Today I am welcoming my friend and fellow author, Caroline Clemmons, who is sharing her life writing with a furbaby.

Caroline: As a child, I wasn’t allowed to have pets. My husband, who I call Hero, and I and our two daughters have had several family pets over the years. We loved each one as a family member. Our little Shih Tzu, Webster, died earlier this year and we still miss him terribly. We have three cats that have helped us in our grief over losing Webster.

Writing is usually a solitary profession. A few authors take their laptop to a café or write amidst the family’s comings and goings. Most of us tuck ourselves in a corner or an office where we can work uninterrupted. I have a small pink office that I love. Always welcome is a furbaby who wants to snuggle or simply keep me company. I have to admit my favorite is our black and white tuxedo cat, Sebastian.

My soft-hearted Hero met Sebastian while fishing at a local lake. Sebastian was the runt half the size of his siblings. Hero mentioned to the lake’s store clerk that he’d like to have that kitten. One day she called and said “his” kitten was in a box and he’d better hurry to pick him up because the store owner had already called animal control about the others.

When Hero brought Sebastian home, the kitten was too thin and fit in my husband’s hand. Poor little baby was not yet weaned. We bottle fed him until he was old enough for kitten pablum—which, by the way, looked just like human baby pablum.

That was over nine years ago. He’s no longer a runt, but is very long and tall and weighs 20 pounds. Sebastian’s my almost-constant companion. When he’s not with me, he usually sleeps on the corner of my side of our bed or—if we’re watching TV—on the back of the couch.

He senses when we’re upset and stays near to offer his company. About the only time he deserts me or our bed is when someone in our house is ill. Then, he stays by their side to guard them. Our eldest daughter is staying with us because of a shattered femur that (we hope) is finally healing after 21 months and six operations and bone grafts. Sebastian has stayed by her side at those low times when she’s been discouraged about her lack of progress.

Sebastian likes a schedule and lets me know when he thinks it’s my bedtime—he wants everyone where they’re supposed to be. He usually sleeps beside me or at my feet. Even though he’s a cat, he’s very vocal and can say “no”, “more”, “now”, “okay”, “here”, and a few other words. He calls me “Care-woe” but only uses my name when he wants something. I know—only a cat owner would believe that.

I love having Sebastian share my life—even when he sits on my arm and makes using the keyboard difficult or tries to “help” me make the bed or fold laundry. I agree with so-called experts who say pets calm us, lower high blood pressure, and extend our lives. I still miss Webster and the other pets we’ve lost, but I find comfort in having Sebastian as my companion.~

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

*** I very much enjoyed hearing about Sebastian. What a wonderful cat. Now, for a bit about Caroline’s latest release.

Blurb for Lorraine

How to escape marriage to an odious man .

Leave the state.

Lorraine Stuart joins a group of women traveling to Tarnation, Texas, a town with numerous bachelors but no unmarried women. She longs to meet a man who will admire her and the writing ability that has her published in several publications, by a pseudonym, of course. Just her luck, out of all those in Tarnation, she falls for the most stubborn man she’s ever met. But the handsome newspaper owner is the only one who makes her heart flutter.

Grant Pettigrew has worked hard to establish the Tarnation Gazette. He is intrigued by Lorraine but he won’t let a woman write for his newspaper. Besides, he can’t afford to hire anyone yet. The redhead is gorgeous and ignites dreams of family, but he’s never met a more obstinate woman.

Will two immovable forces join to form a forever love?~

Author Bio: Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, and getting together with friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, WattPad, Shelfari, and Pinterest.

Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.

Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?

She loves to hear from her readers at [email protected]

Filed under: Am Writing, companion cat, Furbaby Friday Tagged: Caroline Clemmons, Historical Romance, Lorraine, recent release, texas romance, western romance