In 2006, Linnea Sinclair’s book Gabriel’s Ghost won the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance. Her next book, Games of Command, is set to be released on February 27, 2007.
But this book is a little different than some of her others, because her cat Daq was not only the inspiration for one of the characters, he’s also on the cover! As he said when I contacted his mom about an interview: “I know you are speechless at how handsome I am. Everyone reacts the same way. Don’t worry. You’re also speechless at how small my image is on the cover. I was, too. Evidently, Bantam is run by dogs. However, I am solo on the back cover of the book (but still not as large as I should be).” (Daq’s right above the “air” in “Sinclair.”)
Well, Daq, we like dogs here at Families.com too, but we’re also partial to cats, so here’s your chance to shine a little more:
Courtney Mroch: What kind of cat is Daiquiri, how old is he, and how did he get his name?
Linnea Sinclair: Daiquri (a.k.a. The Daq Cat, a.k.a. The Daq Man, a.k.a. The Daq Attack) is a Maine Coon mix. He is ten years old and I rescued him while working a case as a private detective ten years past in St Petersburg, Florida. I had stopped at a trailer park to do some interviews and there was a small consignment store on the front of the property: Daiquiri’s Consignment. So I named him after the store but since he’s grown from a cute fluffy kitten to a large, galoomphing cat, he gets called Daq (or more often, “Daq, stop that!”) than Daiquiri.
CM: When I first contacted you about an interview, Daq let me know Tank is his character’s name in Games of Command. What does Tank do in this novel?
LS: In Games of Command, Tank is a fidget (young furzels are called fidgets just as we call young cats, kittens) who is the beloved pet of Captain Tasha “Sass” Sebastian. Unbeknownst to Sass, Tank has many talents not normally found in cats of our association, such as telepathy and teleportation. Without giving away any plot spoilers, suffice it to say that Tank learns to use his talents at the appropriate time.
Tank and his friend, Reilly (a larger furzel), also provide much of the comic relief in the novel. Tank, being younger, is very inept and very clumsy (just as Daq was as a kitten)…and focused on FOOD (just as Daq was and still is). Readers see many parts of the story through Tank’s eyes (which are considerably lower to the ground than people’s) and are treated to his inner (mostly food-oriented) thoughts.
But the little fidget also has a very heroic part to play and it was a joy watching him “grow” in the story.
CM: What is a furzel/fidget?
LS: A furzel is basically a cat, only slightly larger and it can have telepathic/teleportation talents. Baby furzels are called fidgets.
CM: For those not familiar with your writing, can you give them some general background about what you write, and what Games of Command is about?
LS: I write action-adventure science fiction romance. I jokingly refer to it as “Star Trek with Sex” but honestly, my books are a lot more than that. If you like Firefly, if you like the new Battlestar Galactica or are a Star Trek or Star Wars fan, but want romance, too, you’d love my books.
CM: Besides making sure papers don’t fly everywhere, how else does Daq help with the writing process?
LS: Oh, he uses his tail to clean my monitor screen, he eats my mouse cord (which is why I now use a cordless mouse), he confiscates my pens, he even recently licked my monitor screen (when I smushed a moth on it….ummm, moth blood, yummy!). He’s really a terrific help.
CM: Has Daq been featured in any other novels, or will he be featured in any in the future?
LS: No, he’s not been in any other books. I do have two plots–that I’ve done nothing with other than make some random notes–that have cats in them. Since both cats in the plots are rather large and furry, they’d be based somewhat on Daq, surely. But not so much of his kittenhood, as Games does, more on his current adult personality–lazy, domineering, demanding and delightful.
CM: What is Daq’s favorite kind of food?
LS: He loves liverwurst and he loves Wolfgang Puck’s Creamy Butternut Squash soup (I kid you not). Every time I have a bowl of that soup, he won’t leave me alone until I give him some. But mostly I feed him–and his little buddy, Miss Doozy–Innova Dry cat food (very pure, organic) and Pet Gold (a very high end natural cat food) canned food (he loves the sardines and lobster sauce).
Bonus Feature
Ms. Sinclair graciously provided an excerpt from her upcoming book that she thought Pets Blog readers might enjoy.
From GAMES OF COMMAND by Linnea Sinclair, Bantam Spectra, Feb 27, 2007
Reilly wavered on his paws, one hind leg almost buckling. The sight of his friend stumbling shot fear through Tank. Friend hurt?
Friend tired. Help. Finish here. Go Blink for Friend.
Tank help! he said, but he wasn’t sure. He was just a fidget; he didn’t completely understand how to weave a perfect shield.
And the Bad Things weren’t dying fast enough.
This one strained against Reilly’s shield lines. Three snapped.
Shtift-a! Tank narrowed his eyes and ignored the rumbling in his stomach. Love MommySass. Love FriendReilly… He paused, sensing something fully that had been in the back of his mind for a while but he’d been too busy to notice.Mommy? Silence. No, not silence. Pain.
No! Tank stood frozen, trembling. His stomach heaved. Mommy was gone. Bad Thing took Mommy. Tank go! Tank help Mommy!
Friend, please! Reilly’s voice was strained.
Another shield line snapped.
Shtift-a! Shtift-a! Tank’s ears lay flat to his head. His tail thrashed. His heart cried out in pain.
Reilly’s left hind leg collapsed completely this time. And he was too close to Bad Thing.
Misery closed in on Tank. If he left now, Reilly might die.
He bared his teeth, growling, and focused on old, stinky Bad Thing. Go Blink!
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