Today I wrote the final 2,000 words to Throw Away Kitten, a children’s book I’ll publish under the pen name Candy McMudd. As any writer knows, these moments are special. It’s time to celebrate. Another draft is completed.

Throw Away Kitten was inspired by my youngest son, the cat lover. He’s always preferred cats over dogs, but many of the chapter books he’s read are one-sided. The majority of the stories involving kittens have female lead characters whereas puppies have boy characters. Well, being a cat lover, that didn’t sit well with him, so he asked me to write a story about a boy who owed a kitten.

Throw Away Kitten was born.

The story is about a boy named Charlie who moves into an old house next to a farm in Maple Grove, Nova Scotia. He and his sister Mya visit Mr. Hoffman, the farmer next door, and find a box of kittens that was dropped off at the end of the driveway. They convince the old farmer to let them try and find homes for the kittens instead of sending them to a shelter.

This is a problem farmers have endured for decades: people from populated areas (or non-farmers) dropping litters of kittens at their doorstep. Since starting a small farm myself, I’ve already had one drop off. Fortunately we easily found a forever home for the young kitten. Not every kitten is this lucky. If not found in time, they can die from exposure, starvation or thirst. And then there is the threat of larger animals.

The pastel image on the cover was created by Sam Smith.