COVID-BRAIN, by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer

Are you feeling strange? A slump in energy? A change in writing habits? An excess of anxiety? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time on the couch watching movies? Maybe even old television series you would not have bothered with before this grand isolation came about? Do you eat at odd hours, wake during the night, sleep later than usual, take a nap (or two) during the day?

For a while, many eons ago last March and April, many of us went crazy cleaning, gardening, cooking, playing with pets. But that burst of savage energy wound down at some point, and here we are, dead in the water. A friend of mine calls it Covid-brain. It's not that we have the virus, but our lives are impacted by it just the same.

Some of us are sick with headaches, body aches, fatigue, stomach and gut issues. Do you wonder at times, Is this it? Do I have it? Am I going to die? Or has the situation induced an anxiety episode or brought on depression? Those of us who live with mental health issues are always on the brink of a fall. Since depression and anxiety can be triggered by nothing whatsoever, the fact life as we know it has changed, that a deadly virus threatens our lives and the lives of our loved ones, that leadership is lacking and the country is divided, the fact that we are not the only country to be falling apart, the fact that some people think it’s okay to threaten others... oh, God, need I go on? Yeah, if we don’t have anxiety by now, we’re not paying attention.

I am an optimist. I believe everything that’s happening is moving us on a path that needs to be taken if we are to find peace. But lately it’s been hard to see past the symptoms of upheaval to the better things to come.

I am writing 3 books. One is a sci-fantasy about cats changing the world. (Oh, how I wish those kitties could jump in and save us now!); one is the first of a new cozy series; and one is the seventh in another set of cozies. I can still do that, though for the first time, I find myself wondering why I bother. My sales aren’t great and I have no heart for advertising. I finally recognized the feeling I’d been carrying around for the past month as, “I give up.”

I give up.

But I’ll still keep on writing and taking care of cats.
I will be a good person.
I will not hate.
I will not ridicule.
I will try to empathize with every single person.
If that’s not enough in the face of global bedlam, tough.

CAT SUMMER, NEW SCI-FANTASY by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer

One summer day, I found my big tuxedo cat, Dirty Harry, snoozing under the green fan leaves of a hosta plant. His paws twitched as if dreaming. My writer’s imagination could only guess as to the subject of his kitty dreams. 

That was the wisp of fantasy from which Cat Summer, and subsequently the Cat Seasons Tetralogy, was born. Though mystery is my usual genre, these sci-fantasy tales are my heart’s favorites. Through them, I— or I should say, my cats— save the world! 

There has been nothing quite as satisfying as taking away all the problems of today, but in order for resolution, new crises must be posed. The heroes must make their journeys, the reluctant participant must be convinced only she can do the job, and the evil must be so vast that only great effort, dedication, and sacrifice can hope to defeat it.

CAT SUMMER (CAT SEASONS TETRALOGY) by Mollie Hunt

Coming August 28, 2019

Lise has a special destiny: to help a clowder of sentient cats save the world from an evil older than history itself. It is a terrible battle, but Lise and her feline comrades prevail, putting an end to war, poverty, ignorance and want. The world is a better place.

Or is it?

A century later, it becomes clear that something has been lost. The new civilization produces no artists, no musicians, no scientists, no philosophers. Inertia has taken hold. Lise, now at the end of her life, must join her cat-friends once more to restore the Spark of the Human Spirit, but the goal cannot be reached without sacrifice. Is there enough time left for them to save the world for future generations?

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I began my relationship with Fire Star Press in 2015 with a cat story produced in the anthology, Nine Deadly Lives: An Anthology of Feline Fiction. Since then I’ve written a monthly blog post and have very much enjoyed reading blogs from other Fire Star and Prairie Rose authors. I’m so excited to finally be a full-fledged Fire Star author. Check out my author page! I hope to see more books on there in the future! Next up: Cat Winter.

Cat Summer is now available for pre-order! Delivered to your Kindle or Kindle App on August 28, 2019. Cat Summer is released through Fire Star Press at only $3.99 — Order here.