Xlibris Publishing introduces Jim Spencer, author of Young, the 3-Legged Rescue Cat, and Her Great Adventure!
About Your Book and Yourself.
Please briefly describe your book.
The title of my book is Young, the 3-Legged Rescue Cat and Her Great Adventure! It’s based on an imaginary adventure, but the cat is real. My wife and I adopted her when she was a kitten. In the book, she’s an indoor cat that one day finds the front door open after her owners leave. She decides to take a walk to see what it’s like in her neighborhood, and she visits places of interest to children such as a school, a hospital, a library, and a diner, where she gets an education on diversity. The book encourages perseverance, continuing education, reading, and caring for others.
Who is the author “behind” the book?
I’m soon to be 66 years old, recently retired from corporate America, and this is my first book! Better late than never I suppose! I used to volunteer teach at an elementary school in Georgia before retiring to Florida, and while doing that I created a story/activity geared primarily toward first-graders. I taught this to over 400 kids over several years, winning numerous awards from my company for my community service, and teachers and fellow workers kept encouraging me to turn the story into a book. I’m my harshest critic, and I never believed that it was worthy of that, but I finally relented and joined the Xlibris family. I’m absolutely thrilled that I did!
Do you have any particular literary influences that have helped you develop in your genre, subject and style?
I really don’t have any influences, to be frank. I’ve always loved to write, but for myself and not others. I’ve also been accused of occasionally acting and thinking like a 6-year old, and I take that as a compliment! I was one once, after all!
What inspired you to write your book, and how long did it take you to finish it?
The children and the staff at Lake Forest Elementary in Sandy Springs, GA, along with co-workers, were my biggest inspiration. The school is a Title One school, with virtually 100% of the population underprivileged. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve often acted like a 6-year old (again, thanks!), and from the very first day the kids and I hit it off. The teachers joyfully accepted me into their classrooms, and they kept inviting me back each school year to teach my story/activity to a new group of first graders. Over the years in doing that, the story was tweaked to what it was upon submission to Xlibris.
What is the one message you would like to convey to your readers?
That’s an easy one. The biggest message is that we all have one thing in common: we’re all different. My 3-legged cat overcame her handicap, and became a loving and playful member of our rescue cat family, and imagining her doing the sorts of things she does in the book was a no-brainer. During the course of my story, I (Young, the cat actually) encourages lifelong learning, compassion for others, reading, and diversity. What could be more diverse than a 3-legged cat in a 4-legged world?
Are you working on a sequel to your book?
Not exactly, though I did leave enough material out of the original story to do that. I first want to see how this one goes.
Are there any events, marketing ideas or promotions planned for your book?
I’ve approached a local book store to do a book-signing, though I haven’t heard back yet. I also live in a gated community here in Florida, and I’m reaching out to my neighbors telling them what a lovely gift this would be! My book was only published the week of November 6, so I’m still thinking of ways to get the word out there.
What was your favorite part of your publishing experience, overall and with Xlibris?
Xlibris was very helpful during my journey. Again, this was and is all new for me, and from day one they were helpful and informative. They also listened, as evidenced by the illustrations they provided for my book. At first, the ones that they sent were not what I was looking for, and they listened to my feedback and applied my changes. They did this without taking an attitude, which I probably would have done!
Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?
You never know! Like I mentioned earlier, I never thought that my effort was worthy of publication, but unless you try it out you never know what will happen. I’ve embarked on a second, more enjoyable career late in life, and I couldn’t be happier or more excited. So go for it!
Xlibris Publishing trusts this helps
Please make sure to check out the Xlibris Publishing site for more advice and blogs, and be sure to follow us on Xlibris Publishing Facebook and Xlibris Publishing Twitter. Get your free publishing guide here.