Well, yesterday was a mix of outside and inside, but this one’s very much inside. In fact it stays on the sofa all the time, where Paul is in the company of two cats and Caroline, divine creatures all. And Three Goddesses is the title of Harriet Springbett’s story in Cat Tales, the anthology drawn from last year’s Book a Break short story competition.
But believe me, a lot can happen on a sofa. Why, I’ve seen Sam and Sam get up to all sorts of mischief, but I’d better not go into that here. Paul and Caroline have only just met, so the sofa activity goes no further than coffee, cigarettes and cats.
Paul perched on the edge of Catharine’s leather sofa. A ball of striped fur with two heads reclined on the armchair opposite him. He stared at it, puzzling where one cat ended and the other began. He hadn’t been so close to a cat for years, not since his tabbies had disappeared.
He leant back, stretched out his legs and pulled the packet of Marlboros from his jeans pocket. Catharine was taking her time making the post-restaurant coffee. Perhaps she’d slipped out of the kitchen to check her make-up. Was she tidying her bedroom? No, she was a real classy girl. She wouldn’t be thinking about that. There was something mysterious about the way she held herself back, something aloof, as if she was used to this game and didn’t really care whether it worked out or not. On his other eHarmony date, with the girl in red stilettos, he hadn’t made it to the coffee stage.
No murder or mayhem in this one then, it’s all quite restrained. And yet there’s suspense in a way, because that first date… you know what I mean? Well, of course you do, better than I do in fact, because we don’t really bother with all that palaver. A bit of circling and sniffing and it’s straight down to business – never needed eHarmony myself. But things aren’t quite so straightforward for Paul and Caroline, which is where the other two goddesses come in. What could be more banal, you might think, than a couple of cats on a sofa? Well, I invite you to read Three Goddesses. You’ll see.
And when you do, chances are you’ll want to read more of Harriet Springbett’s writing. In which case, you’re in luck, because her novel Tree Magic was released earlier this year. I haven’t yet read it myself but Curtis has. When I asked him if it was good, he said, ‘Well, after Three Goddesses, I knew it would be good. But even so… Wow! Do yourself a favour, Smith. Read it.’
The proceeds from Cat Tales go to two charities, Cats Protection and the Against Malaria Foundation. So please don’t hesitate to spread the word and help us raise as much as possible. And of course, if you click on the button yourself, you can find out if Paul and Caroline ever get further than the sofa. Thank you!
In a special promotion deal, the price of Cat Tales is just $1.99 for the whole month of April. Available as a PDF (or epub / mobi) complete with colour illustrations directly from this site* by clicking the button below. Also available in print (black & white, $9.50).
*You can buy from Amazon here, but buying from this site results in $1.61 after the PayPal commission, as opposed to just $0.70 from Amazon. An insecticide treated mosquito net, which protects on average 2 people for 3 to 4 years, costs $2.50. PLUS, if you buy from this site, you’ll get a personal message of thanks from Curtis along with a short story of his own (in which Nibbles the cat, I’m sorry to say, comes to a rather unfortunate end).
[Down with Amazon!]
I like how you fit the word palaver into this peripatetic discussion, Curtis, as “P” is the letter of the day. I hope you’re enjoying blogging everyday; it’s quite a time and energy commitment and my 2 cents’ worth is that you’re doing it exceptionally. I’ve just ordered (well, my husband) Cat Tales and I hope it will arrive in a week or two so I can get started on it. I will see if I can’t also get a pdf copy from the other site so the charities can get more benefits than from the aforementioned greedmeisters (Amazon). Happy writing (and travels)!
Thanks, Leigh! It’s time-consuming indeed, especially along with editing the new anthology. Which is why I recruited by faithful feline assistant 🙂 Yes, you’re quite right about Amazon – unfortunately just one of several multinational behemoths who’ve got us trapped. Thanks for ordering the book – hope you enjoy it!
Hi Curtis – well here’s a purring tale and tail ready to strike a twist or two to the story – interesting … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/q-is-for-quirky-quizzy-facts-and-quaggas.html
Yes, indeed. The A to Z progresses – sofa, so good 🙄
Reblogged this on Space, Time, and Raspberries and commented:
Cats and goddesses, couches and first dates. What do they have in common? Pick up a copy of Cat Tales and find out!
Thanks for the recommendation to read Tree Magic, Smith. It’s on my list. You’ve been doing an excellent job representing Curtis and Cat Tales, and I’ll be sorry when the A to Z Challenge is done and you depart for Utopia. But then, Curtis is also a worthy host, so you can be confident you’ll be passing the torch back to a good friend who is more than competent to handle the challenges of blogging.
Thank you, Sue, both for your comments and your stalwart, unswerving support. Our close collaboration has meant that Curtis and I have struck up a close, though occasionally fractious relationship. He wholeheartedly endorses my thanks to you.
<3
Hope you enjoy Tree Magic, Sue. You’ve also been doing an excellent job reblogging Curtis’s – oops, I mean Smith’s – posts.
Thanks, Harriet. I’m looking forward to reading it. I see spreading Smith’s posts as supporting not only Cat Tales, Cats Protection, and the Against Malaria Foundation, but also offering increased public exposure of each of the authors whose stories are included in Cat Tales. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Reblogged this on Harriet Springbett's playground and commented:
You may remember that my short story ‘Three Goddesses’ was published in a competition anthology called ‘Cat Tales’. Here’s a taster of the story, posted on Curtis Bausse’s blog as part of his A-Z Blogging challenge. All proceeds from Cat Tales go to charity.
Hi Smith, and thanks for mentioning ‘Tree Magic’. There’s a cat called Acrobat in the story, and I think you may get on well with him, so do sneak a look at Curtis’s copy.
Will do, Harriet – always happy to make the acquaintance of a fellow literary cat.
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