Susan Day tagged me in The Sunshine Blogger award, which means that as the author, I allow one of my Fauna Park Tales characters to speak his or her mind, including an interview with me. At the bottom of this post, I’ve in turn nominated four children authors to take part in this Sunshine Blogger Award, if you wish and feel free to use the same questions, or adjust them according to the list at the bottom of the page.  This has been fun and I hope you’ll let me know what your favourite children’s characters have to say.  

Good day, all you animal and bird lovers! Should you wonder who I am, my name, given to me by myself, of course, is His Handsomeness, King Rat. At the moment, we have a blogger awards competition on our paws, but I’ll be the first furry one to sing a certain author’s praises. Without a nomination from Susan Day, author and blogger out of this world, no one would’ve known about Fauna Park and its tales – least of all, dear readers, a rat’s tail.  My author cares more about other furry tails than my rat’s tail or tale, because I’m just a rat in her eyes.  However, I’m no ordinary rat, even though at this very moment I’m still living in exile outside the farm’s walls . . . but I’m getting sidetracked.

Don’t forget to read more about Susan Day’s own interview for the Sunshine Blogger Award, written on behalf of DAWG, aka Downright Awful Wicked Genius, is one of the most hilarious tales I’ve heard for many a full moon. Susan Day had that cat, DAWG, at his most evil genius, but then, she doesn’t know me yet . . . please read her interview and judge for yourself, by following this link: 

http://www.astrosadventuresbookclub.com/the-sunshine-blogger-award-or-how-to-rule-the-world-if-youre-a-cat/ a blogger larger than my life or my blog (not really), but at least my author’s blog was not overlooked by this particular feline.

As I mentioned before, and I don’t mind repeating it. I am His Handsomeness, King Rat who takes any bride he wants from the savanna.  When the new timid ex-lab’ora’tree rat came to live on the farmhouse porch, I knew I had to have her, because she would give me ingenious offspring – you know – really clever children.

I’ve been called bad – who cares? – I’m handsome, even that old owl in the tree thinks so. My fur is straw-coloured and I’m one big rat who doesn’t take nonsense from my subjects.  They do what I want . . . or else! And just by the way.  I’m not scared of Susan Day’s DAWG or any cats – striped or otherwise.  If those petty, piddling pussycats on the farm think they can keep me away from my bride, they have another thing – err . . . rat – coming their way! And that dog – would-be Protector of Molodi and so-called V.I.A. is no match for me. After all, he’s just a desert dog who I bit on his heels when he banished me . . .  oh but, I squeak too much . . .  Yet, one thing is for sure, I’ll be back, and none of those furry and feathered do-gooders will stop me.  I’m the king, I’m the rat and only I will say when I’ll be back after all this author blogging stuff. Here are my answers to those vomitus questions.

1. What genre did your author write you into? What makes your character a great fit for this genre? 

My author didn’t really do things right by me. I want all the promises in the world to have me in mind, being this handsome rat fellow and I want the farm to be free of those nobodies who think they can save everyone who is sick, lame, old and whatever needs fixing.  My author thinks she knows rats and thought children might like to hear more about me.

2. What is the hardest thing about being you?

Those do-good-fur paws on the farm always try to thwart my plans for retrieving my bride who lives with those small porch animals – a fluffball who thinks he’s a super rabbit and that mother and daughter cat combo who try to swipe at me whenever they see me.  I don’t like it when they call me Horridness or that one-eyed owl calls me Deliciousness.  All I can say, I’m good to those who are good to me, but when they all decide to banish me beyond the farm’s border, I’ll get them good, because being far from delicious titbits at the bins has made my life rough, but it’s just a temporary set-back.

3. Do you agree with all the choices your author makes for you?

No, not even once and I never will – ever! She refuses to let me take the timid rat, RatX as a bride and she allows that dog from the desert to exile me, leaving me out in the cold, far from the one I love.

4. Being a literary type, we really must know – are you a cat, or a dog person?

Are you absolutely sure you want to know the answer to this question?  I hate cats and dogs; and if only I were bigger – my author could have done something about my size, unless her imagination deliberately keeps me this small, but I would’ve cleared the farm of every furry paw, fluffball or whatever, forever – except of course, RatX my dear one, my almost bride!

So to answer your question. I’m a rat kind of person. Does that make sense to you?  Why have any other fur around when you can have me? Ever heard that saying, “Rats rule and darned cats drool”?  There was book written about us once upon a time, but it was before I was born behind the kitchen sink.

5. Does your author play favourites with her characters? Where do you fit on this spectrum?

Have you not read any of Fauna Park’s tales?  My author favours Flame aka Jack, Old Boy – that dog from the desert and his furry and feathered friends.  She has such a soft spot for that owl, perching in the tree just because he is an injured, vulnerable bird of prey. What about my injuries sustained by that dog? I have to show my yellow teeth and brux my eyes by myself, but I have mission – I will simply carry on creating havoc and ruining their plans to save other animals and birds from neglect.

6. If you could choose a love interest from the other characters in your book, who would it be and why?

Love? No . . . but at one stage I thought that the stubborn old grey goat and I could form an alliance against all the furry paws, but then he bleated in that desert dog’s favour when he promised never to forget a promise to him again.  That’s when I, His Handsomeness, King Rat, realised that I have a fight ahead on my own.  No more nice rat – just plan my bride’s abduction on a day when that dog from the desert is on on of his save-the-bush-creatures mission.

Althought, there was a young rat that caught my eye once – Madame Akkikuyu, a black rat from Morocco, a so-called fortune teller, but in her story her mind gets broken and she becomes all heroic – not what I expected, because she jumped into flames to save a friend in The Crystal Prison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Prison 

What a disappointment! If she had lived in Fauna Park, she would have joined the do-gooders after all.

7. If you could choose a name for your own blog and write about what you know and love, what would it be and why?

Rats, rats, rats rule the world.  We’ll fight them in the sewers.  We’ll get them in the milk kitchens. We’ll protect our grub.  I’ll sleep on the “Welcome” mat. The vomitus has spoken.  Good, ehh?

8. Do you have any plans to take over the Fauna Park world?

Have you not been listening to me?! Of course I have. That’s my job.  Read more about it in: https://www.amazon.co.uk/flame-hope-african-adventure-fauna-ebook/dp/B06XDRQJQX

My take-over plan is simple;

Number 1: Tip over the dogs water trough so that the wild birds have no water;

Number 2: Rid the world of all crimson-breasted shrikes – kick their eggs out of their nests and eat them – elementary really, simple stuff, you know;

Number 3: Take over Fauna Park and then move on to bigger places – the world really.

9. What do you think your author, Maretha Botha’s best qualities are?

Her? Well, I suppose she’s good at looking after real rats like RatX, who was saved from a school lab’ora’tree and she writes a lot about all sorts of creatures – even me.

Oh, and if it wasn’t for her, the children would not have known about me. After all, I’m one of the villains whom she gave some awesome lines to squeak – showing who I really am – a boastful, mean rat who ends up with no friends,using some insulting words now and then. She reflects my real true character – mean, conceited, greedy and bad all over.

10. If you could speak directly to your readers, without your author as a middleman, what would you like them to hear from the horse’s mouth?

• Join me and see where greed can take you!
• Ignore those petty pussycats and make me your chief pet instead.
• Allow rats to roam about in your attic.
• And for all the rats’ sake, Give them access to the larder!
• Oh, and buy the book where I feature again when The Rat is back – The Orphans’ Plight – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orphans-Plight-African-Adventure-Fauna-ebook/dp/B01CO4LXLE

Remember – things heat up in this book and I intend to get my reward.  So, don’t say I didn’t warn you!  Before I go, here are a few lines by which to remember me:

The Rat’s Poem

I’m His Handsomeness, the Rat King!

What a delightful sound all around

Only I, the rat king can bring.

Where else can such a sound be found?

Such fame to my name

Oh yes, I’m on top of my game!

That dog from the desert –

Always on alert, because he promised

To care for each bush creature

But when I reappear, he’ll be dismissed.

When I’m back to give him the sack

Oh yes! When I’m back on track

With my bride by my side

I’ll take them out in my stride!

Only the rat king remains

Come thunder, lighting or pouring rains!

Who’s Next?

And, now I must hand over the mantle of the Sunshine Blogger Award to four of my other favourite author bloggers.

I hereby nominate:

Gracie Bradford https://twitter.com/IamXordinary

Lynn Mclea https://twitter.com/hunnipuff

Shana Gorian https://twitter.com/AuthorShana

MJ Fahy https://twitter.com/MJFahy2

I was having some quiet thinking time the other day in between plotting the end of Fauna Park as we know it and vomitussing on the rug. I came up with 10 questions and I’d love my nominated bloggers to interview any one of their characters in either a completed work or WIP.

1. What genre did your author write you into? What makes your character a great fit for this genre?
2. What is your favourite meal?
3. Do you agree with all the choices your author makes for you?
4. Being a literary type, we really must know – Nanina, the Hobbit or Harry Potter?
5. Does your author play favourites with her characters?
6. If you could have dinner with three famous book characters who would they be and why?
7. If you could own your own retail store what would you sell and why?
8. Do you have any plans to take over the world? How would you do it?
9. What do you think drives your author’s passions?
10. What two things do you want to be remembered for?

Thank you for reading and please let us know what you think COMMENT/FOLLOW if you wish.