Two years ago, I'd never have guessed where I'd be now - ankle deep in stray cats on the Edge of America.

These strays are looking for a good home, and soon as I step into the shelter they know a sucker when they see one. Some are workin' it hard, rubbing themselves up against me or sitting contentedly on my lap. They know how to sell themselves. Sitting beside me on a wicker sofa is Chester, a seven-year-old, 21 pound ginger tom. Under the sofa, an ornery old tabby is growling at the other cats.

Life's tough for the lost critters of Folly Beach, South Carolina. But unfortunately for them, I'm not here to buy a bouncing ball of fur. I'm here because I'm the guy who writes cat books.

These aren't just any scraggy old cat books. They're something different, detective tales with a catnipped Celtic flavour. Milk Treading follows the adventures of Julius Kyle, an inky wretch of a reporter who lives in a city of civilised felines, and he's one of the main reasons I'm in America today.

The first inkling that I had of Milk Treading's success were the e-mails and phone calls from US readers. They implored me to come over and give a talk or a tour, and that led me to a new life across the pond.

In between working on a spin-off novel, The Kitty Killer Cult, I've been performing in plays and films, producing dramas, running a Writers' Studio and founding a film festival. But to many people here on the Edge of America I'm still the cat book guy, someone who enjoys spinning yarns with a can't-put-it-down pace.

I aim to create entertaining characters who live in places that are new to human eyes - Julius and his friends live in the city that is a character all itself. The inhabitants of this city may have permanent fur coats, but they're still people that anyone can relate to in situations that aren't so far from our own realm of experience.

Sometimes I'm asked to tell a tale to the workers and visitors of the local animal shelter, and that's what I'm doing right now. I'm surrounded by cats, improvising a story told in a soft, reassuring tone of voice. It's probably my overactive imagination, but their eyes seem to shine as I spin my latest curious yarn.

Nick Smith's cat-centred novels

Milk Treading	Coming soon - The Kitty Killer Cult

The Kitty Killer Cult (PBK £9.99) will be published in February 2005, and has been selected for a US-wide promotion by book chain Barnes and Noble. Milk Treading (PBK £6.99) is available now.

Keep track of the progress of The Kitty Killer Cult - and the latest news from Nick Smith - at his blog at milktreading.blogspot.com.