Just a fun fact from behind the scrolls of Vacari…

There’s a black panther in the books—graceful, fierce, and unapologetically loyal. Her name? Pumpkin.

What many readers may not know is that Pumpkin is inspired by someone very real: my own little black cat, also named Pumpkin. 🖤

Her personality—the sass, the sharp glances, the smug purring when she’s pretending not to care—is entirely her own. I didn’t invent her. I just gave her longer claws and a forest to rule.

In the story, Pumpkin has become a loyal companion to Keisha and a small but mighty presence in a world of dragons, darkness, and destiny. And every time she curls up by the fire or takes down something twice her size, know this: she’s channeling a real cat who is absolutely certain she runs my house.

(She’s not wrong.)