It was one year ago today (or seven in Orson time) that Tail & Trouble was officially went on sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all other book selling websites.
It has been a fantastic year for this book. The story I started dreaming up while I was stuck in a traffic jam south of Myrtle Beach a few years ago finally was available to everyone. When I finished it, the good people at Red Adept Publishing took a chance on it, and I am so grateful.
The response to Tail & Trouble has been amazing, with dozens of five star reviews and thousands of copies sold. Last August, the book cracked the Amazon Top 100 - of all paid books - peaking at #88. So, for a brief shining moment I was up there with authors I admire, like Neil Gaiman and JK Rowling. It's still incredible to think about that, and I have all of the readers, reviewers and bloggers to thank for it.
So, as a thank you to all of you for making this book such a success, I'm giving you a birthday present. While I work to finish the sequel, The Winter of our Distemper - and I swear, it's almost done! - please enjoy this short story featuring Gabriel and Orson. It gives a hint as to the location of the next book, and it also celebrates one of my favorite dates that took place just a week ago., May the Fourth.
I hope you all enjoy it! It was fun to write and hopefully it will tide you over till the next book is done.
BIRTHDAY
A Gabriel & Orson Short Story
By Victor Catano
“Are they really as good as all that, Gabriel?” Sheila stretched out in the passenger seat of the convertible. Her shirt rode up a little and I got a glimpse of her navel. This of course got me thinking about the other things under her shirt, which made me ignore the car in front of us. It took a shriek from Sheila to get me to slam on the brakes.
Down boy. Or do I have to get the hose? I could hear Orson judging me from the back seat.
“Sorry.” I felt sheepish, but not that guilty. Sheila was the girl of my dreams. That fact that she was also a powerful witch with a chatty bulldog familiar was icing on the cake. A lot of icing. “I never had them. My friend swears by them, though.”
Sheila stared at me. “You mean we’re going to break about nine different international laws, and you never even tried them?
We inched forward in line at the Canadian border crossing. We were in Maine, on the US side, in a town called Calais. Pronounced like the foot bunion and not like the town in France.
I shrugged. “They’re chocolate covered almonds. They’re going to be good. Hey, we were up here anyway. What, are you all opposed to chocolate now?”
“No, I am opposed to crossing a border without a passport. And with a dog with no vet records.”
What? I’m good! Orson chuffed as he vigorously scratched his ear.
Sheila reached into the back seat and scratched him under his jaw. “Yes you are, my little cuddle bug, But they don’t want my word for it.”
“I’m hurt. I thought I was your little cuddle bug.”
Don’t be jealous. I’m a catch.
I grinned and turned to Sheila. “Well, consider it a birthday present for me.”
We had inched up to be next in line. We were at a stop sign, waiting to be summoned to the customs booth ahead of us. “And they will take your word for it. Just let me do the talking. You take care of the other stuff.”
Sheila pursed her lips. “I’m not entirely comfortable doing this. I don’t want to use this like a party trick.”
“Hey, it’s my birthday! You said I could do anything I wanted!”
Yeah, you said anything.
“Thank you, Orson.”
No matter how stupid.
I sighed. “Just give me this. It’s just something I need to do.”
The car ahead of us rolled away from the guard post. I accelerated gently and coasted into the stall.
The customs agent was a dour looking fellow. Short hair, bored eyes, young, but already starting a beer belly. He held out his hand. “Passports, please.”
I leaned my arm on the rolled down window and gave a little flick of my hand. “You don’t need to see our identification.”
The agent glared at me. “I most certainly do. And unless you want to get pulled aside for a special screening, you’d better hand them over. Now,”
I spun around to look at Sheila. “What’s going on?”
“What? You said to let you do the talking,”
“You promised. This is really important to me.”
Sheila smiled. “All right, I’m sorry. Try it again.”
I turned back to the guard. HIs mood had not improved. “Well? Pass them over before I call my supervisor.”
I waved my hand again. “You don’t need to see our identification.”
His brow furrowed and he started to say something rude, but then his face went slack and calm. “We don’t need to see your identification.”
I was cheering in my head, but I tried to keep myself as cool and collected as I could. I waved my fingers again. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
He stared at the car. “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.”
I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I put the car in park and tapped my feet excitedly. “W-we can go about our business!”
“You can go about your business,” the guard repeated.
I giggled as I said the last line. “Move along!”
The guard gave us a bored wave. “Move along. Move along.”
We did. I did my best to feather the gas and not slam down on it. We rolled away into the town of Saint Stephens.
I was so excited I was beaming. My hands were shaking so much, I pulled into a nearby Tim Horton’s parking lot. I parked badly, across two spots, and leapt out of the car.
“THAT WAS AWESOME!”
Sheila and Orson glanced at each other and then stared at me as I danced around.
“That was so cool! It was just like the movie!”
Sheila gave me a half smile but looked more than a little concerned. “Sweetie, I know you love that movie and all, but why was it so important to do that?”
Yeah. Most of you nerds just want to fight with light sabers.
I paused my victory celebration to catch my breath. “It’s… It’s complicated.” I took a breath. “You know how I grew up, right?” Sheila nodded. “Dad was a drunk who beat on anything that upset him and Mom tried her best, but after a while she could only do so much. I wished so hard that he would just stop or go away.” I leaned against the hood of the car. “But this… When I saw it on TV when I was five, it just meant everything to me. That someone could just think something and it would happen, it was like my dream.”
I brushed away a tear from my eye as I looked down the street. “You know, all my friends wanted to me Han. Not me. Luke was always my guy.”
Sheila but her head on my shoulder and Orson laid down at my feet. I hadn’t heard them get out of the car. “Oh honey…” Sheila hugged me close to her.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head on hers. “Thank you. I know it was stupid, but it was all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid.”
“I’m glad I could help you. I’m sorry I teased you back there, I didn’t get how important that was to you.”
“Are you kidding? That was great!” I spun her around and kissed her. She hugged me tight. We stayed like that until Orson started to whine.
You done yet? I thought we came for some chocolate dipped almonds.
“What do you care?” I said. “Dogs can’t have chocolate.”
Orson stared at me, his eyes wide with shock. What do you mean? When did this happen?
We made our way to the old Ganong factory for a tour. Not long after that, we sat in the Galaxie eating our chocolate.
Sheila licked her fingers, “I have to hand it to your friend. The hand dipped almonds are exceptional.”
“Darn right they are.” I crunched down on another one.
I heard a doleful whine behind me. I wouldn’t know.
Sheila ignored him and snuggled up to me. “So, any other birthday wishes?”
I grinned. “I have a couple ideas.”
“I’m not wearing my hair in side buns.”
“How about the metal bikini?”
“We can talk about it.”
It has been a fantastic year for this book. The story I started dreaming up while I was stuck in a traffic jam south of Myrtle Beach a few years ago finally was available to everyone. When I finished it, the good people at Red Adept Publishing took a chance on it, and I am so grateful.
The response to Tail & Trouble has been amazing, with dozens of five star reviews and thousands of copies sold. Last August, the book cracked the Amazon Top 100 - of all paid books - peaking at #88. So, for a brief shining moment I was up there with authors I admire, like Neil Gaiman and JK Rowling. It's still incredible to think about that, and I have all of the readers, reviewers and bloggers to thank for it.
So, as a thank you to all of you for making this book such a success, I'm giving you a birthday present. While I work to finish the sequel, The Winter of our Distemper - and I swear, it's almost done! - please enjoy this short story featuring Gabriel and Orson. It gives a hint as to the location of the next book, and it also celebrates one of my favorite dates that took place just a week ago., May the Fourth.
I hope you all enjoy it! It was fun to write and hopefully it will tide you over till the next book is done.
BIRTHDAY
A Gabriel & Orson Short Story
By Victor Catano
“Are they really as good as all that, Gabriel?” Sheila stretched out in the passenger seat of the convertible. Her shirt rode up a little and I got a glimpse of her navel. This of course got me thinking about the other things under her shirt, which made me ignore the car in front of us. It took a shriek from Sheila to get me to slam on the brakes.
Down boy. Or do I have to get the hose? I could hear Orson judging me from the back seat.
“Sorry.” I felt sheepish, but not that guilty. Sheila was the girl of my dreams. That fact that she was also a powerful witch with a chatty bulldog familiar was icing on the cake. A lot of icing. “I never had them. My friend swears by them, though.”
Sheila stared at me. “You mean we’re going to break about nine different international laws, and you never even tried them?
We inched forward in line at the Canadian border crossing. We were in Maine, on the US side, in a town called Calais. Pronounced like the foot bunion and not like the town in France.
I shrugged. “They’re chocolate covered almonds. They’re going to be good. Hey, we were up here anyway. What, are you all opposed to chocolate now?”
“No, I am opposed to crossing a border without a passport. And with a dog with no vet records.”
What? I’m good! Orson chuffed as he vigorously scratched his ear.
Sheila reached into the back seat and scratched him under his jaw. “Yes you are, my little cuddle bug, But they don’t want my word for it.”
“I’m hurt. I thought I was your little cuddle bug.”
Don’t be jealous. I’m a catch.
I grinned and turned to Sheila. “Well, consider it a birthday present for me.”
We had inched up to be next in line. We were at a stop sign, waiting to be summoned to the customs booth ahead of us. “And they will take your word for it. Just let me do the talking. You take care of the other stuff.”
Sheila pursed her lips. “I’m not entirely comfortable doing this. I don’t want to use this like a party trick.”
“Hey, it’s my birthday! You said I could do anything I wanted!”
Yeah, you said anything.
“Thank you, Orson.”
No matter how stupid.
I sighed. “Just give me this. It’s just something I need to do.”
The car ahead of us rolled away from the guard post. I accelerated gently and coasted into the stall.
The customs agent was a dour looking fellow. Short hair, bored eyes, young, but already starting a beer belly. He held out his hand. “Passports, please.”
I leaned my arm on the rolled down window and gave a little flick of my hand. “You don’t need to see our identification.”
The agent glared at me. “I most certainly do. And unless you want to get pulled aside for a special screening, you’d better hand them over. Now,”
I spun around to look at Sheila. “What’s going on?”
“What? You said to let you do the talking,”
“You promised. This is really important to me.”
Sheila smiled. “All right, I’m sorry. Try it again.”
I turned back to the guard. HIs mood had not improved. “Well? Pass them over before I call my supervisor.”
I waved my hand again. “You don’t need to see our identification.”
His brow furrowed and he started to say something rude, but then his face went slack and calm. “We don’t need to see your identification.”
I was cheering in my head, but I tried to keep myself as cool and collected as I could. I waved my fingers again. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
He stared at the car. “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.”
I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I put the car in park and tapped my feet excitedly. “W-we can go about our business!”
“You can go about your business,” the guard repeated.
I giggled as I said the last line. “Move along!”
The guard gave us a bored wave. “Move along. Move along.”
We did. I did my best to feather the gas and not slam down on it. We rolled away into the town of Saint Stephens.
I was so excited I was beaming. My hands were shaking so much, I pulled into a nearby Tim Horton’s parking lot. I parked badly, across two spots, and leapt out of the car.
“THAT WAS AWESOME!”
Sheila and Orson glanced at each other and then stared at me as I danced around.
“That was so cool! It was just like the movie!”
Sheila gave me a half smile but looked more than a little concerned. “Sweetie, I know you love that movie and all, but why was it so important to do that?”
Yeah. Most of you nerds just want to fight with light sabers.
I paused my victory celebration to catch my breath. “It’s… It’s complicated.” I took a breath. “You know how I grew up, right?” Sheila nodded. “Dad was a drunk who beat on anything that upset him and Mom tried her best, but after a while she could only do so much. I wished so hard that he would just stop or go away.” I leaned against the hood of the car. “But this… When I saw it on TV when I was five, it just meant everything to me. That someone could just think something and it would happen, it was like my dream.”
I brushed away a tear from my eye as I looked down the street. “You know, all my friends wanted to me Han. Not me. Luke was always my guy.”
Sheila but her head on my shoulder and Orson laid down at my feet. I hadn’t heard them get out of the car. “Oh honey…” Sheila hugged me close to her.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head on hers. “Thank you. I know it was stupid, but it was all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid.”
“I’m glad I could help you. I’m sorry I teased you back there, I didn’t get how important that was to you.”
“Are you kidding? That was great!” I spun her around and kissed her. She hugged me tight. We stayed like that until Orson started to whine.
You done yet? I thought we came for some chocolate dipped almonds.
“What do you care?” I said. “Dogs can’t have chocolate.”
Orson stared at me, his eyes wide with shock. What do you mean? When did this happen?
We made our way to the old Ganong factory for a tour. Not long after that, we sat in the Galaxie eating our chocolate.
Sheila licked her fingers, “I have to hand it to your friend. The hand dipped almonds are exceptional.”
“Darn right they are.” I crunched down on another one.
I heard a doleful whine behind me. I wouldn’t know.
Sheila ignored him and snuggled up to me. “So, any other birthday wishes?”
I grinned. “I have a couple ideas.”
“I’m not wearing my hair in side buns.”
“How about the metal bikini?”
“We can talk about it.”