Interview with Jerilyn McIntyre for Paws in the Piazza

"Paws in the Piazza," a novel for middle grade readers by Jerilyn McIntyre, describes the adventures of Harley, a black cat who has moved to Venice with his American family.  Inspired by the antics of the cat owned by her neighbors when McIntyre was President of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, the fictional Harley takes up with a group of local cats who roam wild in the alleys and neighborhoods of Venice, and meets the mysterious Angela, a beautiful white Angora who steals his heart.  Then he becomes embroiled in a fierce and ongoing war between his friends and a rival band of cats, and discovers the magical order that underlies life in the enchanting and historic city that is his new home.