"Sir William Thomas, Aka Tommie, Was a Hunter. One Day Tommie Caught a Deer Mouse..."

I began reading and collecting books as a young girl. I developed an early habit of writing each book title on an index card. The index cards went into a shoebox and multiplied as the years went by and as I inherited books from the large collection of my stepfather's brother-in-law.

Through my teenage years, my mother helped me collect all the books by Paul Gallico, many of them about cats and other animals. My mother and I loved cats. We had up to seven Siamese cats at a time, including Pogo, Chang, Chungling, Pomasudee, Addabutee, and finally Mike and Mika. While attending the University of Wisconsin, I had a cat named Charming. Sadly, he did not graduate with me.

Only when I got my own townhouse did I commit to a tailless Siamese named Mingling Joy. Then came Thomas Good Tidings and Amelia Comfort, a beautiful cream mackerel tabby.

Meanwhile, I amassed a collection of illustrated books, textile books, and especially tapestry books that reflected my academic pursuits. As it made only good sense, I became a professional librarian in 1970.

I worked at Arizona State University for four years as a reference librarian, covering such subjects as nursing, home economics, and art. I pursued the latter with a vengeance. I took studio art courses and enrolled in the master's program in Art History. Over time, I specialized in medieval studies and tapestries after taking an iconography course under Dr. Hugh Broadley. He introduced me to the Nine Worthies, my heroes for all time. For the past 30 years, I have been writing a book about their life in art, literature, and spectacle.

With that background, I began writing children's books upon retirement in 2011. It had been a sworn passion of mine since joining the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority in 1965. The challenge was reiterated to me years later by another librarian.

The logical starting point was with my cats and their lives. I had written numerous poems and notes and had collected so many images that I had the resources. When my beloved cat Sir William Thomas died, I finally found the motivation to figure out whom to consult and how to begin.

I first spoke with noted art instructor Marjorie Margulies to determine the best media to use, given certain limitations. Then I started writing from my heart. And that is what I have done ever since. The stories are all personal events relating to me and my loved ones and are dedicated to those who have helped me along the way.