It’s my 13th book so maybe I just got lazy, but I neglected to blog about my latest release, FLAT CAT.

One chilly winter night during the pandemic, I heard a loud MEOW! at our back door. I drew the curtains to find an adorable black cat. When I opened the door to put out a can of tuna, the cat slipped past me and into our house…and she never left. Smooth moves! That’s how I got the idea for the slick, sly character of FLAT CAT. Yep, FLAT CAT is based on our girl Phoebe, who is NOT AT ALL FLAT.

(OK, that’s not the most flattering angle.)

Flat Cat was born flat. He wasn’t squashed by an out-of-control ice cream truck, or smushed in a waffle iron. He was just flat. This slick, sly cat could stray and roam anywhere he pleased, keen and unseen. And wouldn’t you know it, Flat Cat liked it just like that.

That is until one day, when Flat Cat accidentally fell splish-splosh right in the wash. And when he emerged from the dryer, Flat Cat wasn’t flat at all. He was adorably puffy and downright fluffy! And Flat Cat wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

From acclaimed author Tara Lazar and brought to life by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Pete Oswald, this is a hilariously quirky and irreverent story. 

I know many of you are looking forward to Storystorm in January 2024, and one of my best tips for coming up with story ideas is exactly how this book materialized: from daily life. Sure, it’s not exactly the same tale, or tail, but the spirit of FLAT CAT emerged from our family’s impromptu feline adoption.

I hope you’ll check out FLAT CAT and the activities, ask for it at your library or school, write a review, or tell a friend about it. Any way you can help get the word out would be greatly appreciated!

Now speaking of Storystorm, I have received so many inquiries from folks who want to be guest bloggers that there’s no way I can actually choose. So I have to do something a little differently this year…ask y’all to fill out a short application. This way I can collect everything in one place and randomly select bloggers. Your actual pitch for the blog post is still required, though, so I can avoid any potentially redundant posts.

I also ask that if you guest blogged in 2022 or 2023 that you refrain from applying this year so I can welcome new guests.

The Storystorm Guest Blogger Application is here, and you have until November 26 to fill it out. Guest bloggers will be notified in early December.

Now go make some smooth moves!