Linda Nelson

Life will not stand still, not while Keelaa is in charge. She keeps a sentry post atop by the windowsill looking for those who dare to walk down her road or play out in their yard without inviting her. Insistently she barks for them to pay attention to her or else she will continue until they are no longer in sight.

This window was once the perch of the cat named Sam and his late friend Gracie. Sam passed away two weeks ago leaving Keelaa in full charge of the window. Keelaa has never been happier. It is hard to tell who was the greatest torture, Keelaa or Sam.

Two years ago, when Keelaa was just a small pup, she was smaller than either of the cats. She only wanted to play with them and be friends. But Sam wouldn’t have such a thing. Instead, he set out to make sure she knew who was the boss of the house and who set the rules. The two cats tag teamed Keelaa behind the coffee table, trapping her on the floor by the sofa. Sam in front of her and Gracie behind her.

Gracie then began to beat Keelaa’s fanny with her paws. Fortunately, she had no claws, but Sam did. He stood his ground and didn’t allow Keelaa to escape while the beating continued.

How Keelaa cried. Not in agony. Gracie didn’t have claws, but Keelaa didn’t make the connection. She coward until a human came to her rescue, shooing the cats away.

A few months later, Gracie accepted Keelaa into the family, but not Sam. He continued to let the pup know he was the one in charge. That is until Keelaa discovered she was much quicker than him. After that day, she became his tormentor in turn.

Image courtesy of creative commonsBy: Ray MacLean – CC BY 2.0 via flickr.com

Writing is an expression, and I express myself much more freely in writing than oral. I like stories, and love to tell them. I don’t write to make money. Nor do I expect to make a lot of money. Things happen, and I am inspired by day to day life.

I could overhear a conversation that makes me think of a similar incident. It may not have happened to me, but maybe to someone else. It could spark a warning that I need to convey to those who might only hear it in the form of a story. As in “Road Salt”, four teens take a road trip while stealing cars. One of the teens is an addict that uses the substance called Bath Salts. It has a devastating effect on the other three teens. Thankfully the drug isn’t as widely used now a day, but I wrote the story when there was a cry to the public to become knowledgeable of its devastating effects on the families, friends and the individuals that were using the substance.

“Aaron and Keja came about from my love of animals. I kept thinking of what my dog and cat would say if they happened to hold a conversation. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read, so naturally, it would become one of my favorite to write. I was a JRR Tolkien fan while in high school. When I started my Orgarlan series, I wanted to write a fantasy series that was different from the usual high-fantasy we have come to know. So I made the Orcs and Goblins the good guys, the humans minorities, and the elves to be the enemy.

Perspectives are always subject to change.

The next book, “Witch Book”, was kind of a fluke. I wanted to attempt some more poetry while writing fiction, which I did as a spell. I fell in love with the story and wrote the whole thing in ninety days.

Yes, I know, I need to expand the series. But I became involved in Romance Writers of America, so the fantasy series took a temporary back seat while I learned to write a new genre. My next goal is to advance my writing by integrating romance into fantasy and adventures.

My writing has slowed down; it is only a temporary situation. Currently, I am attending school and will return to writing when I am done with my degree. Though, now that I don’t have the time to write, I want to write. It will be a challenge to schedule writing time in the coming months, but I may do so anyway.