Over the years, Zach Auburn self-published under many assumed names—’90s preteen Joshua Chapman for his series Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek: The Next Generation, just “Anonymous” for his Choose Your Own Adventure-style novella Love Is Not Constantly Wondering If You Are Making the Biggest Mistake of Your Life—but the moment you talked to him (he was a regular fixture at Portland’s small press/zine events) there was little mystery as to the identity of the author of so many varied, funny, and endearing projects. When the $2 zine How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety, purportedly distributed by the American Association of Patriots (AAP), began shooting off the shelves of stores that carried it, Auburn surprised everyone by finally using his own name—albeit still affecting a kind of character pseudonym as president of the AAP. Auburn took a moment away from his conspiracy wingnut character to reconnect with the Mercury, and discuss his pseudonym shift as well as the hilarious, expanded book version of his pamphlet series about cats and the conservative agenda protecting their furry little lives.