Typing With Wet Claws: Happy New Year Edition

January 2, 2015annabowling Leave a comment

Hello, all. Skye here, for the first Feline Friday of 2015.

First of all, thank you to all who read my entries. Today’s picture is me, getting ready to blog. I give these posts a lot of thought because I want to do a good job. I am glad that my readers think that I do.

The big news today is that Anty can confirm she has destinked my notebook. She is very happy about that. Even Uncle, who has a super sniffer (for humans; cats are still better at smelling than he is. Nothing personal. It is a fact.) cannot smell my contribution. It is good to be off the hook for this one. Anty has learned she really cannot leave any of her notebooks on the floor, so even she has learned something from this experience.

Two things, really. One, not to leave books near my pee spot, no matter how tired she is, and two, how to destink a notebook doused in cat piddle. In case you want to know how, it is easy.

Put the stinky book in a big Ziploc bag; it must be the kind that zips closed. Ties or flaps will not work, because this must be airtight. Anty says it’s worth going for the brand name on this.
Pour baking soda into the bag. Use a lot. You should be able to see a couple inches of it in the bottom of the bag.
Squeeze all the air out and zip the bag all the way shut.
Keep it shut for about a week.
Every day during that week, shake the bag about twice a day, so the baking soda gets all over the notebook, in between all the pages.
At the end of the week, open the bag. Take the book out and shake it over the trash, to get any excess baking soda out.
Smell the book. Does it still smell like kitty piddle? If it does not, your book is saved. If not, you may want to put it back in the bag and throw it out. Then buy a new book.

Anty also tried this on the notebook that got soaked by her water bottle, and this trick got rid of that smell, too.

She says that saving two notebooks she thought were lost for sure starts the year off on a good note. I think she is right. Now we will know what to do if this ever happens again. I do not think that it will (at least not the part about my pee place) but at least there is a protocol in place.

Happy 2015

i think that is it for now, so happy new year to everybody. See you next week.

Until then, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Boxing Day Edition

December 26, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Hello and happy Boxing Day (that is the day after Christmas, if you do not know what that is) to all. Skye here, for my second post of the week, because it is Feline Friday once again.

I spent most of the second part of yesterday under Anty and Uncle’s bed, because that is my safe place. Company came, and the humans laughed really really loud a lot. Everybody had stories to tell, there were a lot of food smells, and most of the lights were on. Too much for this kitty. Also, the company smelled like two other cats and a dog, and I was not sure if those guys were going to come in, too. Really, under the bed was the best place. I did come out once while the company was here, to get treat Uncle put in my purple bowl (that is where my treat goes; my food goes in my other bowl. That other bowl is white.Mama put some food in that one while Anty took care of company) but I stayed close to the wall to be safe. In case you are wondering, the other pets did not come with the company, which was only people. The people were very nice and my humans seem to like them. Maybe I will come out next time.

Anty and Uncle say company has to come back so everybody can start the traditional Christmas zombie hand (I have talked about that before) which may not be only for Christmas, if they are doing it at another time. One of the guests said she reads my blog and likes it. I have a fan. That is a wonderful Christmas present. I also got filet mingnon flavored cat food. I really really liked that. I usually eat fish jelly (which is also good) but on special days, I get filet mingnon. I do not know if I spelled that right.

Anty managed to get some writing done in between all the Christmas things, and she was up again early this morning to do more. That is a very good sign. I had better get my blog entry posted before she wants the glowy box again. She is no longer grinchy or meh. I think that is a good thing. She says she has plans for 2015, but first, today is the start of her favorite week of the year. She calls the week between Christmas and New Year the “tucked away week” and says it is special. I am not sure exactly how it is different from the rest of the year, apart from being between two holidays. Maybe it is the leftovers. Anyway, she usually spends that week with a lot of stories – reading (she is now reading Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, which Mama gave her for Christmas) and watching movies. This year, there will probably be lot of writing as well. She says she is making up for lost time. I am not sure what that means, but writing makes her happy, and a happy Anty gives me bigger portions of treat.

Not a real kitty

That is about it for now. Next week’s blog may need to go up on Thursday instead of Friday, because Friday is New Year’s Day, and Anty will go visit Anty Michele, who also writes books and lives in the Old Country. Anty Michele has a party every year where humans trade books. Anty loves this party, so that is where she will be that day.

Until next time, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Special Christmas Edition

December 25, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and happy Thursday to those who not. Skye here, pinch hitting for Anty on Christmas day. I have never written two blogs in one week before, so I am a little nervous here. Anty said she really needs me to blog for her today, because she is very busy, so I will give it a try. There is a lot of stuff going on today. I will try to hit the highlights.

Wrapping paper is very noisy, in case you were wondering.

Anty got up very early this morning to make sure all the Christmas things were in order. We are having company this year, which we usually do not, but Anty gets excited over company, so things are happening. Lots of presents under the tree. This year, Anty decided that black and white wrapping paper is classy and versatile, so it was mostly that and the kraft paper she uses for a lot of different things. Anty, Uncle and Mama exchanged presents after breakfast. I hid under the bed because wrapping paper is very noisy when it is getting unwrapped. Fun to play with in small amounts, though. I will bat some of it around later tonight, probably after company has gone home.

Sometimes, new characters pop up in Anty and Uncle’s heads, that live with us instead of inside books. This year, Mr. and Mrs. Gothy Claus happened, because they were both wearing black. They both wear a lot of black. Some of my fur is black, too. Uncle’s hat says “Bah Humbug.” Anty makes him wear it all during presents. That is okay, because he likes it. I do not wear anything on my head. Ribbon bows were discussed when I first joined the family (I have been here a few years) and I said very big no thank you, because ribbon bows are scary and I do not want them on my head.

Anty is not wearing all black today; yesterday, she painted her toenails red with green glitter. She said she wanted obnoxious Christmas nails. She didn’t get a chance to do her fingernails, but the toes came out nicely. Did I mention I love the smell of nail polish? I always want to be really really close to her when she does her nails. Then I stare at her, very hard. It’s a cat thing.

The only holiday movie Anty has had a chance to see so far is A Very Brady Christmas, which she says is perfect in its horribleness. I do not understand the criteria Anty has for judging movies. She and Mama plan to watch more Christmas movies during the upcoming week. I will probably hide under the bed if they laugh too loudly, which they probably will. i will come out for treat, though, and possibly playtime.

That is about it for now, at least until the company comes. I will tell you about the rest of the day tomorrow.

Until then, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Six Days to Christmas Edition

AsideDecember 19, 2014December 19, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Hello, all. Skye here, for another Feline Friday.

Anty really needs me to blog for her today, because it is six days until Christmas. She says she has been running around in circles, screaming, but that is not entirely what is going on. She has been spending time on the glowy box, and writing in her notebooks. Also making a lot of lists, because lists help her feel calmer and more in control. I wish I could make lists, but hiding under the bed does the trick pretty well, so I am okay most of the time.

Anyway, Anty has hit the critical stage for Christmas. That is her favorite day of the year. Normally, she is very happy about this from the time we are done with Thanksgiving dinner, but this year, not so much. Life is good, but there have been a lot of domestic tornadoes. Anty being Anty, she has a plan to work around this. Some of it involves making a lot of lists. She says she is not putting her lists on this blog, so I cannot share them, but she says I can share other parts of her plan.

What Christmas movies are missing from this picture?

Christmas movies are a big part of getting into the holiday spirit in our house. Uncle likes Elf, but we do not have that one. It is still good, though. Anty likes Love Actually so much that she has the book of it; that is in script form, not a novel, which she finds unusual and very fun. Yes, she has read along with the movie, in case you were wondering about that. She also can say Billy Mack’s whole swear line from memory and thinks it is very creative. She might not like me saying that, so maybe do not share that part. Thank you in advance for your discretion.

About a Boy counts because it is not a Christmas movie, but has two important Christmas scenes, and she says that is enough to qualify. It is also by Nick Hornby, and Anty really really likes his stories. She thinks he should write more books. She has already read all the ones there already are, so she needs more.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol is the first movie Anty ever saw in a theater. It was not new then, so you cannot tell how old she is by that. She does say she felt cheated because the first thing she saw in that movie was the curtains opening to show theater seats. That was confusing to a human kitten. She still loves it, though, even if nobody else in the family will watch it with her. She would eat razzleberry dressing if it were real.

Anty did not want to see The Holiday at first, but her friend, Carol, said it was good, so she watched it and now she loves it almost as much as Love Actually. Only almost. Maybe if it had Hugh Grant, it would rank higher, but it does have Jude Law. Uncle does not like Hugh Grant, but Jude Law is okay. He has Jude Law’s Sherlock movies, but they are not about Christmas.

She took the Charlie Brown movie out of the library yesterday, because if that couldn’t get her in the Christmas spirit, nothing could. I think it is working, and she has not even seen it yet. This time, I mean. She has seen it a lot before.

What other Christmassy books are good this time of year?

When Anty is not on her glowy box, in a notebook or watching a movie, she finds Christmas stories are very good this time of year. She loves Christmas romance anthologies (do you know any good ones?) and, although she did not know it, Landline starts at Christmas. She says that is coincidence, but I think there may be something more than that going on. It is the season of miracles, after all.

Until next time, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: Domestic Tornado Edition

November 14, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

Cat selfie for the win

Hello, all, Skye here, with another Feline Friday. Anty really needs me to post for her today because this week has been full of domestic tornadoes. That is Anty’s term for things that happen at home that need her attention. She says those are private and I should not tell them here, but she does want me to remind everybody that the bed is usually made (that is Anty and Uncle’s room) and the trash is going out later. Things are a bit behind, but I am eating on schedule, so it is not that bad.

phase one; free writing

Anty had a suspicioin today was going to be another tornado day, so she started out with some Lapsang Souchong tea (she says it is like catnip for people who do not want to be sleepy, but I don’t entirely understand, because catnip does nothing for me. Some cats are like that. I will take her word on the tea.) in the Starbucks mug. If she is drinking out of the Starbucks mug, she is probably cranky and it is not a good idea to sit quietly next to her feet in case she moves unexpectedly. Do not ask me how I know that; I just do. Anyway, she had this tea at the kitchen counter, while free writing in a notebook she assembled from a Picadilly hardcover and the removable cover of another notebook whose insides she did not like. Free writing is writing down whatever is in her head. Then she plays with highlighters and sometimes draws faces. This usually decranks her at least some.

this counts as therapy

Sometimes, Anty needs to get out of the house when the tornadoes come through, and takes her glowy box to a coffee house or Panera. The choice of which often depends on things like wifi and refills. I am not sure what those things are, but if refills of tea are like refills of cat food, I understand that. I do not go with her, because I stay at home because I am a cat. She sometimes mentions finding a ‘Kitty Bjorn,” so she can carry me with her, but I do not think she is serious about that. Probably.

Some of Anty’s current notebooks

Anty has these notebooks with her today. The pastel spiral bound one is by Abbington Park and takes the place of the notebook I improve…um, peed on. That is for notes on one story. The black book is a hardcover Picadilly, and is her all purpose notebook. That gets everything in it and she sorts or copies things later. The small notebook is the white pocket Moleskine, which seems to be working well so far. She likes the smooth paper, the size is convenient and she says the cover feels good in her hands.

That is about it for this week. Anty is fighting tornadoes and still managing to write, so we will call that good. Tornadoes eventually subside, so all will be well in time. I suggest hiding under the bed, but maybe that’s just me. Scritches help.

Uncle scrtiches are theraputic, too.

Very truly yours,
Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling

(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Claws: New Notebook and Cat Selfie Edition

November 7, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

Hello. Skye here, for another Feline Friday.

It’s been a full week, so I need a moment to recharge in this sunbeam before I post. I hope that is okay. The sun has been in and out today. I am fond of sunbeams, but Anty prefers the clouds. Must be part of the artistic temperament. Or being human. Or being Anty’s kind of human. The less sun, the more energy. I don’t know how that works, but that is part of her. Suffice it to say there is a lot of writing going on, spread out over a few projects. One of which is taking pictures of me, because as you can see below, cat selfies are seldom successful. (Okay, taking pictures is not writing, but she helps me help her, so it all works out.)

For those following the saga of the notebook, I am happy to report that Anty has decided to keep my alterations to her notebook, and keep it as is, at least for now. She says that is only because she has not yet been able to get baking soda and a really big Ziploc baggie, but I think she knows I perfected that book and she does not want to mess with it. You are welcome, Anty.
She did, however, start another one in its stead. I have not peed on that one yet, but then again, she has not left it on the floor overnight yet, either. I am somewhat surprised that Anty picked a notebook with such light colors (she really loves black) but she likes this photographer’s work and she says the look agrees with the look of the first notebook she has for this project, so that helps them connect in her mind. She also says photographs like the ones on this cover smell like baby powder. I think they smell like notebook, but we can agree to disagree.

Smells like notebook…

Anty would also like me to remind everybody that she has a new post today on Heroes and Heartbreakers. You can read it here, and it looks like this:

If you want to read all of Anty’s posts at Heroes and Heartbreakers, (and you should) you can. They are all listed here. Pretty handy, that. Or paw-y, in my case. Because I am a kitty.

Tomorrow, Anty is going to her Capitol Region RWA meeting, where she will learn how to better use Twitter. I wonder if they are going to say anything about author’s cats having Twitter accounts. Purr-sonally (Disclaimer: I do not actually purr, but Anty has been known to appreciate a good pun, so I thought I would try one. Did it work?) I think that could only help.

That’s all for this week.

Very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book.)

Typing With Wet Claws: Skye’s introduction

October 17, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Skye O’Malley, the kitty, not the book.

Hello. I am Skye O’Malley, the kitty, not the book. My friend, Bailey, helps out his mom, Sue Ann Porter, with her blog, so he thinks that I should do the same thing. My mama does not write books or have a blog (she plays with strings that turn into sweaters and things,) but my Anty Anna does, so I will help her.

Most days, my mama and Uncle (Anty calls him Real Life Romance Hero) are out hunting, so Anty hunts from home. Usually, she’s on her glowy box, which looks like this picture below now, because she killed the first keyboard and then had to get a second one. That second one sits on top of the first, and sometimes tries to type things on that first keyboard on its own. I do not think she wants it to do that, but her characters do not always behave themselves either. Writers must be used to disobedience.

In case you want to know what it looks like where I work (I am a professional mews) this is what Anty sees when she looks away from her glowy box.

Workstation of the mews

Anty says not all of those notebooks are there all of the time, and they really are not. She does use a lot of paper, though. If I am a really good kitty, I get to play with some of it. I like to stay close in case Anty needs some inspiration, or wants to pet a kitty with her foot. In case she wants to feed a kitty, I am one, so it’s only considerate that I stay close by so she doesn’t have to go far. I like to think of myself as a very considerate kitty, so when Anty is home, I make sure to stay as close to her as possible. Unless it rains or I hear the cat zamboni (the people call it a street sweeper, but I know better) – then I am under Anty and Uncle’s bed.

In case you are wondering if Anty really does type some of these entries with wet nails, she really does. Her trick is to use only the pads of the fingers and not the actual nails. She says she learned that in high school and it still works. I love the smell of nail polish, so if she really is typing with wet nails, I am sure to be extra super close. I am calling my posts Typing With Wet Claws, but if my claws are wet, it is because I licked them. I am a very clean kitty.

Is that good for our first time together? Bailey said that first impressions are important.Hopefully, my posts will help Anty. She says if she sells a lot of books, I can get more toys. My favorite toys are Post-It notes that Anty is done using. I don’t think she is being entirely selfless by promising to buy more Post-Its, but it is worth a try.

Until next time,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

Typing With Wet Claws

Typing With Wet Claws: Happy New Year Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: Boxing Day Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: Special Christmas Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: Six Days to Christmas Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: Domestic Tornado Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: New Notebook and Cat Selfie Edition

Typing With Wet Claws: Skye’s introduction