Tag: The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats

“The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats,” Book #1. (www.TheXmasCats.com for all 5 in the series, currently).

I posted the scheduled appearances for the rest of 2020 previously. This Thursday (Dec. 17) will, in fact, involve telling the audience about books for sale, but whether it will be Sean Leary’s book or not remains to be seen. The evening will focus on the six-book series “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” if previously scheduled guest Sean Leary cannot make it, [due to a soccer game this time]. Always have a “Plan B,” when preparing a program, whether it is a radio show, a podcast, a television show, or something else. I’ve done very little talking about my own books on the 38 programs so far. Maybe this is the week—a week before Christmas—to talk about a 6-book Christmas series? I guess we’ll know by Thursday. One way or the other, you’ll get to hear about an appropriate literary purchase for the holiday ahead.

On December 24th there will be a replay of a previous program, and on December 31st (New Year’s Eve) that will happen again.

There are six books in “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” series, all of which can be seen by going to www.TheXmasCats.com. I would urge potential listeners to go out to the website while they are listening to me talk about how the books came to be.

Again, this is not a “for sure” program listing, as perhaps Sean will be able to join us to talk about his new book “Subliminal Cartography.” Maybe. Maybe not.

If not, you’ll hear the story of the newest book (“The Christmas Cats Flee the Bee”) first, as it is the newest release. I’m on schedule with completing the series for my granddaughters, as I always vowed to discontinue the series when the girls had outgrown Santa Claus. Their twelfth birthday is January 11th; the final book is out, and all six of the books are available on Amazon in time for Christmas gift giving, if you hurry.

So, what are the books and what were the ideas behind them?

Book #1: The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats

This book came out of the non-stop fighting between our two cats, the older cat and a new arrival, who joined us from the ravine as winter came on. They had to learn how to get along, and that is the “moral” of Book #1.

Book #2: The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats

The girls were three when I began the series and they were selecting the next animal that the Christmas Cats, a gang of do-gooders, would aid. Rats came up next. Among other morals of this book it includes an admonition against prejudice and a plea to be helpful and kind to others.

Book #3: The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats

Living here in Austin, as I am currently, this one should be a big seller at Book People, but, alas, it has no “spine” and I learned the valuable lesson that books in Book People (the largest independent bookstore in Austin) must have a spine, so that readers can read the title as they browse in the store (not that there is much “browsing” during the pandemic. The moral: do not fear or destroy animals simply because you are unfamiliar with them. There is a “master plan” for every creature and that bat or insect or snake also has a reason for living.

Book #4: The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer

Inspired by the deer kill staged at Scott County Park in Scott County, Iowa, the Christmas Cats rescue the hapless deer in the park and hustle them to the North Pole, where they learn to help Santa in his annual delivery of gifts. The illustrations by Gary McCluskey for this one are outstanding, and it is one of my two favorite books in the series. For the first time, a hard cover edition was available, although it is not listed on Amazon, which doesn’t help.

Book #5: The Christmas Cats Care for the Bear

This one should be one of the most popular, as it is an anti-bullying tome. The little bear is being bullied because he has funny fur and is chubby. The good lesson to be learned: bullying is wrong.

Book #6: The Christmas Cats Flee the Bee

Donnie Drone wants to take over the hive because he doesn’t like the Queen Bee. He colludes with a less-successful hive to wrest control of the hive. All the worker bees in the hive begin to realize that they could all die if Donnie Drone remains in power, and they unite to drive him off. A timely political parable for our current time(s).

All Five Christmas Cats Children’s Books on Sale Through 2017

By Connie Wilson

On December 28, 2017

In Books

I have a series called “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” (www.TheXmasCats.com), ;which I began writing for my granddaughters when they were three years old. The books are “throw-back” books to what I learned in elementary schools of the fifties when early readers featured Dick and Jane and the policeman on the beat was always your friend. The books resemble Dr. Seuss books in that they rhyme and the cats of the title are a troupe of hardy do-gooders who go about helping other animals in distress.

The first book ‘s illustrations were drawn by Andy Weinert of East Moline (IL), a friend of my daughter’s, when I had two cats that were constantly fighting. I learned that Andy’s mother was Rita Mankowski, one of the smartest 7th graders I ever had in nearly 20 years of teaching 7th and 8th grade Language Arts at Silvis Junior High, and that sealed the deal. Andy was then a high school student who showed much artistic promise. (He has gone on to earn a Master’s in graphic design). When I asked him to draw a series of cats wearing “silly hats” he did a wonderful Grandma Moses-style treatment and the rhyming text shows the cats learning to get along with others, rather than constantly fighting with them (Lesson #1). However, AuthorHouse lost one-half of Andy’s original drawings (a bad lesson learned about dealing with AuthorHouse) and, when it came time to try to make the book just from the scans in my computer, years had passed and I drafted the girls’ Venezuelan nanny, Emily Marquez Vlcek to help finish the message and do some additional drawings linking the story to the season.

The second book, “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats”, featured the intrepid cats checking in on lab rats at Green Laboratories, to make sure they were being treated well. The message was “Do not judge others without knowing, or prejudice you will be showing” So, DON’T BE PREJUDICED. A good lesson for all time, but especially for these times.

Book #3, “The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats” featured bats wreaking havoc at South Park Mall (there is one in Moline, IL, as well as in the Dallas/Fort Worth area) and the cats teach the lesson that all life has value and every creature has a place in the Universe. Hallmark artist Gary McCluskey can also take credit for creating the first upside-down Christmas tree, far ahead of this year’s fad. (Bats hang their Christmas trees upside-down, you know.) Austin people, you’ll love this one!

Book #4, “The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer“, featured beautifully drawn deer in Scott County Park (Davenport, IA), who, although well within the city limits, were in danger from hunters allowed to “thin the herd.” The Cats came to the rescue, spiriting them from the park by means of the CatCopter and ferrying them to the North Pole, where they were fitted with prosthetic antlers and fly with Santa. This book exists in hard cover format as well (although only available by contacting me, only in limited quantities, and costing $25 plus $3 postage). The color copies were run by ColorWise Press of Indiana and are gorgeous. The back of the book contains interactive activities for children, including puzzles and coloring book pages and we encouraged children to send them to the series dedicated website, www.TheXmasCats.com. Because only limited copies were run, the books were among the most beautiful in terms of color and quality, but paying $19 a book (the publisher’s price) means that one of these books in hard cover, plus postage, is going to set readers back $28, so it remains something that is only able to be purchased by contacting me via ConnieCWilson.com or WeeklyWilson.com or on LinkedIn. It is available through Amazon in paperback and e-book, however, and the e-book copies are only $1.99 for five days.

The final book in the series (so far) is “The Christmas Cats Care for the Bear” and it has an anti-bullying message, as the cats spring into action to help a little bear who is being bullied by others because he is pudgy and has funny hair. It is a book made for today’s youth and the interactive pages at the back of the book were increased, while the cost of running the book dropped dramatically as we transferred the book’s publication to Ingram Spark. The hard cover book of the most recent title is in the $12.95 range, from Amazon, while, paperbacks and e-books are also available.

[Book Number One has been permanently priced at $ .99 since it was drawn by a student, and finished by my granddaughters’ Venezuelan nanny, who took over duties from Andy when he was involved in completing his Master’s degree in graphic design at Northern Illinois University.]

I always said I would write the books until the girls turned 10, which is fast approaching. I did not have a book this year because we were too involved in building a house near the son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters in Austin, Texas, but “The Christmas Cats Flee from the Bee” may be coming for next Christmas, if Gary McCluskey is still available to lend his fantastic illustrations to another story with a message. That story will be about a golden-haired bee that hates the Queen Bee and does everything he can to destroy her, but soon faces his own come-uppance when the rest of the hive unites to drive him from their colony.

I hope you enjoy the e-book versions of ALL of the existing books, on sale for 5 days at $1.99 or, in the case of the very first book, 99 cents, from today (December 27) through the end of 2017. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Constance Corcoran Wilson, M.S.; www.ConnieCWilson.com)

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Holiday Appearances Scheduled to Date

By Connie Wilson

On November 22, 2016

In Books, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

Some of you may know that I have a holiday series entitled The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats, which began many years ago when my daughter was in high school and dating a very talented young artist who drew the pictures for the first book while still a high school student. I sometimes travel with a costumed Cat in the Hat when selling these books, which now exist in both paperback and hardcover formats (as well as e-book formats) for sale on Amazon and wherever I happen to be hanging out over the holidays.

My plan was to publish the book way back then, in 2003 or so, but Author House lost most of Andy Weinert’s drawings, leaving me only with scans in my computer.

It was years later that I had the idea of resurrecting the children’s cat series for my then 2-year-old granddaughters, Ava and Elise, as a Christmas present, which would go on with their help and input until they turned 10. I asked my layout person in Rockford (Donnie Light) to see if he could bring the scans up to some sort of quality, and a first book emerged.

Time had passed and I needed more drawings to bring the Christmas concept forward. Andy was busy graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in graphic arts and the girls’ nanny from Venezuela, Emily Marquez Vilcek, stepped in to finish the book.

Each year since then, a book has emerged at the holidays, with “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” helping animals in distress and teaching life lessons to children aged 3 to 10. They are throw-back books in that regard, as they aren’t about flying pot roasts or other useless information (a real book, by the way).

Book One: The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats was about learning to get along and cooperate with others.
Book Two: The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Cats was about not being prejudiced.
Book Three: The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats was about having respect for all life, no matter how icky it seems, at first.
Book Four: The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer was about thinking out of the box to solve problems, which, in this case, was saving the deer who live in Scott County Park.
Book Five: The Christmas Cats Care for the Bear has an anti-bullying message.

All of the books can be seen at www.TheXmasCats.com and all of them can be purchased through Amazon or from me, if you find me at one of the sites I plan to visit this Christmas-time.

My first appearance will be at what used to be called the Manor House in downtown East Moline on November 26th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. I will have all of the Christmas books and others that you can see at my author site, www.ConnieCWilson.com. I have a Stephen King-like series “The Color of Evil” (3 novels); 2 short story series (“Ghostly Tales of Route 66” and “Hellfire & Damnation”) and various other books, such as a nonfiction books on movies of the seventies, 2 nonfiction books on the 2008 presidential race (“Obama’s Odyssey”), a book of humor (“Laughing through Life”) and others you can view at my author site.

The second place I know I will be is within Building One at Black Hawk Junior College on December 30th, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. I will have the Christmas Cats books, but I will also have the more adult fare. (I have 35 books, to date).

The third place I know I will be is outside Happy Joe’s in LeClaire, Iowa, before the Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday, December 3rd. I am hopeful that I can make my annual stop at Razzleberries down the street, possibly on Friday night, and I am still trying to work out a place within the Village of East Davenport for the evening of December 3rd, Saturday, the night of the fireworks. The problem is that, in other years, I was inside Freddy Fritters, and it burned down and is much smaller now.

I also don’t know if I’ll have the traditional Cat in the Hat with me, posing for photographs, as in other years. [If you have a burning desire to wear an adult-sized Cat in the Hat suit (and get paid for it) contact me at [email protected].]

I did not ask to be present in Geneseo during their Victorian Christmas Walk at the Four Seasons this year because I was aced out by locals last year. I’m also still trying to find a spot within the Village of East Davenport, as Freddy Fritters burned down (taking one of my posters with it). Now, they don’t have room for me. So, if you’re in the Village and reading this and would like a local author and possibly a costumed Cat in the Hat on the night of the fireworks (Saturday, Dec. 3), contact me at 309-737-2225.

Christmas Cats Series Book Named One of Best Books of 2014 by Chicago Writers’ Association

By Connie Wilson

On November 6, 2014

In Books, Editorial, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

“The Christmas Cats” series (www.TheXmasCats.com) has a new entry for Christmas this year entitled “The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats.“ It is Book #3 in the series and available on Amazon (in both paperback and Kindle versions) as well as at the Book Rack stores and Book World at Southpark Mall.

Recently, the Chicago Writers’ Association named “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” , last year’s Christmas entry, one of the 7 Best Books of 2014 in its category (non-traditionally published) from among 75 entries.
Each book features a good moral lesson for children aged 3 to 10. As with the first 2 books, this year’s book was written for and with the author’s twin granddaughters, Ava and Elise Wilson.

Author Connie Wilson will be present at appearances throughout the holiday season, often with the Cat in the Hat accompanying her and available for photos. There is also a website at www.TheXmasCats.com with FREE coloring book pages from all 3 books, mazes, and other interactive activities for children aged 3 to 10.

Appearances:

November 15, Saturday, 1 to 3 p.m. at the Book Rack in Moline (NO CAT)

November 22, Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. at South Park Mall in Moline (NO CAT)

December 5, 2014, Friday: LeClaire, Razzleberries, 5 to 7 p.m. (CAT) **

December 6, 2014, Saturday: @ Book signing at Bookworld at South Park Mall from 1 to 3 p.m. (NO CAT)

Dec. 6, 2014: Village of East Davenport Christmas Walk, @ Freddy Fritters Doggie Bakery, 6 to 9 p.m. (CAT) **

December 10, 2014, 7 p.m., Read Local at the Bettendorf Public Library (NO CAT)

December 12, Friday in Rock Island, IL: Gallery Hop, 6 to 9 p.m. (location TBA) ( CAT)

December 13, Saturday, at the Book Rack in Davenport, 1-3 p.m. (NO CAT)

December 13, Saturday in Geneseo, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Four Seasons (CAT)

Dec.19-20: New Orleans, Writers for New Orleans Benefit (NO CAT)

Laura Caldwell Reviews “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” (Dec. 20)

By Connie Wilson

On December 25, 2013

In Books, Reviews

Friday, December 20, 2013

The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats

by Constance Corcoran Wilson,
Art by Gary McCluskey

I am honored today to be a part of the Virtual Author Book Tours for the review of The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats.

In The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats, the Christmas cats have been sent to an Environmental Lab to control the Christmas rat population. Once there, the cats discover that the Christmas rats are actually nice guys and that they do an important job.

I love Christmas books and my children do too. They look forward to each year after Thanksgiving when I put away their Thanksgiving books and get out their Christmas books. They have standard favorites (they love when their Daddy reads them The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but they love just about every Christmas book they can get a hand on.

They were excited when The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats by Constance Corcoran Wilson showed up in the mail. Not only do they love Christmas books, but they also have two cats, Mr. Rufus and Miss Baby. They were pleased to see that two of the Christmas Cats matched their cats, one grey and one orange.

My seven year old son, Kile, pronounced it a good book. He is in second grade and thought it was an easy read. He said his favorite part was that he loved the “festive” hats on the cats.

My five year old son, Daniel, loved this book and has had us read it to him many times. He is in Kindergarten and can’t read it for himself yet. He loves the story a lot, but his review is that he believes it is more of a lesson story than a Christmas story. He likes the lesson that we should be nice to everyone.

My three year old daughter, Penelope, also has enjoyed listening to this story several times. She really likes the cats and how they match her own cats. She likes the pictures a lot and likes the moral of the story.

I thought the story was an interesting and unique one. I liked how it was set in an environmental testing lab and explains the important job that the mice do. I also thought the moral of the story, to be nice to everyone, is an important one. I thought the illustrations were cute and clever.

Overall, The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is a unique and fun story to share with the family. You can enjoy it even after the holidays for its great lesson!

Book Source: Author Constance Corcoran Wilson for review as

Interview with Cyrus A Webb on “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats”

By Connie Wilson

On December 23, 2013

In Books, Education, Reviews

Check Out Entertainment Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Cyrus Webb Presents on BlogTalkRadio

“The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” Will Be At Book World on November 2, 2013

By Connie Wilson

On October 28, 2013

In Books, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Uncategorized

In 2011, the first book in “The Christmas Cats” series of stories for young readers (ages 3 to 10) was released. It contained artwork by Andrew Weinert and Emily Marquez and conveyed the message, through the antics of “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” that children should learn to get along in life.

The journey of the first book was rocky. It was begun when young Andy Weinert was in high school. I promised him that, if he drew me some cats in silly hats, this book WOULD see the light of day. And then AuthorHouse lost his original drawings. I was so upset that I tracked the President of AuthorHouse down and received the promise of a “free” make good book. But, really, who wants more of a bad deal? I put the book in a drawer and there it moldered for 7 or 8 years.

While working on my movie book (“It Came from the 70s: From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now”) I mentioned the cat book project to layout man Donnie Light. Donnie thought he might be able to make the pixels in the scans of the cats suitable, as computers had progressed quite a bit since Andy drew the originals. However, I also wanted to turn the book into a Christmas present, so I needed an artist to make that happen, and Andy was not available.

The girls’ nanny, Emily Marquez of Venezuela stepped in and helped out. Emily is not a professional artist, but she loves to draw and she did a credible job of both finishing the drawings and helping promote the book.

I did not publish a book in 2012, as Andy was unavailable to help with illustrations, but, as the twins for whom I wrote the first book are now 4, I looked long and hard for just the right artist to assist me with this project and found Gary McCluskey of Rhode Island.

Four-year-old twin granddaughters Elise (left) and Ava (right) Wilson, to whom the book is dedicated. (They’ll be helping me write them, from now on.)

Gary’s drawings were (and are) so good and clever and colorful that Donnie said, “This guy ought to be working for Disney!” I suggested drawings for the short rhyming tale of the Christmas Cats in Silly Hats, who are called in by scientists and asked to help round up escaped white lab rats. The drawings were (and are) darling, and the books are on their way to me now (expedited shipping) so that I can have them by November 2nd at the book signing at SouthPark Mall’s Book World. (At least, they are supposed to be here.)

The basic message of this book is that we should not be prejudiced, but should learn to judge individuals on their own merits. The Christmas Cats are still in evidence (and wearing their characteristic silly hats) but, this time, there are little white rats involved and the short book (32 pages) is a fun, colorful, creative read for anybody’s child or grandchild.

I will be signing copies of Book #2, “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” at SouthPark Mall from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 2nd. While supplies last, if you purchase Book #2 in paperback, you can receive a free copy of Book #1. Don’t miss this opportunity to receive 2 books for the price of one!

The book is also available in Kindle format and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords outlets, but, if you want a signed copy, come visit me at Book World in South Park this coming Saturday, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Tag: The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats

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