Okay, I know you're probably wondering where the hell I've been lately. Well, I've been busy. I know, that's a horrible excuse, but it also happens to be true. I'm working on blog posts for the holiday season, so hopefully, I won't get sidetracked again. As for today, we have an extra special guest on the blog. Today's guest is Kelly Stone Gamble, author of They Call Me Crazy. And Kelly's going to tell us how she recently saved a cat...
I recently left the lights of Las Vegas and moved to Idabel, Oklahoma. It's a completely different world, I'd like to say it's slower and calmer, but it isn't. It's just different. It's also very similar to the setting in my novel, They Call Me Crazy, so it's been a very inspirational place to be in while I write the second book. However, it's been a while since I have lived in the country.
I live at the Salt Creek Lodge, a boutique-ish hunting lodge on the outskirts of town. I have a beautiful one bedroom suite, aptly named 'The Birdhouse' and a pet cardinal that pecks on my window in the morning. My backyard is 1800 acres of wooded land with trails for the ATV's that the lodge rents out. In the morning, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. At night, it can be very creepy.
Last night, I sat on the back porch looking for Bigfoot and in the distance, heard a cat screech. I am a lover of all animals, and I could tell by the sounds that this cat was definitely hurt. I knew the chances of me finding it in the dark, in the woods, were slim, but the longer I listened to his cries, I knew I had to do something.
As I said, this is a hunting lodge, which means there are big animals in the woods. Deer. Wild Boar. Probably a bear or two. There are also smaller creatures that are just as dangerous, or at least mean enough that I don't necessarily want to come in contact with them. A month ago I saw a tarantula that was the size of a Chihuahua. And did I mention the rattlesnakes?
But the cat was crying so loudly, I thought I was going to cry myself. So I grabbed my flashlight and a roll of duct tape (my weapon of choice: duct tape) and headed out into the dark. Of course by the time I got back outside, a light fog had settled over the ground making it look like a Friday the 13th movie set. And I was following the screams of a cat.
I don't know if there are mountain lions in the woods, I'm not even sure if they live in this area, but I hoped the loud screeching wasn't a hurt monster kitty. Duct tape can fix a lot of things, but even I'm not crazy enough to duct tape a mountain lion. I saw little eyes as I walked toward the trails---an armadillo? a possum? Probably a skunk.
But I kept walking, on a mission to save a hurt cat.
As I walked through the woods, the black trees seemed to envelop me and each branch became a hand, grabbing me, trying to pull me into the darkness. But I trekked on, the sounds getting louder and more desperate.
A hoot owl startled me and I backed up too quickly and fell over a tangle of dying limbs only to find myself in a small clearing, face to face with the dying cat. But it wasn't a cat.
It was actually two cats
And they weren't dying.
Yes, it's been a long time since I've lived in the country.
OMG! You don't have to tell the president of "team naughty" what those cats were doing. Yikes! Talk about your kitty porn. Thanks for stopping by, Kelly. Sheesh, they don't call her crazy for nothing!
If you haven't gotten your copy of Kelly's new book yet, what are you waiting for?
Available on Amazon as well as other retailers.