“You have got to be kidding!” Lyn exclaims. “This space helmet is impossible to remove.”
Mac grabs both sides of the helmet as Lyn bends over. She tugs for all she’s worth. Mary, who inadvertently picked that moment to enter the changing room on the planet Felid, happens to be in the way as Lyn takes a flying leap to her rear. If not for Lyn's use of her clodhopper feet to drag herself to a stop, Mary would have flown up into the air. The planet has a much weaker gravitational pull. As it is, Mary flies out the door into the humid jungle. Several feline like creatures head into the door next to them, for the party being held to celebrate, Joan Afman’s newest release,
Cheetah Princess. The long awaited story has taken this Cat planet by storm. The proudest feline of all today is, Kilobi, the stunning white Cheetah who happens to be one of the main characters.
“Will you look at that?” She eyes the handsome Cheetah, and Patsy is so excited she lets go of Hampy, who smells cheese and runs into the party followed by Cuddles riding Nibbie. They like cheese too. Foster shakes his green hair and saunters into the room with the air of a Lord of the Manor. He struts up to Oliver dressed in his medieval clothes.
Oliver has arranged a medieval Christmas feast.Goose, lamb, beef, roast quail, even a little Squab stuffed with apples, along with bowls of
soups made with, onions, garlic, spinach, berries, nuts and leeks, the
Mirelinans drink a tea-type drink called Lotai…and the best wine is
called ‘Golden number Five’.. The air is rich with spices, used for
flavoring; cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Pottage doesn’t please the
felines, so they have their own favored foods, which includes lots of
red meat and fish.
Not able to help himself, Foster grabs a huge leg of
fowl, and runs before he gets Oliver angry. Oliver feigns a frown, and
then laughs as Foster heads toward the door outside with his pilfered
food. It’s twice the size of him.
“Thanks for the help up girls.” Mary struggles back into the room, and the others go back in too.They have to change into the old fashioned clothing.
“At least we don’t have to wear armor.” Mac adds as she pulls on her voluminous floor length dress.
“Yikes this is not a corset is it?” Mary cries. “I ain’t wearing that thing. No way. I took a spaceship, which was not the best way to travel. Stasis indeed... Then, we took another ship from some port out in the middle of space. And to top it off, I have worn this space suit since we got on. It’s hot in here. Now, you want me to put on a torture devise!”
“Now, now, Mary, you have to play along. I don’t like it myself.” Lyn pats her on the arm.
“Yeah, well you don’t have girls the size of mine.” Mary mutters and finishes dressing.
“I think I look divine.” Mac sighs. “And as for Patsy - wait, where is Patsy?”
“NOOOOO.” Patsy screams from the room next to them!
“Here we go.” Lyn raises her eyes in frustration, “Can’t we have one normal party?”
“Normal party on another planet, predominantly feline, and living like they’re in medieval times. Then you add our four sidekicks, and you thought it would be a normal party.” Mac clutches her side as she laughs.
The three girls rush into the party and find Patsy holding a sopping wet Hampy, as she apologizes to the servers preparing to serve the many guests already seated.
“I told you, no dogs, unicorns or hamsters were allowed. Now look at that mess,” Lyn exhales exasperated. “The party is just beginning and already someone is in the food! Nothing worse than pet hair in your food. Even the cougar is smarter than you bad creatures!”
“Oh darn!” Mary hollers, “Nibbie get out of there. No—don’t--.” She blocks her eyes as she sees the results of Nibbie and Cuddles, getting to the food table.
“Cuddles!” Lyn grabs the small unicorn and Mary grabs Nibbie’s collar. Cuddles, has his nose in a large bowl of steel oat porridge, and Nibbie, the monster, has her snoot latched onto a huge side of beef. She shakes her head from side to side and still can’t get it off her snout. The girls try to drag the unruly creatures out and send them to explore the lush grounds.
“Get out of there.” Mary gives an apologetic smile to the guests from the planet Mirelina. They are shocked at such undisciplined behavior “We can just cut that part out.” She smiles nervously. “The monsters won’t stop, Lyn. What are we gonna do?”
Kiboli strides over to the mess. No roar, just a gentle purr and Nibbie, Hampy and Cuddles run from the room. The hostesses watch the huge regal cat nod at them, and then slink back to the soft cushion set out for him.
“Wow, did you see that.” Lyn’s mouth closes from its previous gape.
“I could use a cat like that at home.” Mary mumbles.
“Now let’s find our seats.” Patsy heads toward a seat and finds herself facing a kilted gentleman, who holds her chair for her.
“Wow, renaissance Scots. Yowser! Her gaze is diverted, and her eyes bug out, as she views the deserts set out in front of her. The handsome Scotsman has been forgotten, in favor of sugar.
“Oh, my-- Custard tarts.” She grabs one and pops it into her mouth. “Yummy.”
“Why don’t we skip the beef and go right to desert.” Mac sits next to Patsy. Their medieval dresses have long flowing sleeves widest at the wrist.” Mac tucks hers into the arms of her dress and dives into the sweets.
“Do cheetahs eat custard, I wonder.” Mac smiles and shrugs.
“Hey, there’s milk in it.” Patsy adds as she fills her mouth with the gooey sweet concoctions
“There’s only one thing better than desert.” Lyn grins and sits next to them.
“Yeah, a good book, like
Cheetah Princess.”
“Let’s welcome Joan to her medieval Christmas party on the cat planet. Welcome Mirelinaians, Earth people and those from various other planets.” Lyn’s voice quiets the room. “Welcome to your party Joan, and welcome to Dsanna, Princess, and the King, her father. And, yes welcome, to all the other visitors from every planet with felines. Eat, drink, be merry, than read a wonderful story—
Cheetah Princess, by Joan Affman!”
BLURB
“The Cheetah Princess” takes place on Mirelina, a two-moon planet much like earth. Dsanna is the adopted daughter of the King of Mirelina. She is beautiful, smart, outgoing—and just a bit spoiled. When pressured by her father and nobles to marry the prince of the neighboring kingdom, who just might declare war on the if she doesn’t, she rebels and flees to the Star Mountains with her best friend, Kidboli, a sacred white cheetah.
Many adventures follow: Dsanna meets her true love, is pursued relentlessly by the evil prince she rejected, crosses her kingdom with her faithful maid, Sharli, and Kiboli, of course, learning many lessons in humility and compassion along the way. A final battle in the forest seems doomed until Kiboli and his buddy cheetahs come to the rescue. A royal wedding with a surprise element ends the story with a happy ending.
EXCERPT
The Cheetah Princess
This time Dsanna’s mind drifted in another direction. She stood at the opening of the cheetah’s cave, feeling every bit as conscious as if she had been awake. The mother cheetah lay in the sunlight on a flat rock, her three cubs cavorting playfully around her. The cheetah fixed her jeweled eyes on Dsanna’s, and a message flowed between them.
You must go into the cave, into the darkness and the unknown were the words that pulsed into her mind.
She stared into the depths unable to see anything but endless darkness. Suddenly, a pinpoint of light appeared. It grew larger, and a figure of a man emerged,
flickered briefly, and then faded away.
There will be much danger, the mind message warned. But in the midst of danger, you will find your future.
Something made her look down. There, at her feet, was a flower of the kind that grew la
She awoke with a start just in time to see a hint of movement in the foliage across the stream. Sunlight glinted for a few seconds on fair hair and bronzed shoulders. Dsanna froze, all her senses focused on the tall, goldenskinned man standing near the edge. He gazed at her across the narrow strip of water. Their eyes locked, and something fast and sharp flew across the stream between them, something she had never felt before. It hit her like a physical blow. She jumped to her feet, head up, sniffing the wind and poised
to flee.
In an instant, the leaves fluttered back into place and everything was still again. She lifted her head, wary and her heart pounding. At once, she noticed the flowers, three of them, laying on the rock at her feet. She stared at the place where the figure had vanished.
Who, in Mirelle’s name, was this man who had seen her sleeping and left flowers for her? Had he seen her before, bathing and resting in this, her private refuge? She clasped a hand over her mouth. Had he watched her in the waterfall?
Her anger flared. How dare he? She was the princess of the realm, inheritor of the throne.
Taking a several deep breaths, she calmed. Kiboli was with her in the forest and, even unseen, the royal white cheetah would watch and protect her. If he had permitted the man to approach and leave a gift, it must be all right.It might even be ordained by Mirelle. She tried to recall the dream from
which she had been awakened. It had already faded, and although a few images fluttered through her mind, they were too tenuous to grab.
The afternoon waned, the light slipping from the day. Dsanna sighed and pulled on her under things and the leather tunic. Dressed, she gathered up the mass of dark hair and twisted it into a coil which she fastened with a jeweled clasp at the back of her neck. She slipped on her shoes, and she was
ready for her run back along the paths that led to the edge of the palace grounds. Impulsively, she scooped up the flowers and took them with her.
She kept a careful watch for any movement that seemed out of place, any swatch of color that was not quite right, but saw nothing that alarmed her. At the edge of the forest, she paused. She looked back along the path, then put her fingers to her mouth and blew out a most unladylike whistle. In seconds, Kiboli appeared, racing like white lightning through the trees. He slid to a stop at her side and looked up at her with his clear green eyes, so familiar it was like looking into her own. She bent to pet him and he, panting,looked as if he smiled at her.
She stared at him. Why do you always seem to know so much more than I?
BIO:
Joan Conning Affman started writing after her retirement to Florida after a career teaching art in the Hartford, Ct. school system. For a while, she thought she would ‘paint for the tourists’, but Fate threw her into a group of writers, and she quickly changed her focus to writing. {Her mother, a former English teacher, has always told her plaintively, “I think you could write!” as if it were the Holy Grail to be pursued.) Four published novels later, Joan thinks she might have been right.
The proud mother of four children and six beautiful grandchildren, she loves her fun-in-the-sun life in Florida, and her friends and activities. Especially writing.
This is the last 'Roast and Toast' before Christmas, we're having a short vacation and will be back with you on the 28th. We wish you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season - and don't forget to leave your email address in the comments if you want to win Joan's fantastic story for some great Christmas reading.
***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of 's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.