Did you do something positive that surprised you today? Thanks in advance for sharing it with me. And now, here is today’s positive affirmation to keep you on your toes…

I gain joy, fulfillment, and happiness from this day.

Life is not easy for a feral cat at the best of times, but the difficulties Bushytail faces on his journey to search for a home are far from ordinary.

Bushytail wants to find his own territory, but the journey is dangerous. He has to avoid the humans and their noisy machines as well as being on alert for other toms that may want to challenge him. He is used to relying on his wits to survive, however, Bushytail realises that this time he needs friends to help him. He joins up with a band of clowderless young toms. After being on his on for so long he is glad to have company, but this is just the start of the long journey Bushytail makes, along the way discovering who he is and how he fits into the world of cats.
Bushytail is guided by the enigmatic Bristle, who insists that Bushytail needs him as a mentor. At first, Bushytail does not see the point of the rules Bristle is trying to teach him, but in awe of Bristle’s powers, and with much encouragement, he perseveres. Unfortunately, the things Bristle is trying to teach him do not come naturally to Bushytail, but Bristle is convinced that Bushytail will need the skills being taught and will not take no for an answer.

Like any young cat, Bushytail has high hopes and dreams, however, in the end his destiny is thrust upon him rather than being a path of his own choosing. There are many times when he nearly gives up, but, with the help of the Stone, he learns to put the needs of others before himself and accept the future that is laid out before him. Bushytail is eventually transformed into a spiritual guardian and master warrior. Every step of the way his self-doubt threatens to overwhelm him, but somehow, despite his misgivings, he becomes instrumental in creating a new order for catkind through High Clowder.

Unfortunately for Bushytail, not all cats are convinced that the new order is best for catkind. Cats have always walked alone, with power being bestowed only on the strongest. Those cats who are weak or infirm, generally do not survive for long. For a long time, this has been the natural order of things. Some cats question whether the idea of a new community – where the very young, elderly, weak and sick are cared for – should be allowed.

The question is, even if he is successful, will Bushytail be able to live out his life in peace with those he loves, in the clowder he is trying so hard to make a safe haven for all?

High Clowder Cats is the first book in the series Clowder Cats by author Ruby Knight. This series follows the adventures of feral cats living together and their struggle to survive.

Targeted Age Group:: 14-25

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I began writing cat stories because a student I was teaching would not read anything to me unless it was about cats. After I had written about Bushytail, I knew I wanted to turn it into a novel for young advanced readers. It was important to me to write great adventure story that young readers could engage with, yet have challenging themes to open conversations for young readers to discuss things that matter to them.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Physically, Bushytail was based on my family cat. I wanted him to be a flawed and relatable character who would always stand up for what he believed was right. He had to be just an ordinary cat to show that ordinary people can be heroes too.

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Links to Purchase Print Books
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Buy High Clowder Cats Print book for sale at Thrift Books

Links to Purchase eBooks – Click links for book samples and reviews
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All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.

The story opens with the discovery of a mysterious box from the distant past. Its makers are five orphaned friends who hope to help civilizational knowledge survive disruptive climate change centuries in the future: the ending of the Ice Age. The bar is continuously raised as the box traverses more than a dozen settings, some explored in detail, others merely sketched. Readers are tacitly encouraged to partner with the author and fill in the blanks by considering their metaphorical boxes, lessons for the future from their past.

Exchanges between cultures and generations highlight human transience. Adoption is the preeminent motif, many characters being orphaned, or having adopted, or both. Nature’s agency is felt throughout the story, with animals, plants and landscapes presented as respected partners rather than resources to be exploited. Nothing can fully reconcile human contradictions, and true equilibrium must come from a transcendent perspective. Plural identity followed by association with all humans, past, present and future, is only a good start. Can we progress beyond all life forms? The book ends on the question: what can you do but hope?

Targeted Age Group:: 17+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I've written two novels and about two dozen stories, but have made no attempts to publish them, as I realized my debut effort must be something more ambitious and unconventional. I decided to try and write a story that doesn't have human protagonists at its heart, but instead traces an object through successive historical settings, thus indirectly portraying the universality of the human condition.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
One of the aims for The Oldest Word was to pay a tribute to all that I love. Many historical characters are based on either individuals or, more broadly, periods and themes I admire, for instance Stone Age Goddess worshippers or the syncretist thinkers of Al-Andalus. No one is truly admirable, a hero or heroine, and all my characters are a form of criticism.

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Links to Purchase Print Books
Buy The Oldest Word Print Edition at Amazon

Links to Purchase eBooks – Click links for book samples and reviews
Buy The Oldest Word On Amazon

All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.