JET THE CAT IS NOT A CAT written by Phaea Crede
Ah, cats… the intermitable Internet darlings, the furry tyrants that hold our hearts hostage. Who doesn’t like cats?
(Don’t answer that, I don’t want to know.)
The latest feline to join the ranks of unforgettable kitties is in JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT), written by Phaea Crede and illustrated by Terry Runyan, launching in May 2021!
In addition to writing silly books for all kinds of kids, Phaea had other writing jobs including scriptwriting for TV shows Nature Cat and Word Girl. And she even played video games and wrote about them for a living!
But Phaea isn’t just a fabulous writer with witty stories. As a writer with dyslexia, she’s also focused on inspiring kids and adults who think they can’t write and show them that they can!
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about her writing and revision journey as much as I did.
What is the story behind your story? What sparked your story concept?
My mom has a cat who loves to swim in her tub. I started to wonder what other cats would think of him. I got the idea that another cat would be very rude about it, even accusing him of not being a REAL cat because REAL cats hate water.
That concept sent me way back to grade school when I was diagnosed with dyslexia and I internalized the idea that REAL writers don’t have learning disabilities. At the time I loved writing, but I gave it up for years because of this idea!
Jet’s story morphed into how to overcome the gatekeepers of the world and choose your own definition of who you are!
I love this, and what an important lesson that every kid (and adult) should learn. How long did it take from idea to book?
Only about two years and two months – which is CRAZY fast for me.
Could you share your revision timeline?
August 2018, Draft 1: I wrote a terrible first draft called Nat the Cat. I got feedback from critique group and cut a character that no one liked (a mythological creature called a Tatzelwurm)
Draft 2: I wrote a first person telling of the story from Jet’s perspective just as an exercise to get to know her more (see snippet below):
I also created an emotional journey map for Jet:
Drafts 3-7: I continued to spin my wheels, making the story longer and worse.
Draft 7: Brought to the critique group and other critique partners I met at the NESCBWI conference and the feedback was to lean on the repetitiveness of each page turn.
Draft 8-9: I kept writing and focusing on matching the structure word for word, using books like THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT as inspiration
Draft 10: I revised weak verbs into awesome verbs
Draft 11: We don’t talk about draft 11
Draft 12: Done October 2018 (incredibly fast!)
October 2018: I attended the NESCBWI Agent/Editor Day in Massachusetts, which Lisa Rosinski from Barefoot Books attended as well
November 2018: I begin to query agents and I also submitted the story to Lisa at Barefoot Books as part of the follow-up from Agent/Editor Day
April 2020: Barefoot Book makes an offer on JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT!)
June to August 2020: I worked with Lisa to edit the book, dropping two characters (a fish and an alien) and included a new goat character.
September 2020: Final copy signed off!
What was the hardest part of revising?
Picking when to trust your gut and when to listen to your critique partners when you disagree! I’m still honing that skill and I probably will for the rest of my life.
I am with you. It’s something I think we all struggle with! Did you have an ‘ah-ha!’ moment with your manuscript during the revision process? If so, what triggered it?
My critique partner, author Jessica Southwick, laid out my book in a different structure (see below) to show me how my “creative” writing was getting in the way of the story. I’ll always be grateful for her for doing that!
What advice do you have for other writers? Are there any resources you would recommend to help with the revision process?
Read tons of books and even type them out. See what works and what doesn’t.
Find critique partners who are willing to challenge you.
Be willing to throw everything out and just hold on to the heart of the story. Basically, be fearless! Simple, right?
Easy peasy! Sort of. But definitely key advice to keep in mind. And, dear readers, below is a snippet of one of the early drafts of JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT!)
Nat was a cat just like any other cat:
She loved water.
She loved bathing, swimming, sailing, diving, snorkeling, floating, surfing and, of course, running through sprinklers.
Yep. Just another cat.
Then one day she met another cat.
He told her that, actually, cats hate water more than anything and shun it harder than friendship with a mouse.
And the final words coming to shelves soon...
Jet is a cat just like any other cat.
She loves to pounce. She loves to sprawl.
And, of course, she loves to swim.
She loves to swim all day until the sun goes down.
And even a little bit after.
Just like any other cat!
OTHER CAT (word bubble): “Well, actually…real cats can’t stand water.”
Have you connected with Phaea yet? If not, you should! Do it. Do it now.
Read more about her upcoming news and books at her website, follow her on Twitter (@Phaeacrede) or Instagram (@Phaeacrede) and join her on Facebook!
You can purchase JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT!) on Bookshop.org or directly from Barefoot Books.
Thank you, Phaea! I, SHAY FAN, AM A FAN.