About the Book
Title: The University Cat: A Tale for Grown Ups and Graduates
Author: Jessika Jenvieve
Genre: Urban Fiction
Gargoyles are said to
frighten off harmful spirits and protect the buildings that they guard. They
are evil creations and those approaching the University’s Gothic buildings at
night are advised to use caution. If you think that a Gargoyle is simply made
of stone, you are terribly mistaken.
Penny, a super
intelligent, well-educated Siamese cat moves into Professor Eagle’s office and
sinks her claws into the exquisite calfskin binding of his books. The Gargoyles
have her firmly fixed in their sights. There are terrifying times to come in
the University Museum and a wicked plot to prevent Professor Poppett and Poodle
from winning the Dog Show. If you thought it was safe to go to university, you
might need to think again.
Author Bio
Jessika Jenvieve
writes Urban Fantasy, combining the fantastic with the ridiculous and funny.
She is working very hard at establishing a cult-following, and has spent a
small fortune on dramatic black outfits. She lives in a small village in
England, where her unorthodox dress causes gossip and scandal. She is passionate
about sports cars, the blues and the ocean.
Life has taken her on a long and unexpected journey from England to Australia and back again. She is an alumna of Bretton Hall, and also City University in London. After graduating, she followed her heart and tried her luck as an actress and singer. She designed costumes and won some awards, then dabbled in lighting design and finally settled on a career as a stage manager. She landed the best job in the world as a stage manager at the Sydney Opera House, spending ten years backstage with some of the greatest performers and musicians. In 2015, she returned to the England and has completed her first crime fiction novel.
Life has taken her on a long and unexpected journey from England to Australia and back again. She is an alumna of Bretton Hall, and also City University in London. After graduating, she followed her heart and tried her luck as an actress and singer. She designed costumes and won some awards, then dabbled in lighting design and finally settled on a career as a stage manager. She landed the best job in the world as a stage manager at the Sydney Opera House, spending ten years backstage with some of the greatest performers and musicians. In 2015, she returned to the England and has completed her first crime fiction novel.
Links
Book Excerpt
That night,
much higher up and in a far darker place, the three Gargoyles were drifting
steadily out of their state of suspension. Stone limbs and organs were drawing
nourishment from their organic origins and slowly drifting back to life. Eyes
that had seen things too terrible to speak of out loud were raising their heavy
stone eyelids. The Gargoyles had unfinished business, and they were waking up and flexing their claws. Dogface unfurled his wings and sniffed
horribly. They were not in a good mood, but then they seldom were. The small
creature had escaped from them, and their pride was dented somewhat.
Dragonclaw, with his long tail and huge claws, writhed very slowly as his stone
entrails came to life and pained him. Fishbeak shook his great head as if the
annoyance of having a fish firmly carved in his beak for eternity was more than
he could stand, and he was preparing to explode with frustration. It was up to
him to organise the next assault on the Museum, and the others were going to
need encouragement. They could easily sink back into stone and stay there for a
couple of hundred years. He slowly slithered to the edge of the stone parapet
where he sensed movement and ignoring the squawking and shrieking of the adult
birds circling around, he removed in his talons, an entire nest of small
wriggling fledglings and placed in the centre of the assembled Gargoyles.
‘Yuck dems
babies,’ complained Dragonclaw, breathing a foul stench over the terrified
birds. The adult birds overhead were working up to frenzy while not daring to
get too close even to rescue their offspring. Dragonclaw slithered over to the
little nest and reached out a long claw to extract one of the small snacks. The
tiny birds screamed in fear and clung together in the centre of the nest. He lifted
a tiny, frightened bird up and away from its siblings and regarded the
trembling body with amusement. Sensing a terrible fate awaited them all, the
other fledglings, instead of waiting to be dismembered decided to test their
new flight feathers. It was now, or all that evolution would go to waste.
The birds
flapped their wings madly and with one rush got airborne and headed straight up
towards the claw holding their little fellow. Dragonclaw, instinctively opened
his claw to grab them all and let go of his grip on the first bird, who
realising he was falling, started to beat his wings, got airborne and threw
himself off the roof in what would be his first, or possibly, his last flight.
The others followed and swooped to the ground, landing in a heap in the middle
of the lawn. The adult birds landed close by to protect them and ushered the
whole family to the safety of the nearest large patch of shrubbery. High above,
Dragonclaw shredded the nest in fury. The meeting had not made a very good
beginning.
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