Why am I writing about my cat, Bluebell?

 As some of you already know, the muse for my latest children's books is my sometimes-mischievous cat, Bluebell.  I suppose like all pet owners, I'm convinced she really is a good girl--even though when we're not looking she might do things such as jump on the counter and eat from the butter dish, or jump on the table to steal some cheese. And when I found out she discovered an opening in our back porch screen and sneaked out, I hoped she was out doing wonderful things, not naughty ones. So I thought some books would be fun.

Bluebell from a few years ago when
we were reupholstering some chairs

I learned to self-publish so I could get books out during the pandemic quarantine, and maybe give some people something else to read (and give me something to focus on). And, I was right, it has been fun. Following my most recent Bluebell book (Bluebell's Perfect Christmas), I've decided to work on another Sophia book, one in which she discovers the father of the national parks, one-time Wisconsinite, John Muir. I'm hoping to show his life, warts and all. It should be an exciting and interesting challenge. Then, I'll probably dabble in some younger reader chapter books, or, um, maybe not. We'll see where this goes.

Thanks for checking in here, and, remember, CasettaKids.com has all the info on my latest books (available on Amazon) and adventures (spoiler alert: they aren't nearly as exciting as Bluebell's...)

Why I wrote a book about Gaylord Nelson

I always had appreciation for Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, and a tireless crusader to make the world a better place, including being the founder of Earth Day.

As a boy, Gaylord listened to an inspiring senator named Bob Lafollette and decided that, one day, he would also work to help others through public service.

And Gaylord did so in spades. He wrote or promoted legislation behind the Clean Air and Water Acts, the Wilderness Act (to save natural places), creation/continuation of national trails (including the Appalachian Trail and one in my backyard, the Ice Age Trail), forming the Environmental Protection Agency, and the banning of the chemical DDT (which was essentially driving eagles to extinction). He was a crusader, too, for landmark legislation supporting important non-environmental issues such as Civil Rights.

And he became a hero to me. I still have a letter he wrote to me following the first Earth Day, when I asked him for his bio to help me with a fifth grade report for which I had selected him as my "Great American" (the entire letter is reproduced in my upcoming book, Sophia Saves the Earth: a Story of Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day).

The book I wrote, although highlighting some of his vital environmental accomplishments, doesn't begin to cover the scope of this man's incredible legacy.  But it's a start.

And the world's an infinitely better place for it.