Cats prime topic for writer
Niki Anderson loves cats.
Her affections focus on Miles, an 11-year-old tabby, and newcomer Clawdia, a Maine coon. Both live with Anderson and her husband, Bob, in their South Hill home.
Unlike many cat lovers who show their passion with cat-themed jewelry, handbags and framed artwork, Niki Anderson expresses her love in a different way.
She writes books.
Her first, “What my Cat Has Taught Me About Life,” has reached best-seller status, with almost 300,000 copies sold. To mark the book’s 10th year in publication, Honor Books recently released a special anniversary edition with a glossy four-color presentation.
Seated in her den, Anderson fingered the new edition. “I never set out to sell a large volume of books,” she said, “but to communicate the truly serious and practical life lessons in every story.”
Each of the book’s chapters is a self-contained true story about a cat and its impact on a person or situation. Hers was the first inspirational book targeted specifically at cat lovers. Similar to “Chicken Soup for the Soul” stories, Anderson’s vignettes offer a glimpse into a person’s heart.
Anderson hadn’t planned to write this book. A freelancer specializing in inspirational and religious articles for 12 years, she attended a writers’ conference where she met an editor.
“During dinner,” Anderson recalled, “the editor asked if I was by any chance a cat lover. She said she was looking for someone to write a book of cat stories. Though I’d never written a book before, I said, ‘That I can do.’ “
Over a nine-month span, Anderson interviewed dozens of individuals from coast to coast and beyond the United States. She contacted people she had read about in newspapers and heard about through word of mouth.
Eventually, Anderson wrote 47 stories for the original book.
One unusual story was about a cat named Gary.
A family wanting to adopt a feline had gone to the Humane Society. When the family approached the cats’ cage, the guide pointed to a certain tabby with five kittens snuggling against its belly. “But we want a male,” the family told the guide.
To the family’s surprise, the guide said the cat was a male – “the nicest male you’ll ever find. We call him the baby sitter because he cares for kittens like a respectable nanny.”
The family took Gary home, happily banishing a stereotype that only female cats care for their offspring.
Warmhearted stories like this fill Anderson’s book.
After the book’s publication, she discovered dozens of other cat-related stories, and two years later, Honor Books released Anderson’s second collection, “Inspur-r-rational Stories for Cat Lovers.”
More recently, Anderson chose another of her loves and wrote “What I Learned from God While Gardening” (Barbour Publishing, 2000).
Like the cat books, it is a collection of true stories gleaned from Anderson’s experiences and from interviews around the country.
All three of her books have received Angel Awards, which reflect excellence in television, books and other forms of communication.
But Anderson hasn’t strayed far from the subject of cats. After finishing the gardening book, she wrote another collection of cat stories, which is being considered by a publisher.
What’s next?
“I’d like to publish a book about living a balanced life,” Anderson said. “It’s a subject I’ve taught for years at my church and at women’s retreats and conferences.”
Perhaps, Miles and Clawdia will serve as consultants.