We're familiar with familiars ... or are we? Gifted adventurers across time and space have traveled with an animal familiar—often a cat, but other fuzzy, scaly, or prickly creatures make appearances, too. These magical companions might lead their humans into mischief, help them out of a sticky situation, or provide opinionated commentary along the way.

But when the wizards are away, the familiars will play.

Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars is an original collection that shines the limelight on the sidekicks, the familiars. Familiars have lives of their own, a sense of humor, and a shadowy underbelly that we totally overlook.

Does the Siamese cat companion develop powers of telekinesis … maybe to knock deadly potions off the counter? What happens when a rat studies to become a familiar in a class full of cats? Is the circus leopard really the puppet master who makes her handler look good?

They don’t all have to be felines. What about unfamiliar familiars? A time-traveling elephant that never forgets a grudge against his warlock? A lowly earthworm horrified to find itself bonded for life to an ungrateful enchanter?

Now it's time for these fantastical familiars to take the main stage. Make your stories humorous, dark, or heartwarming—so long as the familiar is the central figure in the story. We’re looking for writing with all the wit, mischief, and charmingly complex character of cats themselves.

Think outside the litter box and send us something unique that finally gives these familiars the fame and glory they deserve.

Genre:Original feline and or familiar stories and poetry in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, humor, and romance, appropriate for up to a “PG-13” audience. Felines and or familiars (of other types) must be central to the story.