The excitement is building for my new book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them, which will arrive very soon! Place your order now and enter the draw to receive the cost of the book refunded.
It is so easy for a reader to pick up a new book in a shop or library, but do spare a thought for the agony and the ecstasy that the writer puts into such a creation. I finished writing Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them about two years ago. Before that came the idea for the book in the first place, followed by research into the authors I wanted to feature (there ended up being 17 of them), and the cats who inspired them, comforted them, and shared their living space. Next came the writing, often interrupted by visits to libraries, reading more books which would give me information, and fact-checking, which is all so time-consuming. I wrote the book without any contract from a publisher, so then had to begin the task of sending my manuscript out into the world in the hopes it would find a home.
And, eventually, came the memorable, awesome, wonderful day when it was accepted by the Bodleian Library in Oxford. I remember that one of my very first days in England was spent in that superb city. How could I ever have dreamed, as my twenty-year old self roamed the streets and saw the gorgeous building of the Bodleian, that one day I would write a book that would be published by that esteemed institution! Did you hear my shrieks of joy all over Sydney the day I read the Bodleian email accepting my book?
After that came the process of editing the book; it was sent out to an external reader, and my fantastic editor, Janet, gave sensible and helpful advice. One gets so close to one’s own manuscript that it can be hard to judge it impartially, and this is where a good editor is so invaluable. The publisher designs a cover and takes care of illustrations – fortunately, I loved both! Work on Acknowledgments, Dedication, Bibliography and Index comes next, and then the book suddenly leaves my hands and is out of my control. Lastly, I had to try to find a good store of patience and wait for the final product to reach me from the printer.
Then a whole new sort of work awaits … promotion planning (thanks to Lesley Rickman for her gorgeous cats and books illustration), a book launch, publicity, talks about the book, book-signings, radio interviews, and, hopefully, copies flying out the door to eager readers. For what every author loves the most is people buying one’s book and enjoying it, recommending it to friends, gifting it to others, and spreading the news of its existence.
Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them will be available in all good bookshops and as an e-book. But if you buy it directly from me, I can sign it and write a dedication for you. My next newsletter will let you know about the talks and events I will be doing around Australia, but if you can’t make it to any of these, or simply want to get one of the very first copies hot off the press, you can order it from my website. I have a special pre-order promotion running until the end of September. Place your order now and enter the draw to receive the cost of the book refunded.
My new book is, in my view, a wonderful Christmas present, and it will hopefully prove to be a fascinating read, for those who love cats and those who love reading about great writers. You don’t even have to be a cat-lover to enjoy it!
I’ve also paw-picked two litter-ally amazing, tabby-rifically designed compurr-nion items: my Purr-fectly Literary Tea Towel and my Meow-vellous Greeting Card. All three items are pounce-ready in my online shop now. (Oh dear, OK, I’ll stop now …) Let me know your thoughts in a comment.
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Jamie Franklin
I am sure you have received MANY notes about literary cats that didn’t make it into your book. I am the curator at Bennington Museum, which received an archive of materials related to the life and work of Shirley Jackson from her eldest son, Laurence, in 2022. Amongst the gift, were a few cat figurines and a lovely photo of Shirley and her husband Stanley with one of their many cats:
https://bennington.pastperfectonline.com/Search?search_criteria=Shirley+AND+Cat&onlyimages=false
Cat’s figured heavily in Jackson’s life and work and I think you’d enjoy learning more. I am happy to point you in the direction of some good places to start, thought many of the best anecdotes are told be her children.
Susannah Fullerton
Gosh, the Bennington Museum looks gorgeous. I wish I could come and visit and see some of the items you mention. Thanks so much for letting me know about Shirley’s love of cats. I’ll certainly investigate further.
Brian Doyle
A big event for you Susannah and it’s sure to be hugely successful and the place that’s packed with cat lovers is Pet Barn so you’ll need a well stocked shelf in the moggy aisle and book a trip to Japan the land with the most cat lovers. Start doing those hand exercises ready to give them a very rigorous round of book signings. All my good wishes and I’ll be expecting to see it racing up the sales ladder to the top rung.
Mr B