Lucky the cat is still living up to his name after his owner finally publishes his book
Paul Staples, 80 of Worstead, who's waited 34 years to publish his first book written about his cat Lucky. Picture: MARK BULLIMORE
A local man is gleaming with joy after becoming a first-time author at the ripe age of 80.
Thirty-four years after giving up, Paul Staples, who finished the book when he was 46, has finally been able to publish his first book.
The book, published last Thursday, is called The Luckiest Cat in Britain and follows Mr Staples' past cat, Lucky, on all his adventures.
Mr Staples, a former engineer, said: 'In 1976/77 my self-employed business collapsed, I lost most of our money and nearly our home. We had just enough money to buy the cottage I am in now, and at the time of going broke we got Lucky, a dear little black cat who had character in spades, right from a little kitten. Whether you believe in the luck of black cats is another thing, but our luck really did change soon after getting him.'
In 1981, Mr Staples' late wife entered a newspaper competition centred on cats and what they got up to within the family.
Out of 48,000 entries she won and received £500, cat food for life and a signed portrait of Lucky etched on glass by a top animal artist.
The book is 16 chapters long and is both fact and fiction. It is available at various shops including Tesco, Asda and Amazon and costs £12.50 for the paperback and £7.50 for an Ebook.
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It is published by Novum Publishers GmbH, based in Austria, who specialise in new authors.
Mr Staples, who has a daughter called Alison, said: 'I have to say this is exciting with a capital 'E', I never thought it would happen. I am so excited at the prospect of this, it may or may not be a best seller, that I do not know, for the present however I am so thrilled to get my little black boy's memory revived.'
The story is told from Lucky's perspective of life with Mr Staples family, and his life with all his animal friends, which vary from other cats to a toad and a horse.
There are a few illustrations in the book and it is due to be circulated to over 50 shops in this country and in Europe and the USA.
