When I want something and Mum is ignoring me by just lounging on the sofa watching TV I jump on top of the bookshelf behind her. This is what I was doing the other night.
Marie: I don't ignore you, Athena, most of the time I feed you and you want more straight away. I'm looking after you, baby.
Friendly Fill-Ins
1. Something I lost and was never able to find was _________.
2. When _________, I want to _________.
3. _________ doesn't bother me.
4. I don't handle _________ very well.
MARIE
1. Something I lost and was never able to find was Star Wars books from when I was young. Yes, I loved Star Wars. I was 11 when the first film came out in 1977. I reckon my mum threw them out along with all the Star Wars figures my brother collected. Or maybe we outgrew them because we soon got into music in a big way a couple of years later. I know, I wonder what they would be worth today!
2. When I'm depressed, I want to hide from the world. When I'm at my lowest I put my phone on silent and hide under the duvet. Everything becomes a trigger and I can't face people and lately, I've been avoiding social media too.
3. The cold doesn't bother me. The summer heat always depresses me. I could never live in a hot climate. Funny that my DNA ancestry is mainly Mediterranean (Greek) though I was born here in the UK.
4. I don't handle life very well. I find it too stressful and depressing. I am an empath and highly-sensitive.
ATHENA
1. Something I lost and was never able to find was my biological mum. I was an orphaned kitten when I was found in someone's garden and got taken to a rescue shelter where Mum came and adopted me.
2. When it's cold, I want to snuggle between Mum's legs in bed. The duvet and the heat from her body make me feel comfy and warm.
3. The vacuum cleaner doesn't bother me.
4. I don't handle the cold or extreme heat very well.
Athena Cat Goddess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This book has been put together by author Beth Haslam and commissioning editor Zoe Marr, both passionate cat lovers who wanted to use their skills and talent to do something to help felines in need around the world. They chose International Cat Care as their designated charity because of its mission and global reach.
We were pretty excited when Beth and Zoe contacted us on Twitter a while ago asking if we would consider contributing an abridged version of my rescue story A FOREVER HOME FOR ATHENA for their fantastic project. Of course, we said yes and Mum got to straight down to work on editing my story to make it shorter for the book. We were so happy it got accepted! And now, after months of hard work gathering story contributions from all the cat lovers, writers and owners around the world, the book is finally here and published today and it is definitely a book that all those involved with should be proud of! This pawsome book is "packed with stories to amuse, amaze and even cause a tear to form" And it is available worldwide via Amazon! From the Completely Cats website:
We're so grateful to all our contributors, without you this book would not have been possible. Remember, 20 percent of the profits are donated to International Cat Care to help cats in need.
***We received a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions are our own***
Elvis the Gunslinger Review
We have just had the pleasure of reading this great new book called Elvis the Gunslinger by Romey Connell.
Here's the book blurb courtesy of Amazon UK:
"In a feline rendition of the Old West, where cats ride dogs like horses, he stands at the intersection of James Bond and John Wayne. A suave, card-playing Catanova who loves fine wine and is a dead-eye with both pistol and rifle. Along with his trusty sidekick, he’s off to settle a score with a long-forgotten enemy – a crusty mobster who has catnapped the only son of a wealthy and admired captain of industry. Take a train across the landscape and then saddle up and ride into the hills to watch him work his magic, with unforgettable characters navigating unpredictable twists and turns. Try as they might to stop him, he’s always a step ahead. Be it by luck, serendipity or maybe because he’s just a little wilier than the rest. If the good guys are going to win, shouldn’t they have a little fun while they’re at it?"
What we thought
Mum read this book to me and we thought it was such a great fast-paced story that both kids and adults will definitely love. I thought that this Elvis guy, a crime-solving feline, was so cool. Plus, with the name Elvis, Mum was even more intrigued to read the book as she's a fan of the singer Elvis. I, of course, don't know much about singer Elvis, other than Mum mentions him from time to time because he reminds her of her childhood and her late dad.
So how about the story itself?
This is a great adventure story full of interesting characters. As we don't want to give the plot away, we'd just like to say that if you're looking for a page-turning adventure featuring cats, then you'll enjoy reading this book! Elvis is so fun-loving, smart and handsome, and from a female perspective, I think all you lady cats will fall in love with him. I love the fact that Elvis plays cards and Mum thought it cool that he drinks wine but he likes 'red' more than Chardonnay (Mum's fave). Well, that's not surprising really because he is a man, and men always prefer red wine for some reason. Not only is this story hugely compelling, but Mum thought the writing was extremely good too. We both liked the vivid descriptions and agreed that this would help humans understand life from a feline perspective more. At first, as Mum and I are not keen on cowboys or westerns, we weren't sure we'd enjoy Elvis the Gunslinger. But we surprised ourselves that we did and I've come to the conclusion that cowboys in a feline world are not so bad at all.
Elvis the Gunslinger is a fun and entertaining tale that any cat lover will enjoy reading. To find out more about the book and author visit the website.
Two years ago Mum published The Snowflake Pendant. The reason I'm telling you this is not only because this is a Throwback Thursday post, but also because starting today, December 22nd , THE SNOWFLAKE PENDANT Kindle Countdown Deal begins on Amazon.com If you're quick you can buy this magical cat fantasy for 99 CENTS instead of the full listing price of $4.99.
AMAZON REVIEWS
" Deeply moving and magical"
"Satisfying to the soul"
"It made me cry. It made me want to rush out and make a film of it"
"A must read for cat lovers"
"Beautifully written, straight from the author's heart"
"Brings justice, like a mighty beam of sunlight, to the sensitive, the caring, the loving people of this earth"
⛄
What is THE SNOWFLAKE PENDANT about?
Mum wrote this time travel cat fantasy about the soulmate cat that came before me. You remember SUZY right?
Suzy is the star and co-author of The Snowflake Pendant
Mum talks about her sweet black n white Tuxie girl a lot and still feels a strong connection with her, even though she passed over the Rainbow Bridge many years ago. Nothing new in that, I know, because I'm sure many of you feel the same after your sweet animal companions have passed on too. But Mum believes it is Suzy herself that helped her write this book, not just inspired the story, but actually wrote it through her, like she channelled Suzy in a way. The Snowflake Pendant is a time travel story, with Suzy helping lead character Cathy travel back in time to a magical land via a special pendant that binds them through all eternity. It is an entirely fictional tale. However, like most authors, Mum weaves her own life experiences into her stories to make them more realistic and believable so the reader can relate. "It's a story I wanted to write in Suzy's memory," Mum says. "I also believe it's a story my beloved black and white cat wanted me to tell, and feel that she co-authored it with me from across the Rainbow Bridge." Suzy is amazing in it, but my favourite character was the magnificent snow leopard who Cathy meets on her travels. So, dear readers and friends, if you love animals, and have been lucky enough to be blessed with a pet's unconditional love, this book is for you!
It's my true rescue story (with a bit of make believe thrown in). I wrote it with Mum to help raise awareness for pet adoption and also to raise some funds for 3 of our favourite pet charities.
Originally, Mum was only going to give a portion of the royalties to charity, but for the past year or so she decided to donate all the royalties to charity. She isn't in a position to help every animal charity as she isn't a rich author. But she wants to do her bit for the animals and I'm with her all the way because I'm a cat with a mission!
Please think about purchasing my book if you haven't already. It's available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format.
As an animal (and a super wise cat goddess), I can communicate telepathically with my mum and that's how she hears me back. Sometimes it's hard breaking through her clouded mind but she is very good at hearing me and so I get my needs met all the time, even if there is a slight delay getting the message across. This usually happens when Mum is having one of her off days.
Mum likes to call the voice that speaks to her from my eyes the soul voice. She imagines my soul voice to be a lot like her voice, though slightly more Cockney. Of course I am a Londoner so what can one expect? Yes, I may be a goddess, but I'm not posh.
You thought I was, didn't you?
Anyway, Mum says she hears a little Cockney accent coming from my soul when we link telepathically.
Though I wasn't born within earshot of the sound of Bow Bells (which to be a true Cockney that's where you should have been born), it doesn't really matter. We Londoners (especially North Londoners) tend to have a similar accent.
And you know what? Mum is right. That is what I sound like (even though I don't talk out loud).
When you humans talk to your animal companions how do you imagine their inner voice to sound like when they talk back?
You may think that it's your imagination when you hear your animal talk back, but Mum has studied animal communication and she knows that what she hears isn't her imagination but my own thoughts. I mean, come on, how else can we animals communicate if we can't actually speak out loud?
Mum picks up my thoughts pretty easily, and we are sure you all pick up your own pet's thought too, though sometimes you may dismiss the idea, thinking you were just imagining it.
Believe that you are really linking with your pet's mind and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You see, sometimes you might pick up an image in your mind. Well, you know what that is? That's right - your pet sent you that image!
That's how we animals communicate with each other too. We use telepathy.
So go on, please tell us how you imagine your pet's voice to sound like.
And if you do actually hear your pet's voice as a speaking voice then please also tell us! We make no judgements here:)
Interested in learning more about animal communication?
Then why not check out these books? Mum has read them all and can highly recommend them.
I'm sharing this from my mum's blog because it's very important.
Help raise money for animals in need with these amazing titles.
September Sale!
All titles just $0.99 each!
From bestselling and award winning author, Sibel Hodge, comes an inspirational coming of age novel...
"A percentage of the royalties from the sale of this book will be contributed to Panthera, a leading international conservation organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world's big cats, plus other wildlife conservation groups." -- Sibel Hodge, Author
Linda Deane is a South African author and actively involved in the rescue and rehome network. She takes in abused and abandoned cats and kittens, fostering them until their forever homes are found. Her writing goes towards the sterilization and feeding of the animals in her care.
Ice Angel is a fictitious tribute to one of her very special rescued kitties – an imagined account of one of her nine lives.
“A
portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to
three of my favourite animal charities.” – Marie Symeou, Author
This
is the story of a cute tabby kitten (my Athena) as she awaits her fate at an
animal rescue shelter. Will she find her forever home? A
heartwarming story for both children and adults alike.
Note from the author: "For this month only I will be donating ALL ROYALTIES to my chosen charities."
My mum is a writer as you know and though she writes about cats she has also written about other creatures with fangs called vampires. (She is quite obsessed with fangs and is always commenting on my ones).
Now, the point of this post is to tell you about the special free Promo she has over on Amazon Kindle. It's to celebrate two years as a self-published author. Yes, time goes so quick, doesn't it? I remember Mum working hard at revising this book and preparing it for publication and me being a naughty little kitten needing attention all the time. But Mum was great and let me sit on her lap while she worked.
If you fancy reading the first book in the Blood of the Gods Trilogy (by the way, there are some cats in this epic story, but they are not the main characters) you have a chance of downloading a copy for FREE beginning tomorrow Friday 6th September until next Tuesday 10th September.
If you love vampire fiction and historical fantasy this is the book for you. It's not the usual vampire novel that's popular these days. It's a fresh take on the genre. It's set in Ancient Greece at the time of Alexander the Great. It's an epic adventure about an ancient Greek tutor and philosopher who loses his wife in childbirth and is so traumatised by this that he only wishes for death and so becomes a soldier in Alexander's army (it turns out that Alexander is his half-brother). He then meets an evil blood-sucking sea monster named Scylla who is disguised as his dead wife who seduces him and turns him into a vampire....
I can't give away any more as that would be spoiling it.
So, if you think this book might be your cup of tea, then please download it and help my mum fulfill her dream of being a successful author. She is the mother of a goddess after all and has spent years researching for this trilogy (and writing it). On top of that, it's a bit frustrating being the daughter of a struggling artist!
Once you've read it and liked it Mum would appreciate if you could leave a review on Amazon because at the moment she hasn't that many :( :( :(
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD
OFFER ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH AMAZON
(You don't need a Kindle device to download it as there are now FREE Kindle Apps available)
No words needed here. But as a goddess I can do that. And I can purr with content and the vibration will make you so happy!
And some of the royalties will be donated to help other animals. Mun will always be grateful to the animal shelter that made it possible for us to find each other. Now she wants to give something back. She's always been like that. Loves to support animal charities and be an advocate for animals.
Here's the trailer for my new book A FOREVER HOME FOR ATHENA, out now as an ebook. A paperback edition will be available soon.
Mum will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to 3 of her favourite animal charities, which includes the animal shelter that rescued me. So get your copy now!
Chapter 1 I am sitting on my mum’s lap, purring. This is what I love most in the world. It’s a cold early start to the day and the heating has just come on. I screw up my nose as Mum picks up her cup of coffee from the table to drink. I hate the smell and can never understand how Mum loves to drink it. But never mind. I love my mum, no matter what she smells like. She saved my life. I could never remember much of my early life as a kitten. Anything I did remember made my heart hurt a lot. I had some scary moments which I wanted to forget about because it was better not to think about those things. I’ve always been a great believer in living in the moment. In fact most animals think like that. Only humans, it seems, can never live by that rule. That’s why they are always worried about something or other and feeling stressed all the time. This is something my mum has a problem with. But I’ve taught her not to be like that and she really appreciates it. She is a happier, calmer person now. But back to my early life as a little kitten. Sometimes I do dream about how I used to live. You see, these dreams are not very nice dreams because I had once lived a very rough life on the streets. The good thing was I had not been alone because I had my sister with me. She was black all over, whereas I’m tabby. A brown/black tabby. When I came to live with my human mum, I did soon realise that she wasn’t my real mum. Unfortunately, I could not really remember my real mum at the time. Which makes me sad sometimes. But my human mum hugged me close like a real mum would right from when we first met, and I immediately loved her like she was my real mum. She can always sense when I feel sad. I too can sense her feelings and I like to snuggle extra close to her when she is feeling upset about something. Like she is now. But I don’t want her to be upset so this morning I am providing her with an extra long purring and healing session.
Oh, I love her so much. I have such a lot to be grateful for. But I really should get back to my story about how I came to live here, hadn’t I? As I tell you my story, I do realise that it could have been very different. I sometimes dread to think what could have happened to me if I had not been so lucky. As very young kittens my sister and I had been left out in the cold and we had to fend for ourselves. We were totally lost and alone in the world and soon became so hungry and we could not stop shivering from the cold. Even though we had both been born in the month of May - springtime - the early mornings were still very frosty in London. Now that I am older I do remember quite a bit about what happened to me then. Before I had been abandoned with my sister, I remember I was the smallest kitten in the litter and I struggled to get fed. I had to push my way through my other siblings to get to my mum, my cat mum, my real mum, for the feed. Then sadly, my cat mum got sick and died. Us kittens were with her and then suddenly we weren’t. A man with a loud voice that boomed had frightened me suddenly back then, He had been shouting at his lady and two little humans. 'Get rid of the kittens! We can't afford to feed them!' Little humans were crying and hurt my ears. I heard a loud bang and I jumped. My sister did the same. Then suddenly there we were, shuffling along in someone’s garden. I remember an old bathtub with funny feet and lots of weeds and yellow flowers, and with long grass growing out of it and under it, and it was very wet. I liked to snuggle under this and eat the grass. I was very hungry. All around me I could hear lots of noise and horns blowing, and horrible sirens. Many people shouting, coming and going. And funny smells that made me so dizzy. But no one seemed to notice me or my sister. I couldn’t understand it. I'm so sure now that if my human mum had walked by then she would have seen me and saved me. But it didn’t turn out like that. It was so wet and soggy there and very cold. Even at night there was lots of noise and I couldn't sleep. Nestled up close to my sister, I felt scared to close my eyes because of the fear of what might happen to us as we slept. A big dog or fox could eat us, or a giant human could pick us up and throw us or step on us with their big heavy feet. I was really scared by this point. Perhaps I would die just like my real mum. I just knew then that this world was very cruel and I didn't want to stay in it any longer. It was scary searching for food without our mother to guide us. We were both so starving. We ate some worms and insects, but as I said, I took to liking grass. I noticed that it made my stomach feel better. But even though I was scared, I knew I had to go on. Scavenging for food wasn't my destiny. I could feel it. My sister began to follow me and then suddenly decided to put me in charge. Which was funny, considering I was once the bullied one in the litter. How times change! Searching for food was really hard. I taught my sister to nibble on grass too when we couldn’t find anything to eat. We really wanted our mummy’s milk, but she was no more. We had to both accept that she had gone up to heaven and abandoned us. My sister sensed my upset and meowed with me in agony. But then as dark night fell we snuggled up together under the bushes of an old-looking house. It was noisy here too and the roaring things on wheels sped by, terrifying us so much. I licked my sister’s fur and she did the same back to me. It made us feel quite good, but we could not stop shivering in fear. Was this it for us? Were we to be left here all alone and hungry? Oh, what were we going to do? It went on like this for ages it seemed, and though we were growing, we were both becoming weaker each day. Food continued to be hard to come by, and we were very thirsty too. When it rained we licked up some water from the ground and from the grass. Then one day some big hands picked us up and I was so frightened. Where were they taking us? We both squealed in fear. What was happening? Help! We were thrown into wired cages and locked away. Meow! Meow! I shuffled about in there, my sister falling and tumbling all over me as we were driven away at the back of wheelie thing. What if this was it?
Time to recommend another great book (well, Mummy recommends since I can't read). Solomon's Tale by Sheila Jeffries is a wonderful book and Mummy enjoyed reading it a lot. She said it really moved her and that she could identify with many of the themes in it. She thinks it's a great read for both adults and children, especially those who love cats and who are interested in spirituality. This is Mummy's review on Amazon:
Beautiful story with deep message
I was attracted to this book not only because it's a story about cats (as a cat lover I read a lot of cat books!) but also because it is a story about reincarnation, which I truly believe in and which is a subject I often write about in my own books.
The story is beautifully written, and with the right amount of emotion without being too soppy and over-sentimental, which creates a more believable book in my opinion. The characters are well-drawn and I loved seeing things from the cat Solomon's point of view. At times I wanted to give him a big cuddle! A wonderful book.
