I am happy to welcome fellow Wild Rose Press Author Sorchia DuBois to Furbaby Friday to share her wonderful kitties and spellbinding Gothic Romance, Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones.
Cat Muses by Sorchia DuBois
I didn’t set out to have seven cats. In fact, I intended to limit the number of pets so I could do a bit of travelling without having to make arrangements for them. But Fate did not agree. Four of my seven are the direct result of my son who rescued two cats and brought them to me. One was pregnant and the other was in heat. Before I could take the appropriate measures, voila—kittens. I gave most of them away, but the others remain. Everyone is now ‘fixed’ so no more little accidents, but those I have are young cats which means I will be their enabler for a good long time to come.
These are three of my brood.
Petunia was a gift from my daughter after the death of a much-loved black cat. At the time, we only had two others so I was delighted to have another black cat. Petunia is the queen. She does exactly as she pleases and must know everything that’s going on and she must investigate everyone new who comes to visit. She particularly loves to lie on my desk, swishing her tail across the keyboard as I’m trying to type. Some Siamese ancestor gave her a piercing, grating meow, which she uses to show displeasure or annoyance or happiness or just for fun.
Zinnia is my soul mate in tabby cat form. She sits on my shoulder and pokes her head into everything I’m doing. She loves nothing more than to nap on my desk as I write. Sometimes she worms onto my lap so slyly I don’t realize she’s there until she’s wedged between me and the keyboard and I am wound like a pretzel trying to type around her. She likes to know where I am at every moment and has trained me to respond to her call. She’ll call until I answer.
Tadpole—At ten, Tadpole is the oldest cat in the menagerie. He was rescued from a short life as a barn cat at a place where their chosen method of birth control is shooting the older cats. I live in a barbarous part of the country. He is my protector from the evil canine who lives with us (a black lab of advanced years who knows her place around the feline members of the family.) When Tadpole puffs up and puts on his fighting face, he is truly terrifying. Otherwise, he purrs the loudest of any of my cats and rolls on his back for a tummy rub if cast your eyes in his direction.
They are indoor-outdoor cats—I live at the end of a long lane with no neighbors nearby and no busy roads to worry about. There are trees to climb, woodland creatures to chase, and warm spots to lie in the sun. It’s really Cat Heaven here. They come and go as they please through the cat door and are happy to share the house with us. While I would never give any one of them up, I am not looking for any more cats.
Tadpole made a guest appearance in my first book, Just Like Gravity, but Petunia and Zinnia oversee the writing of my Zoraida Grey series. They insisted that cats be featured in the books and I have complied with my feline masters.
Blurb
Granny’s dying, but Zoraida can save her with a magic crystal of smoky quartz. Too bad the crystal is in Scotland––in a haunted castle––guarded by mind-reading, psychopathic sorcerers.
Getting inside Castle Logan is easy. Getting out––not so much. Before she can snatch the stone, Zoraida stumbles into a family feud, uncovers a wicked ancient curse, and finds herself ensorcelled by not one but two handsome Scottish witches. Up to their necks in family intrigue and smack-dab in the middle of a simmering clan war, Zoraida and her best friend Zhu discover Granny hasn’t told them everything.
Not by a long shot.
Excerpt from Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones.
“That crystal belongs to us.” No trace of tears lingers in her voice, that’s for sure. Her tone would make a black bear tuck in his tail. “It’s a Healing Stone, and it’s the only thing that will keep me alive. You have to go steal it back for me, Zoraida.”
“I can’t just pick up and go to Scotland anytime I want to, you know. My life is complicated. I have a house and a business. Who’ll take care of Johnny Lee Hooker?”
“Cats don’t need no tending. Johnny Lee will be glad to have you out of his way, I reckon. That man of yours can manage it.”
“His name is Al,” I say. “We broke up anyway.”
She snorts. “I’ll believe it when I see it. You ain’t never known what was good for you.”
“Al is good. He’s sweet, and he takes care of things for me. Even you can’t say he hasn’t been good to me.”
She’s never approved of Al and me as a couple. I don’t want her to feel like she’s won this battle just because he and I aren’t together anymore. At least, we aren’t as together as we usually are. It’s complicated.
“I never said he wasn’t good. I said you didn’t know what was good for you. You ain’t got no sense when it comes to men, neither.” She flashes me an I-told- you-so look. “But that ain’t what we’re talking about right now. Pay attention. This is important business. You’ll have to go to Scotland. There ain’t no
other way.”
I am not concerned about my house or my shop and certainly not Johnny Lee, the black cat who lives with me. I’m not even worried about Al who has survived worse things. I’ve lived in Bear Hollow, Arkansas, all my life. The thought of leaving my neatly-ordered, comfortable life sends little jolts of lightning up and down my spine. What worries me is I can’t tell if those little jolts are excitement or fear.~
The second book in the series, Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen, will be released Winter 2018.
Sorchia Dubois Bio and Contact links
Award-winning author Sorchia Dubois lives in the piney forest of the Missouri Ozarks with seven cats, two fish, one dog, and one husband. She enjoys a wee splash of single-malt Scotch from time to time and she spends a number of hours each day tapping out paranormal romance, Gothic murder, and Scottish thrillers.
A proud member of the Ross clan, Sorchia incorporates all things Celtic (especially Scottish) into her works. She can often be found at Scottish festivals watching kilted men toss large objects for no apparent reason.
Her stories blend legends, magic, mystery, romance, and adventure into enchanted Celtic knots. Halloween is her favorite time of year (she starts decorating in August and doesn’t take it down until February) and her characters tend to be mouthy, stubborn, and a bit foolhardy. Nothing makes her happier than long conversations in the evening, trips to interesting places, and writing until the wee hours of the morning. Well, chocolate cake makes her pretty happy, too.
Blog/Website: www.SorchiaDubois.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SorchiaDubois
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/SorchiaDubois/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SorchiaD
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/SorchiaDuBois/e/B00B60NOUQ/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879978.Sorchia_DuBois
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SorchiaDuBois
Sorchia’s latest book, Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones, is the first in a Gothic romance trilogy.
• Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/ZGandFSBN
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Zoraida-Grey-Family-Stones-ebook/dp/B01LDLSCA4/
• KOBO: http://bit.ly/ZGandFSKOBO
• Wild Rose Press: http://bit.ly/ZGandFSWR
Fated lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it’s too late? Two hundred years ago Captain Cole Wentworth, the master of an elegant Virginian home, was murdered in his chamber where his portrait still hangs. Presently the estate is a family owned museum run by Will Wentworth, a man so uncannily identical to his ancestor that spirit-sensitive tour guide Julia Morrow has trouble recognizing Cole and Will as separate. As Julia begins to remember the events of Cole’s death, she must convince Will that history is repeating, and this time he has the starring role in the tragedy. The blade is about to fall.~
“As I read Somewhere My Love, I recalled the feelings I experienced the first time I read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca long ago. Using the same deliciously eerie elements similar to that Gothic romance, Beth Trissel has captured the haunting dangers, thrilling suspense and innocent passions that evoke the same tingly anticipation and heartfelt romance I so enjoyed then, and still do now.” ~
Moreover, I’m intrigued by ghost stories, and Virginia has more tales than any other state. I find myself asking if the folk who’ve gone before us are truly gone, or do some still have unfinished business in this realm? And what of the young lovers whose time was tragically cut short, do they somehow find a way? Love conquers all, so I answer ‘yes.’ The theme behind ghostly, murder mystery romance Somewhere My Love, the first in my Somewhere in Time series.
One Writer's Way 