The Molly Books, or as they were called The Molly The Cat Books, were an incredible labor of love for your author. There were four books in the series, wonderfully illustrated by Erin Marie Mauterer (Erin’s web site) and publishsed by Ideals Children’s Books.
The stars of the books were my four cats at that time: Molly, the beautiful little Calico; wise old Pumpkin; handsome Omaha — or Omi as Molly called him; and the grouchy-yet-loving and protective Gypsy.
Click here to check up on our kitties today.
Other characters were based loosely on other creatures I came to know. Spooker, the streetwise Clark Cable cat. The Dude, another streetwise older fellow that had been around the block many times. And the evil Red. I HAD to have a good villain and Red filled the bill. He was a composite of every bully that I have ever known.
In book four, BREWSTER……a lovable and goofy Bulldog named Brewster appeared as a friend to Molly.
The other main character was a cat named Angel that kept showing up and looking after Molly. We find out at the end of book four that Angel is really Molly’s mother and has been looking out for her long after she gave her up for adoption in the very first book.
The “humancats” who appeared in the story were Mother Mary (my wife Mary) and Honey (me).
MOLLY, THE HOME, OUTSIDE, and BREWSTER
can still be ordered at online book stores like Barnes and Noble (http://www.bn.com).
Stuff you might not have known:
* Pumpkin passed away. He now resides in “The Better Place” that “The God of All Creatures” has prepared for him. The original Spooker and Dude, as well as the Bulldog Brewster, have also passed away.
* Mother Mary and Honey still look after EIGHT cats — Molly, who is ten years old and still looks (and acts) somewhat like a kitten, Omaha, Gypsy, Sally Ann, Ted, and Baybe’, as well as two outdoor kitties who come around for a handout and a warm bed. That would be Bud and Callie Callie!
* The God of ALL Creatures was originally called “The GodCat.” That of course had to be changed!!! The original philosophy was that to CATS……. ALL things are CATS. However we didn’t want children confused so I came up with “The God of All Creatures.”
* Several publishers turned down the Molly series because there was praying and God in them. Even now, some schools will NOT read them aloud in the classroom so as not to offend the “Politically Correct.” Whatever THAT means!
* There was a beautiful barn kitty named Olivia and her dog Spots in the original Molly manuscript. Read about Olivia below:
Book Nine (Olivia)
Spooker and the “Dude” were coming up empty. They walked along the river for a long ways and then finally turned into the woods searching every corner for Molly.
Occasionally, they would stop and call out, as only cats can do, but so far no luck at all.
“Man, you would think that someone would hear us,” said the black Persian type cat.
“You bad boys are a little out of your territory, don’t you think?” said
a female cat voice from up above them. ‘The boys’ stopped!
Dude looked up into the tree and there ‘laying out’ on a low hanging thick branch was his old friend and love, Olivia.
“Well, hi there doll face, nice to see you,” exclaimed the Dude. “Come on down out of there and meet my friend Spooker.”
The elegant female kitty graciously jumped down out of the tree and landed right in front of Spooker.
“Oh, I know Spooker,” Olivia purred. “All the girls know Spooker.”
It is hard to tell if a cat can blush but Spooker seemed to be doing just that.
“Hello there, Livvy,” he whispered.
“My heart is bleeding, please stop!” laughed the old one with a little jealousy in his voice.
Olivia was a striking female cat who had obviously made more than one heart jump. Her colors were simply beautiful. A striking mixture of two shades of brown. Not orange like Pumpkin and not a multicolor like a Calico. Her face was mostly light brown with a dark star shape that extended from her brow to her left ear, and she was the only cat around these lands with “blue eyes.”
“Aren’t you a little far from the farm?” asked Spooker. “Not really that far,” Olivia purred.
Olivia was a “barn kitty.” She actually shared her space with “cows” and “horses.” They got along fine because they didn’t get along at all.
Olivia never even tried to “speak” to these creatures. She would pretty much mind her own business, hunt for mice, and drink the milk from her bowl that the hardworking, “humancat” farmers, would put out for her. Sometimes in the cold days she would even be allowed to go “indoors” and sleep by the fire, but at night, she was always put back outside.
She just could not understand how some kitties could stay “in” all of the time, so when “Dude” told her of Molly she was not surprised.
“Well, girls just want to have fun,” she purred at ‘the boys,’ while blinking those big blue eyes.
“You must have really stirred her up, Spooker.”
The Persian type kittie bowed his head in sadness. “I meant no harm. I just wanted to talk to her and tell her a story. She is very special you know. Everyone loves her so much. I just have to find her,” he cried.
“Well, follow me back to the farm, guys,” said Olivia as she started to walk
off. “You can spend the night there. We’ll eat some mouse, drink some milk and take a little nap. Maybe “Spots” may know something.
“Livvy, dear, Spots is a DOG!” said the “Dude,” as he and Spooker fell in
line behind her.
“Yeah, I know, but he really gets around. It’s worth a try anyway,” Olivia replied.
Spooker rolled his eyes at the thought of the big white dog with black spots, but then anything was worth trying at this point.
The three cats headed through some woods and across a field to the “farm” where Olivia and Spots lived.
“Spots” was pretty cool for a dog,” thought Olivia as they walked. He was known as a “Dalmatian,” and unlike most dogs he seemed to have some class. He didn’t run around in circles and pant. In fact he actually seemed to have a brain in his head. Anyhow, Olivia loved him.
Now, cats and dogs can get along when they grow up together (or at least learn to tolerate each other) and the beautiful barn kitty knew Spots since he was a puppy.
“Well, what’s goin on?” barked Spots as the three Cats approached the ‘barn.’
“Who let the ugly cats out of the bag?”
“What is he saying?” asked Spooker.
“He says he is glad to see you,” laughed Livvy.
“OH.”
Now Spooker and “Dude” were not fond of DOGS at all. They believed, like old Pumpkin did, that they just couldn’t be trusted. But this was a friend of
Olivia’s, and if Olivia told them that “Spots” was the king of the animal kingdom, they would have agreed. However they could not understand a word that this ‘mutt’ was saying.
Olivia explained the story of Molly as best she could to the Dalmatian type dog and he promised her that he would, “Put his nose to the ground!”
“Thanks, Spots,” purred Livvy. “The boys and I are gonna catch a catnap and get back to the search in the morning!”
Livvy, Dude and Spooker started walking towards the barn.
“By the way, Liv,” barked Spots. “You can do a lot better than those two
flea ridden felines.”
“What did he say?” asked the Dude.
“He said good night, make yourself at home.”
“OH.”
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