Grumpy Cat

One recent morning I read an article in the local daily newspaper about a Phoenix woman named Tabatha who quit her waitress job thanks to her cat named Tardar Sauce, better known as Grumpy Cat.
The night before, I had a long, busy night at the restaurant, even my feet still hurt, so the minute I read about someone quitting their waitress job, I was right there.

Not only did Miss Tabatha quit her job, but she along with her sour-faced cat, was going to be at a local bookstore promoting their book Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book. The book was on the New York Time's Best Seller List and a movie, yes a movie, is in the works. No more watiressing for Tabatha, plus a book deal, and a movie? What the heck? That morning as I read the article, envy dripped into my cereal bowl and threatened to spill all over my newspaper.  .

You mean Tabatha didn't have to struggle to be a writer like so many of the rest of us writers who endure rejection, frustration, long lonely days at the keyboard, and still only dream of making the New York Best Seller's list. You mean all you had to do was adopt a cat?  I was both jealous and grumpy.

Apparently Tabatha has been working as waitress for the past 10 year's most recently at this restaurant chain --

Her brother sent in the photo of Tardar Sauce and it caused such an internet sensation that she is now promoting her cat and her book. When the local reporter asked Tabatha about how she felt about quitting her waitress job and traveling around the United States promoting her book, she said this, "It's a whole different atmosphere now as opposed to serving people dinner and trying to keep them happy." I hear ya, sister.

Now instead of taking orders for clam chowder soup and salmon, Tabatha is going on television talk shows like this one with her cat. Instead of wearing an apron, she gets to wear make up for the cameras.  If I wasn't allergic to cats, I would have put down the paper and gone and adopted a cat right then and there. Nah. Not really. I'm a dog person. Still.

Here's Tabatha and Grumpy Cat at a recent book signing. Okay, so I'm jealous, not just of Tabatha, but of a cat. A cat has had a book singing before me. All this made me discouraged about all the effort and time I've put into my writing career. Why did I even bother with college? With writer's groups? With so many writing seminars. Bummer.

These were my thoughts until today when I learned that the literary author Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Alice Munro is a Canadian author who writes literary short stories that capture the human condition. She writes about deep and profound events in her character's lives. She works magic at storytelling. Her writing is rich and layered. Her stories leave you feeling as if you spent time in the lives of her real people. You come away not just understanding her characters, but your own life, with all it's beauty and pain. In other words, she is a writer who didn't just get a cat.

Still, both her and Grumpy Cat have had the honor of being on the New York Time's Best Seller List.  So my writing friends, there is room for all styles and types of writing, both by crabby felines and smart females.