With deepest thanks . . .
Many people have written letters and reviews since my last post. I am profoundly grateful to all of you. Thanks for taking time to read No Ordinary Cat and to send me a personal review—or post one online. Your words and thoughts are a gift.
The greatest compliment . . .
As I was writing the book, I asked myself many times, “Will anyone notice this? This phrase, this image? This ending?” And et cetera. You DID notice. My dear readers, you noticed everything. The greatest compliment you can pay a writer, in my opinion, is simply to pay attention. Thank you from my heart for doing that.
Following are some excerpts from a few of the reviews I’ve received—and read, and re-read.
It’s All About the Words!
This is from an early reviewer–and I’ve read it a hundred times:
“Told in beautiful language throughout, the story is a joy to read, and especially to read aloud to a willing listener. Each word is well-chosen, each sentence carefully crafted; this is pitch-perfect prose that reads like fine poetry.”
The phrase “pitch-perfect prose” will live in my head forever. Another reviewer quoted some favorite moments—and I could write a review about this review. This is only a tiny piece of it (you can read the whole thing on Amazon). He quotes the book, too. Frosting on the cake:
“The words that oxygenate this tale, breathing life into both the human and animal characters, have been carefully selected from rarified air. They are challenging, respectful, rich and best experienced read aloud. Here are two tastes:
Like Uncle Oscar, Rufus would sail the world, trouncing rogues and hooligans, weathering storms that could test the grittiest cat’s mettle.
Cattails were sprouting profusely, and the blackbirds warbled their approval. Lavender edged clouds sailed through azure skies, while butterflies swooped in to kiss the newly budded sage.”
One reader’s overall impression was just what I’d been hoping for.:
“Rufus and his adventures will remain close to your heart long after the last page has turned. As Asha says to Rufus, ‘You touch hearts, my red-haired friend. It’s your destiny.’
Design Matters
It took weeks—months, really—to come up with the design for the book. From the beginning, I had wanted a small, square book because I love how little books feel when you hold them—and I’d always loved reading small books to my kids. I also wanted big—make that huge—margins, so pages wouldn’t look intimidating. I’ve given up on more than one book because the density of print on the page was choking me.
There’s no electronic version of the book, and yes, I’ve been told a thousand times that I should have one. Somehow, though, I cannot get past the idea that the books we love most are those we hold in our hands. I don’t know about you, but I love leafing back and forth, returning to favorite passages and pictures. And so, I felt vindicated when one reviewer said this:
“I loved how the book felt in my hands -its shape, its size, the texture of its cover, its colors. Also loved the way words are spaced on the page with lots of white space around so that each page became a new treat.”
From Adventure to Friendship
In the beginning, I’d intended to write a children’s chapter book. I didn’t appreciate how quickly fiction takes on a life of its own. Before I knew what was happening, the characters in the book—both human and feline—had become far more complicated than when I’d dreamed them up. But this evolutionary process wasn’t the only thing that changed the book over countless revisions.
The theme of friendship sounded like a drumbeat in my head. How could it not? After all, I was writing in 2020. If we’ve ever needed friends in our lives, it’s now. If there’s a silver lining to a pandemic, if it’s not insane to even hope for such a thing, perhaps it’s our acutely heightened appreciation for friends.
What’s more, it wasn’t lost on me that more people than ever are finding comfort in having animal friends. They’ve always been an antidote for loneliness, but never like now. In No Ordinary Cat, Rufus isn’t just some stray cat that Mr. Peabody happens to rescue one day. He becomes a companion, a confidante, a writing cohort. One day Mr. Peabody—who’s lived alone for years—knows nothing whatsoever about cats. A week later, he cannot imagine life without one. Isn’t that how it works? Friends enter our lives in unexpected ways and before you know it, we can’t let go.
As No Ordinary Cat grew into a book about friendship, I realized I was writing to adults as well as to children. Indeed, I was writing to my friends. And penning a love note to anyone who has learned—for dogs and cats are notoriously good teachers—just how perceptive and selfless animals can be. Reviewers picked right up on this:
“What a brilliant book. How I loved this tale of the indomitable Rufus who ventures “out where the stories are.” It quite defies categorization because it’s for kids and adults, and artists and poets and adventurers and naturalists and storytellers and cat lovers—and you.”
“Writing in the refreshing style of Farley Mowat’s classic dog story, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be, Vicki Spandel has created an engaging tale for any one of the 95 million Americans who live with and love cats, effectively capturing their loving, intelligent and adventurist nature. No Ordinary Cat is an unforgettable story for animal enthusiasts of all ages.”
“Spandel clearly understands the human heart, human loneliness, and how we can become whole with the companionship of another – in this case, a cat. She cleverly allows us to see ourselves through her characters. Within her words and Helleher’s exquisite pastels are people we know, friendships we’ve had, and the love we’ve felt for another. Together they give us gifts of characters – both feline and human – who make our lives whole.”
“Young readers will enjoy a good story and not notice that their appreciation comes from well-crafted writing that flows effortlessly, with moments of tension and drama followed by moments of relief and resolution. Seasoned readers will notice carefully crafted sentences, rich language that paints pictures as realistic as the book’s illustrations, and characters that ring true to life.”
A Book for Teachers
I can never write anything without imagining it in the hands of a writing teacher. So naturally, I was thrilled by comments from teachers who could definitely see No Ordinary Cat as a classroom resource. Because it’s meant to be read aloud, it can be shared by parents at home, too. Parents don’t always realize how much you can teach a young writer just by sharing a book aloud. Here are some thoughts from teachers:
“As a former elementary classroom teacher, this is a book that would have provided me with an abundance of opportunities to teach children ways to strengthen their writing – crafting strong leads, adding language that creates visual imagery, sentence variety, and much more.”
“I am a retired elementary and middle school teacher, and a volunteer at my neighborhood school. I’m always on the lookout for books to share with or recommend to young readers. I’m also the uncle who gives books as gifts—no ‘Guess what it is?’ required. No Ordinary Cat is a book I am excited about—excited to share, recommend, and gift.”
“As a university instructor of elementary pre-service teachers, I am always looking for children’s books they can use in their writing instruction. This one meets [all the] criteria. First of all is engagement. This delightful story grabs the interest of the reader immediately and becomes a definite page turner. Next is the amazing descriptive writing that causes the reader to “see” this story come to life in a most beautiful way . . . Spandel’s use of figurative language pulls readers into higher order thinking as they seek to make their own personal connections within their own lives. The illustrations are breathtaking and convey a tenderness that fits this book. I look forward to what, I hope, becomes a sequel.”
A Word About Writing Process
Mr. Peabody, one of the book’s two human characters, is a writer—a poet. Naturally, I couldn’t resist including some details of his everyday writing difficulties and breakthroughs. I was so hoping that someone would notice I’d done this, and sure enough, someone did:
“Not only do readers get to witness Mr. Peabody’s writing process—both the joy of words and the struggle to find the right ones–with Rufus and then Razi playing the role of poetry muse, we get to read a short collection of the poems his feline friends ‘helped’ write.”
Never to Be Forgotten
A favorite comment came from a colleague and fellow writer to whom I’d sent the book. She didn’t post her review, but her heartfelt words meant the world to me. When she first received the parcel, she was right in the midst of another project. So, after peeling off the bubble wrap, she meant to put the book aside for a time. However, the cover kept calling to her:
“Those eyes–those eyes I could not ignore. ‘I’ll just read the beginning!’ I warned myself. Well, that was not to be! Wow, can you write!!! The images you create are magical. I now do not need to ask myself , ‘Where was I?’ [quotation from the Introduction] Once I picked up your book and began reading, I could not stop.
“I especially loved the way you made me feel for both Mrs. Lin and Mr. Peabody at the same time. I found myself wishing for a love match between the two so they could both have Rufus at the same time.”
Did Someone Say Sequel?
Actually, a number of people did. I never could resist a writing challenge. Long and short is, I hope so. Working on it. Rest assured, I won’t keep it a secret.
Meantime, thank you again to everyone for your gracious and kind remarks, and for responding so warmly to a story that was deeply personal for me. You are no ordinary reviewers.
Six Trait Gurus 