It was brought to my attention (thanks, Dad) that while I have Tales of a Sixth Grade Werecat listed on my progress bar, I haven’t really talked about it here. SO here we go: an introductory post to my new middle-grade series 🙂
The idea for the story came years ago, actually the summer after I had just finished the first draft of Ignited. I was still on a writer’s high, still giddy with the knowledge that I had created this new world, that one of the stories in my head was finally brought to life. Of course, that was before the first rejection letters started rolling in, lol. But this isn’t a post about Ignited‘s journey. I wanted to write again and I wanted others to write too. I began reaching out to old colleagues, one such was author and publisher Melody Greene. Melody has a passion for all things literary but she has a certain soft spot for the middle grade genre (Manga too, but that’s another story) and she urged me to run with the new idea. It was silly, sure, but that’s what made it so magical. I had some great feedback from my critique partner, Cayce Berryman who allowed me to just let the story unfold organically. The story poured out of me and within two months, I had a completed manuscript.
Well, then life got in the way and then things started to progress with Ignited and my little middle grade story was pushed to the side. Fast forward to now, where I have a supportive network of friends and loved ones and the capability of shaking off the now “dusty” manuscript and breathing it back to life! Official publishing announcement coming soon 🙂
Here is the current blurb for Tales of a Sixth Grade Werecat:
Eleven-year-old Felix is tired of being bullied. It’s not his fault his mom owns a store downtown full of the “girliest junk” a boy could imagine. Sure, Fashion Frills Felix rolls off the tongue, but enough is enough. This is the year everything changes.
It’s the last day of summer and Felix is determined to start the sixth grade with a new identity. How else can he gain both popularity and the affections of the beautiful Mckenna Watson? When he is dared to sneak into the witch’s house, he leaps at the chance to prove he isn’t a coward. The house is a huge disappointment. It’s boring, empty, and the only exciting thing that happens is Felix is attacked by a cat. The next day at school no one believes he’s entered the witch house and it seems that Felix will be forced to spend another year as a loser. Everything changes when Felix discovers Miss Gray, the misunderstood town witch, has accidentally turned him into a werecat. Now Felix is doomed to spend every night as a cat unless he can find his magical talisman. With his new found cat abilities and the help of his best friend Jay, Felix is sure sixth grade will be different. It’s not long before Felix becomes the star of the track team and gets the attention of the girl he secretly loves. His new abilities allow him to get revenge on the school bully, but can he finally learn to accept himself along the way?
Tales of A Sixth-Grade Werecat is available wherever books are sold!
Look for the sequel, The Cat’s Grimoire, available January 2022