AUTHOR INTERVIEW: CAT JOHNSON

Cat Johnson: A Queen Among Authors: Interview By AJ Llewellyn

1. Hi Cat, and welcome to the Divas. You are a multi published, successful romance author and YA author (under a different name). You seem to have a thing for men in uniform and I read in your bio this started when you got to ride in the chief of police’s car on a Memorial Day Parade. What exactly happened in the car???
LOL! Well I was in first grade at the time but I do remember I insisted on wearing my absolute favorite dress. Yellow with big brown flowers on it. Lovely! It was the 70’s and I had my long straight Marcia Brady hair. Never thought about it before but that police car could be the root of all my problems right there.

2. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. It’s always about Marcia! Ahem. What particular uniform does it for you most? Military? Firemen? Police? I see many books under all of these rugged, manly themes. But I see no janitorial uniforms. Might we be seeing one in the future?

I have to say my very favorite uniform (the one that keeps me up and sweaty at night) is a desert camouflage utility pant with combat boots and a tight t-shirt, with dog tags, of course. I also do love a fireman! But no, the next uniform you see in my books will be that of a rodeo cowboy, which leads me to think perhaps it isn’t the uniform I like at all, but rather the boots! Apparently I have a boot fetish—combat, cowboy, doesn’t seem to matter!

3. Do you make your husband wear boots in bed? Come on, you can tell me. I promise not to laugh. Well, maybe a giggle. Or a bit of a smile.
No, but his toe nails are so long, boots would be an improvement!

4. Ouch!! Okay, your new book A Prince Among Men, the latest installment of your Task Force Zeta series comes out October 1 and has a military theme. Do soldiers do it better? And can you give me one juicy, short excerpt, please?
Oh, no doubt soldiers do it better and I think I have figured out why—I think they realize their own mortality and therefore live every moment to its fullest. I think they do everything full out, which includes…um…loving (if you know what I mean). Here’s a quick excerpt from A Prince Among Men.

EXCERPT
“Can I ask you something?”He imagined what she may want to ask and how he would answer her. “Will I help you out of those restrictive clothes? Yes, of course, I will. “Um, sure. What is it?”“I asked Hawk when you guys could take me out into the countryside to meet the locals, and instead of answering me, all he did was talk about the moon and poppies. Was he pulling my chain trying to avoid taking me?”At that question, an image popped into his head. The vision of his hands, chained and bound, unable to move. Vicki, clad in leather, torturing him with her tongue as he writhed with pleasure.What the…? Where the hell had that come from?Ryan raised his eyes to find Vicki watching him expectantly, waiting for an answer to her perfectly innocent and logical question, not suspecting that she starred as the dominatrix in the porn movie currently running in his head.“Um. No, he wasn’t, uh, yanking your chain.” Ryan’s face felt hot. And jeez, was he starting to sweat? He launched into his answer to Vicki’s question in hopes it would calm his libido, which had apparently sensed a female nearby and had kicked into overdrive.“Hawk meant that when there’s no moon showing the Taliban take advantage of the darkness and their movements and attacks are more frequent. And now that they aren’t all busy harvesting and transporting the poppies they use to produce heroine to sell to fund their little militant efforts, they have all the time in the world to plan and stage attacks, and our region gets pretty hot. The squad may have to travel outside of base under those conditions, but you don’t.”Vicki’s face paled a bit. “So knowing that the enemy is out there and the likelihood of your getting attacked when you go out into the countryside is very high, you guys still leave the safety of base?”While Ryan debated how to tell her that the base wasn’t that safe, just safer than outside in the mountains, Vicki continued. “How can you do that? Why do you do it?”He shrugged. “It’s my job.”She still looked doubtful so he went on. “And I do it for the guy standing next to me, just as he does it for me.”Vicki let out a short laugh and shook her head, still looking baffled.Ryan raised a brow. “What?”

5. Phew, girlie. That was hot! I was intrigued to find a banner saying ‘Cat Johnson Sponsors Bull Rider Mike Short’ on your site, clicked the link after a Google search showed no such bull rider and discovered he’s obviously a fictional character! Have you ever ridden a bull yourself and is this a sport you enjoy?
LOL. No, he is not a fictional character and I am very glad you asked that question. Mike Short is aka Rodeo Cowboy on MySpace—see my Top Friends at www.myspace.com/authorcatjohnson. He’s the one on the bull! Mike is an amateur bull rider who is also a student at Oklahoma State University. We met when I was eyeball deep in writing my next book (a rodeo threesome book named Rough Stock to be released on December 1st) when I realized I couldn’t get enough detail researching rodeo by watching the PBR on TV or researching on the web. (And to answer your questions, no, I knew NOTHING at all about rodeo to start with!)
So brazen woman that I am, I did a search for Rodeo Cowboys on MySpace and guess who came up? I sent him a message that said “This is not spam, just the act of a desperate author” and he actually wrote back and said he would answer any questions I had about the rodeo.

AJ says: Really? The only people who write me on MySpace are half nekked women I send to Spam…but do go on.
Well, while working together on Instant Messenger one day, I asked him how often he rides bulls in competition and he told me not very often because the entrance fees on top of the crazy prices of gas nowadays makes it too expensive for him to get to the competitions. That is when I had my brainstorm. The pros get corporate sponsorship to cover their rides, so why couldn’t I sponsor my own bull rider? So Mike agreed to wear a shirt with my website on it while he rides, and put a Cat Johnson Sponsors Mike Short magnet on his car, and to hand out bumper stickers at the rodeos that say “Give Blood, Ride Bulls” with my website printed on them.
And so that is how I bought me a real live cowboy!! But I do have to work on the Google issue. I told him Mike Short is too common and we need to change his name, but he wasn’t thrilled with any of my ideas. I am taking suggestions from the public though. Email your Rename My Cowboy names to me at cat@catjohnson.net. LOL!

6.You bought a cowboy? Hpmh. And I think I’m hot stuff buying a cupcake every day! Now, you say in your bio that you have ‘horses, far too many cats, a dog, assorted fish and fowl and one husband’ and that you are not sure which of them causes you more grief. How naughty are the fish, exactly?
Oh, believe me, that was a slam of the darling husband who is more work than all the animals put together. But since he pays the bills, I figured I better be clever and make it sound like the animals are the more annoying!

7. You mean the fish aren’t really naughty? I’m sooo disappointed. I was hoping for tales of torn panty hose…fish slithering across the bed sheets…that never happens?
Nope! Sorry to disappoint you. Though the cats keep bringing live frogs into the house. Does that do anything for you?

8. Oh, that’s weird and different, Cat! You’re a very prolific author. Do you write every day? What is your writing routine like?
I am embarrassed to say I don’t write nearly enough. I spend much more time online checking email and playing on MySpace and talking to soldiers and cowboys! LOL. But I am fast and clean when I do write. When I put my mind to it, I can pump out 6,500 words a day of clean, nearly ready to be submitted text. However, I usually will do anything to NOT write, like go shopping, cut the grass, watch TV, read a book… you get the idea.

9.You cut grass? Holy Moly. Am I a lazy guy or what…So, in between all the self-created distractions, what are you working on now?
I am about to do the final proofread on Rough Stock and then I have 5 pages of notes under the bed that the cowboy and I worked on together for the next rodeo book that I just have to get to. It will be about an older woman who is a writer and meets a rodeo cowboy for research for her book and…you get the picture. Yeah, I really like to stretch my imagination when it comes to my plot ideas!

10. I see you live in New York. On a farm. I met a guy once who said he lived in upstate New York. I think he said his name was Steve. Do you know him?
I do! I think I dated him!

11. Oh, so that’s what happened to him! You’ve had some interesting jobs, from being a bar tender, tour guide, junior league president…did you have an sexy experiences doing these gigs? And what was the worst job you ever had?
Hmmm. The worst job was in project management for a diet company where I gained ten pounds and walked out on my boss after 6 months. That was my last ‘real’ job. The sexiest job… Well, lets just say that when I was putting myself through college I used to work 6 or 7 days a week, up to 15 hours a day, tending bar at a country club in the summers. It wasn’t exactly all work and no play, because when the guests went home, I’d open up the beer taps and the party really began. It was like a buffet of college boys among the waiters, caddies, etc. Picture the movie Caddyshack. About all I can tell you is that the grass on the 18th green is VERY soft!

12. Cat, I think I love you! You’re my kinda gal! What is your all time number one comfort food?
I’d have to say the food I turn to when it is cold or I am in need of comfort is pasta…mmm with meatballs and red sauce and lots of parmesan cheese and red wine. Have to have the red wine! Of course, I also have a thing for boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I’m easy!

Thanks, Cat! I’m on my way for supper!
No, thank YOU! It’s been a lot of fun being here with you today at the Divas. Now, off to go procrastinate some more!

To find out more about the divine Miss Cat Johnson, please visit her website:
http://www.catjohnson.com/
Cat’s Purchase links:
http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-aprinceamongmen-7239-193.html?oid=1