From the moment I saw an article in the New Zealand Herald about sightings of a mystery black cat in Canterbury, South Island, I knew it would make a good story. I cut out the article and kept it for about three years while I wrote about other things such as talking dogs, aliens and military men. It wasn’t until I saw a human interest story on our local television about a small South Island town called Middlemarch that I recalled the cat article. Evidently, the town of Middlemarch had a severe shortage of marriageable females and to help the young farmers and other men in the area find partners, the town intended to organize a dance.
The two ideas blended inside my head and a story bloomed about a community of leopard shifters who lived in Middlemarch and suffered from a shortage of women of marriageable age. 
The first book in the series, SCARLET WOMAN, was one of the most difficult stories I’ve ever written. It started life as a short story. My editor liked it but thought there was too much story for the length I’d written. She suggested that I lengthen it, which I did, although my characters kicked up a fuss. So did my muse. I’m pleased I persevered because it’s now one of my favorite stories.
Last week I sent the seventh book in my Middlemarch Mates series to my editor. I’m not sure why I enjoy writing about feline shifters so much. Maybe it’s because my husband isn’t a cat fan, and I have to make up for it somehow! My cat of choice is the black leopard, although I have introduced a brother and sister in STRAY CAT STRUT who are lion shifters.
Cat Burglar is out on 31 December from Ellora's Cave.
2 comments:
This sounds like a great series. I love shifter tales.
Hey, Estella! How are you? Shifter tales are my favorites. :)
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