Tailwavers

Born in Seattle, graduated from Reed College. Twelve books published 1954-71 by top publishers. Brilliant reviews on all: even by London Times! Co-authored Listen and Learn with Phonics. Lived in England 64 to 87, busy with writing, British Mensa, cats, judo (3rd Dan Black Belt) and gardens. Returned to America, living now in Santa Rosa. In 02, Image Cascade republished 7 of my fi rst titles. New titles, Ivory Cat, Missing Queen, Haunted Schoolhouse, The Outrageous Oriel, Loyal and the Dragon, Castle Adamant, Delicate Pioneer, The Wayward Princess, and The Angry Earth.

Ailurophile, meaning cat-lover, comes from the Greek ailuros, meaning tail-waver. (Just picture it! The fi rst-ever cat enters Greece, gently waving a friendly tail aloft. Every fi nger points excitedly. Oh, look! Ailuros!)

This is the tale of an ailurophile and her collection of cats and friends in England and America, told partly in letters. Shy kindly Fred and the English catteries. Soul-mate Jenny with her pure-bred Siamese Black Paw Gang who cleaned up at cat shows all over Europe. Sallys cats would have died fi rst. She joined a cat rescue group and collected an assortment of her own, called the Cataclysm. Their letters describe champions and moggies, local doings and loco cats, contretemps, calicoes and cat shows, all with style, observation, and wit.