Richard is just a big sissy cat.  The king of the jungle doesn't growl, he moos.  I should probably be happy that his growler still works.  After all, Richard is 50-60+ years old.  His growler is accessed by pulling a metal ring on his back just below his mane.  When you let go, he roars.  Or moos. 

What were toy makers thinking? Let's confuse the hell out of kids.  Lions go moo and cows go raaawwwrrr.   Yeah, that's a great zoology lesson. 

On a related note, Moxie puts Richard's size into perspective.  She's a 65 pound American Staffordshire Terrier, aka, the American Pit Bull Terrier. She looks like a Boston Terrier next to Richard. 

I'm an arctophile. 

There, I said it. 

I love and collect teddy bears.  And not just any teddy bears, but artist-made and high-end manufactured bears made of soft mohair from the wool of the Angora goat.  I think I have over a hundred now.  I lost count awhile back.  In addition to bears, I also have mohair bunnies, cats, a rat, a flamingo, and even a dragon!

Pictured above are a few bears from my collection. The big brown bear is from New Zealand.  The white bear is a Steiff, manufactured in Germany.  The three bears in the front row were all made by teddy bear artists.  Teddy bear artists?  Yep.  These bears are considered a type of soft sculpture.  Instead of working with clay or stone, the artist works with fabric such as mohair, synthetic plush, alpaca wool, and felt.  Most of them are handmade and the artist pours their soul into their work.

There are teddy bear shows where artists and collectors come together to share and buy all things teddy. I've been to shows in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin.   

So what's the appeal?  Simple.  The bears make me happy.  Looking at their cute little faces brings me joy.  I've always loved animals and I love toys.  Having bears everywhere is like living in Christopher Robin's Hundred-Acre Woods.  And they balance out my dark side that is attracted to things like vampires, zombies, and werewolves, although if a bear artist designed a werewolf or zombie "bear," I think I'd be in heaven. 

I love toys.

There.  I said it.  And not just any toys, but stuffed animals.  And when I find stuffed animals that inspire my writing, I'm even happier.  Recently, I found the shark in the photo above at a local Thrift Store.  And not only is it a stuffed animal, but a puppet.  You can slip your hand inside the lower jaw and make the mouth move.  Very JAWS.  My husband is already tired of me singing the Jaws theme music and swimming my shark through the air at him.  Yeah, I'm just so hilarious to be around. 

So, why am I writing about sharks?  Well, I'm not exactly.  I'm writing about were-sharks.  Yep, man or woman by day, shark by full moon night.  Down on the Florida Gulf Coast.  Why do wolves get to have all the "were" fun?  Many cultures believe in shape shifters of all kinds.  The native Hawaiians believed people could transform into sharks.  So why not, ya know?  It's fun to play with this idea. 

The novel I'm in the process of revising at the moment is a sequel to my forthcoming The Haunted Housewives of Allister, Alabama.  In keeping with my reality TV show title riff, the work in progress is named The Weredog Whisperer.  And there is a weredog whisperer.  And weredogs.  And were-gators.  And even a were-killer-whale. And don't forget the were-sharks.  See, I told you it was fun. 

Cue the theme music to Jaws. 

The photo above was taken at the 2012 Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando and shows two of my interests outside of writing: Zumba Fitness and reptiles. 

As Julie Andrews sings in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, these are a few of my favorite things (in no particular order):

* Zumba Fitness
* Diet Coke
* Artist-made Teddy Bears & Steiff Teddy Bears
* reptiles, especially snakes & turtles
* historic houses
* the Florida Gulf Coast
* Water Aerobics
* Tap Dance
* cats
* Opossums
* Godiva chocolate
* rural Alabama

Writers who are only interested in writing are dull creatures.  A wide range of passions and life experiences gives us something to write about.  I've yet to use teddy bears, tap dance, water fitness, or Opossums in my fiction, although I have ideas for a couple of stories involving mermaids in a water aerobics class and Opossums that are really trolls.  For the longest time I wracked my brain for a suitable horror story involving Exercise Science or gyms or personal training since I have a degree and training in those areas, and then one day--voila!--I made the connection between zombies and Zumba instructors and the story "Wanted: Certified Zombie Instructor" was born. 

So, what are your favorite things?