Connie Stevens: Kitty Asks the Hard Questions and a Drawing!

We are speaking today with Sweet Pea Stevens, owner of Connie Stevens, author. Sweet Pea lives in north Georgia and has shared her home with a writer all her life.

Sweet Pea, how did you come to be the owner of your human, Connie Stevens?

I was a very tiny kitten when my human found me abandoned. She took me home and cared for me. As soon as I was old enough, I took charge of the household. Now that I own the place, I graciously allow my humans to live there with me. After all, they have thumbs and can open cat food cans.

What is it like to own a human who is a writer?

Most of the time it’s all right. She sits at her computer a lot and sometimes I have to put her in Time Out. I jump up on the desk and get between her and the computer so she has to take time to pet me. If I didn’t do that, who knows how long she would sit there? The nice thing is that she is home most of the time, so I get to be with her every day—until she drags the suitcase out. I hate suitcases. They usually mean my human is going to leave me. She calls it going on a research trip. Sometimes she goes to visit other writers, and those writers have cats! When she comes home, she has foreign cat scent all over her! Hmmph!!

What do you do all day while your human writes?

Sometimes I nap on a nearby chair, but quite often I sit beside her computer and proofread what she is typing. If she goes too long without cuddling me, I get in her face and meow very insistently. One time when she was working, I told her she needed to add a cat to the story. I mean, what’s a story without a cat in it? So she did.

Does your human brainstorm her stories with you?

I don’t know what that means, but sometimes she talks while she is working. One day she said, “What am I going to do with you?” and at first I thought she was talking to me, so I rubbed my whiskers against her arm and purred. Then I realized she was talking to the people in the computer—she calls them her characters. I guess they were doing something that annoyed her. I offered to let her pet me. That usually calms her down.

Didn’t your human just have a book release?

Yes. I remember the day the big box arrived. She opened it and started wooohooo-ing and dancing around. I hid in the closet so I wouldn’t get my tail stepped on.

What is the title?

It’s Harvest of Hope. It’s the second book my human has written about the north Georgia mountains. The first one was Heart of Honor. The third one is coming out later this year. That one is Harbinger of Healing.

Can you tell us what the story is about?

There are always humans in her stories, and as I said, sometimes I can talk her into putting a cat in one of her stories. But this story had the strangest animals I’d ever seen in it. My human called them sheep. Ridiculous-looking creatures all covered with curly white fur. They don’t even meow! They bleat. What’s up with that?

See those white hairy critters on the book cover? Those are sheep. 

Anyway, it seems one human named Colton was a farmer and had a bunch of sheep. He met a fancy lady by the name of Auralie, and they really liked each other. But I guess humans who work outside in the dirt and raise sheep aren’t allowed to be friends with rich, fancy humans. Like Colton said, they come from two different worlds. It’s kind of like me and the neighbor’s cat. Wishbone was very good looking, but he was an outside kitty. He’d come over and look in the window at me, but I’m an indoor kitty and I don’t like to go outside. Wishbone and I never did share a sprig of catnip.

Didn’t Auralie like Colton’s sheep?

Oh, she liked them all right, although I can’t figure out why. All they do is eat grass and bleat. Isn’t that the silliest word? Bleat? They aren’t the least bit dignified like cats. The baby sheeps are kind of cute, though. In fact, Auralie got to help a mama sheep give birth.

Oh my, that sounds exciting. Can you tell us about that?

Well, my human doesn’t like it if I give away too much about the story, but I can tell you this much: after the baby sheeps got borned, Auralie and Colton sat under a shady tree, and I think that’s when they…you know…fell in love. **blushing**

Haven’t you ever fallen in love, Sweet Pea?

Well, there is one special kitty. His name is Clyde Whiskers Sawyer. He owns Kim Sawyer. She’s a writer too. Clyde sure is a handsome cat and I like him a whole bunch. He and I are Facebook furrends, but I sure would like to meet him whisker to whisker some day. **puuurrrr**

Do you think you and Clyde will ever share a sprig of catnip?

Oooooh, I hope so. I’d even share my favorite mousie with him.

Connie Stevens writes historical romance and published or contracted seven books with Heartsong Presents/Barbour. When she isn’t writing she can be found working in her garden or prowling around in antique shops. She lives in north Georgia with her husband of thirty-nine years and Sweet Pea, the feline queen of the Stevens household. 

Look for both Connie and Sweet Pea on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/connie.stevens.378

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Pea-Stevens/280020485362666

And visit Connie’s website at www.conniestevenswrites.com

One special reader who leaves a comment today will receive a copy of harvest of Hope and the adorable little stuffed sheep in the photo with Sweet Pea! Please leave your email address to be entered in the drawing.