Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)
The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and Cats Thursday. Each time I will feature an author with their cat(s), pictured with a cat(s), or guest posts by cat loving authors who also (sometimes) write about cats.
This week I have a special treat for you. My guest today is Vanessa Morgan, author of Avalon (a memoir about her beloved cat of the same name) and the new release, Clowders.
WHY I WRITE HORROR
Most people ask me why I write horror. Surely, something must be wrong with me if I can come up with such twisted stories.
I don't know the psychology behind this – maybe it is to counterbalance my often too kind and vulnerable personality in real life. But I believe it is more than that. Horror is not just a genre that I like; it is deeply ingrained in who I am.
Even as a toddler, I used my Barbie dolls to play out self-invented horror scenes. And from an early age on, I have been passionate about horror movies. I have seen the most obscure fright flicks out there, even those that have never seen a release on DVD or Blu-ray, and my favorite pastime is going to horror film festivals around the world. Therefore, I think I will always be watching and writing horror.
My most recent project is a horror novel called
Clowders. It has just become available for purchase and is about a secluded town in Europe where each time a cat dies, nine human lives are taken as a punishment. I am currently also turning my short story
The Strangers Outside into a novel as I have always thought there was the potential to make it longer and better. I already finished the first draft, so it will be released soon. After that, I will be creating another horror movie reference guide in the same vein as
When Animals Attack.
But first, I hope you will all check out
Clowders because it is super creepy and mysterious, but most of all because my cat Avalon (whom you may know from his own book) has a significant part in the story.
Clervaux, Luxembourg. This secluded, picturesque town in the middle of Europe is home to more cats than people. For years, tourists have flocked to this place – also known as “cat haven” - to meet the cats and buy cat-related souvenirs.
When Aidan, Jess and their five-year-old daughter, Eleonore, move from America to Clervaux, it seems as if they've arrived in paradise. It soon becomes clear, though, that the inhabitants' adoration of their cats is unhealthy. According to a local legend, each time a cat dies, nine human lives are taken as a punishment. To tourists, these tales are supernatural folklore, created to frighten children on cold winter nights. But for the inhabitants of Clervaux, the danger is darkly, horrifyingly real.
Initially, Aidan and Jess regard this as local superstition, but when Jess runs over a cat after a night on the town, people start dying, one by one, and each time it happens, a clowder of cats can be seen roaming the premises.
Are they falling victim to the collective paranoia infecting the entire town? Or is something unspeakably evil waiting for them?
Aidan and Jess' move to Europe may just have been the worst decision they ever made.
For purchase
About the author
Vanessa Morgan is known as the “female version of Stephen King.” Three of her works (
The Strangers Outside, Next to Her, A Good Man) have become movies. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats (
http://travelling-cats.blogspot.com).
Some cats need nine lives to make a difference. Avalon only needed one.
From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.
With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.
Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.
For purchase
Amazon.com:
http://amzn.to/1FTC8Ep
Amazon.co.uk:
http://amzn.to/1ImdPRo
Amazon.fr:
http://amzn.to/1JTGIF2
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