I had so much fun writing this story. Getting into Orains’ head to write from a cat’s point of view allowed me to think about the “stories” and thoughts we put in our own cat’s heads. I’m so pleased this book has been recently re-released and I hope you enjoy it too. And I’m hoping to be able to find time to write more stories of Nadia and Orains.
Blurb
Nadia and her cat, Orains, pilot the Lilly Princess around the world in search of sunken magical treasure. She’s got a lead on the sunken wreck of the Astrea and her magical cargo. A magical storm conjured by the Samurai, a group of mages with designs of their own on the treasure, pushes them off course. What could have scuttled the entire mission turns fortuitous when they discover the mystical treasure of Neptune’s Cat. And once Orains puts on one of the collars, things may never be the same again.
Excerpt
Tuna? Again? I mean, sure, I’m a cat and we’re supposed to like tuna. But really? I’d much rather sink my teeth and claws into a nice slab of sea bass or even a lightly flavorful Mahi Mahi. What I really wanted was shark. They think they’re so tough swimming around with their sandpaper rough skin and big, sharp teeth. I’d show them. I’d chompy chompy them until they were yummy in my tummy. I sighed and flopped down on the gently rolling deck and took a delicate lick of the fresh yellow fin. Okay, so it wasn’t that bad. Just repetitive and a refined palette like mine needed some variety.
I nibbled at my meal while watching my owner, or at least I let her think she was. Nadia heated her portion in the galley. I never did understand humans’ obsession with heating their food. It took all the taste, all the blood out of it. I tore a chunk out of the flesh and chewed in the hopes that it’d remind her that I was descended from big cats and deserved a meal worthy as such. Nadia muttered to herself, talking about how close she thought we were to the wreck of the Astrea. I wanted a shiny new bauble for my collar. I’d worn the pearl we’d salvaged from a wreck in the Caribbean for nearly six months now. I needed a wardrobe change.
She sat down with her cooked—ugh—tuna steak and filled a bottle from the water dispenser. “You know Orains, we only have enough supplies to keep searching for a few more days. Then we’ll have to meet up with the Aecor.”
And I’d have to stay on our vessel because the mages on the Aecor thought it was too hilarious that a cat preferred to go on sea voyages with its socius. Their laughter rang in my ears. “But cats hate water. What do you do? Doggy paddle?” I snorted and drowned my frustrations in the tuna steak.
“I know you don’t like them,” she consoled.
No doubt some of my thoughts leaked out. Not that I was trying especially hard to hide them. I finished the portion she’d set out for me, then sat down, my tail flicking lazily back and forth. I lifted one white paw and began to lick my pink toes, making sure to spread them and reveal my sharp claws, lest anyone get the idea that I was a “little kitty”. I was twenty pounds of fabulous, short haired enough to enjoy our tropical voyages. I purred now that my stomach was full of fish.
Still, I would have preferred shark.
Want to read about their adventures? Check out Chasing Neptune’s Cat available from my online bookstore or your favorite ebook retailer.
