Genesis of The Stray Cat
The idea to turn it into a book came about when Gary Crew suggested during a dinner conversation that I re-write the story and submit it to him. He had just struck a deal to edit a series of childrens' horror books for Lothian, a Melbourne publishing house which has since become part of Hachette Livre Australia, and was looking for stories to buy. Thankfully, Gary liked the revised version of my story and bought it for Lothian's After Dark series. But there was a problem. I was told that there would be a delay getting The Stray Cat published because of a shortage of suitable local artists to illustrate the book. "What if I bring my own artist?" I asked. Crew and Lothian said they would look at my friend's work, but they seemed none too confident. "Just wait until you see his work," I told them.
The person I had in mind was my friend Shaun Tan, one of the most talented artists working the Australian SF small press at the time. When I asked Shaun if he was interested in illustrating the book, he jumped at the chance, producing a portfolio that wowed both Gary Crew and Helen Chamberlain (children's fiction publisher at Lothian/Hachette). Shaun went on not only to illustrate the The Stray Cat, and a number of other titles in the series (including one by Crew himself!), but to become one of Australia's leading picture book artists and a talented writer in his own right.
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