Today’s interview is with a novice voice who took a bold step into the world of writers to publish a memoir, which goes to prove that anyone can write a memoir.
You decided to write a memoir but you’re a nobody with a seemingly mundane life. Why?
A nobody!? Meeeeoooow! Quite the catty remark from someone looking to me for answers
and inspiration, wouldn’t you agree? Swatting your slight aside, let me just say that most writers know that there are no mundane lives, only poor creatures who plod through a boring
existence without imagination, curiosity, or spunk. Those who settle for skim milk instead
of insisting on cream.
I say “seemingly” because you do come across some challenges, one being orphaned at a young age. How did you get through it?
The cobble-stoned streets of Brussels were a mean but very effective teacher. To survive, I learned not to behave as a victim. Heck, the ordeals I’ve endured could fill one lifetime or even nine. I’m curious by nature and quite fearless. I didn’t do it all alone though. Even a solitary stray like me needs scraps of compassion from time to time. My success and survival depended upon the kindness and aid of an array of acquaintances and strangers.
Who do you find to be the most interesting character in your book?
Your question implies that either I can’t pick myself or I shouldn’t do so. Really, the entire story revolves around me. Who could possibly be more interesting than the hero of the memoir? But if I must choose another character, I’ll say Rex. Why? He’s about as complex as characters come. What we see isn’t what we get. A classic anti-hero with rough edges and a mean streak but also a heart of gold. A bark definitely worse than his bite. Rex is someone who isn’t easy to befriend. But he’s someone, nonetheless, whose friendship is its own reward.
How is it that your memoir turns into a kind of travelogue for the charming city of Brussels?
Readers love books that transport them to an exotic locale. Brussels with its unique neighborhoods, markets, and landmarks offered colorful and interesting settings through which to move the characters. A maritime climate of frequent fog and drizzle provided the perfect complement to the story’s intrigue and shadowy figures. My story, like the city, is rich in sensory anchors. Brussels is a looming presence in the book, a character in its own right.
Your descriptions and play with words are as fun as a ball of string in idle hands.
Humor is an essential ingredient in my writing. Nonstop tragedy and turmoil can wear a reader down. Puns are one of the humor devices I use to shake up the book’s tone and tempo. Readers will find several pawsitively purrfect puns as well as turns of common phrases and idioms. My favorite occurs when Penelope cautions against misplaced bravado: “A cat among pigeons is one thing, but a cat among wolves is quite another.”
How did you create a sense of adventure that is enticing, scary and rewarding all at once?
Centuries-old Brussels is home to some shady characters. NATO officials and European Union diplomats from three dozen nations add a cosmopolitan flair. The presence of so many foreigners with ambitions and agendas creates an ideal setting for international intrigue and other dangerous games of cat and mouse. Spies and sinister agents abound. Many of the city’s rats and rogues are imported. My story features a cadre of ruthless scoundrels.
While on a quest to find your family you encounter an underworld of traffickers and become a target yourself. What did you learn from that experience?
Contrary to the popular mantra, greed is NOT good. Quick riches and the unquenchable thirst for power have turned some people into monsters. Are these the behaviors that allowed two-legged uprights to rise to the top of the food chain? Might they not also be the self-destructive traits that cause them to fall from their lofty perch? My ordeal didn’t turn me into a complete cynic. Kindness and compassion from unlikely allies offered me glimmers of hope and optimism. If some of us can learn to live together in peace and harmony, why can’t we all? One
lesson, however, looms large. Russians, by nature, make great villains.
No living thing can be owned, we are all in kinship with one another, right?
I’m reminded of Cecil Frances Alexander’s verse: “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.” Ownership is strictly a human convention. Nature knows no such constraint. Birds, butterflies, and bees pass freely from one garden to the next. No fence, hedge, or “No Trespassing” sign can stop them. Consider the relationship between humans and pets. Most people refer to their animals as companions, family. The sole exception may be the human-feline bond. In these relationships, it’s common for the cat to exert ownership over the human. Most cat-loving humans would agree.
Would you say an ongoing theme in your book is trust?
I definitely wanted to explore the role trust plays in our lives. Sounds simple enough, but is it? Learning to trust our own abilities and instincts is often the hardest lesson of all. And what about those we meet along our journey? Everyone has secrets, hidden facts, unspoken truths.
A public and private face. How many of us allow our biases to predispose us to trust some and suspect others? Smiling friends can betray us just as repellent strangers can turn out to be unlikely allies. My book warns of the pitfalls of paradigms and prejudices.
Is the fur coat you wear a signature look to make yourself stand out in a crowd?
Fur is fabulous. I treasure my coat. One might even call it my second skin. Yes, it’s a fashion statement. But it’s also practical: warm, cool, breathable. Perfect for every season. Truth is, I’d only be caught dead without it. Wherever I go, it goes too. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a proponent of harming any animal for its fur. On the contrary, those who hurt and mistreat
animals are among the planet’s cruelest creatures.
You are an unlikely writer. Why did you decide to write in your own voice?
I can’t imagine a better way to share my story than in my own voice. I’m an inscrutable creature, sphinxlike. Might even call me a breed apart. My native tongue is highly nuanced. Much of what I had to say would be lost in translation. Most people don’t have the capacity to understand me or others like me. Inherent biases can seep into the work of the most well-intentioned biographer. My story was too important to allow that.
As I write at the end of my memoir, the literary world could benefit from a fresh perspective especially one rich in adventure as mine. Humans have made a royal mess of the world. For one, they don’t listen to each other. Maybe they will listen to me.
To our readers: Today is a day when truth gets mixed with fiction. Happy April Fool’s Day! This interview was conducted with a cat named Fluff brought to life through the imaginative mind of author and BWW member T.D. Arkenberg. He recently published My One Extraordinary Life, A Feline Memoir which has gotten great reviews. Remember, anything goes in the world of a writer.
