Elizabeth Murphy--White Fox
I’m Victoria Heckman and I’d
like to introduce my friend and character, Animal Communicator, Elizabeth
Murphy.
Animal Communicator, you say? What’s that?
She talks to animals and makes a decent living doing
so. Many people are curious about this
line of work, so I thought I’d go direct to the source.
Right now, she and her husband, fire fighter Tig, are
expecting their first child, so she has a lot on her plate.
First of all, an animal communicator isn’t a pet
psychic. She can’t read their minds, she
made sure to point out, but they do talk to her.
Q: So, Elizabeth, how did you get into this rather
unusual job?
EM: I’ve always done it. I
thought everyone could until I was around high school age and found out
everyone couldn’t do it, that I was
just weird!
Q: What’s it like? I mean, how do you do it?
EM: I think everyone with pets does it to some
degree, they just may not realize they are doing it! We all talk to our pets, and we usually just
fill in the gaps of what we think they reply.
But really, they usually do. When
you think you are speaking for them, often, they are speaking to you, and you
hear that. Animals also communicate in
pictures, especially if they are not used to human interaction. Sometimes when Teddy or Edward don’t know a
word or concept in English, they will share a picture of it, from their mind to
mine. I can send pictures back, as well.
Of course, just like kids, they don’t always listen. They
either disagree with you, or just ignore you.
Q: How did this turn into a hobby—or an ability—to an
actual job?
EM: I started
talking to my own animals, and then friends and family asked for help with
theirs. Word spread and now I have
growing list of clients. It was difficult at first to know what to charge, but
I’m certainly not the only animal communicator in this area. Others were very generous with their help and
time. I also discovered, we all have slightly different ways of working. (A
rotund striped tabby just came into the room.)
Q: Who is this?
EM: Oh, this is Teddy, and the little black guy behind
him is Edward.
Q: Will they talk to me?
EM: Of course.
They talk all the time. Do you have a specific question? They can understand you, just ask.
Q: Okay. This is odd for me, but Teddy, how do you feel
about having someone be able to talk to you?
To understand you?
T: (Sort of a blank look.)
Q: Does he not understand? Is it that I’m a stranger?
EM: No. He has never experienced life without me, so
he doesn’t understand the concept. (She
is looking intently at him.) Teddy, really.
Um, he things it’s a silly question. He perceives his understanding is
like yours or mine and why would we question that?
(The little black cat came and sat at my feet and is
looking up at me.)
EM: Edward is
saying for him it is special. He has a
bond with my husband, but Tig doesn’t understand him on this level. He enjoys the clarity of our conversations,
plus I translate for Tig.
Q: Speaking of your husband, how does he feel about all
this?
EM: He was a bit of a skeptic, as most people are, but
he’s seen enough to trust me. And the
cats. I think he feels a little left out, but he’s getting better at this all
the time. He can’t always accept that it’s real, so he works on that.
Q: I hear you have a new little one in the family?
EM: Oh, yes. Freya.
She was abandoned in the house next door. Actually, the boys get credit for finding
her. (Elizabeth looks intently at the adult cats for a moment.) They want you to know they are entirely
responsible for her being here and that they generously allowed her to stay
with us.
Q: Is that true?
EM: Mostly true.
Freya began talking to me almost from the moment she arrived, so I
suppose I would have discovered her, but the boys did a lot taking care of her
and showing her around.
Q: I hear she has some sort of extra ability?
EM: As close as I
am to these guys here, Freya is different.
She is more, human, I suppose, in her interactions with me.
(Edward has rolled on his back and is pawing the air.)
EM: Edward wants me to tell you about the rabbit rescue
we made.
Q: Teddy seems mad? Upset?
EM: He wasn’t part of that mission, so anything that
doesn’t include him, doesn’t count.
Q: I’d love to hear about the rabbit rescue but I’m out
of time. Anything else you’d like to
share:
EM: Just that if
you have a ‘feeling’ about your animals, or any animal, really, listen to
it. They are probably telling you
something!
White Fox, the latest in the
Elizabeth Murphy Animal Communicator Series
Available in print or ebook
Facebook: Victoria Heckman
Twitter: @victoriaheckman
Blurb:
Love animals? Victoria
Heckman’s latest, White Fox, is a wonderful mystery with a pregnant heroine who
communicates with her cats and other animals.
A good friend of Elizabeth and her fire fighter husband goes missing and
the hunt is on. Smart, surprisingly
unusual, and a captivating puzzle enhanced because of a unique look into the
animal world.
---Marilyn Meredith, author of the Deputy
Tempe Crabtree Series
AKA F.M. Meredith
Bio:
Victoria Heckman writes
several mystery series: K.O.’d in Hawaii-a police procedural;
Coconut Man Mysteries of Ancient Hawaii-a
historical series; Elizabeth
Murphy-Animal Communicator set on California’s Central Coast; and Pearl Harbor Blues, a stand-alone
mystery. She has short stories in many anthologies as well as editing and
compiling several more collections. Her latest Elizabeth Murphy mystery, White Fox, is now available in print
and Kindle. She is a member of Sisters in Crime-Central Coast Chapter. Visit
her website www.victoriaheckman.com or find her on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
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