I Hate My Name -- by KittyCat

I'm a handsome tuxedo cat. No brag--people say so all the time. I'm taking over Mom's blog on Mondays. She checks email, then leaves the office to clean house with the vacuum cleaner. I call it Monster.

Wanna know what Mom named me? --KittyCat. Go ahead...laugh. That would be like if your parents named you Human, right? Just imagine: your're at a neighborhood cookout and a new neighbor and his sister who's visiting comes up to you.

"Hi," he says, "I'm Reginald Quigley, and this is my sister, Zelda." Well, Reginald's real pleased how they meet someone who doesn't stifle a snicker when hearing their names.

"Human," you say, shaking his hand, and smiling big at Zelda.

"Uh..." Reginald looks real confused. "But..."

Zelda jumps in. "But what's your name?"


Uh, O--I hear Monster coming close to the office. I'm outta here... More next week.



(c) 2011 Bernice W. Simpson

Cat in the Corner -- Introduction

Cat in the Corner –strange name for a blog, right? There’s a reason. It’s the abbreviated title of a book in progress. Authors: Mike Akins and Bernice Simpson.

 A Cat in the Corner: Conversations Overheard in a Writers’ Group is primarily a gift book for writers. The concept: KittyCat, ignored by humans, has eavesdropped on a critique group’s meetings. Now, in light verse, he spills what he’s heard, including confidential whispered asides.

The book addresses the practical—what writers need to know, from manuscript preparation to marketing. It exposes the emotional—how writers react to situations, from criticism received to sales made. And it covers the relational—how writers relate to group members as well as business professionals.

Best of all, it entertains. KittyCat celebrates members’ joyful announcements, snickers at caustic comments, and ridicules writers’ frustrations with equal gusto. Occasionally the little snoop punctuates his tattling with thoughts of his own. Nobody has had more belly laughs over the serious business of writing than KittyCat, and he’ll share the fun with all who peruse the A Cat in the Corner: Conversations Overheard in a Writers’ Group.

Of course, no book can cover everything on a topic. Bernice and Mike may lack KittyCat’s unique perspective on writing, but every week the blog A Cat in the Corner will feature ideas  from their own writing business experience and that of guest bloggers.

© 2011, Bernice W. Simpson