Peg Kehret Blog

I had good news this week: Penguin has chosen the three Pete the Cat books (The Stranger Next Door, Spy Cat, and Trapped) for their new Sleuth line.  Pete is a favorite character for me so I’m delighted to have his books showcased this way. 

 I saw drafts of the three new covers, then asked the illustrator to look at the photos on Pete’s web page, to get the cat to look more realistic.  (To see Pete’s photos, go to www.pegkehret.com and then click on “Pete’s Page.”) Since Pete is a real cat, I’d like the covers to resemble him as much as possible.

I also received a Dutch copy of my play, Spirit!  I can read the title, my name, and the names of the characters, but nothing else. It’s always fun to receive a foreign edition of my work.

New editions such as these are wonderful bonuses for any writer because they add shelf life to the books without requiring revisions.

Yesterday I printed out what I hope is the final copy of my new mystery, Stolen Children.  It will be published in the fall of 2008.  Of course, I printed out what I thought was the final draft about a week ago, and I have been changing things ever since, so it may or may not be finished.

This afternoon and tomorrow afternoon (July 27 and 28) I’ll be signing books at Lindon Bookshop in Enumclaw, WA, as part of Enumclaw’s Street Fair.  I enjoy the chance to chat with readers without the stress of giving a presentation.

One of the most exciting events of my career was the inclusion of six quotes from Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio in an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.  The exhibit, titled “Whatever Happened To Polio?” was fantastic.

My daughter and son-in-law gave me a trip to Washington in April, 2006, to see it.  They went with me, as did their two children. The exhibit’s curator gave us a private tour. It was overwhelming to see my words on the walls of such a prestigious museum. When you write books for kids, you don’t expect your words to end up on the walls of the Smithsonian.

Originally the exhibit was supposed to be displayed for a year but it proved to be so popular that it was extended. When it finally closed, I felt a sense of loss. Even though I knew I would not be returning to Washington, D.C., to see it again I had liked knowing that it was there. I enjoyed hearing from readers who had seen it and recognized the sections from Small Steps.

Today I had some wonderful news. With the help of Rotary, International, the “Whatever Happened to Polio?” exhibit will be reopened in Warm Springs, Georgia, on permanent loan from the Smithsonian. The grand opening is scheduled for August 11.  I will be in Elmhurst, Illinois, that day giving a library talk so I’m not able to attend, but I am pleased that this wonderful compilation of an important part of our country’s history will continue to be available for public viewing, and I am thrilled to have had a small part in its creation.

I have a large spiral notebook that serves as a book journal.  It’s actually a list. Every time I read a book, I write down the title and author.  I keep track by month, so that I can see how many books I read each month.

I began doing this in June, 1990, and this record of my reading has come in handy many times. Sometimes I’ll want to recommend a book but I can’t remember the exact title or perhaps I don’t recall the author. It takes only seconds to scan my journal and find the information.

When I especially love a book, it gets a star. I’m stingy with my stars, usually giving only five or six each year. If a book truly disappoints me or if I don’t want to finish it, that book gets a minus.  Happily, there are more stars than minuses in my journal.

 My Aunt Mary, who lives in California, also keeps a book journal, and whenever we see each other we bring our journals and discuss what we’ve read since the last time we were together.  Both of us always end up with a list of books we want to read.

I wish I had begun keeping my book list years earlier. Then I’d be like the bird watchers who keep their “life list” of all the kinds of birds they’ve ever seen. I’m glad I started when I did, though. I now have a record of every book I’ve read for the last seventeen years.

I received a wonderful card in the mail yesterday. It has a black cat on the front, and a saying about how everyone needs a dog to love her and a cat to ignore her.

Inside, which was originally blank, someone had written, “Thank you for being my foster mom.”  It was signed “Edgar.”  (Yes, I still have my foster cat.)

It happened that yesterday was my wedding anniversary. It was the fourth anniversary I’ve had  since my husband died, so it was a day of remembering, and of being sad that he isn’t here to celebrate with me.

Receiving such a fun card in the mail cheered me enormously. And, since I didn’t recognize the hand writing,  I had a mystery to solve. Who had sent the card? 

First I asked Marilyn, who said she wished she had been thoughtful enough to send it but it wasn’t from her. Next I asked Mark, who has been known to send me anonymous packages containing things like chocolate carrots. He swore it wasn’t from him.

 My third guess proved right: Jenny and Jerry. Jerry’s been in the hospital for two months and I’ve been sending him a card each week so they decided to send me one. They did not know when my anniversary was and had no idea their card would arrive on that day. What a happy coincidence.  We never know when a small gesture of friendship will have a positive impact far beyond what we anticipate.

The same is true of words.  I was sad to read in my morning paper of the death of opera star Beverly Sills.  Years ago,  when I read her autobiography, one sentence jumped out at me: “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

This seemed a perfect motto for a writer and I have used it as a favorite quote many times.  I never met Beverly Sills, but her words - that one sentence - gave me motivation and determination many times.

 I hope that something I write will help someone else to keep trying, and to strive to be the best that they can be.