Yoshi looking thoughtful
Gatsby: What are you looking at?
Maybe its just a neck massage but it looks like somebody’s getting strangled.
Portrait of a Petective as a young kitten
Just hangin’ out
A five year old girl’s portrait of Yoshi and Gatsby.
Yoshi at three years old
Relaxing together
Is this from the camera flash or do they have super powers?
Real Life
• AKA: Philo; Catboy; Knucklehead Smith; Safety Cat
• Orange cat with light stripes. 12 pounds.
• Rescued pet; We got Gatsby at Pets Without Parents, a non-profit, no-kill, all-breed shelter for dogs and cats in Columbus, OH.
• Gatsby is usually skittish although he has been known to deliver a series of blows to dogs four times his size.
• Likes dry dog food as a snack
• He seems to howl at people doing things that he considers unsafe. This habit has earned him the nickname “Safety Cat”
• Supposedly an indoor cat but has made several attempts to escape to the outdoors.
Fictional
• Narrator of the Petectives stories.
• 3 years old. Orange cat with light stripes. 12 pounds.
• Gatsby is very intelligent but has a reckless temperament and doesn’t always think through the consequences of his actions. He’s prone to making risky decisions based on emotion.
• Gatsby has a very good vocabulary as a result of living with Yoshi, his housemate and partner in crime detection.
• Outgoing and friendly. Loves to get out of the house. Actually enjoys the company of some dogs.
• Something of a “ladies cat” before he met his girlfriend Molasses.
• Gatsby has a high regard for Yoshi although he would never admit it.
A list of songs that I listened to while writing the novella Petectives. Some of the songs have a thematic link to the story, while others helped me set a scene or get into the heads of the characters. There are a range of genres represented but the overall theme is sort of jazzy sophistipop.
Sister Moon – Herbie Hancock featuring Sting: Jazzed up version of the Sting song. I have never had any idea what the lyrics mean but I have imagined that they are from a cat’s viewpoint.
Moondance – Van Morrison: The perfect song for the beginning of the story where cat detective Gatsby meets his lovely client on an October night under a full moon.
Black Cat – Janet Jackson: Gatsby’s annoyed that there are no songs titled “Orange Cat”.
Everybody Wants to Be a Cat – Jennifer Ryan: Slow, jazzy version of the theme song from the Disney classic “The Aristocats”.
Watching the Detectives – Elvis Costello: The big band version from the album “My Flame Burns Blue”. You can’t get any more detectivey than this.
Who’s Johnny? – El DeBarge
Somewhere in the World – Swing Out Sister
Peter Gunn – Art of Noise: No detective story should be written or read without this tune playing in the background at some point.
La Luna – Matt Bianco: Yet another jazzy moon song.
After All – Al Jarreau: A love song for Gatsby and Molasses.
Pink Panther Theme – Bobby McFerrin: Another cool detective song. This one with a cat connection in the title.
Heaven Only Knows – Swing Out Sister
Warehouse – Dave Matthews Band: I pictured this playing when Gatsby and Molasses are exploring the old abandoned house that turns out to be far more dangerous than they suspected.
What Is Hip? – Tower Of Power
Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing – Stevie Wonder
The Big Eye – Rusty Zinn: Rockin’ blues tunes with extremely paranoid lyrics.
Someone To Watch Over Me – Ella Fitzgerald
King Of Pain – Inner Circle
Today you can pick up a free download of PETECTIVES: CHRISTMAS PARTY for your Amazon Kindle:
Christmastime is here! But someone not filled with the holiday spirit is trying to kill an obnoxious dog and cat detective Gatsby finds himself in the crossfire. If Gatsby survives, he wants to throw a Christmas Eve blowout for the neighborhood animals. His partner Yoshi is dead set against the party but he may be able to use it to unmask a would-be killer and teach Gatsby what Christmas is all about. Throw in a canine love triangle and a cute orphan and you’ve got the recipe for one riveting Yuletide affair. The Petectives are throwing a Christmas party and you don’t want to miss it!
from Friday, January 11, 2013
10. He rubs up against your leg — suddenly, your wallet’s gone
9. Coughs up fur ball, then a balloon of cocaine
8. For a cat, he rents a lot of storage units
7. Your dog goes missing, ransom note demands tuna
6. Kathryn Bigelow’s next film is about the hunt for your cat
5. Brings home mice, chipmunks, and the occasional Petco truck
4. Clawed a gang sign into his scratching post
3. Endless, profanity-laced meowing
2. Used to lick himself, now pays a neighbor cat to do it for him
1. Hired dog to be his ‘getaway driver’
Last week Petectives received a very nice review on the “Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and More” blog. Check it out:
http://mochasmysteriesandmore.blogspot.com/2013/07/review-petectives-by-robert-j-smith.html
Yoshi
Real Life
Fictional
Petectives 