Fire Star Press: Zombie

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Meet Zombie

Several years ago my youngest son and his then girlfriend went out for a walk. Less than thirty minutes later, his girlfriend came back and announced, "Your son just rescued a sick cat." Little did I know that this "sick" cat would become the inspiration for my newest release, DIAL V FOR VAMPIRE, and the world of Kudzu Korners.

So, how did I go from meeting our newest rescue cat to world-building for a paranormal romance series? Join me, if you dare, for a journey through the workings of my writer brain.

We are a multiple cat household so, any new cats that show up are kept isolated from the others until we can have them tested to make sure that they aren't carrying any diseases such as feline leukemia or FIV (feline AIDS). We put the new guy in my husband's man cave until we we could get him to the vet. While we waited, we tossed around ideas for names but nothing quite fit. Then, while we were waiting in the exam room at the vet's office, I couldn't help but chuckle when I looked at the old man. He was deaf, missing most of his teeth, had a crumpled ear (probably from chronic ear infections) and, to make matters worse, when my husband and son had trimmed the mats out of the poor guy's long fur, they nicked his skin in a couple of places. The shorter fur also revealed a few cysts on his flanks. I shook my head and told him, "Dude, you look like the walking dead." That's when it hit me. His name was Zombie! It was perfect.

The view that gave Zombie his name

I have had dozens of cats (both my own and fosters) over the years. Zombie was easily one of the most awesome cats I have ever known. He was very laid back, but didn't take any "lip" from the others. (He was given a clean bill of health so, he moved out of the man cave and joined the rest of our clowder.) The other cats were confused by why he didn't react to their growls and hisses. But, whenever they got a bit too uppity, Zombie would give them a good whack (or several) with his paw. He would never use his claws, but the force of his slap would echo through the room.

Who could resist that face?

I played around with the idea of creating a blog called Life with Zombie in which I would post about Zombie the cat as if he were the stereotypical brain-eating zombie. Then, one day, my husband made one of those casual, life-changing statements: "Why don't you let your characters write some of the things you talk about?" That was it! I think I heard angels singing. At that point, my heroine Maggie became the author of the Life with Zombie blog, which, in turn, lead to the creation of Kudzu Korners, a small Southern town inhabited by humans, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and occasionally the fae. However, my vampires, werewolves, and zombies are anything but stereotypical.

My handsome old man

Sadly, our Zombie was roughly fifteen years old when my son rescued him and he was already in the advanced stages of kidney failure. We only had him in our lives for four months before his condition deteriorated to the point where we had to release him to run free at the Rainbow Bridge. Letting go of a much loved pet is never easy, even when you haven't known them long. However, in this case, Zombie lives on as a character in DIAL V FOR VAMPIRE. As a matter of fact, the story is dedicated to him:

To Zombie, the coolest rescue cat ever. I miss you, bud. You will live on in my heart, and Kudzu Korners, forever.

Would you like to meet Zombie for yourself? Are you interested in learning more about DIAL V FOR VAMPIRE and the world of Kudzu Korners? If so, you can find the blurb, an excerpt, and the buy link HERE.

Until next month, happy reading!

Website: http://www.isabellanorse.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaNorseAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorIzzy

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/isabellanorse/

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Happy "Mew" Year

Happy "Mew" Year, every one! New Year's is a time for new calendars, blank pages, and fresh starts. However, even as we step out with a new spring in our step, some things don't change and I'm okay with that. For example, I hope that I will always have a "mewse" in my life.

Cricket, Toots, and Delilah are always up for a reason to celebrate and help their mom show off her mad Photoshop skills. ;-)

You see, like many writers, I'm a cat lover. I'm not sure why there seems to be such a natural bond between authors and felines, but I suspect it is because most writers are introverts.which means that we need solitude to recharge our batteries. Our furry companions are okay with this because most of them prefer one-on-one interactions as well. It may also have something to do with the fact that a writer in the act of writing becomes a bit of a captive audience. After all, by sitting down we made a lap. Obviously, we made it just for them, right?

When I first began writing, I used a desktop computer. I sat sideways in front of the desk so that my lap would be available for Tess, my earliest mewse. When Tess left us for the Rainbow Bridge, other cats were waiting in the wings to take her place. Over time, I gave up the desktop for the freedom of a laptop. I now spend my writing time in a recliner or on my bed, depending on the noise level in the house and the location of said noise. I will be as far from the sound as I can possibly get since I need peace and quiet in order to write.

In my house, the opening of my laptop has much the same impact on my cats as opening a can of tuna. As soon as my fanny hits my seat and the laptop is open, there is a cat in my lap. While I love their company, it sometimes makes writing physically difficult. For example, Busby, my current mewse, is a large cat weighting approximately twenty pounds. When Busby is passed out on my lap, he is usually lying on my arms, making typing difficult. However, we make it work as this post proves. (He is "helping" me now.)


Busby sends his love!

However, my mewses don't limit themselves to physical interactions. One mewse, a cat named Zombie, became the inspiration for my sweet paranormal romance series set in the fictional town of Kudzu Korners, Georgia. Dial V for Vampire, the first book in the series, will be published by Fire Star Press in 2016. *squee* Expect to learn more about Zombie closer to release date.

My cats have played such an important role in my life that it seems only natural that all of my stories contain animals, especially cats. All of my cats are rescues so I also donate a portion of the proceeds from my book sales to help animals in need.

I'm looking forward to 2016 with my mewses. I can't wait to see what we accomplish together!

Tell me about your furry family in the comments. Dogs? Cats? Rats? Even better, post pictures!

About the author:

Isabella Norse scored major "cool mom" points by playing the same video games as her sons and their friends. In these virtual worlds she slayed demons and destroyed machines bent on galactic extermination while simultaneously wooing cocky assassins and sexy aliens. She fell in love with the make-believe worlds and rich characters that inhabited them and now writes her own tales of love, romance, and adventure.

Still a gamer – and still cool – Isabella lives in Georgia with her husband and a herd of rescue cats. She loves to hear from readers and can be found here: