Little Cat's Luck
I’ve always loved cats. From the time I was a child, I’ve had cats in my life. One cat, two cats, sometimes three. But a while back, after years and years of cats, I began to notice the way my eyes turned red, the way they swelled, the way they itched. Miserably. Constantly. But especially when I was petting my cat. Finally, I figured it out. I am allergic to cats. Especially, it turned out, to Siamese cats. And so I had to be a grown-up and decide not to own a cat any longer.No more cats on my bed, in my lap, in my home. No more cats in my life. Sad. More sad than these words can convey.But then I realized there was no reason that I couldn’t create stories about cats. Stories couldn’t make my eyes redden, swell, itch. If I wrote a story about a cat, I could carry that little cat around inside my head day and night and suffer no allergies at all. And to make that story come to life, I could use my years and years of cats.I know cats watch you, bored, disdainful, greedy. The way they twitch just the tip of their tails before they pounce. I know the thrum of a purr beneath my hand. I know the force with which they can attack a pretend mouse. Or the caution with which they can tiptoe around a live one. I even know how a cat brings kittens into the world. The first time I assisted with that process I was a girl lying across a boarded up window-well reaching down to reassure my frightened calico, a first-time mother. So I know cats . . . deeply.I know them exactly the way I need to know any character I’m going to build a story around. In my bones. In my gut. In my heart. So that’s why I wrote Little Cat’s Luck.
And now the day has come. My little cat has emerged into the world. The official publication date for Little Cat’s Luck was February 9th. She’s garnered some nice reviews and found some enthusiastic readers already. And after all the time I’ve spent with her, my eyes don’t itch! Not even a little bit.There’s something to be said for book cats.So now the book is out, and there is a fun trailer on my website, too.And a classroom discussion guide and a social/emotional learning guide for teachers to widen the way they can use this story in their curriculum.And guess what! Now anyone who wants to can enjoy my little cat without a trace of sneezes or itchy eyes.And without a litter box in sight!