I have to admit it was very easy creating the characters for my book, primarily because the characters stem from wonderful memories that I have cherished over the years.  One day, in the middle of something I was meant to be doing, I decided to sit down and count the number of cats who have come into my life over the years. It was a lovely experience.  Each time I wrote a cat’s name a special memory popped up in my mind.

When I wrote down the name of Abuella (who became Bella in my book), or Tia,or Wynken, Blynken and Nod, all street cats whom I adopted whilst living in Ibiza, the memories came flooding back.  The day Abuella brought me the three, beautiful ginger and white kittens and later, as I have described in my book, watching them at their daily lessons amongst the herbs surrounding the ancient olive tree on the other side of the old wall.

These cats never wanted to come into the house – and yes, it was the white house I wrote about – but were content to stroll up each day for their daily meal, sometimes later lazing around on the terrace, or heading up towards the woods.   And yes, it is true that Senora, my house cat, a character who plays a big part in my book, was very stand-offish when it came to a meeting with the other cats.  She never spoke to them, just gave them a severe look, turned and walked in the opposite direction.

To use that old cliché, all the characters just ‘fell into my lap’!  Next time I’ll tell you more, so please keep coming back.  In the meantime here are some photo memories …..