Got a kitten, kitten, kitten, kitten in my hair

[sovay]

It is the seventh anniversary of Kittening Day, when the children of golden-eyed Hera left their fosterage with the family of a_reasonable_man and came to live with us. We celebrate them constantly.



Hestia, presiding over the remains of her scratch box. One of her cult titles is Death to Cardboard.



Autolycus, sacked out on my shoulder. A few nights ago he chased a plastic bottlecap through the apartment at exactly the hour we wanted to be asleep.

I learned tonight that in 1930, John Steinbeck wrote, shelved, but did not destroy an unpublished werewolf novel called Murder at Full Moon. "Its characters include . . . an eccentric amateur sleuth who sets out to solve the crime using techniques based on his obsession with pulp detective fiction." Take my money, please.

Comments

[jreynoldsward]

Now I kinda want to write an alt-history novel where Steinbeck becomes a giant of early science fiction/fantasy. He was headed that direction early on in his career (Cup of Gold, plus his later wrestling with an Arthurian novel), and he could have easily diverted into fantasy writing using California settings.

Imagine what that could have been.

[sovay]

He was headed that direction early on in his career (Cup of Gold, plus his later wrestling with an Arthurian novel), and he could have easily diverted into fantasy writing using California settings.

I knew he had done an Arthurian retelling, but I hadn't known he had tried for an actual novel! That would have been fascinating.

Imagine what that could have been.

I think you should.

[jreynoldsward]

He really wrestled with the Arthur mythos, something that was a lifelong obsession and shaped the writing of Tortilla Flat for one. And then there was an early collaboration with a friend that fell into the fantasy realm.

Dear lord, however, a novel would require significant time going through his papers, because I don't think a lot of what I would need from that early era is available.

Maybe a novelette. Or short story. Gotta consider it.