Cats, Cats, Everywhere

I came into my office to write this blog article and one of my cats, Little John, who has definitely outgrown his name, was sprawled on my desk in front of my monitor. This has become one of his favorite places of late, and he sprawls with his tummy open to the breeze from the overhead fan. Sometimes he reaches out and puts his paws on the keyboard, or his tail slowly swishes back and forth across it, and I get to try to type in between passes. 

Would he consider moving his tail?

No.

John is just one of three cats we own. Oops, I mean that live here. Usually, they like to be outside during the day where they might catch a gopher or mole for a snack and then find a nice place in the shade for a nap, but the recent heatwave in Texas has driven them inside. I'm never sure where I am going to find one of them sprawled, and they definitely like a hard surface that is much cooler than the carpeting. Although I have never seen a cat curl up on a rug like a dog, anyway.

Misty, known as Mama Cat, and her son, Orca like to hang out on the ledge of the half-wall between the living room and the entryway. The way the cats are posed there with their paws hanging down reminds me of those ornaments that are made to perch on the edge of a fireplace mantle. We have three of those half-walls in our living room, and I never know on which one I will find Orca sprawled.

Mama only joins him occasionally. More often she prefers the counter in our bathroom. That has been her favorite place now for almost two weeks, and she really finds it interesting to watch all the things these humans do by the sinks.

She helps me wash my face and brush my teeth. She helps my husband count his pills and fill pill holders. And she loves it when I get out hair clips and combs. She's convinced that they are there just for her to play with and knock on the floor.

When the heat wave breaks, and I hope it does soon, the cats will start spending more time outdoors, but until then, we never know where we might find one of them snoozing away.

I want to be a cat.

Hello from yet another Maryann...

One of the most fun things about this blog has been discovering all the variations of the spelling of Maryann. I think I am the only one with this spelling, which doesn't mean people have not tried to make it two words, or add an 'e' at the end. Most of the time I don't mind the liberties taken with the spelling, as long as my name is correct on my books and on my royalty checks.

For my introductory post I thought I would describe my workspace just a bit and tell you about some things that mean a lot to me.

I have an old Royal typewriter - vintage 1940 - that I bought when I discovered that I had to type manuscripts to submit short stories to magazines. Mind you, I did not buy the typewriter new, so I am not older than dirt. Just close. I bought it second hand from the drugstore where my boyfriend worked.

I had submitted a story, written out in my neatest handwriting and submitted it to Redbook Magazine. The editor there was kind enough to send it back - I didn't know about SASE's either - with a note that handwritten manuscripts were not accepted. So I bought the typewriter and got the story typed and resent, but they still didn't buy it. I really thought that was all it was going to take, so you can imagine my disappointment.

On the wall above the old typewriter, I have framed certificates from contests I have won, as well as a framed copy of the first check I earned for a short story that was published in a national magazine - not Redbook. This one was in Lady's Circle. I thought about framing the check itself, but my husband reminded me of how many groceries we could buy if I cashed it.

Just to the left of my computer monitor is a window, and I must say that can get quite distracting. We live out in the country, so all kinds of birds, bunnies, and other critters make their way through the yard. Of course, I must stop writing now and then to take a picture.

Above my monitor is an array of cards, cartoons and pictures that all have a special meaning. Some are cards I received congratulating me on a new book, others are special because of the pictures on them. I have a dear friend who is a sculptor and she sketches on small cards and sends them out to brighten someone's day.

I'm a horse lover, so I have one whole wall of my office covered with pictures and postcards of horses. I even have an emblem from an old Ford Mustang that I found on my property when I was hiking one day. It is up there with all the horses.

I work at a computer desk with a hutch to my right. The hutch is filled with knick knacks, the most prized ones being a collection of angels my husband has gifted me with over the years. The desk itself is a mess of papers, but I do kinda have some order to my disorder. Which works well until one of the cats decides the top of my desk is his or her favorite spot for today.

John, who started life with us as a kitten and was called Little John, no longer fits that moniker. He is the most frequent visitor to my office, usually when he wants to eat. He will jump up between me and the monitor screen, trying to make me stop. If that doesn't work, he will plop down on the desk and "accidentally" push a few things off. That's when I know it is time to quit and go feed the cats.

When I am not fighting with the cats for space, I work pretty much all day in my office, and I am glad it is big enough for me and all my mess, as well as the cats. I am Managing Editor of Winnsborotoday.com, an online community magazine. I blog regularly on my blog, It's Not All Gravy, and I am with a wonderful group of editors who do The Blood Red Pencil blog. We are doing a series this week on sex scenes and love scenes that is quite interesting.

And, oh, yes, now and then I work on a new book. LOL

For those of you who are dying to know more about me and my books, there is a lot of information on my Web site, and I have put the covers of two of my books up here; Play It again, Sam, and One Small Victory.

I am really thrilled to be part of this talented group of writers and look forward to getting to know them better, as well as all the romance fans out there.