August 30, 2019June 5, 2024

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!