SPORTSTER

SPORTSTER
CO-AUTHOR

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Sportster's Lost and Found Loves


Inspiration comes in all forms. It lies in those empty spaces between the wall and me, or above my reach, on the tree limb where the Cardinal sings his solo song.   Motivation follows only when Judy, my fans and new friends reinforce my belief that I am as special as I thought.  

Inspiration has struck me like the powerful force of a first love. It is sweet, and tender, and riveting. Right here in Tucson, Arizona.

I am introducing a teaser. Chapter One from  my brand new book.

 

ENJOY!

 

LOST AND FOUND LOVES

By

Sportster The Cat

Ghostwriter – Judy Howard

 

As a young tom I lived on the streets. The thrill and curiosity from that dog eat cat existence still flows in my veins, like a latent drug.

 When I dream, it is of past exploits.  I’ve hissed and growled   at a German Shepherd   ten times my size.  I relive my visions of victory, out-witting a fat, bad cat who wanted to take over my territory. I kicked his butt, sent him high tailing it down the street. Back then when I was a younger cat, nothing scared me. I was King.

Today I want to be warm in the winter, cool in the summer and never see the shiny bottom of my food bowl.  But if I loiter too long  at  home  in the  stick house I share with Judy, my paws  itch and I begin to pace,  anxious to  prowl, eager to travel.  I imagine my rolling home, cruising from campground to campground, from town to town, and from state to state.  My tail quivers thinking of the excitement of the road, the lure of adventures, and it makes me purr.

 Judy loaded the last of the groceries into our motorhome while I paced with familiar anticipation. Another road trip. This time along The Mother Road, Route 66.

Perched on the dash, we pulled out at dawn, heading east, the sun, like a beacon on the horizon. I gazed at the still familiar sights as my home town rolled past the windshield.  Drained by the excitement and promise of adventure and lulled by the rhythm of the wheels, I drifted off to sleep.

A voice echoed in the darkness of my dreams   and her vision   floated like gossamer silk behind my eyelids.   Her voice –– the sound of her cat soul called to me.   “Hello my friend,” she said. I couldn’t move, frozen by the fear she might vanish. “Come home. I’ve been waiting for you for so long,” she said.

 My ears pricked, my eyes sprang open and I shook my head to shake loose her illusive image, but it remained like a siren’s call. I twitched my tail and gazed out at the passing landscape.

The motorhome tires hummed as Judy sang off key, accompanied by Faith Hill’s crystal voice. “Come home, come home ….There’s someone I’ve been missing ….  They could be the better half of me….”  I sniffed the air, catching a light airy scent, which aroused a musky, lustful memory.

The rainy night, kept me hunkered under the porch, watching the shining drops tap-tapping   as they sunk into the saturated ground. My tummy growled like the big black dog that lived on the corner. Earlier, I scrounged through leftover trash which scattered the street courtesy of a coyote who had tipped a trash can and strewn it across the asphalt as if it were a buffet table...  When he had finished a round bellied raw, smelling tabby picked through the scant remains   like the help after a wedding party. I held back, secluded,   too young to confront the fat orange cat.

After eating his fill he ambled down to the corner. He wasn’t afraid of the big black dog. Every trash day the scene played out like a long running play on Broadway. Before the charging, big black made it halfway down the drive, .I watched the seasoned Tabby swirl around with the agility of a dude half his size, fur spiked and spitting as Big Black skidded on his haunches, nails scraping the ground   for traction. Like a switch the dog’s tail tucked between his legs and he scrambled and tripped while Tabby swatted tuffs of fur from his rear and flung them into the air. Tabby was my hero.

I crept out from my hidey hole and moved onto the open street, sniffing through the   leftover pickings – a piece of toast and an empty tuna can.  Since my mom’s death,   I survived on bugs a few mice which I had been lucky enough to corner, so this was a feast.

 Desperation motivated me, not for myself, but for the   she-cat attacked by a dog several days ago. With Tabby’s example spurring me on, I sprung to her defense, clawing and biting her attacker, allowing enough time for her to escape. Her injuries prevented her from hunting, so I took her in.  

We shivered from the chilly dampness and curled up tighter for warmth. She purred herself to sleep, while I kept the vigil, and while her virgin scent intrigued me. She was so young and innocent.  I chirped a laugh to myself, I was just as virginal. I swished my tail back and forth at the memory.

This wasn’t the first time her vision had appeared.  Over the years her gentle chirping pounced   into my head. Like a wraith haunting a dark alley, my thoughts of her stirred up dirty and smelly longings. In my imaginings she moved like a cloud, the visions of her floating, fading in and out, grabbing ahold of me, making me want to spit and bite with desire. I had named her Arlene.

 





 
 
 
Sportster the cat always envied the huge cats who lived the big life in the jungle until opportunity sends the motorhome in which he travels veering into a roadside ditch. When strangers whisk away not only his Winnebago, but also his chauffer, Judy, he is alarmed. However, once the dust settles, he purrs a happy tune as he discovers he is free! I He is in the wild. And he is in the Olympic Forest

ACTIVATE LION MODE is just what Sportster does as he spins this yarn in his own words. Living wild and free brings on encounters that he never imagined. The life he dreamed becomes an adventure full of bears, pit bulls, drugs and more. Sportster weaves this story of his incredible journey as only a coddled cat of leisure can do.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Scratching Over 2016 and Uncovering 2017

2016 In Review

Feline Fury Series Came to your Amazon town in 2016!



Feliz Navidad!!

Merry Christmas!  I Hope you all had a wonderful day.
I am not one to look at the past nor to shut the door on it either, but I became a published author this year. During  the process of writing my first book, I learned to scratch up memories and stretch my experiences in order to bat around create a good yarn story.
In review, 2016, was a cat walk, a walk in the park, and a leap of faith all rolled into one big year.

My decision to break out on my own was scary, exciting and life changing, but  I pinned back my ears and  began my project, strutting and hissing with the confidence of a cat activating the lion mode. 

 

On my blog, The Cat's Perspective of Reading, Writing, and Life, I released a sample Chapter One  of  ACTIVATE LION MODE, the first book in my new FELINE FURY SERIES.  I put this kitten on the shelf this April 2016.

 

 




A feline blogger friend form Texas



 
When I first began writing on my own, I envisioned the process as a walk in the park, but instead it became the work of a demented cat.




A feline friend who just received the  news he had to do another rewrite.
 











My entire life became  scratching  out words, covering  them up, only to claw out different words and bury them as well.

Writing is scratching out words ‘til your claws bleed, covering them in sand, and then swatting at new words, and painfully killing them off, too. Judy had warned me,

My traveling editor, Tika, and I go over the storyline
writing is rewriting, but I pointed my tail skyward, twitched it, and strutted off.
 

 


For twelve months  my calloused  paws kneaded the pages of my manuscript and  my mind  trod over imaginary waters.


 
But now my story is incredible!  ACTIVATE LION MODE  carries a message for  young adults, adults and cats who have one or more lives ahead of them.

“Living the life and  becoming independent is an honorable  goal, but not at the price of turning your tail  back on  those who love and care for you.”

You will discover that the   message in  ACTIVATE LION MODE the first in the series FELINE FURY, And the book is changing  lives. After the book's release last year, my fans, feline and human alike,  clapped and howled as I   pranced  down the cat walk, presenting  ACTIVATE LION MODE at each book  marking signing event.
After I wrapped up 2016,  Judy and I hit  the road again. I am twitching my tail  with excitement to tell you about becoming a full time cat RVer. But that will have to wait. First you need to know about all the seminars  and engagements lined up.  Check out Judy's itinerary.  
 
Please, mark your calendars.

 In January Judy presented  two seminars at the 29th Annual FMCA Rally in Indio, Ca. Where is the Inspiration? and What Makes A Good Story? She also he sat on an Author Panel  for the Inland Empire California Writers Club at the Ovitt library in Ontario California. While staying at the The Golden Palms Village  in Hemet, Ca. she presented one of her most popular seminars, What Make A Good Story? January left little time for me.
 Judy’s seminars are well attended.. Even if you have gone to  her workshops before,  she is famous for  setting your inspiration on fire.  Her  seminars  are  free, and  if you are not registered to attend  the Rally in your RV, walk-ins are welcome. Day passes into the rally itself are only $10.00.
The rally is not only an opportunity to attend Judy’s seminars, it offers a wealth of information about anything you want to know about the RVing  lifestyle.  The Rally in the Valley is the venue for all you cat friends on Facebook  and those of you who  have been following my blog,  The Cat's Perspective Of Reading, Writing, And Life .
Take the leap of faith. Live a life like mine, purring rich in the  freedom of prowling  on  the road.  RV rallies are  packed with information and friendly folks who  gladly share their experiences and opinions.

  Mark your calendars for Rving and Writing events during the month of March. There are so many that  you'll be running around like a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers.
Below is information  for a Mini Writing Conference Judy will be  presenting in Chandler, Arizona. (Near Phoenix)

 
 But that's not all the  hair raising excitement  and caterwauling that's going on in this New Year!
When you finish in Chandler, you MUST  come to the Tucson Festival Books, one of the largest book fairs in the country.
Don't miss the TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS.! One of the largest book festivals!! I will be signing books at The Adult Fiction Author Pavilion on Sunday, March 12th, 10am to 12pm. Please stop by and say hello!!

The Presenting Author Schedule is live! View our offerings and make a personalized list of sessions you'd like to see. Ticketed events are identified with a small ticket icon in the upper right corner.
tucsonfestivalofbooks.org



 If you love books, this is the place to be. Judy will have a limited number of copies of ACTIVATE LION MODE signed  with my paw print signature. These books will become collectibles when I climb to the top of the tree  as the top ranking cat author on Amazon. Here is just one of many reviews even thought the reader is giving all the credit to Judy!!

"Judy Howard has written a very charming novel with an amazing protagonist and narrator, Sportster the cat. I love the way the author gets inside the head of a cat, and Sportster thinks just the way I imagine a cat would think. I was right with him all the way, feeling all the emotions he felt. Along the way, the author gets in some interesting informational material about motorhome travel, microchipping pets and veterans' issues. But mostly it is a fun read--full of emotion, humor and heartwarming relationships. This novel will enchant cat lovers and everyone else."

And finally, you can't curl up and take a nap just yet. My friend, Johnny Cat is the son and the muse of , author  Deb Sanders will be presenting her seminar, Gold, Ghosts and Gravel Roads  at the The 2017 Escapade  March 19th - March 24th, also in Tucson.. Judy and I will be hanging out to co host the   AUTHORS ON THE ROAD  - Sharing  Writing, Wine, and iWsdom  Party.. Date and time to be announced.

 In the meantime, don’t forget  to carry the message concerning our veterans into the new year and beyond.


MASADA'S MARINE - COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST - GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST