Authors

Background

Todd and Megan, a married couple, moved to Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, in February 2005. Shortly after moving into their home, the next door neighbor’s calico cat, Sassy, decided to pay them a visit. Sassy, an outdoor cat by day and indoor cat by night, initially would wander around Todd and Megan’s sidewalk in front of their house or venture along the walkway and relax on their front door mat.

Then one day this curious cat heard Todd and Megan in their back yard and she decided to climb the fence to visit them. Sassy reminded Todd and Megan of a friend’s cat named Peanut, so they decided to call her Peanut during these visits. Thus began her frequent visits to their back yard and plenty of entertaining stories.

After Todd told this story about their “part-time” pet with co-workers and they expressed disbelief, Todd opted to start writing the book in April 2007 about this unusual story. My Secret Life as Peanut  was born! Todd and Megan crafted the entire contents of the book. It was originally written from Todd and Megan's perspective, but eventually evolved to what it is today, with the curious calico cat telling her story.

As for the illustrations, the genuine photos in the book were taken by Todd. Though not a professional photographer, the quality is superb and they validate the book being “based on a true story.”

After the last version of the manuscript was written, Megan suggested the addition of cat facts, since while researching cat behavior many surprising and fascinating facts were discovered. These facts add an interesting and educational element to the book.

Megan, being creative with excellent design skills, managed the entire book layout and pre-printing process.

Our graphic designer, Lisette, did a great job with the cover and other graphic elements.

The cover and book contents were completed in April 2008 and ready for final copy-editing before submission to the printer.

The First Edition printed books arrived in Dallas on May 16, 2008.

The Second Edition was published on July 29, 2009.

Since writing the book, Todd and Megan have relocated to Fort Lauderdale, FL.

FACT – Sassy’s secret life at the neighbor's house really was a secret. Sassy’s owners knew nothing about her frequent visits and secret life AND they had no idea Todd and Megan had written a book about their cat, Sassy. On May 17, 2008, Todd and Megan invited Sassy’s real owners to their home and presented them with the first copy of the book. Their comments, in their own words, can be found at "The Jones" tab.

Thank you for your support and we sincerely hope you enjoy this book as much as we have enjoyed sharing it.