Mimi Speike
Nov 4 · 2 min read

I was just laid off.

It may be the kick in the pants I need.

Sly’s Europe, 1584

I’m seventy-three, but I don’t feel that I was picked on because of age. I’m probably the least task-versatile person there. They wanted me on nights, to process work that came up from Manhattan each evening. I was happy to do it. I had my days free to garden. But the work coming in at night is less and less, publishers sending direct to India. It’s been going on for a long, long time. Years.

I’m going to ramp up my presence here. I have two publications: Going Rogue and Going Rogue Too. Going Rogue will promote my novel, available soon. I’m putting up this graphic to get the ball rolling.

Who do I have here?

  1. The Virgin Mary.
  2. Pedro, a runaway. He and the cat connect on a ship headed north. A nice bounty is offered for the youngster’s elimination. A boy duke has fled his murderous uncle.
  3. An abused bear in a traveling street show. He’s how Sly got inserted into an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth. Sly and Pedro, undercover in the show, have worked up a well-received act. The cat is kidnapped by the bear’s jealous handler. Stuffed into a sack, Sly throws himself out the second story window of an inn, landing amidst baggage belonging to the conspirators. Having overheard the discussion, he lets the scoundrels carry him across the channel, then sets about trying to foil them.
  4. Robert Dudley, long-time suitor of the Virgin Queen, tired of being toyed with.
  5. Queen Elizabeth.
  6. Sha-Sha, her pet monkey.
  7. John Dee, her Royal Astrologer. Sly and Dee pal around. Eventually, having offended the Queen, they escape to the continent.
  8. A North German town advertises for a rodent exterminator. They head to Hameln to pick up an easy few bucks. (Yeah, right.)
  9. A delusional frog believes himself an enchanted prince. Sly drags the brat across a number of small realms in search of a restorative kiss. Eastern Europe, full of minute kingdoms, is lousy with princesses.

This novella is the first of a series. Book one is almost ready to go. Buy it for ninety-nine cents and I’ll mail you a free poster/paper doll of my mischievous cat. (Check out Sly in his Elizabethan beret on my Facebook page.)

I have a start on him. I have a head. Eventually he’ll have a body, and a wardrobe of snazzy boots. Get the picture? Sly is my re-do of Puss-in-Boots, in a smart-mouthed literary treatment, for adults.

Mimi Speike

Written by

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade