By Callum Ludwig
Wandin Yallock Primary School student Maggie Lane has officially become a published author with her book ‘What If Cats Wore Clothes?’
The story is all about how cats would dress for the day if they wore clothes, from whether they would have different colours of fur to if they would need to iron out wrinkles.
Maggie said her friends thought it was really cool when she showed them the book.
“I don’t know where the idea came from, it just sort of came to my head. I don’t really like to plan a story, I just start writing,” she said.
“I mostly like writing stories about monsters that I come up with, lots of different ones.”
Maggie is encouraged to practice writing in school but sometimes gets frustrated because she just wants to keep going and doesn’t get to finish in time. When asked if she hoped to keep writing books for a job one day, the answer was ‘Yes Please!’
Maggie’s mum Jacinta said Maaggie has always been writing short stories and novels for years, from fantasy to mystery to all sorts of ideas.
“We love all of Maggie’s stories but she showed this one to us and we just thought it was really special and people would like this and we wanted to share it with them,” she said.
“We have a cat at home named Buffy, she loves cats. I think she connects with them on another level and can get into the cat’s minds sometimes, she definitely thinks about their own personalities.”
It isn’t Maggie’s first foray into cat stories, as she has thought up the idea of a ‘Cat Academy’ before, where pet cats go to learn the tricks of the trade of being a pet at night while their owners are asleep.
Jacinta said writing can be a solitary thing so it’s good for Maggie to be able to share it.
“She’s sharing it now and hopefully other children who want to write will be encouraged by seeing what she’s doing,” she said.
“It’s fantastic because she’s also learning about the marketing and maths side of it, taking the orders and packaging them as well.”
Keep an eye out because sequels in the ‘What if Cats…’ series could be soon to come.
‘What If Cats Wore Clothes’ can be bought in hardcover, paperback or as an e-book at www.etsy.com/au/shop/BooksAndConversation?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1391820513.
