...black cats; not just for witches #nationalblackcatday

Caught in the act!

Apologies everyone for the off topic blog that you are about to read, this one is neither bookish or fantasy based, but it is a topic close to my heart 🤍

Since tomorrow is #nationalblackcatday, and I have two stunning specimens that I adopted 7 years ago, I felt it was only fitting to devote them some special, much warranted attention both here in this blog and across social media.

Every October 27th, Cats Protection has its NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY - aiming to raise awareness to the plight of black cats in adoption centres who tend to lose out on homes to more "colourful" or "unusual" breeds.

On average, black cats take 13% longer to find a home than cats of other colours. 

The UK's leading feline welfare charity currently has 1,300 black cats in its care at this moment. 

There are many myths surrounding black cats that date back to the middle ages when they came to be associated with witches as their companions or familiars. 

Some consider them bad luck, some say good. 

The good stems from Sailors taking black cats aboard ships, not to catch mice, but because they were considered good omens.

Even this positive association is silly superstition.

The plain truth is, black cats are just like any other. Sure, they don't photograph too well, and some argue it's this that makes them unpopular in this day and age of social media. I greatly hope this supercilious attitude is not the reason they're unpopular. If it's simply based on colour, then people don't know what they're missing. My cats are black and they have the most colourful personalities you will ever come across.

When I was looking for cats, I had only two requirements:

1. they must be rescued

2. they must be black (I desired a witch's cat to be my companion - superstition be damned)

I guarantee that about 30% of the cats I saw in animal shelters were black. I had so much choice in the rescue centres. No one seemed to want them, and I cannot fathom why!! Every single one was a sweetie!

I searched all my local rescue centres, (listed below because I strongly advise adoption from reputable shelter):

~ Cats Protection (multiple locations)
~ RSPCA (multiple locations)
~ Battersea (multiple locations)
~ Last Chance Animal Rescue in Edenbridge
~ Rolvenden Cat Rescue in Cranbrook
~ The Retreat Animal Rescue in High Halden
~ Foal Farm in Biggin Hill
...and many more! Run a google search in your area if you're looking to adopt!

The cats I saw at these locations were amazing, but not the right fit for my situation. There can be any number of reasons, but please don't be discouraged if you aren't allowed to adopt a certain cat - you just need to find the right match.

And eventually, I did.

Introducing my rescue moggies, Molly and Leo, a brother and sister who had already been rehomed once as kittens, before ending up for adoption once more.

I should stress that I went looking for one witchy cat. Of course, I got two. Who could resist? 

A witchy cat is intensely desirable to someone who writes fantasy fiction. Not to mention the fact that they're generally sleek and beautiful with hauntingly vivid eyes. So much character without their personalities even coming into play.

Molly (left) Leo (right)
Now informally known in my house as the Kray Twins

Molly (behind) Leo (in front)
The Kray Twins strike again!

Lovely Leo 

Miss Molly in a bag...not unusual

Molly helping wrap Christmas presents...

Molly is my firecracker. She loves on her own terms, prefers boxes and gift bags to comfy beds, resembles a black puddle when she lays down, eats her brother's food before her own, and is notorious for once having gotten a tea pot stuck on her head.

Leo is my fur-baby. He loves unconditionally, greets me at the door when I come home from work, hates my laptop because it monopolises my lap space, keeps me company when blogging, reading and writing, and jealously guards me from his sister when she deigns to show me love.

Although these qualities are humorous and unique to my pets, they are also not unusual cat traits and they're certainly not reserved for black cats alone.

My point being that black cats should not be boycotted. They should be embraced and loved like any other.

I hope with this blog I'll change some opinions, or maybe just reinforce your existing love of black cats.

To summarise:

Black cats are not evil.
They are not unlucky.

They are not reserved for the companionship of witches only...although...

Remember everyone, a black cat is for life, not just for Halloween!

To conclude: Adopt more BLACK CATS please!

Zuzu 🖋
find me and my cats on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest

For those who may be wondering, I adopted my kit-cats from the Medway Cat Trust, and I'm sad to say that when I tried to link their details here, I found that they're no longer in operation!!
So a message for Hazel Charlesworth of the former Medway Cat Trust - if you ever happen to read this blog, I thank you so sincerely for pairing me with Molly and Leo. You changed my life and theirs. -They are ten-year-old, spoilt, pampered self-made house cats now! They literally don't want to go outside unless it is to pathetically hunt me a moth (of all things) and then retire to their bed exhausted...and by their bed, I clearly mean my bed, which they have claimed as their own! Typical cats!

...bookish inspiration for halloween costumes 2020

Anyone who knows me will testify that I take Halloween very seriously. Specifically Halloween costumes...

You can blame it on my childhood in Canada where Halloween is definitely treated as more of a holiday that it is here in England. I can remember trick or treating with my entire family dressed as the characters from The Wizard of Oz, then Cinderella on consecutive years. My grandad and my uncle were the ugly step-sisters! The commitment was real.

When we moved to England, I met my Halloween soulmate, my best friend and kindred spirit whose house I still end up at every Halloween despite the fact that her family long ago stopped hosting their annual Halloween party. The party has morphed into an extravagant family feast with more food than 12 people could ever hope to consume in one night. And what I love is that we all still commit to dressing up to an extreme level.

Owing to the unfavourable Corona, this year will be the first that we're unable to celebrate Halloween together. But don't think that's going to stop us from dressing up!

Many of my past costumes have been inspired by book characters, and so I thought I would share some of my favourites ideas with you for this year in case you're in an area where it's safe to be having Halloween parties!

Cruella DeVil

A character originally conceived in the 1956 children's novel

One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Doddie Smith

Excerpt: "...she was wearing a black satin dress with ropes of pearls, but the same absolutely simple white mink coat."

Professor Trelawney

A character that first appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling

Excerpt: "Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings." 

Elphaba Thropp

A character conceived in the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum, and whose origin is reconstructed in Wicked by Gregory Maguire, 2003.

Excerpt: "...as  Elphaba moved forward, lugging her own carpetbags, it became obvious that she was green. A hatchet-faced girl with putrescent green skin, and long foreign looking black hair.

The Other Mother / "The Beldam"

The protagonist in Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Excerpt: "She looked like Coraline's mother. Only... Only her skin was white as paper. Only she was taller and thinner. Only her fingers were too long, and they never stopped moving, and her dark-red fingernails were curved and sharp."..."And then she turned around. Her eyes were big black buttons."

Katniss Everdeen

from 2008 book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

Excerpt: "Cinna does my hair in my simple trademark braid down my back."

Anne Shirley

The classic character whose red hair I relate to in Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Excerpt: "She wore a faded brown sailor hat and beneath the hat, extending down her back, were two braids of thick, decidedly red hair."

Of course there are an abundance of book characters you could choose from, these are just some of my favourites. I hope you're inspired. Let me know in the comments what you're dressing up as this year, or if you're dressing up at all.

It's a little bit early I know, but I wish you all a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Zuzu 🖋

@zuzuspages on Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest

...too many pumpkins

When I was younger, my mom used to read me a book called Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, about Rebecca Estelle who abhors pumpkins, until the day that a pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her garden, resulting in her garden becoming overrun with them when the seeds grow! 

I believe we can pinpoint this book as the source of my pumpkin obsession. It's stuck with me ever since childhood.

I grew up in Canada where Halloween was more widely celebrated than it is here in England. I have great memories of tromping through a pumpkin patch in wellingtons to find the perfect pumpkin, which at the age of five, probably was simply a pumpkin that was small and light enough for me to be able to carry on my own. Now I demand the largest, most impressive pumpkin that I can get my hands on, regardless of whether I can carry it.

Exhibit A:

To this day I get ridiculously over excited when pumpkin season rolls around, so imagine my excitement when I discovered Slindon Pumpkins in Arundel last year: a family business, and an "internationally renowned pumpkin mural extravaganza" that's been open for 52 years, selling 50 varieties of pumpkin and 30 varieties of squash.

I felt like I was in pumpkin heaven! I spent a small fortune there without regret and made some fantastic displays around my house.

However, when planning my second trip this year, imagine my devastation when I realised the business has closed until further notice due to covid19! I'm crushed, as I'm sure so many others are. It was quite the attraction.

Disloyal as it feels now to go elsewhere for pumpkins, I characterise as a "pumpkin addict", and therefore can't go without a fix this time of year. I found a very local pick-your-own farm, Pumpkin Moon in Maidstone, and visited yesterday. Needless to say I made our like a bandit with a literal wheelbarrow-load of pumpkins and gourds, for cooking and displaying respectively.

Observe the haul:

(I might go back for more!!!)

Continuing with this pumpkin mood, and for the purposes of this blog, I scrounged around my bookshelves today and found that I've retained my entire collection of Halloween books from childhood, including the infamous Too Many Pumpkins, that induced my pumpkin addiction. The covers are adorable, and inevitably have to be shared here:

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Halloween Mice by Bethany Roberts

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

The Witch's Hand by Peter Utton

Little Witch's Big Night by Deborah Hautzig

I recommend all these books to adults and children alike; I don't think you're ever too old to derive joy from a picture book. However, I apologise if not all the books are available to buy in the UK. As I said, I grew up in Canada, so that is most likely where they were published.

Bonus points to the first person to tot up the amount of times the word "pumpkin" appears in this blog!

It might hinge on the ridiculous! 

Thanks for reading. Happy Pumpkin Season!

Zuzu 🖋

@zuzuspages Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest

...twisted roots

One of my favourite genres, and one that I myself have been very inspired by, is what  I like to call the "twisted fairy tale". 

It delights me when an author is able to take an existing and well established story and twist it into some dark and unpredictable fantasy novel.

Below are some of the best examples of this genre that I've encountered over the past few years, with a brief description that I hope will entice!

TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Before there was Wendy, there was Tiger Lily. This is her story, witnessed and told by the all seeing eyes of Tinkerbell. A perspective that I guarantee you won't recognise. See my full book review for more details (click link).

THE GIRL IN RED by Christina Henry

This post apocalyptic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood gives a whole new dimension to the character and the story we all grew up with. Red must make her way alone to her Grandma's house where it's isolated and hopefully safe. But nowhere is really safe since the Crisis came.

WICKED by Gregory Maguire

Simply and uncomplicatedly, how the witches came to be, or "the untold story of the witches of oz".

I could read this book and its successors again and again. And I have!

LOST BOY by Christina Henry

Lost Boy is the retelling of Peter Pan from the perspective of one of the lost boys, Jamie. A dark, unexpected twist on the original story that I savoured until the last word. This is without a doubt my favourite Christina Henry novel.

CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER by Gregory Maguire

A historical fantasy retelling of Cinderella from the perspective of one of her stepsisters, Iris. Set in the backdrop of seventeenth century Holland. The idea of what truly makes a thing ugly or beautiful is thoroughly explored in this novel and I can't recommend it enough. 

ALICE by Christina Henry. 

Followed by RED QUEEN & LOOKING GLASS.

This is Wonderland darker than you've ever seen it before. Alice begins this version of the story from within the walls of the mental asylum. Occupying the cell beside her is the Mad Hatcher, a known murderer. Together they'll embark on a long and dangerous journey to freedom, meeting all the characters along the way, but in surprising forms. 

So intelligently written. Truly dark and fantastical. For a more in depth look at this book and those that follow it, see my book review on the whole Chronicles of Alice series: click here to read  

DOROTHY MUST DIE by Danielle Paige

Amy is swept away from Kansas by a twister, to the land of Oz that Dorothy never really returned from. She's recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and she has a mission: remove the heart of the Tinman, steal the Scarecrow's brain, take the Lion's courage, and then, Dorothy must die. Amy soon finds out that Dorothy is no longer the sweet little girl from the original story.

THE MERMAID by Christina Henry

Not quite a retelling, I know! But this book combines the fantastical theatrics of circus life with the life of the young woman that P.T Barnum employs as his "Mermaid". This was not my favourite Christina Henry novel, but the concept and the writing still intrigued me enough to want to include it in this list.

BEASTS HEART by Leife Shallcross

Beauty and the Beast from the dark and reclusive perspective of the Beast himself. A perspective I thoroughly enjoyed reading and had never considered the depth of.

BEAUTY by Robin McKinley
Beauty and the Beast retold in a way that hones in on the sheer magic of the love story and the crossing of boundaries between Beauty and the Beast.

AFTER ALICE by Gregory Maguire

When Alice tumbled into Wonderland, she found its rules and peculiarities as bazaar and nonsensical as the world of Victorian England she'd left behind. This retelling explores how Oxford in 1860 reacts to her disappearance, and introduces Ada who is Alice's friend, and a character that is briefly mentioned by Alice in the original book by Lewis Carroll.

SPINDLES END by Robin McKinley

A retelling of sleeping beauty. 

Rosie is an ordinary girl whom no one would look at twice, especially not the evil fairy who hunts her. Due to the curse placed upon her at her christening, the secret of her birthright has been concealed even from Rosie herself, but soon she will be twenty one and be acknowledged once again as a princess whether she cares to be or not.

CINDERELLA'S DEAD by Kalynn Bayron

200 years after Cinderella found her prince, Sophia is still all too familiar with the story because once a year she's sent to the royal ball for choosing, along with all the other girls.

This is a reasonably new publication, and I can't yet reflect on this book as I've yet to read it. It's on my TBR pile for October, so expect a review as soon as I'm through! I've heard great things and I'm very excited!

And there we have it folks.
Of course, there are so many more examples of this genre out there, and as I read more I might take the liberty of adding to this list. If anyone has any good recommendations, then please please please let me know in the comments below!

Happy reading!
Zuzu 🖋

@zuzuspages on Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest