Speaker 1: This is pet Life Radio. Let's Talk Pets.
Speaker 2: Hello, cat levers, Welcome to counter Tude. I'm your show host, Michelbourne,
and what a great show I have for you today.
I have the author of this really interesting book about cats,
and I cannot wait to introduce you to her and
talk about the book, and we'll be right back.
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Speaker 4: Let's Talk Pets on Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome Ellen Laura. She
is the author of Fella and Django, a Vegas velvet Caper.
Welcome Ellen, thank you for having me.
Speaker 5: I'm thrilled to be here.
Speaker 2: I'm thrilled to have you on. I love books, I'm
a gracious reader, and I love cats, so what better
you know? So let's talk about their buck. Can you
first tell us who are Bella and Django?
Speaker 6: Well, Bella is my real life cat. She is a
gorgeous Maine coon. She came into my life first. And
Django he's fictional. He came about because I've known lots
of men in Las Vegas in the gambling business.
Speaker 5: And if you look at the cover of the book.
Speaker 6: You know there's Jangle with a leather coat and dark sunglasses,
so that's where he came from.
Speaker 5: He's fictitious.
Speaker 6: But Bella, she's absolutely real and she's here.
Speaker 5: With me now.
Speaker 2: My first cat was Dennis and he found me and
he's part Maine coon. I'd never had him tested but
from markings and they say they're the dog of cats,
dog like cats, which was good for me because I
had dogs pire. I love main coons and main coon mixes.
I think they're amazing cats.
Speaker 6: She is. She's a glorious sixteen pound, fourteen year old goddess.
And her full name, just in case you're curious, is
Empress Bella Rose.
Speaker 2: Oh, Empress Bella Rose. How fancy she's small? From ain
Kuhn then sixteen pounds?
Speaker 5: I don't know. I don't think she will to me.
She's not small.
Speaker 6: She's the biggest cat I've ever had, and I've had
cats my whole life.
Speaker 2: We have another cat, we have two others that they're
just big. I've seen pictures and Maine coons that are
like four feet long, So I don't know. My main
coon is not that big. He's about fourteen thirteen pounds.
He's not too big. Okay, So let's talk about Bella
and Django. Did you start with Bella and then think
I have to add a guy for her? Is that
where Dango came about?
Speaker 6: Well, I've been writing fiction stories for a while, and
i've been doing cat stories, and so I have pussy
cat messages. I have a lot of cat stories, and
Bella has been the muse, and I thought, you know what,
Bella deserves to be the star because she's the one
who's living with me now. So I came up with
this idea, a cozy mystery, and then Django had to
be part of it. So as a writer, ideas unfold
one after another, and since I live in Las Vegas,
that had to come about. I lived in Maui and
I visited like Lenai Cat Sanctuary where that's so, the
Lnai Cat Sanctuary is a real, magnificent sanctuary. And I've
been there three or four times to take the ferry
over from Maui. It is so amazing, Michelle.
Speaker 5: It's clean.
Speaker 6: You get there and you don't know what to expect,
and then you walk in and there's all these cats
and they greet you at the gate. So when I
was imagining Bella as a princess and where she was born,
I thought, what better place for this fictional story to
begin than this sanctuary. So that's where the idea came from.
Speaker 2: That is really cool. That's amazing. Their story starts at Bellini,
but that's where Bella is from.
Speaker 6: No, well, the fictional Bella, the fiction.
Speaker 2: No Bella only Okay, but you okay, so you added
it in. I get it. You added theml Ani Cat
sanct You. I think that's wonderful because it's a great
place for people to learn about.
Speaker 6: Yeah, you can adopt people, you know, cats from your
home and they send you pictures.
Speaker 5: It's amazing.
Speaker 6: But as I say, when I lived in Maui, I
went there many times. Now I live in Las Vegas.
So Bella real life Bella came from a shelter here
and one of my very close friends had to rehome
this gorgeous cat, the companion who Bella lived with, Roomy,
He passed on and Marcia could no longer care for
her alone. She was traveling too much, and because Bella
is so beautiful, so many people wanted her, Marcia wouldn't
give her away. And then finally what happened, Michelle, It
was for me a Christmas miracle. My beautiful cat, Princess
Tonkin unexpectedly died a week before Christmas eight years ago,
and I was devastated, as you all know what that's like,
losing a cat, losing a pet. And then Marcia said,
you know, she was traveling and did I want to
babysit Bella?
Speaker 5: And she came here.
Speaker 6: She strutted in like she belonged here. She hopped to
the top of the castle where Tonkin used to live.
That was Tonkin's place, as if she sensed her, and
that she was to take over and help heal my heart.
So that's the story of the real life Bella.
Speaker 2: That is incredible. I'd love when I guess this might
sound a little odd to people, but like the universe
knows you need something and it comes into.
Speaker 6: Your life absolutely because there's the wishing, prayer is in
our hearts.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, wishing for this.
Speaker 6: And then Marcia needed someone and she was already. Marcia
had been here and actually met me with Tonkin and
she asked me what I want to adopt Bella. I said, no,
Tonkin will never allow another cat. She was a Tonkin
came to me and MAUI. She was another rescue. We
moved here together to Las Vegas, but she, unlike Bella,
was not social and wasn't friendly, so I didn't dare
bring Bella into our home. And then suddenly, devastating Tonkin's gone,
Bella moves in the universe filled that wish that my
heart needed a week before Christmas. Eight years so here
we are now two seen women living together, Bella and
Ellen in Las Vegas.
Speaker 2: Wonderful. Now you also your book you just released, also
the audiobook portion, tell me about the narration because you
felt that was kind of special and it kind of
brought Bella and Django more to life than even you
know the hard copy book.
Speaker 6: Well, yes, you know, as the writer, I searched for
someone and I found this lovely woman, Shannon, and I'm
telling you, she gave so much love, and every time
I listened, I thought, oh my god, this is so cute.
You know, the little parts where you know she would
have Bella speaking because Bella is sassy and she's you know,
the queen of everything, and then Django has his deep voice,
and then the humans in the story. It just added
so much more magic. So for me as the author,
it was very special and I'm so glad I found
this woman. So anyone interested, you can listen to the audio,
or you can read the book, or you can do
them together.
Speaker 2: Okay, wonderful. Let's talk about the cats because they're very different.
So you've already disclosed. You know, Bella's kind of sassy,
and she's also bold and curious and emotionally open. And
Django is very different. He seems to me more like
the dark, sultry, you know kind of cat.
Speaker 6: Yes, absolutely, yeah, yeah, you're right. Because remember in the story,
Bella grows up in Paradise, so even though she's in
a shelter, she doesn't know it's a shelter. The cats
in Lanni think they live in paradise, so she already
comes from a place that's soft and tender and warm.
And Django he was an alley cat. He lived on
the streets of Las Vegas, and then he's adopted by
a man named Max who owns the Gambler's Bookstore and
in moves Django and becomes the celebrity cat. So when
people are in Vegas visiting or all the you know,
the people who work in casinos in they're there looking
for old books. They go to the Gambler's Bookstore, which
is a real place. And so my close friend who's
worked in the gambling business for years, had told me
all about the Gambler's Bookstore, and he this man I've
known who's worked in the casinos. He reminded me of
Django because he's tall and dark and handsome and has
shown up in my life many times with a leather
jacket and the dark glasses. So, you know, as a writer,
the stories evolve from a mix of our real life
and a mix of fantasy.
Speaker 2: You know, I've always wanted to write a book that's
still on my bucket list, and the more I talk
to authorities, the more excited I get about this is
possible because it's so interesting how you create characters and
all of that. Let's talk about cats and bookstores because
it seems to be a theme. There's anytime I read
a book and there's a bookstore involved. Most likely seventy
percent of the time, there's also cats. What do you
think it is between cats and bookstore that makes them
such a great match. Maybe because they're quiet?
Speaker 5: Well, I think it's because.
Speaker 6: They add a charm to something, you know, that's made
out of paper and dust, and you know, they bring life.
And so there they are sitting there among the books
and people can often speak to them. You know how
cats allow us to imagine they're communicating back with us.
So say you're in a bookstore and you go up
and you say, oh, I'm interested in this book, and
then you look at the cat and say, what do
you think? So we imagine, we imagine that the cats
are either saying you know what we want them to believe.
And in this bookstore, Django, he's the presence that fills the.
Speaker 5: Store with life.
Speaker 6: A lot of people come just because of him and
the owner Max, who gets in trouble in there. He's
about to lose his store. It's because of Django, who
becomes a detective along with Bella, that they're able to
figure out who's really the thief trying to deal the bookstore.
Speaker 2: Wow. Is this part of a series?
Speaker 6: It will be a series, But this is the first
Bella and Django book, So this is number one. As
I say, the previous cat story was a mix of
fantasy and sci fi. It's a longer book. It's called
pussy Cat Messages, Starborn Descent, and it's a lot more wild.
The cats travel in spaceships, they go to Venus. The
woman they live with falls in love with a man
from Venus, and then they have to go live there
and they have all kinds of wild adventures. That is
more leaning towards sci fi and fantasy. This book was
more a cozy mystery with a beginning, a middle, and
an end. Here's what happens, here's the thief, and here's
the how they get caught, and the cats are key
in catching them. So they're very different. But cats again
are the main characters in both of these two recent books.
I've written lots of other books. I have a memoir
and well, I don't know if this is really relevant,
but since you're interested in writing, there was a platform
on Amazon that was called Vella v E l LA
where you would publish serial stories. Michelle I wrote thirteen books,
cat stories, fantasy books, sci fi, all kinds of stuff,
and then Amazon decided it wasn't profitable enough and they
closed it and all of our books disappeared. So some
of the books are now being taken back to life,
like Pussycat Messages.
Speaker 5: But this book was.
Speaker 6: Totally new and centered totally around Bella Django and what's
going on between Lanai, between Paradise and how that arrives
in Las Vegas.
Speaker 2: Okay, we have to take a sharp break and we'll
be right back.
Speaker 1: Talk to the pot.
Speaker 6: Hi didn't Amy Shure.
Speaker 5: Hi, I'm Jane Lynch.
Speaker 1: This is Mandy Boyne.
Speaker 6: Hi there, I'm Kate Walerch.
Speaker 5: This is Catherine Tige.
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Speaker 4: Let's talk past.
Speaker 7: Let's pet Life Radio, wet Life Radio, Petlfradio dot Com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everyone, we're talking to Ellen Laura. She is
the author of Bella and Dango, a Vegas Velvet Caper.
So we talked a lot about the cats. I do
have one more question. We talked about what Django, you know,
would look like. He gave everybody a good picture with
his velvet jacket and I think he has if I
remember correctly, sunglasses and he's a real smoky kind of
you know character. Now, Bella in the book, what would
she be like? Sassy? What would she wear?
Speaker 6: Well, in the book, she's just herself. She doesn't have
a costume on she because she's so beautiful, the main coon.
And in the story we learn that Bella came from
a home from a very wealthy woman who became ill
and could no longer keep her when she was a
tiny kitten. And so she's a pure bread So even
though she arrives to live at the Lunai Sanctuary, she
is a pure bred Maine coon with the beautiful rough
and so she's so beautiful she doesn't need a costume,
whereas Max, you know, lives with this Django and Django
is there always with the dark sunglasses and the leather
jacket because that's his personality. That's what you would imagine
a cat who'd come from the alleys and then he
becomes a celebrity in a bookstore.
Speaker 2: Okay, a lot of twists and turns. So one thing
about you know, cat livers is they sometimes when they're reading,
they're very especially you know, guess cat folks, we want authenticity.
So how authentic would you say the feline behavior is
in this story?
Speaker 6: Well, of course, or it is fictional. But as I
was writing it, I had to go in different places
and edit. So in the beginning of the story, Bella
comes from Lenai. So she lands in the Las Vegas
airport and by some strange mishap, her carrier case door
is open. So there she is in the Las Vegas
airport inside this carrier, crouched down, and there's all the
chiming of slot machines and people and suitcases rolling, and
the story has.
Speaker 5: To move forward. So Bella leaves the case.
Speaker 6: And she's then rescued by Max.
Speaker 5: Well how's that going to happen?
Speaker 6: How is anyone going to believe that a cat has
enough audacity to leave her cage and walk around in
a noisy airport. So as an author, I started thinking
about it, and well, I will go back and create
a backstory where when Bella was on Lenai and she
first arrived, she was shy, but the older cats gave
her instructions and they said to her, Bella, if you
want to be adopted, if you want to be chosen,
you can never show your fear. You can never show
that you're afraid. You need to lift your head and
walk ahead. So by adding that little piece of the backstory,
then it made a little bit more sense of how
a cat could actually be brave enough to walk through
an airport.
Speaker 2: That is a great explanation, and I think it will
help readers to understand why things happen in books, and
especially why things happen in your book, and understand Bellamore,
what is your personal opinion when you read books, because
you know, you're an author, so your viewpoint is way
different than mine. But when you read books and they're
like cat you know, cozy mysteries, and there's just pieces
that don't connect.
Speaker 1: Well.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 6: One of the things that I've come to as an author,
regardless of whether I'm reading a cat story or reading fiction,
because I've been reading books, you know, from great fiction
writers forever side fantasy, and then from the famous fiction writers.
I never want to be critical to another author, so
I do my best to imagine what they were going through,
why they you know, why they wrote it the way
they did. And for me, especially if I'm reading a
cozy cat story, if it makes me laugh a little
bit and it makes the cat more real, I guess,
because I am an author and I know how difficult
this can be, I'm a lot more generous with what
I'm able to give. But you know, thinking about that, Michelle,
when I wrote that other book that is, you know,
it lives at the borders of fantasy and sci fi,
I had some criticism of, well, how is this even
possible that, you know, in one chapter the cats are
living in Las Vegas, and then they're on a spaceship,
and then they're in Tibet, you know, and then they're
in Venus. How is this all happening? So my imagination being.
Speaker 2: That's what is Yeah, as you're saying that, I was
about to say, it's called imagination, but then you said
your imagination, and so right.
Speaker 6: That's what we use our imagination. And you know, one
of the things if you ever begin to write a book.
I'd be so glad to support you in any way.
Speaker 5: But you know, as we go.
Speaker 6: Along, we use our imaginations and we make things up
and then we go back and say, Okay, this doesn't work.
Speaker 5: What can I add?
Speaker 6: Because as a as an author, what you're thinking about
is how is this going to land for the reader?
Is it going to touch their heart? Is it going
to make them feel tears? Are they going to think
of a cat they loved? Are they going to think
of someone they loved dearly and now they're no longer there.
So that's what the author is doing. They're tuning in
the best they can, trying to imagine what the reader
would like to feel. Because let's face it, what do
books and movies do, Michelle. They transport us out of
this world where sometimes we don't like what's going on
in the world. Yes, your reality, So we want to
We don't want to totally escape, but we want to
We want our attention on something that offers us more tenderness,
more hope, and something that makes us smile even in
light of where there's a darkness.
Speaker 2: So right on, absolutely, Now let's talk about cats, because
you know this book is all about cats. You have
a cat, you know, Princess Bella. What do you think
that people most misunderstand about cats.
Speaker 6: Well, if you're a cat owner, then hopefully you don't
misunderstand a lot. You come to understand each one is unique.
I've had cats forever, you know, and I'm in my
seventies now, so each one is different, and you have
to tune into what's unique about that cat. As I said,
the one who came before Bella, she was not friendly.
Speaker 5: When I was dating Michelle.
Speaker 6: She would get on the chair across from the sofa
and turn her back to us until the man left. Oh,
I know, it was very comical. She was like, I
don't like him, whysey here? This is our house. Bella,
on the other hand, she loves visitors, She loves me, men,
she loves anyone who gives her attention. So I think
what people have to understand about cats is the same
thing they have to understand about us. If I meet you,
I need to tune into who you are as Michelle,
not what I would project onto you. And it's the
same for animals, whether it's a cat, a dog. And
if you haven't lived with a cat, you know, I
have lots of friends who are authors who don't like cats.
And you know what, I've always been mystified. I think
to myself, women, it's okay if men maybe don't, but
they are the embodiment of sensuality. They are the embodiment
of pride. And you know, this is how we need
to be treated as women. It's unimaginable to me how
women don't respond to cats, but we know there are
many who don't. So I think in order to really
feel into what a cat is like, or any animal
is like, you need to just be present and watch
and listen and don't project all of your needs onto them.
Speaker 2: Very true, and you have to understand the cat and cats.
There's another saying, and people have said this many many times.
Cats are not small dogs. Cats are cats. So all
three of mine have very different, you know, personalities, and
they take a little longer than dogs to figure out
their personalities. You have to like learn about them, but
they will let you know you get too close or
do something they don't like you. Get a little swipe,
Get a little swipe.
Speaker 6: Yeah, you know, think of the things that are popular
in the world now. Everybody needs to set boundaries. Don't
let people in your life who don't bring you good energy?
Speaker 5: Will who knows all about that? Cats?
Speaker 6: Yes, of course, you know. If you're not bringing good
energy to a cat, they're out the door. They're going
to go hide under the bed. So you know, cats
can teach us so much about life, how to have dignity.
Let's face it, cats don't always want to show up
in wine and show their wounds to everybody. They want
to be dignified. They'll go lick them and then come
back out when they look beautiful again. So I think
they're just magnificent beings.
Speaker 2: Mystical beings. So let's talk about the characters. While we
have a few minutes left of Bella and Dango. Which
one would be most likely to knock your I don't know,
gorgeous candle off the shelf?
Speaker 6: Well in fiction, I think it would be Bella in
real life because Bella was raised by a woman who
was much more disciplined than I. Bella is the only
cat I've had Michelle who never knocks anything down. She
doesn't climb on counters. She learned from her first home
how to behave well, so she's carried that over Now. Django,
he might just watch and wait. So I don't know,
but I think Bella in the fictional world, she definitely
knocks something down if it didn't please her at all.
Speaker 2: Okay, so, hey, since you're in Vegas, and everybody when
they think of Vegas, and I've been a few times,
think of I'm not a big gambler, risk adverse, but
you know, they think of gambling, but then they think
of cocktails. So what would be Bella and Django's signature
cocktail if they were humans in Vegas?
Speaker 6: Well, I think that you know, he'd have something that
was dark and smoky, maybe with kognac right, and maybe
just something straight. I don't even know if he'd want
anything mixed. And Bella she'd probably want something that had
a pretty little umbrella that would remind her of paradise,
you know, one of those drinks that you get in Hawaii. So,
you know, talking about Vegas, Michelle, I lived here years ago,
and I actually worked in the casino as a cigarette girl.
So it's a long past part of my life, but
I know that part of Vegas and I've been there now.
I've never had an interest in gambling, but I've always
had friends who are professional poker players work in the casinos,
and so here I am today and I live out
in an area that's called Lake Claus, Vegas and Henderson.
It's about thirty minutes from the glamour of the strip.
I never go to the casinos Bella and I live
a very quiet life. But you're right, you know, Vegas
has this mix of glamour and mystery, and I wanted
to bring that into the story. That's why I added
a part about the film where Jingo in the story
he's watching the film to catch a thief, because it
captures the glamour of Las Vegas. Here we are with
a man who's handsome and gorgeous, Carrie Grant, and we
have Grace Kelly. So I thought that somewhat embodied what
the cats would appreciate and what our readers would find interesting.
Speaker 2: Well, as you're saying this, I was thinking, when you're
talking about Vegas, I thought, well, it isn't known as
sin city for nothing, but there are a lot of
beautiful parts of it. You know too, It's not just
the strip.
Speaker 6: You're right, But you know, years ago I went to
a concert maybe two three years ago with Lady Gaga
and it was Halloween. So there she was why and
you know, and she said to everybody, people, this is Vegas.
If you didn't know what you were going to get
at this concert, why did you show up here?
Speaker 5: So yeah, of course, you know you have.
Speaker 6: To realize when you're in Las Vegas, you're going to
get way more SaaS and way more sex.
Speaker 2: Right, it is what it is, is.
Speaker 5: What it is. Yeah, if you don't like it, don't.
Speaker 2: Go right exactly, you know, like it, don't go yes. Okay,
so you mentioned that there's this is the first in
this series. Can you give us any hints on the
second book in the series, and also where can people
find Bella and Django a Vegas velvet caper?
Speaker 6: Okay, well, the second book. At the idea that I have,
although it's still very rough, is that somehow someone comes
from Lenai, from the island of Lenai, and they are
they are not a good person, and they find out
that Bella and Django are in the bookstore and they
try to kidnap these cats because now they've become soelebrities.
So that's kind of what I've been thinking as a
new caper, that someone would actually try to steal the
cats because they're famous now in Las Vegas and you
hold them as hostage and try and get money. It's
a rough idea. I might come up with three or
four other ones. And meanwhile, this book is on Amazon.
You can get the e book and the audible is
on you know Audible, so you can get both of them.
Actually Amazon has this has a Amazon has something that's
called whisper Sink and you can get the e book
and the audible for one price, so as you're listening,
you can go along with the e book. And the
next thing I would like to do, even before I
get to the next book, I'm considering making this into
a paperback because some people, as you know, Michelle, they
don't want to kindle and they don't want an audible.
So I haven't done that yet, but I think that's
a next goal. And I love for people who either
read the e book or the audible to get in
touch with me and say, you know, what they liked
about it, what they would like.
Speaker 5: To see next.
Speaker 6: As an author, it's so important to get feedback from
people who read what we have to say.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, where can people find out more about you? Annuichi?
Speaker 6: Well, I have a website. It's called my name Ellenmlaura
dot com, E L L E N M. Laura dot
com and Michelle. I just started in April a new podcast.
It's called Enter the Mystics Garden. So that's on Spotify,
it's on Substack Enter the Mystics Garden. And in one
of the recent episodes, I had a friend who was
here and he is a a musician, and so he
was singing a song on the podcast guests who ran
out into the living room and joined in. It was
the most comical part of the entire episode. So that
episode has gotten more people interested because Bella herself shows up,
her voice is there. It's very very cute. It's called
The Day of Prayers Changed My World. So they can
find me on Spotify, Enter the Mystics card and they
can find me at my website Ellenmlaura dot com or
on Amazon.
Speaker 2: Well, I want to thank you Ellen for coming on
Catatude and sharing all of this wonderful information about your book.
I wish you great success. Thank you so much.
Speaker 6: Thank you, Michelle, it was so kind of you to
invite me here.
Speaker 2: I want to thank Ellen Laura for coming on Catatude
and telling us about her new book. Bella and Django
a Vegas velvet caper. Be sure to look for it
and Amazon, and also her podcast on Spotify. I want
to thank my cat crew, Dennis, Charlotte and Mollie for
teaching me about cats. Thank you, of course, to my listeners,
I appreciate you so much for being so loyal to
catued Thank you, thank you, And of course the show
would not be the same without the magic of my producer.
Thank you, Mark Winter for all you do. And hey, remember,
lose the attitude, have catitude.
Speaker 4: Let's Talk Pats every week on demand only on Petlight
radio dot com.