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Thanks for reading Crazy Cat Lady. Fur real. Whether you loved or hated it (you loved it, right?) (right?!) I’m so honored you spent a few precious hours of your life reading my words. It means a lot to me. As you can imagine, I’m a huge fan of cats. Like, huge. I fly my crazy-cat-lady flag with pride. How many cats do I have, exactly? Well, let’s just say if cats ever do rebel and take over the world, I’m screwed. In the meantime, however, I have no shortage of kitties to hug and kiss. (Against their will, naturally.) So, let’s talk about the book. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I came up with the Hissing Booth Chronicles. I just remember falling in love with the idea of a cat-hating heroine who gets stuck (repeatedly) saving cats. I hope you’ve realized by now that Journi doesn’t really hate cats. (For the love of dicks, don’t tell her I said that.) But, like my husband, who snuggles cats in secret, Journi has a reputation to uphold. Even to herself. So, for now, we’ll let her pretend.
I want to take a moment to remember Mr. Sniggles. Guys, I know that was a hard scene to read. It was even harder to write, trust me. I didn’t set out with intentions of killing a cat when I began Crazy Cat Lady, but that’s what the muse demanded, and when it speaks, I listen. I think Mr. Sniggles’ death was important for two reasons. One, because it opened Journi’s eyes to the bond between cat and human. And, two, Horace. Horace’s journey was always meant to bring him to Steve Robertson. Uniting the two was bittersweet, but it’s probably my favorite scene.
Did you love Gramma Jude? I hope so, because she’s my favorite character. Everyone else, even Journi, evolved organically. Gramma Jude, however, was inspired by a real person. My own grandma didn’t chew tobacco or sling spells, but she was a hoot. Bold, sassy, and full of bizarre statements just like Gramma Jude. One of Gramma Jude’s lines in particular came straight from my grandma’s mouth. When Journi asks Gramma Jude why she casts spells in German, Gramma Jude replies, “Because you gotta have friends in high places as well as low places, kid.” My grandma originally said that, and I genuinely have no idea what she meant by it. My husband and I laugh about it to this day, and she’s been gone for four years now.
The real Gramma Jude.
You may also be geeked to learn that Sesmu is, in fact, based on a real ancient Egyptian god. (Well, I’ll leave the real part up to your interpretation.) Information on Sesmu varies depending on who you ask, and I took some creative liberties with his character. Some say Sesmu was a bloodthirsty protector of pharaohs, while others believe he was a benevolent deity associated with red wine and perfume. He is depicted as having a lion’s head and a man’s body, so that much is potentially factual. Was he able to turn house cats into grotesque, mutated, child-eating beasts? I’m not sure, but Journi McCutcheon would like to think so.
In closing, I want to express how much I’m looking forward to diving into the second chapter of Journi’s . . . journey. I hope you’re as excited about book two as I am. All I’ll tell you is that it’s going to be explosive. And if you’ve picked up the foreshadowing crumbs I dropped in Crazy Cat Lady and think you know where things are leading, well, you’ll just have to wait and see, my friend. I’ve got plans. And those plans include cats. Lots and lots of cats. For now, I’m going to have a margarita. Or two. And watch some Nutflex.
Tomorrow, it begins.
Hugs and kittens,
Gemma Thorne
P.S. Love audiobooks? Grab the series in audio for a deeper, more immersive experience.
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