It happened a month ago, just after the last blog about writing this novel. I was reading the weekly newsletter from cats.about.com about the experiences people have when they lose their cats. Suddenly I had an idea.
It was the long string of comments that attracted my attention. Comments on a website tend to indicate subjects about which people feel so strongly they are prepared to climb their wall of privacy. I thought I was familiar with almost all the range of feelings and practicalities of death after Millou died, but these people wrote about something I had dismissed. Perhaps I had seen it and just refused to believe.
Initially it looked like a small change to the story, as additional colour and a new twist to the story, but as I glanced over the chapters it became clear there was a possibility for a whole new little story about Millou. Those scenes are precious.
What’s more, I don’t know of anyone ever doing this before, although my reading is not wide enough to be an authority.
In the weeks before Christmas I was busy writing, correcting and then rereading everything to check for consistency. Now it’s with a select team of readers. Paws crossed that it works.
Stoke on Trent
It was not a war of his choosing. It was not even his profession. But step by step Doug Boulton found himself drawn into it. And with every step, the risk increased that people would discover his terrible secret.