Morning, Miss Moo (ePub)

Carrie Dow of Lakewood, CO, has published her first book for children, Morning, Miss Moo (Story of an Ornery Cat), by Trafford Publishing. Dow used her own cat, a stray she and her husband found behind the garage, as inspiration for the story. According to Dow, the cat causes a lot of trouble. "But we still love her," she says.

"Pets are a lot like children, in that they do things that we don't always approve of," she states. "While their actions may be inappropriate, their intentions are good. That's what I wanted to convey in the story."

The Dows named her Miss Moo because instead of saying 'meow' like other cats, she says, 'moo.' "It's not quite meow, but it's not quite mew either. It's very strange and silly," the author says. The author also says people tell her they see their own cats in Miss Moo's ornery actions. "People tell me all the time that their cat does something that just drives them up the wall, yet they can't help laughing. That's why we love them so much!"

Dow created the book with the help of her friend, Roxanne Macke of Broomfield, CO. Macke, a graphic artist, was able to use digital photos of Miss Moo and put them into her illustrations. Dow is hoping to turn the book into a series with other misadventures to follow. "What can I say? She's a very ornery cat, which provides me with a lot of material."

The book is currently available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and in house at the Tattered Cover Bookstores in Denver, CO, and the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, CO. It was also featured on Colorado and Company (KUSA Channel 9) in their Local Authors segment on May 4. Miss Moo even has her own blog. Read it at www.missmooblog.blogspot.com.

Dow is a freelance writer who has been published in several magazines including Islands, Go World Travel and International Living. A member of the Cat Writers' Association, she currently has two animal-centric columns at Examiner.com, Lakewood Pet Examiner and International Pet Examiner.