Tales of the cat lady

“Muffin!  Mr. Tinkles!” Edna cooed down the hall. She clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth, creating a quick sound that echoed around the house. From a back room we could hear a drop to the ground and a low meow.
Edna had described to us two balls of playful fluff when telling us about her cats. The way she talked about them, we were expecting adorable kittens that would chase string if we dangled it in front of them. What came out of the back room was the exact opposite of this image. Two emaciated cats emerged, hurrying over to Edna for food and affection. One of them had part of its ear missing, one of its eyes closed up tight, and an obvious limp as it walked. Its dark fur was brushed well, but missing in several patches as if it had been scratched bald. The other, appearing a bit younger than the first, had short black hair all over, except for an orange patch over its eye. Its tail stuck straight up, curved in a crooked hook at the end. While the first cat ignored us altogether, this second cat took turns swirling at our feet. I bent down to pet it and recoiled at the feel of its greasy hair.  – A Symphony of Cicadas, Chapter 6, pages 64-65

Edna became one of those characters who just kind of showed up in the story.  In this flashback to Rachel’s childhood, she was the crazy cat lady, the neighbor no one wanted to be around.  But we can’t always choose our neighbors, can we?

This scene was slipped into a rather somber chapter.  At this point in the story, things were starting to look dismal for Rachel, the main character.  But when Edna showed up (and seriously, she kind of just wrote herself into the storyline), she added a bit of color to the chapter – as colorful as the neon dresses she liked to wear.

Oh, and that cat pictured up there?  That’s my Lucci.  He’s not an ugly cat by any means, but actually quite pretty (maybe only to me, but whatever).  And he has been missing since October when I left for my honeymoon.  I gained a husband, but lost my cat.  And he was the best cat ever.  🙁  You have no idea how much I miss that cat!

At any rate, there’s your inside peek to A Symphony of Cicadas.  Are you reading along?  What do you think so far?

This is just one of several posts to come that dives into the chapters of A Symphony of Cicadas, and the inspiration behind the story. For all sneak peeks at the novel, CLICK HERE. To purchase the book, go to http://amzn.to/YZYB8w – only 99 cents for a limited time!

Stay tuned for more!