Stories From The Scratching Post — Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Scratching Post? Yes... scratching post. Get swept up in the world that cats rarely let us know even exist. Enjoyment at the turn of every page. Captivating stories penned by some of today's most creative writers.Kristine Kathryn Rusch: Little MiraclesAs a homicide detective, Frank deals with violent death every day. And his reaction to those deaths kills him by inches. Until his most recent case forces him to take a long, hard look at his emotional state. The murder scene's only survivor might hold the clues Frank needs to solve the case. It might even hold the key to Frank's very salvation.Kristine Kathryn Rusch's crime stories are exceptional, both in plot and in style.—Ed Gorman, Mystery Scene MagazineSteve Vernon: Grandpa Hated CatsI hate cats more than any on the planet, Grandpa always told us. A dog you can take hunting and a moose you can shoot, but a cat only gets in the way and barfs on your carpet in the nighttime, most usually in the very spot that you step on first thing in the morning with your bare feet and then you are left walking around the whole day long smelling of cat-barfed-on-footprints.Of course, I always wondered if there wasn't a different kind of story...A touching and humorous and almost-mostly true short story by Steve Vernon, the man who brought you CAT TALES!Bonnie Elizabeth: Poison PawSometimes work slips in through the window even after you're retired.Chickadee, a specially trained silver shaded Persian feline assassin wakes to a soft noise. The scent of a female Siamese reaches her nose.Chickadee's human, Yvonne slumbers in the bedroom unaware of the danger that has entered her home. Will Chickadee's reflexes remain fast enough to save Yvonne before the Siamese assassin strikes?Poison Paw is a short urban fantasy about a pair of unlikely assassins. Fans of Bonnie Elizabeth will no doubt delight in this tale told by a former feline assassin.Molly Hunt: The Dream SpinnerMorningstar is a cat with a special gift. He is a Dream Spinner, one who can weave the fabric of people's dreams as they sleep. Morningstar's talent is welcomed by the elderly residents of St. Joseph's Care Facility until he is inadvertently swept into the nightmare world of a troubled woman. The distraught mind is a treacherous place; can Morningstar's feline wit get him out alive?Jamie Ferguson: Clyde and the Ghost CatClyde the cat recently moved to a new house with his people. Things are going well until he discovers that there's another cat living there—and she's a ghost!J.A. Marlow: Curse of the Second DateAbandon all hope with the second date...Jack desperately wants the second date with the woman of his dreams to go as well as the first. Instead, an unbelievable cascade of disasters threaten to torpedo the blossoming romance. Attempting to turn the night around, he escorts Millie to her door... to find his next obstacle in the form of her waiting cat.Kathryn Kaleigh: An Errant YankeeWhile on a supply run to town, southerner Alisa and her cat Muffin find a Yankee soldier treed by their dog.The injured soldier posed no danger, but Muffin wove a safety spell around them anyway. The man needed shelter.Rescuing an errant Yankee proved to be more than Alisa could have predicted...A charming short story in the Civil War Southern Belle historical romance series with unexpected compelling characters.