If you’ve been around here for a while, you already know that my daughter Temperance is the real inspiration behind the Temperance Tilly books. Well…she’s at it again.
Lately, she’s been obsessed with cats. Like, all things cats. Plush cats. Cat shirts. Cat everything. Even pretending she’s a cat. Naturally, she asked me if I’d write her a book about her and kitty cats. And you know what I said? Of course. Because when your daughter requests a jungle adventure with cats, you deliver.
I asked what she wanted it to be about, but she just shrugged and said, “I just want kitty cats in it.” Fair enough.
So I did what I always do when I’m stuck, I started thinking about how I could bring the Bible into the jungle in a way that made sense, taught something meaningful, and still made room for cat chaos. My mind immediately went to the Parable of the Lost Sheep where Jesus told the story of how the shepherd left the ninety-nine to find the one that wandered off.
And that’s when it clicked.
What if, in this new story, a curious little kitty wanders off? And what if Temperance Tilly, Ellie the Elephant, and Arlo the Aardvark go on a mission to find it; learning about compassion, persistence, and the heart of a Shepherd who never stops pursuing us?
This book is still a work in progress, but I’m excited (and let’s be real, slightly terrified) to bring another jungle tale to life—this time with paws, purrs, and purpose.
Stay tuned. The kitty caper is coming soon.