Available now at Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
Today is a big day in my writing life! My second book, a children’s book titled Little White: The Feral Cat Who Found a Home is now available for sale. It is launching, appropriately, on Global Cat Day, formerly known as National Feral Cat Day. The day helps raise awareness of the plight of “community cats” and all cats who are lost, abandoned, or feral, and who need our help.
What a journey it has been bringing the story of Little White to the world. I first had the idea to write about our feral cat, who was born outdoors to a wild mom and now lives indoors with us, quite a few years ago. Like many writing projects, it took a long time to bring the idea to fruition. After focusing my writing life on creative nonfiction and writing personal essays for almost a decade, it was a big change to write a children’s book. I had to learn about everything from the right word count and word choices to how to write with illustrations in mind, and then match my text to a layout. The text might seem simple, but much more work went into getting it right than I ever expected.
I was thrilled to work with an illustrator I chose — Laurel McKinstry Petersen — to bring the character of Little White to life and develop ideas for illustrations. Finally, it all came together with the help of MaryChris Bradley, owner of Writer’s Coffee Bar Press and an expert in children’s books and the children’s literature market. She guided my effort from beginning to end.
This book has been a true “labor of love.” I will donate part of the proceeds to animal rescue organizations, and I have already donated several copies to fundraisers for different non-profits. It is a good feeling to publish a book that will not only entertain children (and their parents, grandparents, and friends), but will hopefully help kids develop compassion for lost animals.
Little White: The Feral Cat Who Found a Home is available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats at Amazon, here, and in hardcover format only so far at Barnes and Noble, here. Please feel free to ask your local independent bookstore to order some copies to help make the book available in your community. And, as always, if you have an opportunity to read the book, I would greatly appreciate it if you took a few moments to leave a review on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, and/or on Goodreads. Reviews help other readers find the book, and often give the book more exposure online.
It has been a long road full of hard work to publish my first children’s book. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way. Onward!
