By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
Maria E. Lyons, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians currently residing in Webster, N.C., has started a book series – the first of which is “Angelina the Adventure Cat and the Garden of Whiskerwinks”. The book is based on Angelina, a Maine Coon, who is a service cat alerting Lyons of upcoming migraines.
Maria E. Lyons, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Angelina, a Maine Coon who is the star of a new book by Lyons entitled “Angelina the Adventure Cat and the Garden of Whiskerwinks, are shown visiting the Qualla Boundary Public Library in Cherokee, N.C. on Wednesday, Aug. 20. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
“I’ve been writing probably since I was a child,” said Lyons. “I used to write these books but never published them. I remember being like 12 years old and I’d sit up late at night. I’d write all these stories because I had to get them out of my head. But, I never published any of them. I was never brave enough to do that.”
Getting Angelina and going on outings gave Lyons an idea. “When I got this cat, everyone just loves her. She’s an adventure cat. She goes on trails and stuff. So, as far as being published, I’m new at being a published author. So, ‘Angelina the Adventure Cat and the Garden of Whisker Winks’ is our first published children’s book.”
Being an author of a children’s book series comes naturally to Lyons. “I’ve worked with kids for probably over 30 years. I had a dance and theater company, Tap and Toe School of Dance, that opened in 1997 in Bryson City…then, the school system ended up putting a dance program in their curriculum at Swain County. It was an after-school dance program, and they asked if I would come teach in that program. So, I taught there for 15 years.”
She added, “I missed working with children. I missed working with kids and stuff, and I remembered all the fun, creative stuff that we used to do, and we had so much fun doing it. I was like, ‘how can I get back into that?’ And, everybody loves this cat – adults and children alike. They feel like they’ve met this mythical creature when she comes along. And, she’s a medical alert cat so she’s always with me.”
“Angelina the Adventure Cat and the Garden of Whiskerwinks” is the first in a series.
“This is the first book. The second book is almost finished. It will be released, hopefully at the end of the month…it’s going to be a tale of friendship.
It’s all planned out. So, the ‘Garden of Whisker Winks’ and the ‘Adventure Cat’ series will be focused in the Whiskerwinks garden, or maybe even some side adventures…so that series will continue. But, another series that I want to start working on is the ‘Angelina the Adventure Cat and Maria’ series.”
She has other books in the idea hopper as well including a teenage novel centered around Christian beliefs and a book for preschoolers. “I want to do it in alphabets – like ‘A is for Angelina, B is for backpack, C is for carseat’ and just take everything that we have with our adventure cat, but just A through Z and you have this little cute animation book of Angelina.”
To purchase the first book, visit http://www.angelinatheadventurecat.com, and you can follow Angelina on Instagram @angelina_the_adventure_cat.
Lyons said, “Follow us on Instagram. We go on so many adventures and do so many things together.”
