Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really great, really diverse writers share excerpts from their work. This week I’m on to something new. Really new. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of writing a shifter character, and recently one sauntered into my brain and wrecked havoc with my writing schedule. You ever have one of those characters who just insists on taking over and making you write their story, right now? Well, Jacqui the Cat is one of those. This snippet is the opening of the first novella (yes, first. Jacqui insisted on a series). Besides being a cat shifter, Jacqui is also a fashion designer.
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Work, work, work. Not that anything could make Jacqui a dull boy, but hours bent over his sewing table had given him a kink in his neck and a strong urge to throw aside his needle and leap out the window.
Instead he sighed dramatically, leaned against the chair back with his palms pressed into the edge of the heavy table and stretched his neck, feeling the pull of muscles on one side, and then the other. He arced his back, slouched, arced again. Not working. He stood and padded across the hard wood floor to the open glass doors of his studio apartment.
He’d been at it all day and still had two jackets to finish. Zee was arriving tomorrow to pick up the new outfits Jacqui had created and everything had to be perfect–and complete–complete and perfect and amazing. Because Zee was a rising star and when the rabble got a look at the Cat’s Eye creations adorning Zee’s nearly famous bod, Jacqui would have it made. That was the assumption, anyway. Orders would flood his inbox, gobs of money would flow into his bank account and he could hire an assistant and stop working these dog awful hours.
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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com
Alexis Duran 
Love the description of him stretching. Felt very cat-like. 🙂
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The sensuous use of words is wonderful. Very feline. I like the way he thinks!! Well done, Alexis. I’m going to enjoy these snippets!
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I liked the snippet as LOT. I’m always fascinated by the fashion industry – hello, Project Runway! – and your description of his thoughts and hopes was great. I have to say I was thrown by the name – I know there’s so much fluidity in gender identification these days, but Jacqui is the female version of Jacques, yes? So this could be a highly intriguing detail actually, with many possibilities for aspects of his character…anyway, wanted to share that it did stop me for a moment (only because I was expecting a woman and the next noun and pronouns were male LOL). So hopefully that was the intended effect and if so, it definitely worked!
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Hi Veronica, thanks for your comments. Yes, Jacqui’s speciality is creating gender fluid clothing for people who don’t want to be locked into social stereotypes. Jacqui in this case is short for Jacquin. He really did walk into my brain and introduce himself as Jacqui, so who was I to argue? 🙂
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That description of him stretching is amazing! It was contagious–similar to how a yawn spreads from person to person. Nice job!
I hope he’s right about what will happen when he dresses this rising star. 🙂
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“Dog awful.” Hah! 😀
Love the description of him, he sounds entertaining.
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I’m with Caitlin — the phrase “dog awful” leaped out at me. Effing Feline approves, as well.
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Dog awful jumped out at me, too. Loved the stretching. As Teresa wrote, contagious. I caught myself stretching. LOL Very interested in seeing where this goes.
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a strong urge to throw aside his needle and leap out the window.
Very feline! No patience for human nonsense!
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Pingback: Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Must Prowl | Alexis Duran
! I give birth to articulate I was thrown by the figure – I recognise there’s so much fluidity in sexuality designation these days, but Jacqui is the distaff edition of Jacques, yes?
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