Help Me Bring My Publishing Vision to Life

Last year, in 2024, I wrote every day from March through November. A quarter of a million words. I am now in the process of typing, transcribing, editing those words, to form them into a book. The book is about my relationship with my cat Daniel, an outdoor relationship that was forged during the isolation of the pandemic. At the outset of the pandemic, my car was totaled, crushed by a DUI driver while it was parked in the street one quiet night in June, 2020. At the time, I made the decision not to replace the car. Instead, I bought a pet stroller. And there the story begins…

Daniel left this world a year ago, in March, 2024. How I had hoped for many more years, and many more stroller adventures, together. I started writing during the last week of Daniel’s life, as his breathing became labored, and I did not stop until Thanksgiving.

Now, as I type/ transcribe the words I wrote last year, the story is cast in a new context. We are navigating a new political and existential terrain in 2025. I feel bound to bear this story from the past, to forge it into a book, to bring it into the future. When we die, we do not vanish, leaving no trace. We live on through various manifestations – our children, our loved ones, our students, our good works – the seeds we sowed, the gardens we planted – all of these things will be our continuation. This book is Daniel’s continuation. Daniel was a blessing to many in his incarnation as a stroller cat. I believe that this book – RIGHT BEHIND YOU, the story of Daniel’s life and loss – will also be a blessing to many.

I am a senior – in my crone season – and I struggle with chronic health issues that limit my physical capacity. I never replaced the car that was totaled in 2020. I have not traveled more than two or three miles from my home in the past five years. I haven’t seen anyone I know (old friends, classmates, cousins) in nine years. Nine years. As an artist, I don’t feel lonely; my solitude is my creative space. But existentially, the sense of being alone on the planet at times feels overwhelming.

I daily pray and ask God for strength. I believe that God will provide the strength and the resources I need to finish this book, and bring it to the place of publication. My hope is that this book , RIGHT BEHIND YOU, will open doors to publishing other books and articles, forging a new path, a new direction for my future. If I should perish, then this book will be my continuation, a small gift that I can leave behind.

The goal of completing a book about a cat in a stroller made sense to me in 2024. It makes less apparent sense to me now, in these troubled times. Still, there is a sense in which this book is a through-line. Even as we enter this new season, these treacherous waters that we must now navigate, let this storm not cause us to lose sight of our horizon, our anchor, our foundation, our values, our fundamental principles and beliefs. But let us cleave to these things, and may they be a compass to us as we navigate stormy seas. Let us keep a firm hand on the rudder and look to the heavens, to the constellations of our enduring vision to chart our course.

I am seeking to raise $2,400 to supplement living expenses while I continue to work on this book. The need is urgent. Please know that I do not desire to live for selfish reasons, but so that I may accomplish work that shall be a benefit and a blessing to others.

Your aid – your word of encouragement, your offer of financial support – will accomplish two things: On the humanitarian side, your support will help to prevent feline and human homelessness. On the creative side, you will be helping an artist to realize her artistic vision, to birth this project into the world, where it may be a benefit and a blessing to others. My survival relies on your word of encouragement and support. Thank you. (updated February 26, 2025)