So MARDI GRAS MURDER just came out from Mystery and Horror LLC and it includes my second Mr. Sugar story, “Mr. Sugar vs. the Cake Thief.” The first is “Mr. Sugar vs. the Martians,” which appears in my own collection LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL.

Mr. Sugar and I were interviewed together on the Mystery and Horror LLC web site yesterday. Hop over and read it. I’ll wait.

Are you back? Here are a couple of excerpts from the stories for you.

From “Mr. Sugar vs. the Martians”

“‘Sampling’, Mr. Sugar,” Nels said, in his rasping attempt at English. “The good word is ‘sampling’.”

“I thought you already had all the samples you needed. You said the DiMarco woman was the last you would take for another twenty years.”

“Human,” Alagon said. His accent was good, but his vocabulary was limited. “Not human, now. Now, cat.”

I hissed, tucked my tail under my belly, and tried to back away, but Nels’ force net caught me. Yowling, I rose into the air and floated through the ship’s portal. Alagon stood as I passed and held out a hand to guide my body. If I had thought he understood the words “Neosporin” and “Band-Aid”, I would have given him some advice.

Somewhere nearby, a woman cursed steadily. Mrs. DiMarco, I had no doubt. She commanded the bluest language and the deadliest throwing arm in the neighborhood; none of the vocal local Toms were sorry to be told she had been sampled.

~*~

From “Mr. Sugar vs. the Cake Thief”

Mrs. DiMarco swept her porch, her steps, her walk, the sidewalk in front of her lawn, and the street in front of her property. It took her a little longer than it need have, since she kept dropping ash from the cigarette she never removed from the corner of her mouth and had to go back and sweep it up. It didn’t seem to bother her, though, since she never stopped sweeping, smoking, nor singing “Oh, Lonesome Me” out of the side of her mouth not clamped on the cigarette.

From down the block, I heard my female human call into our back yard, “Sugar? Mr. Sugar! Kit-kit-kitty! Mr. Sugar!”

The pricking up of my ears must have betrayed me (I told you the woman is perceptive), because Mrs. DiMarco said, “Mr. Sugar? Is that your name, Ragmop? Mr. Sugar?” She took the cigarette from her mouth and laughed heartily if hoarsely.

I affected not to notice. After cleaning my face, I left her yard and, stopping on the sidewalk to shake each of my rear paws in unmistakable insult, went home.

~*~

So go. Buy. Read. Enjoy. 🙂

LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL is available for Kindle only.

MARDIS GRAS MURDER is available for Kindle and in print.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Write a story about an animal at a festival.

MA