Celluloid Diaries: It's Avalon release day!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

It's Avalon release day!

cat book

It's Avalon release day!

And we're going to celebrate that...

But, first, let me tell you that I almost didn't release Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story.

You see, this book is hyper personal. There are things in here that I never told anyone before, because I was too ashamed. Because of this book, my family hasn't spoken to me in several months...

Part of me wants you to ignore this book...

On the other hand, I DO want you to read it, because I wrote it to honor the cat I loved more than anything else in this world. This true story is my way to eternalize Avalon, and to bring to light his hilarious shenanigans and amazing talents as a movie star.

I know for a fact that Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story will not leave you cold. Either you'll think I'm nuts, or you'll be touched and cry your eyes out.


Excerpt

Around three o’clock that night, Avalon was fed up with the strange man in his bed. He plonked his rear down on Gilles’ pillow, complaining fretfully in his ear while tapping him on the face. 

After nearly an hour of incessant wailing and poking, more drastic measures were required. The new solution: pushing Gilles out of bed. 

Avalon succeeded. 

Climbing back under the covers wasn’t an option. Unable to sleep, Gilles got up. "I guess I didn't pass the test." 

"Give Avalon some time. Maybe he was just irked because you took his side of the bed." 

But Gilles had already understood that this wasn't going to be a one-time event. 

For several minutes, Gilles and Avalon sized each other up. Then Gilles said, "I’d better leave the two of you alone now. It’s clearly what the little guy wants." 

I swear I could see Avalon smirking when Gilles put on his jacket and left. 

Instantly, Avalon leapt onto me, and compensated for the evening before. He entered a kiss-induced trance. This cat was all about exclusivity, and when granted that exclusivity, his love was immense. 

"Are you really that happy that Gilles is gone?" 

In reply, Avalon looked at me with swoony eyes and purred loudly, then swatted out his paw to urge me to continue to pet him, which I did. 

A phone call interrupted our tender moment. It was Gilles. "There won't be any train to Brussels for hours," he said. "Is it okay if I come back to your place for a while?" 

"Of course." His return would offend Avalon, but I couldn’t possibly leave Gilles outside in the rain for several hours. 

As soon as Gilles appeared at the front door, Avalon’s pupils widened to a pitch black. Let's see who's the boss here, he seemed to be thinking. 

Being a cat of action, Avalon went through his usual attention-seeking routine: making a selection of irritating noises, scratching the wallpaper, and pushing objects to the ground. When that didn't work, Avalon opened Gilles' overnight bag and threw out a piece of clothing. His eyes so dark and evil they could be gateways to hell, Avalon stared at his adversary and waited for a reaction. He then pulled out a box of gel wax. Again, he looked up at Gilles to make sure he understood that all this bungling was meant to get a message across. A third object followed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, until there was nothing. 

Hell-bent on winning the game, Avalon took Gilles' coat in his mouth and towed it toward the front door. There, he used his right paw to tap the keys hanging from the wooden doorframe. 

Avalon’s message couldn’t be any clearer: there was room for only one man in my life. A feline one.  


You can find Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story on: 


Win a $25 Amazon gift card, a signed book of Avalon, a cat collar, and a pack of cat toys! 

Avalon's book tour giveaway is open to readers worldwide. To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter below.

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33 comments:

  1. Congratulations!
    I'm sorry your family is upset about the book. That was very brave of you to put it out there anyway.
    I'll pick up a copy and announce its release for you on Monday.

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  2. How wonderful - congrats! I bet it will make me cry, won't it?

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  3. Oh congrats!!!!!
    I am glad to hear you did decide to put your book out there. Good for you!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  4. Congratulations!!!!! I know it's going to do really well. :)

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  5. Congratulations. I'm sorry to hear about your family, hopefully, they will come around.

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  6. Congrats!! Happy release day. Remember to enjoy it because you've worked really hard. The excerpt is highly entertaining.

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  7. Speak your truth, Vanessa, because it is your right to do so! I've already gone to amazon.ca and bought my kindle copy of Avalon. I'm a few chapters into it and it is TERRIFIC! I'll give the book a shout-out and link next week on my own blog.

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  8. i'm sure i will make me both cry and smile and my own little friend can't compre ( even if he does get his point accross too but being part siameese you imagine how)
    Sorry your family doesn't understand i do hope this book will still bring yuou a form of happiness

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  9. Congrats and I wish you all the best. Thank you for sharing!

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  10. Congrats and Avalon is a beautiful cat and bet the story is wonderful ~ will check it out ~ Much success I am sure is yours ~

    Happy Weekend coming to you,
    artmusedog and carol

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  11. I agree with Debra, speak your truth. That's the best. Much congrats to you. Thanks for the ice cream visit today. I've not been here before, going to look about now.

    Cheers and boogie boogie.

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  12. Congratulations! Avalon sounds like a beautiful story. I'm sorry your family has had issues about the book.

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  13. Oh my goodness! I'm so excited. First of all, that cover is gorgeous. The writing in that excerpt is superb (I loved your short story so I know I'll love this one) and I'm so proud of you for following your heart. Seriously. I hope things work out with you and your family, but I"m really glad to get this in my hands :)

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  14. Congratulations!! I loved the book and Avalon!

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  15. I've just mailed you excerpt to myself, I'll read it in the train.
    Good luck with the sales!

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  16. WOW! proficiat Vanessa, ik hoop dat het boek als zoete broodjes over de toonbank gaat!

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  17. Proficiat Vanessa. Hoop dat je een goede verkoop kent!!!

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  18. That sounds like a fantastic book Vanessa, I will take a look on Amazon UK. Congrats on getting it published.
    Lynne x

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  19. Congratulations on your new release! It sounds like a cute story. I love the cover, too!

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  20. I hope you can mend fences with your family. Sounds like a book just about that issue.

    The book sounds fabulous. Congratulations.

    Have a terrific day. ☺

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  21. Congrats. I hope you get many sales. It's a great read.

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  22. Sorry to be so delayed to say CONGRATULATIONS, Vanessa.
    I was hanging on every word of the snippet. I tried to order it, but I'm not sure if my order went thru. My computer is being such a brat. I'll try again if it didn't. I'm not much of a cat person, but this one looks and sounds very worthy. Moreover, I'm impressed that you had the courage to put honesty first, even at the risk of family ties. Good for you.

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  23. Congratulations. Cats rule our household. One in particular, now long gone, has reserved a large portion of my heart. For eternity.

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  24. Soooo exciting! Congrats and can't wait to read it.

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  25. Woohoo! We're both animal nuts, so you can bet that I'm excited to read this one. Really looking forward to it. My dear cat is even sitting in my lap while I type this.

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  26. Congratulations! :) I'm so excited for you.

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  27. Congratulations Vanessa,Avalon was a beautiful cat,xx Rachel

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    Replies
    1. As for your family not talking to you ,don't worry my sister hasn't spoken to me in nearly 3 years,*Shrug* and I'm not going to lose any sleep over that,xx Rachel

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  28. Congratulations and best of luck! Such a pretty illustration.

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  29. Congratulations! Hope it's warmly accepted by readers, Vanessa. :) X

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