By Sonja Stone
Cats are useless. There, I said it. Let the hate mail begin.
Sleek and beautiful: Raja and Raven, my Dobermans |
Raja and Raven, brother and sister |
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Me and my babies |
IN THE PRESS...
“They may seem like characters from best-selling thriller novels, but these kick-ass women writers have very real lives....” –The Big Thrill
“An all-star lineup of premier thriller authors.... I'm a huge fan of their work.”
–The Real Book Spy
Lisa Black
● A forensic specialist, she is still catching criminals in FLA. Her novel, Perish, is a nominee for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award.
Chris Goff
● An intrepid world traveler, she was once trapped with her daughter in a dangerous enclave in the Middle East.
Karna Small Bodman
● While serving as Sr. Director of the National Security Council, Karna was the highest-ranking women on the White House staff. Her books regularly hit Amazon's #1 in Thrillers.
Jenny Milchman
● A former psychotherapist, her first (unpublished) novel of crime fiction was inspired when she was assigned a very frightening case involving a five year-old child.
KJ Howe
● Has raced camels in Jordan and ziplined in
a Costa Rican jungle. Her novel, The Freedom Broker, won the Thriller Award for Best Debut.
Gayle Lynds
● Recently appeared on CBS Sunday Morning about conspiracy theories. She shattered the glass ceiling at Bouchercon's all-boys poker games.
Carla Neggers
● She ran the Dingle (Ireland) half-marathon in epic wind and rain, while on deadline for Imposter's Lure. Author of multiple New York Times bestsellers.
Lynne Constantine
● Has explored coral reefs all over the world, sunken wrecks in the South Pacific, and fallen in love with angelfish in the Caribbean. She is two people: Liv Constantine writing with her sister, and L.C. Shaw writing solo.
Valerie Constantine
● Has worked with advance teams at the White House, planning presidential trips and travel and has visited over forty foreign countries.
Sleek and beautiful: Raja and Raven, my Dobermans |
Raja and Raven, brother and sister |
![]() |
Me and my babies |
Guess you've never had mice in your house. My four German Shepherds I owned over the course of twenty-five years were great for scaring off delivery people as well as being loving pets, but tended to ignore the mice which find their way into almost every home in Vermont. My cats did not.
ReplyDeleteMy cats know where you live ...
ReplyDeleteOh, Sonja, I can certainly understand your love for your "protectors" -- not sure about the cat thing though. I've had both cats and dogs over the years and found that cats were always terrific "play-mates" for our young children! But thanks for this post -- I'm sure it will engender a ton of discussion about all of these wonderful animals!
ReplyDeleteLOL. I've had cats I loved, but I prefer dogs. And, believe it or not, poodles make good mousers -- at least some of them do. Your story about the pizza delivery guy made me think of my high school friend JB's Doberman. She was a beautiful dog named Candy. So sweet and gentle. One day we stopped by JB's house to say "Hey." I approached the door with one of my girlfriends, and knocked. Candy plastered herself against the window, teeth barred, snarling and snapping and barking. I backed away. JB wasn't home. Later he called and asked us to come by later, so we again ventured into his yard. Candy came bounding out from behind the house, tongue lolling and wrapped herself around my legs in a big hug. Back to her friendly, kind self. I can tell you one thing--no one would ever think about entering JB's house when he wasn't home. Burglars beware!
ReplyDeleteS. Lee Manning, because of the many citrus trees, here in Arizona we have a huge problem with roof rats (many the size of cats!). Raven loves treeing rats, but I'm delighted to say she hasn't presented me with a corpse yet!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous, I will say this: if I need to dispose of a body, I would much prefer cats to dogs, so perhaps I was hasty in my dismissal of the species. ;)
ReplyDeleteKarna, my bark is worse than my bite. We always had cats growing up and they were indeed delightful playmates!
ReplyDeleteChristine, isn't that amazing? Our Dobermans are like that, as well. The sweetest dispositions, provided you are an invited and welcomed guest. Raven does have a habit of standing sideways between me and anyone she doesn't know.
They're gorgeous, Sonja. Do you notice gender differences between them?
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to have a cat, by the way, because my terriers would kill one. I was walking the Airedales a few days ago by a house that had an elaborate Halloween display. That included a statue of a seated Siamese. Each dog separately noticed it and swift as lightning, went for the poor thing's fake juggular. I dragged them away as fast as I could.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Dobermans! One of the few breeds that didn't wander to our house as purebreds (but we did get some mixes). But don't let them tangle with a cat. My current cat would run, but the last one nearly took out our German Shepherd's eye with a well placed swipe. I suspect, though, that the pets would all get along well together in the end. (Well, not the mice or the rats, but you can't have everything).
ReplyDeleteFrancine, I do notice gender differences. Raven (the female) is much more territorial and protective, and better able to entertain herself. Raja is about a head taller, way more playful, and acts strictly as backup.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at the Siamese cat attack!
Jamie, why am I not surprised that YOU have a killer cat? ;D