Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers

I've just been informed two of my humor stories, "Dibbs!" and "The Great Cat Butt-Wiping Adventure" have been accepted as finalists in the upcoming Cup of Comfort For Cat Lovers book, to be published by Adams Media in Spring 2008. Fifty stories will be selected out of 56 finalists so I have a good shot at having both my pieces included.

I also recently learned, almost by accident, that I placed third in the "How I'd Like to Work Like A Cat" contest sponsored by I Love Cats magazine. I say I learned by accident because as of yet I've received no e-mail or letter telling me I won. Instead, I received in the mail the book, How To Work Like A Cat by Karen Wormald. There was no invoice, no letter, nothing with it. I was scratching my head, trying to figure out who sent me this book or when I might have ordered it when I glanced at the envelope and saw "3rd place" written in faint red ink. Ah ha! A clue! (Fine, so I'm no Sherlock Holmes.)

I vaguely remembered entering the contest months ago so I Googled the title and sure enough, Ms. Wormald is being kind enough to supply books to the top 3 essay winners. Never let anyone tell you there isn't glory and high praise in the life of a writer.

Seriously, it's a cute book and I'm thrilled to have placed. Now I just have to wrangle a copy of the July/August issue of I Love Cats the winning essays are supposed to have appeared in. Maybe that will magically appear as mail as well. Meanwhile, I'll keep watch for that Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes check because, obviously, miracles do happen...