Why I Write About Cats
By Debbie De Louise
I grew up with cats. Ever since I can remember, there were felines in my house. We also had dogs. My parents were big animal lovers. I’m sure many of you cat lovers out there can relate. I was the youngest of four kids, and my brothers and sister were a decade older than me. I was somewhat shy and didn’t have too many friends. My favorite activities as a child were reading and playing with my cats. I also loved to tell stories and enjoyed writing even back then. My teachers told my parents that I had talent in this area and should develop it.
The only career I ever wanted was to be an author. However, my plans changed in college when I knew I had to decide on a more profitable profession, at least at first. I took an aptitude test that showed I should be either a writer or a librarian. I’d never considered being a librarian, although it made sense because I loved books. I enrolled in library school and then got a job at a public library. I didn’t give up my dream of writing, though. I’d volunteered on the student newspaper at my college and also created, edited, and wrote the library school newsletter.
After I married in 1992, I began publishing articles in pet magazines. I’d learned about a group called the Cat Writers’ Association and wanted to join them. To become a professional member, I needed to have two published pieces. I submitted articles about my cats, one of whom suffered from diabetes and asthma. My articles were published in Cat Fancy, Cats Magazine, Animal Watch, and other pet magazines. But I was still interested in writing fiction. I sent a story to a mystery anthology called Cat Crimes Through Time, and my story, “Stitches in Time” was featured in it when it was published in 2001. I was thrilled to be in a collection alongside famous mystery authors I admired such as Carole Nelson Douglas, the author of the Midnight Louie series and a fellow member of the Cat Writers’ Association who I’d had the honor of meeting in person.
In 2007, after my cat Floppy died, I wrote my first novel, Cloudy Rainbow, that’s since been reprinted and featured him as a character in it. My Cobble Cove series about a librarian and library cat started in 2015 with A Stone’s Throw and now includes 5 books and 3 short eBooks, one of which won a MUSE medallion, the highest award given by the Cat Writers’ Association. I’ve also written other mysteries and short stories, most of which include cats. Pet Posts: The Cat Chats is my first non-fiction cat book. I’m excited to honor four of my cats, two who are on Rainbow Bridge, by giving them voice to tell their stories from twenty years ago and today and to share with readers information about feline health and behavioral issues among other topics.
Writing about cats is my passion because an author always writes best about what they know. After having cats all my life, I know them well. In fact, I know them well enough to know what they would say if they could write articles and blog posts about their experiences.
Pet
Posts: The Cat Chats
by
Debbie de Louise
Genre:
Nonfiction, Pets
Ever
wonder what cats are thinking? If your cats could write a blog, what
would they talk about?
In
this collection, you’ll meet Debbie De Louise’s current cats and
two from the past who share their everyday activities, health
concerns, behavior issues, and more.
Floppy
relates his hospital experience, gives advice about taking pills, and
discusses feline diabetes. His younger sister, Holly, talks about her
weight issues, describes how she made the change from a feral to a
house cat, and even writes a fictional story featuring her fur and
human family members. Harry talks about the merits and perils of
being a black cat, shares his bad habit of wire and shoelace chewing,
and even gives tips about how to cope with a crisis. His sister
Hermione reveals her fascination with high and low places, discusses
how she mastered the cat flap door, and even reviews the Cat Writers’
Association conference.
If
there’s a feline in your home or you enjoy reading about these
quirky, beautiful, wise, and inspirational creatures, you’ll find
these fur-st person tails from the cats’ points of view a purrfect
read.
Debbie
De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a
public library on Long Island. She is a member of International
Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, and the Cat Writer’s
Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science
from Long Island University. Her seven published novels include the 4
books of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: A Stone's Throw,
Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, and Love on the
Rocks, her paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, her mystery thriller
Reason to Die, and her latest psychological mystery, Sea Scope. She
also published a romantic comedy novella featuring a jewel heist
caper, When Jack Trumps Ac. Debbie has also written articles and
short stories for several anthologies of various genres. She is
currently querying agents to represent the first book of a new cozy
mystery series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter,
and three cats.
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