Dangerous Turf and Three to One Odds
Henry
Henry and his brother, Clive, were originally called Henry and Alex, a tribute to the two main characters in the Black Stallion series of books. Alex Ramsey and Henry Dailey were the jockey and trainer in the series. However, I had to give the name Alex to one of the women in the sequel, Three to One Odds, for reasons that I won’t divulge here. (No spoilers from me!) So I chose the name Clive. I had a cat named Clive. He and his brother, Warnie, were named after C.S. Lewis and his brother. The real Clive was a long-haired orange tabby with no tail.
Clive
Clive and Henry are described in the book as pure white with blue eyes and just a patch of blue-gray hair between their ears that made them look like they were wearing skull caps. I volunteered at the local animal shelter working with the cats. One day a pair of cats, brothers, came into the shelter as owner surrenders. They were terrified and spent several days huddled together beneath a blanket. I took each of them to the evaluation room and started to do the tests that would determine their personality types. It turned out they were sweet, loving boys who just needed time to adjust. They were eventually adopted, and I hope they got a good home. I honored their memory by describing the two feline stars of Dangerous Turf and Three to One Odds after them.
The barn cat
The nameless calico barn cat appears in the first book and has a role in the second book as well. She shows up first as part of the description of the farm owned by the Warrens. Her laid-back, peaceful and affectionate nature became a sort of symbol of the general feeling Tonya gets when she visits the farm. Calicos have that effect on people sometimes, don’t they?
The Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series
Jack Kerouac, the traveling cat
Ryn's companion as she roams the country looking for interesting places to write about for her job at the travel magazine is Jack. He's the irrepressible orange tabby who loves to jog with Ryn in his harness and ride strapped in his basket on her motorcycle. He loves belly rubs, playing with Sasha, his roommate, and gazing out the window to chatter at the birds. He has such a soothing effect on the emotionally distraught that Ryn calls him her feline psychologist. His favorite expression is "Brrrt?"
Sasha, the little tuxedo female
Sasha belongs to Ashley, Ryn's roommate in Trout Fork. She is small, affectionate and feisty, just like Ashley. She and Jack play together, sleep curled up in a furry ball, and huddle close when danger is near.
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