1 THE INSPIRATION BEHIND B. BUCKLEBERRY

What you see here, is the majestic Panther. He’s a rescue, as the best cats are, and has an origin story that perhaps I’ll write as Buck’s one day. But suffice it to say that black cat detective B. Buckleberry is based on this mischievous little guy. He just celebrated his 10th year with us and I hope we have him for another 10, at least.

However. Where Buck is brave and courageous, poor Panther is scared and frightened. If the doorbell rings, you won’t see him for an hour — he’ll be hiding under our covers. If he hears a voice he doesn’t know, he shrinks to half his size and runs down the hallway to our bedroom, finding the furthest place to hide.

However, Panther is very curious. He’ll inspect open cabinets, or just open the cabinets himself, jump up onto shelves and closet organizers — anything he hasn’t seen before must be thoroughly examined.

Panth also has a vest, just like Buck. Tactical, believe it or not, which he wears whenever he wants to join me outside while I’m writing. It just doesn’t have pockets for snacks. But if it did, he’d fill them with his treats.

So thank you Panther, for providing me with multiple characteristics that I can use in my stories. Even if I find myself saying, “What would Panther not do in this situation?” Honestly, that’s closer to the truth.