Some fans of my Southern Witch series have told me that the ocelot Mercutio is their favorite character. I think Tammy would probably agree. From the time they meet in WOULD-BE WITCH she is taken with him. Mercutio quickly becomes her sidekick and a sounding board for her plans.
Here’s a brief exchange between them while they’re driving…
“Bryn doesn’t support the community theater here. Never seen him go to a play in town. Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s going to that meeting, Merc?”
Mercutio blinked.
“Yeah, me too. There’s only one type of arts that I believe Bryn to be a patron of.” Tammy paused. “You got it, black arts. What should we do? Tail him?”
Merc didn’t disagree.
* * *
I’ve been asked how Mercutio came to be a character in the books. I guess it began because I’m a fan of lions and tigers--maybe it’s the Leo in me? Obviously, witches often have cats, but since Tammy Jo spends a lot of her time fighting villains, it made sense for her to have a “big cat” for a sidekick. It would’ve been tough to hide a tiger in a small town, but people do sometimes try to raise ocelots, which are smaller than tigers, as pets—though ocelots are difficult to domesticate and some can’t be. The artist Salvador Dali used to have ocelots that routinely tore up his hotel rooms and everything in sight. The fact that ocelots are truly wild appealed to me.
Ocelots are territorial and, if threatened, they’ll fight to the death. Mercutio definitely shows those tendencies in the stories. He’ll fight anything that needs fighting, without a thought to how much bigger the opponent is.
In keeping with the paranormal aspect of the stories, Mercutio senses magic. He can track Tammy Jo or any creatures that exude magical energy. This makes him extremely valuable to Tammy Jo since she has an impairment when it comes to sensing magic. (Details about why her magic malfunctions can be found in BARELY BEWITCHED.)
Anyway, from the moment Tammy Jo and Mercutio came together on the page, I loved their interaction, and although it’s not always clear what man Tammy’ll end up with, it is clear what cat she’ll end up with. J
For a chance to win a copy of BARELY BEWITCHED, visit the comments and answer one of the following questions:
What’s the most unusual name you’ve heard for a pet?
OR
What’s your pet’s name and why did you choose that name for him or her?
“Bryn doesn’t support the community theater here. Never seen him go to a play in town. Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s going to that meeting, Merc?”
Mercutio blinked.
“Yeah, me too. There’s only one type of arts that I believe Bryn to be a patron of.” Tammy paused. “You got it, black arts. What should we do? Tail him?”
Merc didn’t disagree.
* * *
I’ve been asked how Mercutio came to be a character in the books. I guess it began because I’m a fan of lions and tigers--maybe it’s the Leo in me? Obviously, witches often have cats, but since Tammy Jo spends a lot of her time fighting villains, it made sense for her to have a “big cat” for a sidekick. It would’ve been tough to hide a tiger in a small town, but people do sometimes try to raise ocelots, which are smaller than tigers, as pets—though ocelots are difficult to domesticate and some can’t be. The artist Salvador Dali used to have ocelots that routinely tore up his hotel rooms and everything in sight. The fact that ocelots are truly wild appealed to me.
Ocelots are territorial and, if threatened, they’ll fight to the death. Mercutio definitely shows those tendencies in the stories. He’ll fight anything that needs fighting, without a thought to how much bigger the opponent is.
In keeping with the paranormal aspect of the stories, Mercutio senses magic. He can track Tammy Jo or any creatures that exude magical energy. This makes him extremely valuable to Tammy Jo since she has an impairment when it comes to sensing magic. (Details about why her magic malfunctions can be found in BARELY BEWITCHED.)
Anyway, from the moment Tammy Jo and Mercutio came together on the page, I loved their interaction, and although it’s not always clear what man Tammy’ll end up with, it is clear what cat she’ll end up with. J
For a chance to win a copy of BARELY BEWITCHED, visit the comments and answer one of the following questions:
What’s the most unusual name you’ve heard for a pet?
OR
What’s your pet’s name and why did you choose that name for him or her?
Happy Release Day!
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