The Holidays and Beyond

Hello friends and cat lovers!

We enjoyed our holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas - and we hope you did, too.

I don't know about you, but even as a cat, there's something different. Nobody wants anything to do with things like social media when the going gets tough and we don't want to see what others want us to see or feel. I like my cushion at the rectory window. I think everybody wants something like that just to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. 

I like the view from the window or from the floor. People don't think feet are interesting, but they are. Feet can be uncertain. Walk confidently, stop and suddenly turn. Mary Lou, our housekeeper, Jack and Will always take their shoes off when they come in the back door which takes you into the kitchen. Then, I see footed socks going right into the den or the bathroom, up the stairs, always with assuredness, never hesitant. When parishioners come in the front door and keep their shoes on in the parlor, they hesitate, their feet are unsure...maybe they truly are, too.

I confess I had to make up something to write about and I did. The socked feet had a good holiday, they were happy feet. The shoed feet, not so much. Too much on their minds, I guess. The fathers are so patient with the shoed feet. It's funny when the shoed feet meet the socked feet..

Sorry for my rambling. It's just my view from the floor.

Please let me know somehow if you have trouble commenting on my blogs. There are so many views, somebody's got to be thinking of something to say I'm all ears!

Happy New Year. Keep peace in your hearts and faith.

2026.....there are things that we can fix!

Purrs,

Tom

Oops!!

  

                                                         father tom fish answers q&A

1. Who is M.J. allyn?
   
       My secret weapon. No, not really. Just another name for Julie Mackenzie. She's just big on backwards. JM becomes MJ. 

       2.    there's a new series?

          No, she just had to go into hiding after the first book. I read it. Too spicy

for my blood. WOODSMAN is a sweet story how a Lady Ecstasy comes to the rescue of a man faced with more than he can bare. Ooops, my bad..! 

     3.   is there a cat in the new book?

             Yes.  

    4.    DOES IT HAVE A NAME?

              Mr. Meticulous

    5.     he must be very prim and proper then.

              No, he's a goddam pig. Litter everywhere and vomit. Disgusting.

    6.     where can i order the book?

        Amazon and I think if you're Kindle, you can preorder. Paperback and Kindle due out 11/24. 

                  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ladies+of+the+cosmos+series&crid=3NN8X653AY212&sprefix=ladies+of+the+cosmos%2Caps%2C115&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_20_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker

You Never Know What You Might Get Into!

Hi, efurrybody!!!

Tom here and I've made some observations. Humans seem to have all the answers and my human in particular. (Or, at least she pretends to). 

I've had some health issues that are addressed with meds supplied by my mom such as a niblet for my arthritis which I have in my food and Pet Well Being kidney care which gets dribbled over my dinner every night. For my right eye, I have drops, too since I have glaucoma in that eye. I've heard humans talk about growing old isn't for sissies. It's so true, even for cats. 

Rather than drops or pills, though, I'd like to go the natural route with plants, non-toxic ones. I don't know about this one though!! Do I look funny?

                                                      What did you say this plant was??

Til next time, my friends, be wise, don't take any wooden kibbles, and yeah - I'll be here every so often just so Boggle..er, Boogle...Goggle..Google doesn't make me go bye-bye..

Check us out on Instagram, too. @FrTomFish
If you REALLY want to step into my fictional life, check out my books FINE FEATHER, HEREBY SAINTS, AND RETREAT..for a real treat and a chance to really step into my life as a cat priest, honorarily ordained by the ever wise  Father Jack Howard of Temptation of Christ Parish (he's the one in the middle). 

                                               https://www.amazon.com/s?k=julie+mackenzie+books&crid=3F9DOPD5AIDZ8&sprefix=julie+mackenzie+books%2Caps%2C125&ref=nb_sb_noss 

Get Ready, Set..Wait, Where Are We Going Again?

Hi folks and fans,

I'm exhausted.

I can't get enough naptime, it seems. Too much hustle, bustle and baking. Today, the housekeeper touched up the baseboard heat registers with fresh paint even though we don't use the oil from our tank except for heating water. We have a mini-split heat pump and it's been keeping Bridgie and me toasty warm.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas. I know there were those who wish it could have been better, but I  was thinking: We have the holidays every 350 days or so and sometimes, our hearts just aren't ready. We were ok this year, but can't help but think of family members gone and others who've lost those close to them through unexpected tragedy. It's crazy. You ever see a cat with an Uzi? Or, an AK 47 assault rifle? We don't gang together and start wars, either. We grow into feral colonies, but like peaceful Indians, we don't make trouble and we don't want it. 

Sigh. Please excuse my ramblings. 

Anyway, this time of year, we're always trying to look to a future that is positive and at the least, makes sense. We're supposed to have a new president or keep our old one. I am not politically inclined, so I don't know. I just watch. Nod when appropriate and shake my head when not. 

We're keeping our tree up until the Wise Men get here. They texted and said they would be late..
Hahaha...our old wise men with today's technology. Anyway, they'll be welcomed with open arms.
Penny's never seen a wise man, maybe a wise cat (like me), but she won't ever because she's lost
her sight, but is amazingly tuned in.

We all love you, pretty girl!

Friends, once again, for another year, we extend our hopes and our best wishes for all of you. If the road gets rough, you know where to find us. We're always ready to give a hug.

Lots of love and Happy New Year!

~Tom, Bridget, Penny and our very own author Julie Mackenzie who makes up all kinds of stuff.
  And, our angels, Tinker, Anastasia, Frasier (Tom #1), Fishie (Tom #2), Vinny, and Trapper, our Golden.

You Always Hope the Brakes Work

Hi everybody, Julie Mackenzie here....

First, let me say a big thank you to Tom for letting me take over his blog for a recap of my publishing experience so far.

"Take all the time you like, my dear."

 

It has all been most challenging and I don't mean the writing part. That was easy in comparison. It was going over the manuscript countless times to make sure I made sense, the characters made sense and Tom was at his best. I had a good editor, mostly for content, reading the books purely for enjoyment, but with the keen eye of the critic. I didn't worry and won't about the grammar, spelling or punctuation.

Why? 

Because I'm a perfectionist and fastidious to a fault, and... I had such an amazing foundation with the head-pounding repetition and high standards expected in parochial school. Who can forget the daily recitation of prepositions after recess while in the fifth grade? (That was the year I sneaked into the rectory's back yard) We diagramed sentences, too. When I'm in doubt as to the right verb or some rule of grammar, I mentally reach for the sentence diagrams and I get my answer. So, hats (or wimples) off to those ladies in fluttering robes and beads who made me the writer I am today, at times flamboyant in my occasional word creations and sentences that might have begged a big red question mark from them.

I didn't want to pursue what many other writers go after, and that is the agent who, if interested, will present your work to a publisher and so on. All it took was one writer's conference at which I heard an agent confess that he had a writer whose work he was still shopping around after two years. I think the entire traditional publishing route is very serendipitous, chancy, time consuming and I decided to just go it on my own. Also, I have started so darn late in life. I won't have the crop of 50 plus books of Stephen

King and other authors like David Baldacci, Brad Thor,  Lee Child, and Fannie Flagg  who have amassed an amazing number published.

And, finally, a big challenge for me was having those I depended on for covers and formatting get back to me with the finished product. The interior layout is now being done by a fellow writer from Great Britain who goes above and beyond, with a designer creating attractive covers. I read over 50 novels a year and I see how they are laid out, the stunning touches, and I've enjoyed spreading my wings a little, introducing poetry, for instance. 

C.J. Box, an outstanding writer of western mysteries, shares the great outdoors, and you feel like he's inviting you there, setting the scene with introductory drawings and quotes. Writers are creators, transferring what is in their imagination to receptive readers who are always ready to cross that threshold prompted by an irresistible invitation.

I'm taking a break from writing for just a little while. 

Everyone, take care. 

All the best,

Julie

Author ~ Cross & Claw series of novels featuring Fr. Tom Fish & Will 

💗

    

I have finally given in.

After cajoling me with treats, ear scritches, back scratches, and coos, I have finally given in to a certain Julie Mackenzie. She has created a series of novels featuring me in a church setting. (I know, highly unlikely in real life) However, the description of Fr. Tom Fish (me) is right on the money. I am understood by the younger priest only and I'm best described as a former street cat, now parish cat of Temptation of Christ Church. I've been sanctified and it didn't hurt one bit.

Here are the books: FINE FEATHER is already out in both paperback and ebook on Amazon. It introduces all the characters and the predicaments they find themselves in. The church is headed for the tank, a man mysteriously kicks the bucket and an elderly woman, a janitor, a love interest, and a building manager are all under suspicion. So, hold onto your hat, buckle up, and make sure your funny bone is in good working order!

                                                                               

The second book is still under construction.

A totally different novel in that it involves a parishioner and his childhood friend, all grown up and after serving in the Army, they come home only to face each other's new challenges. I'm in this, too, ready with my wit and common sense. Other characters in the book previous are brought up again, so it's kinda nice to read the FEATHER book first, but it's not a have-to.

This book won't be available until probably the end of November, around Thanksgiving. We'll let you know. Meanwhile, here's the cover:

So, my friends, sorry for the long absence, but this is what we've been up to.

We'll keep you posted. Me? I'm doing fine. I just get the occasional headache after editing. 

What would the author do without me?

😃😃😃

How the Fur Flies

Hi, furriends..

I know...we hear about it all the time. The housekeeper says the vacuum canister is filled to the gills after one run through in living room, dining room and kitchen, and it's all FUR!!! 👀

Now, she combs me every few days or so, but I notice I'm leaving clumps around anyway and the curtains...!! Who knew?

She took care of this right quick, I'll tell you!

Me? I don't even notice my furs saying bye-bye. I do feel a tad lighter, though! 😂

~~Tom xx