(cross-posted from my blog)

We snowcats may be born for swirling blizzards and icy cliffs, but for myself, I'll take a cozy cottage hearth any day. A bellyful of roast rabbit, a fire of crimson embers, the old rug covered with layer on layer of my gray-and-white fur -- that's comfort.

I was stretched out on that rug, dreaming of yellow butterflies, when the explosion woke me.

--from "The Emerald Mage"

Sometimes an anthology comes along that just seems made for you -- not just what you like to write, but what you love to read, the kind of book you're just as excited about reading as you are about seeing your work included.

This is definitely one of those anthologies.

From Seventh Star Press and editor Scott M. Sandridge, I give you Hero's Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions.

Publisher's synopsis:

How far would Gandalf have gotten without Shadowfax? Where would the Vault Dweller be without Dogmeat? And could the Beastmaster have been the Beastmaster without his fuzzy allies? Animal companions are more than just sidekicks. Animals can be heroes, too!

Found within are twenty stories of heroic action that focuses on the furries and scalies who have long been the unsung heroes pulling their foolish human buddies out of the fire, and often at great sacrifice—from authors both established and new, including Frank Creed, S. H. Roddey, and Steven S. Long.

Whether you’re a fan of Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction, or just animal stories in general, this is the anthology for you!

So sit back, kick your feet up, and find out what it truly means to be the Hero’s Best Friend.[/quote]

My story "The Emerald Mage" is told by the snowcat Jiro, longtime companion and friend of the Emerald Mage, as the two of them realize it's time to face the aging mage's mental -- and magical -- decline. I've realized I really enjoy writing about vulnerable characters (children or adults) with powerful animals as companions/protectors, and this story gave me a wonderful excuse to explore those possibilities. (And to throw some humor in there along the way, too, which I still feel I don't get to write often enough.)

You can order a paperback copy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or snag an ebook version for your Kindle, Nook, or or Kobo.