Part One: Where Bastet, Sekhmet, Ma’at, Wadjet and Tefnut Began
When readers enter the world of Caleb & Bastet, they’ll meet extraordinary feline Guardians inspired by ancient Egyptian deities—Bastet, Sekhmet, Ma’at, Wadjet, Tefnut and others who will appear as the series expands.
But the Guardians didn’t begin with mythology alone.
Many of them began at home.
Throughout my life, cats have been part of my family. Some were rescues. Some were tiny personalities who somehow managed to command an entire household. Some stayed with me for many years. Others left memories that eventually found their way into the fictional world I had been building.
So when I began creating the Guardians of Caleb & Bastet, I didn’t have to imagine everything about them.
I already knew them.
KitCat — The Real Cat Behind Bastet
Bastet was inspired by my 14-year-old rescue cat, KitCat.
We’ve had KitCat since she was a kitten, although looking at her today you’d be forgiven for thinking she still is one. She’s an unusually petite adult cat, something I carried directly into Bastet’s appearance.
Her size, however, has apparently never been communicated to KitCat.
As far as she’s concerned, she owns the place.
She’s small, confident, opinionated, and absolutely convinced she’s the alpha. If there’s a high shelf somewhere in the house, that’s probably where you’ll find her—perched above everyone’s heads, surveying her kingdom.
That habit actually inspired a piece of worldbuilding in the books.
Throughout Arcane facilities, the cats have elevated railings and pathways that allow them to move around above the humans. That idea didn’t come from some elaborate worldbuilding session.
It came from watching KitCat.
And when I’m working at the computer, she has another favorite throne: the computer tower itself. She’ll sit there while I work as though she’s supervising the entire operation.
So why did KitCat inspire Bastet?
Spend five minutes with her.
You’ll understand.
Bastet may be petite, but nobody should ever confuse small with submissive.
KitCat certainly doesn’t.
Cutie — The Heart Behind Sekhmet
Sekhmet’s inspiration is much more personal.
Cutie was another rescue.
We adopted her when she was about three years old, and she became part of our family for roughly fourteen years. She lived to be 17.
Cutie was caring.
Loving.
And fierce.
She loved being held. She would climb onto my lap or my daughter’s lap whenever she had the opportunity, and even near the end of her life, what she wanted most was simply to be close to us.
But that gentle personality had another side.
If KitCat—or another animal—needed someone in their corner, Cutie was there.
She was protective.
That combination stayed with me: tremendous affection paired with an instinct to defend those she loved.
And eventually I realized I already knew who that reminded me of.
Sekhmet.
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet is associated with formidable power and protection. For my fictional Guardian, I wanted that fierceness to coexist with loyalty and love.
Cutie gave me the emotional blueprint.
Sadly, Cutie’s life ended because of an act of human cruelty.
She died in our arms.
There is much more to the story of what happened to Cutie—something deeply personal, and admittedly difficult to believe. My daughter and I will share that story when the time is right, including what we learned from the experience and the steps we now take to better protect the animals we love.
For now, I’d rather remember the 17 years that came before that final moment—and use her story as one more reminder that animals depend upon us for kindness and protection.
Every time readers meet Sekhmet, they’ll also be meeting the memory of a cat who meant the world to me.
Sekhmet allows a little piece of Cutie’s spirit to continue running through the world of Caleb & Bastet.
Fierce when necessary.
Loving always.
And protective of her family until the end.
Ma’at — Inspired by a Very Judgmental Calico (Rascal)
Not every Guardian origin story is quite so emotional.
Some are considerably funnier.
When I was around 13, I had a calico cat whose personality could best be described as…
Judgmental.
Anyone who has lived with the right calico probably knows the expression I’m talking about.
The stare.
The assessment.
The unmistakable feeling that somewhere, somehow, you’ve disappointed the cat.
Years later, when I created Ma’at, the connection practically made itself.
Ma’at represents justice and balance.
And I already knew a cat perfectly qualified to pass judgment.
Wadjet — Inspired by Ivan
Wadjet was inspired by Ivan, my exotic shorthair Persian.
Like KitCat, Ivan was unusually petite. Even as a full-grown adult, he retained the appearance of a kitten.
That quality stayed with me when I began developing Wadjet.
One of the things I enjoy about the Guardians is playing against the assumption that physical size determines importance or power.
Some of the smallest members of the Arcane world are anything but insignificant.
Tefnut — Inspired by Jackie
Tefnut traces back to Jackie, a male cat I had during my twenties.
Jackie became another piece of the long personal history that eventually found its way into the Guardian family.
By the time I began building the larger cast of Caleb & Bastet, I wasn’t consciously sitting down with a list of every cat I’d ever known and assigning each one a fictional counterpart.
It happened more naturally than that.
A personality would emerge.
A behavior would feel familiar.
And suddenly I’d realize:
I knew this cat.
The Guardians Are Family
That’s ultimately what the Guardians represent to me.
They’re fictional.
They’re inspired by mythology.
They’re part of a supernatural adventure series.
But underneath all of that are memories of real animals who shared different chapters of my life.
Some made me laugh.
Some comforted my family.
Some behaved as though we humans were merely staff members assigned to their household.
And some left holes behind when they were gone.
Writing gave me a way to carry pieces of those personalities forward.
Readers will meet more Guardians as the Caleb & Bastet universe expands, including Hathor, Mafdet, and others whose stories I’m deliberately saving for another day.
Because just like the books themselves…
You shouldn’t meet everyone at once.
For now, when you meet a tiny black cat named Bastet sitting somewhere above Caleb’s head and behaving as though she owns Arcane…
You’ll know why.
Somewhere in the real world, KitCat is probably doing exactly the same thing.
Want to meet Bastet for yourself?
Caleb & Bastet: Recognition is the beginning of a much larger adventure.
Download the opening chapters free and enter the world of Caleb & Bastet.
