Like her protagonist Shannon Kendricks, Cathy Parker is an attorney. She volunteered as a zoo keeper's aide for eight years and did have a very special beluga buddy, Mauyak, just as Shannon Kendricks has. As to encounters with alien children, as in the trilogy, she is not saying. She was also a radio and print journalist and once was the 'Jill of all trades' for a small satellite paper in Wyoming. She did everything from taking to the photos to writing the articles and op-ed pieces to helping with layout and hauling the newspapers through blizzards once a week. As a result, she saw lambs being born and went on a cattle drive and ate her first (and last) Rocky Mountain Oyster. She has seen mountain gorillas in the wild in Rwanda and orangutans in Borneo and even rocked an orphaned baby orangutan to sleep on her chest. She has volunteered with a chimpanzee sanctuary for former research subjects. So you can see where her heart lies. Currently she lives in Costa Rica with her black cat. All similarities between her cat and the trilogy's Narcissus are purely and probably coincidental.
Narci is Shannon Kendrick's loyal little black cat with a knack for mind reading and anticipating company. 'Narci' is short for 'Narcissus,' a name that would be apropos for most cats--am I right? My own cat JMack is a nostril licker. I have told him that he undertakes that endeavor at his peril since I frequently suffer from a clogged honker. But lately his attempts to wake me up have taken a more sinister turn. Instead of the gentle pat, I've been getting the sharpened claw, awakening to a sudden swift shock of pain. Ouchie. The offending claw may hit the nose, but it may also hit the cheek, the lips, the brow, even the eyelid. I'm not loving it. It's curious, this habit of cats to pat their owners awake, either gently or with a real smacakaroo. [why oh why didn't I get the gentle patter?] I recently watched a you tube video of clip after clip of face patting cats. Where did this behavior come from? I have no idea. I only wish I had a better solution than hiding my blood-crusted face under a stifling wad of blankets.
Book Excerpt
Power Stabilized
Shannon awoke with a jerk, Narci’s sandpaper tongue licking her nostrils.
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