Muses, ah Muses...

Of course the Pirate Puffin muse was simply an attempt at levity. I do indeed have a muse and she is, of course, Meredith who is actually based on someone I know (with her permission). Although she is not, nor has she ever been my wife, she is my inspiration and has stuck with me through thick and thin... mostly thick (Head and Body, LOL) probably loving me more than even my own dear mother ever did. She is my friend and my confidante and the ear for my confessions. To her I am wonderful and yet, she is the light of my life and the apple of my eye and all that mushy, gushy stuff. I cannot say who she really is for propriety's sake, but just for the record, I do know who my muse is though I enjoy making light of most serious issues (something that she dislikes... my morbid sense of humor). If I were the Knight of Death, I'd surely take her home with me and use that damnable golden sword to make sure that no one took her from me. I guess Mark is sort of like me in the sense that he misses his opportunities in life and pays dearly for his mistakes and his miscalculations. One thing he never does is stop loving Meredith. So take it for what it's worth, there is a real Meredith somewhere out there.

Meanwhile, I have several other lesser muses who live with me. They are great sources and I wouldn't want to slight them, but Paddy Puffintowne (Puffin) is a muse for hire and they can get a bit tedious at times becoming real stuffed shirts! Ha!

Muses? Got one? Yeah!!

So my good friend, Maureen Miller, posted a picture of her Chinchilla muse whom she says will pummel me with its tiny little fists if I call it like I see it... well, here is my muse. A Pirate Puffin named Paddy Puffingtowne. Oh, sound familiar? Yes, well a few years ago when I was writing my fourth or fifth Red Cross of Gold series novels, I was beset with litigation concerning the naming of certain characters in the stories. My muse, Mr. Paddy, brought a law suit in district court against me, claiming a breech in his muse/author contract that, under Section III, paragraph five, subparagraph n, required that I name a specific character of his choosing after him. I had entirely overlooked the stipulation and somehow missed his memo concerning the name of a certain faery creature from Kilkenny, Ireland. Needless to say, I had to change the faery's name from Tudwaller Elrood Hoodwinkin to Paddy Elrood Puffingtowne. If anyone thinks Miss Miller's chinchilla is tough, well think again. Mr. Paddy settled out of court for $5 cash, a stuff-crust pizza from Pizza Hut (which is 35 miles away), two pairs of mittens and a quart of Guinness Stout. Of course, I still had to name the faery after him. Geeeshhh! Muses, hmmph! But please don't tell him that I posted a picture of him here because he'll probably charge me rent.