Black Cats: Really Evil or Is it All a Myth? by Raven Howell
It’sthe night of Halloween. Spooks, spiders, and skeletons abound, the full moonglows – so who is cheering, “Ho, ho, ho!”? Apparently, Santa Claus has come totown, though it’s the wrong time of year! But what could be a bad situation, iswittily handled with humor, and there’s a new winner at this year’s Halloweenparade. For fans of Room on the Broomand The Little Old Lady Who Was NotAfraid of Anything. Purchase a copy of Santa’s Slip Up on Amazon,Bookshop.org,or Barnes and Noble.You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
BlackCats: Really Evil or Is it All a Myth?
Our family cat,Lilac, is practically smiling at me, lifting her fuzzy chin as I brush her longragamuffin black fur. Suddenly, out of the blue, with no prior indication, shebecomes a tiger, biting into my palm, green eyes shining, ears pulled back. Whathappened? I had not done anything out of the norm, there were no suddenmovements on my part, or outbursts of any kind to instigate the ravaging.Crazy? Yes. Evil? Well... no. After a decade with our furball, we’ve come torealize that on rare occasions, she just wants to burn off some of that wildanimal energy, especially since the days of having our little terrier in thehouse are over. She lost her pal/nemesis a few years back to cancer and oldage, and now it’s just her and the humans. BOOORING!
When I thinkabout it, that tends to be my own pattern as a book reader and literaturelover. Here’s what I mean: During spring, interesting non-fiction, andbiographies- new information sprouting that I didn’t know about, are on myto-read list. When sunny, warm summer months arrive, I have a whole string ofeasy-breezy books with gentle story lines that I sink into. Many are lightfamily dramas, some with a touch of romance and humor. In autumn, moremysteries are added to my bookshelf and the tension builds. By December, I usuallyend up randomly reading the new horror that everyone on Goodreads is talkingabout. And with that – there I am, deep in the story, ears back in suspense,eyes shining in “oh-my-gosh-what’s-going-to-happen-next”, and ready to pounceor jump in fright if someone (like my black cat) coincidentallybrushes my leg or something.
When I set outwriting my new children’s book, Santa’s Slip Up, I wanted that quick andsudden pounce to punctuate the end of the story. Hopefully, you’ll get that ifyou read the book. The text builds a mystery, depicting a sequence of those creepyghouls that go bump in the night during Halloween. But these creatures andcritters are innocent patrons, playing their proper spooky roles, so who’s eerilycheering “Ho-ho-ho!”?
Because of socialmedia connections over the years, a lot of internet peeps know that my familyhas a black cat. And now, seeing the cover of Santa’s Slip Up whichfeatures a black cat, always hastens the question, “Is that your cat on thebook cover?” And no matter how I put it (“No”), most of my friends still wantto believe my cat inspired the illustration on the cover. Ok, that’s cool withme, but she really didn’t. Illustrator Savannah Horton came up with the imageson her own without my suggestions. So, a little myth building begins (“That’sRaven’s cat on the cover of Santa’s Slip Up.”) I love myths. I loveblack cats. And, no, they are NOT evil.
About the Author
RavenHowell writes stories and poetry for children. Having published severalaward-winning picture books, she enjoys sharing her love of literature byvisiting classrooms and libraries. Raven is Creative & Publishing Advisorfor Red Clover Reader, PoetryDirector for Monster Magnificent, andwrites The Book Bug column for StoryMonsters Ink magazine. Her poems are found in children’s magazines such as Ladybug, Spider, Highlights forChildren, Humpty Dumpty, and Hello Magazine. She’s a CollaboratingAuthor for Reading is Fundamental SoCaland writes storybooks for Reading Gate.
Youcan find her online at:
https://twitter.com/atpearthkeeper
https://www.instagram.com/atpearthkeeper/
