A few years ago, one morning during the week of Halloween, I saw a photo of a cat in a tree facing a full moon. I showed it to my two youngest daughters, twins Amelia and Bonnie, at breakfast and asked them: “What do you think that cat’s doing?”
“Sitting in a tree,” said Bonnie.
I shook my head.
Amelia spoke up, “Looking at the moon.”
I shook my head again and waited.
“Dad!”
“Yes?” I replied.
“What do you think the cat’s doing?” They asked.
I slid my chair closer to the table and took a sip of coffee while it was still warm, buying time to make something up. “His name is Balthazar, and he’s waiting for his witch. You see,” I paused for more coffee, “witches and cats choose each other. And this little cat, Balthazar, finally ‘meets’ and chooses his witch, only to find out it’s a human girl in her Halloween costume. Now, woodland cats never attach themselves to a human. It’s just not done, and they look down on urban and suburban felines who become ‘pets.’ When Balthazar meets the girl and finds out she’s human, he has to decide. If he bonds with her, he’ll only live the lifespan of a normal cat. He won’t have the eternity that comes with a connection to a genuine witch. But Balthazar has run out of chances to find his witch, and despite how he acts, he’s lonely. The girl has no friends and is terribly alone, too. Audrey and Balthazar are drawn to each other but have to work out some things. Perception and prejudice can be set aside and overcome if something is important enough to make us change them. And what’s more powerful than love? They discover they were truly meant to become best friends.”
I stopped there because that’s as far as I had spun it off the cuff in my head while talking with them.
Both were fired up, wanting to know more. “Are you going to write the story?”
And I knew I had to for them. So, I wrote the first chapter and planned out more. A lot of publishing work and other writing for clients has gotten in the way in the past few years, but I haven’t forgotten the promise of this story. I’ll resume work on it in 2024 and plan to complete it in time for Halloween.
Waiting for My Witch introduces a young, strong female character: Audrey is 15, and her life has been uprooted. Her father—a soldier—was killed while deployed overseas. Her mother has moved them a thousand miles away from her friends and everything familiar. In the town where her father was raised, she learns more about him, his past, and through her new friend, Balthazar, something vital about herself, her family, and her future. All while dealing with growing up and becoming a young woman.