The Magnificent Ambersons-Booth Tarkington

Oh my gosh, I have been away from my usual haunts for a while, and now I am back to the books I love, back to early Twentieth Century fiction and loving it. What a rich beautifully written tale of redemption (and a good movie too).

Booth Tarkington dares to open with intricate descriptions of the home, the clothing and the lifestyle of the nouveau riche in a Midwestern town, setting the scene for decadence and pretension that follows the entire novel. It is not a difficult read and flies right along and you will love and sometimes hate the characters. This is a terrifically satisfying story which restores your faith in human nature and our ability to change for the better. Do not miss this Pulitzer Prize winner.

Pics after Amanda's Guest Appearance on Malarkey-Radio with an Irish Accent

Darlene, Amanda and David at KFAI Malarkey-Radio with an Irish Accent

Siobhan and David-Hosts of  Malarkey KFAI

Radio Interview with Amanda on Malarkey Radio

Here is a link to Amanda's guest appearance on KFAI. She talks about her writing process and inspiration for Beyond the Cliffs of Kerry and The Sword of the Banshee  Guest spot link Malarkey Radio With An Irish Accent

Live Radio Interview with Amanda

Malarkey-Radio with an Irish Accent

Amanda will be discussing her adventures in writing and sharing music that inspires her.

Monday April 14th at 7:30 p.m. (CST) KFAI  

Click on upcoming shows at http://www.malarkeyonline.com/

90.3 FM-Mpls, 106.7 FM or streaming at http://www.kfai.org

Live Radio Interview with Amanda

Malarkey-Radio with an Irish Accent

Amanda will be discussing her adventures in writing and sharing music that inspires her.

Monday April 14th at 7:30 p.m. (CST) KFAI  

Click on upcoming shows at http://www.malarkeyonline.com/

90.3 FM-Mpls, 106.7 FM or streaming at http://www.kfai.org

Historical Romance Writer, Regan Walker My Guest Today

A warm welcome today to Regan Walker, historical romance writer. Her latest novel, Wind Raven is a pirate romance set upon the high seas. She is sharing a post today about one of her characters in Wind Raven, a polydactyl cat.

The Polydactyl Ship’sCat

by Regan Walker

http://www.reganwalkerauthor.com

When I was researching the proper ship’s cat for my pirate Regency WIND RAVEN, set on a schooner (and other places) in 1817, I came across some interesting information about cats, specifically the ones with too many toes—polydactyl cats.

It probably seems fundamental that a cat could be, and was, a valued member of the crew, particularly for ridding a ship of mice and rats. But how much more exciting if that cat was special—with very intelligent green eyes and huge white paws!

The cat in WIND RAVEN is named “Dutch Sam’ for the English boxer Samuel Elias, who died the year before my story begins, and who was known as the deadliest puncher in London. The tribute was appropriate as my ship’s cat (actually a female the heroine calls “Samantha”) is a gray cat with intelligent green eyes and two huge white front paws.

And why are they so large?

Dutch Sam is a polydactyl cat, a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyl (or polydactylism), also known as hyperdactyly, a genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws, so that the paws appear huge. The condition is commonly found in cats along the East Coast of North America (in the United States and Canada) and in Southwest England and Wales.

Although there is some controversy over whether the most common variant of the trait originated as a mutation in New England or was brought there from Britain, there is no disagreement that it spread widely as a result of cats carried on ships originating in Boston. In fact, the prevalence of polydactylism among the cat population of various ports correlates with the dates when they first established trade with Boston.

Sailors valued polydactyl cats, not only for their ability to rid the ship of rats and mice, but for their extraordinary climbing and hunting abilities. It turns out that polydactylism does appear to improve the dexterity of the animal. For example, a common variation with six toes on the front paws, with two opposing digits on each (comparable in use to human thumbs) enables the cat to perform feats of manual dexterity generally not observed in non-polydactyl cats, such as opening latches or catching objects with a single paw. Wouldn’t that seem to make them more intelligent, too?

Sailors also considered them to be extremely good luck when at sea. Dutch Sam might have brought Captain Nicholas Powell, the hero in my story and the captain of the Wind Raven, good luck, for he survived a vicious storm, fought off pirates and rescued the woman he loved. And Dutch Sam honored him by deciding to grace his new ship with her presence. She is simply a splendid polydactyl ship’s cat!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing this post, Regan. I love tidbits like this from history and so do my followers. I saw 45 of these cats recently at the Hemingway House in Key West! Don't miss Regan Walker's latest novel Wind Raven.

http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Agents-Crown-Regan-Walker-ebook/dp/B00IXMM1AO

A Literary Reading for St. Pat's Day

Amanda will be reading from The Sword of the Banshee at Merlin's Rest in celebration of St. Patrick's Day Tuesday, March 11th, 2014 at Merlin's Rest. There will be four other authors and poets reading from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Come have a pint and celebrate the Irish!

Merlin's Rest

3601 E. Lake Street

Mpls., MN. 55406