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From Midwest Book Review Synopsis: Jeremy Feig was at rock bottom - broke, alone, and living in a shoebox-sized apartment. At the same time, his cat was perfectly content. What was her secret? She couldn't say it out loud, but it was clear she had all the answers to living a good life. How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a hilarious self-help book for guys, based on the lessons of an edgy cat named Shelly. It's packed with useful advice on topics like relationships, dealing with stress, and even grooming habits. If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, this book will help you set things right - and keep you laughing along the way. Critique: Witty, whimsical, and featuring life-changing "Cat Lessons", How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is filled with everything from dating tips to coping with anxiety and pursuing life goals. Although written with a spry dash of feline humor, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a genuine self-help book filled with nine l

  In honor of Caturday, we are posting another except from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , a Book of the Year finalist. Fear of Failure You're not perfect. You'll fail at many things, sometimes in mind-blowingly spectacular fashion. Don't let that stop you from going after your goals because if you don't make an effort, you've already failed. On one of Shelly's exciting trips down the hallway of my apartment building, she got confused. She'd gone up a flight of stairs, then walked to the apartment directly above mine, which looked exactly the same. She sat patiently in front of the door and waited for me to let her in. Of course, I didn't since it wasn't my apartment. Thankfully, my upstairs neighbor didn't open his door since it would've been awkward explaining why my cat and I were hanging out on his welcome mat. Shelly's sense of direction had failed her, but even though she couldn't successfully find her way home, she still enjo

  In honor of Caturday, here is an excerpt for the award-winning book, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig. Overcoming Roadblocks  I’d grown tired of the hard laminate floor in my living room. So, I bought a thick shag rug and laid it in front of the couch. While my feet loved the cushy, retro carpeting, Shelly did not. In fact, she was intimidated by it. She would cautiously walk around it, fearful it might come alive and devour her. She even stayed off the couch to avoid getting too close.  This went on for a few days until Shelly’s desire to lay on the couch overcame her hatred of the rug. I watched as she put a tentative paw on the carpeted edge. Noticing that it didn’t try to swallow her, she put another paw on it. Pretty soon, all four paws were on the rug, and Shelly was still in one piece. Success!  After that, Shelly and the shag rug became pals. She’d scamper across it with ease and slumber in its soft tendrils. While she was nervous during her early encounters, s

  This week's book back story features How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig. from the author -- Books always seemed long to me. To be clear, their length was fine for reading, but the idea of actually sitting down and writing one was daunting. There are just so many words to write! Not to mention sentences, paragraphs, pages, and (gasp) chapters. And most challenging of all, everything has to work together in some cohesive way. Despite my trepidation, the idea of writing a book intrigued me. Partly it was the challenge of it, to see if I could pull it off. And partly it was because I’d grown bored of the shorter writing bits I’d done for so long. Maybe it was time for a change. But what could I write about? I took a walk with my wife down Santa Monica’s California incline to explore ideas. We talked about different book genres that might be fun to try. I didn’t feel like writing fiction (too many characters), anything historical (research is the worst) or poetry (because

  From US Review of Books: Feig’s conversational style is witty and disarming. His self-deprecating humor lends charm and vulnerability to his ideas and opinions on becoming a better individual. Rooted firmly in a young, often single man’s outlook, he nevertheless manages to address aspects of life relevant to people of all ages. If you enjoy humor and love cats—the former being a prerequisite for the latter—chances are you’ll also be attracted to this fun-filled homage to felines. Read the rest of the review by Joe Kilgore  HERE . About the book: Jeremy Feig was at rock bottom - broke, alone, and living in a shoebox-sized apartment. At the same time, his cat was perfectly content. What was her secret? She couldn't say it out loud, but it was clear she had all the answers to living a good life. How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a hilarious self-help book for guys that gals like, too, based on the lessons of an edgy cat named Shelly. It's packed with useful advice on topics lik

  MSI Press authors are located all over the world. Getting to know the authors can also mean getting to know a new part of the world. We will be sharing this information on a regular basis. Follow us and map our authors' locations. Jeremy Feig, author of the award-winning, terrifically amusing, fun and easy to read, and insightful book, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man, moved recently from Santa Monica, California to Cascais, Portugal.  Here is some information about Cascais.  Cascais began as a traditional fishing port. But in the 19th century, Portugal’s King Luís I added a touch of glamour by taking up residence in the town each September. Today, Cascais feels more like an elegant version of St Tropez, with 19th-century villas covered in azulejos, and bougainvillea draping over the garden walls. There is an emphasis on outdoor living for most of the year, especially cycling, running or golf, while the short winter months are rather windy and humid. For more beautiful informatio

  excerpt from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Feig)- Epilogue Face the Cat in the Mirror Hopefully, reading this book helped you become a better man or at least spurred on some self-examination. If nothing else, I hope you learned two things: a. guys can read self-help books; and b. cats know how to live a good life. When I first adopted Shelly, I just thought we'd have fun together. I had no idea she'd teach me how to be the best man I could be. I learned never to give up, to manage my control issues, to be more caring, and to make an effort to be happy. I also learned to look underfoot when I was walking since Shelly would get upset when I stepped on her.   This book was all about my experiences with a cat. If you want to learn more, why not adopt one yourself? Not only do cats make great companions, they can also draw out the best in you. Are you lazy? Get an active cat to keep you moving. Are you shy? Get a cat that wears a leash and strangers will rush to talk to you

This excerpt comes from   How My Cat Made Me a Better Man  by Jeremy Feig RELATIONSHIPS Like a Cat in Heat Cat Tale: A few months after adopting Shelly, I learned about her kinky little habit. It began one night when she started sniffing a fluffy blanket in the living room. She dug her claws into the fabric, grasping it tightly. Growing aroused, she then bit the blanket and made prolonged rawrr noises that were infused with sexual energy. For the next few minutes, she just kept kneading, biting, and rawrring. It totally freaked me out. I soon realized that Shelly was just getting her rocks off. She'd been fixed, but some desires can be tough to shake. So I had to accept the fact that my cat liked to pleasure herself. Constantly. It wasn't just with blankets either. She'd hump pillows, towels, even the occasional Nerf football. If an object was soft and pliable, you can bet she'd try to hump it. One day, I received a stuffed turtle as a gift. A bit smaller than She

Why Cats Make Better Mentors Than Dogs  1) Pet’s goal in life: Dog: Please his master. Cat: Please herself. Point: Cat 2) How pet gets what it wants: Dog: Begging for it. Cat: Taking it. Point: Cat 3)  How pet endears itself to humans: Dog: Demeaning tricks. Cat: Being herself. Point: Cat 4) Pet’s favorite activity: Dog: Long, repetitive walks. Cat: Sleeping. Point: Cat 5) Likelihood pet will eat its own vomit: Dog: Extremely high. Cat: Pretty unlikely. Point: Cat Excerpt from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Code FF25 for 25% discount at MSI Press webstore) Also available on Kindle Jeremy Feig is originally from a small town in slightly upstate New York. After graduating from New Paltz College, he moved to Los Angeles for TV and film production work before stumbling into a career in digital marketing. Jeremy spends much of his time working on creative projects, usually involving comedy. He’s written numerous screenplays and TV scripts, created ori

Why Cats Make Better Mentors Than Dogs  1) Pet’s goal in life: Dog: Please his master. Cat: Please herself. Point: Cat 2) How pet gets what it wants: Dog: Begging for it. Cat: Taking it. Point: Cat 3)  How pet endears itself to humans: Dog: Demeaning tricks. Cat: Being herself. Point: Cat 4) Pet’s favorite activity: Dog: Long, repetitive walks. Cat: Sleeping. Point: Cat 5) Likelihood pet will eat its own vomit: Dog: Extremely high. Cat: Pretty unlikely. Point: Cat Read more excerpts HERE , along with information about the author and book. Check out the book page for How My Cat Made Me a Better Man at the MSI Press website.

  A Few Licks Go a Long Way  Cat Tale: It was starting to get dark on a Saturday night. As Shelly sat nearby licking herself, I was preparing to go out and hit the bars. I wanted to spend as little time as possible to get ready. The way I looked at it, if it took more than ten minutes to make myself presentable, I was doing it wrong. I put on my favorite collared shirt, hoping no one would notice the detergent stain on the back or the hole near the armpit. I dragged a brush through my hair a single time. I slipped on my pre-tied, 4-year-old sneakers, the ones with the bottoms of the soles coming off. That’s right, I was stylin’. As I headed for the door, I noticed that Shelly was still in the same spot, still licking herself. She hadn’t stopped grooming the entire time. She didn’t even have plans that night. Either she cared too much about personal appearances or I didn’t care enough. I looked in the mirror. The problem was me.  Cat Lesson: Grooming is important. You do

Man vs. Cat: Signs You Might Be Overweight  Lack of Energy: Man: Too much effort to get off the couch. Cat: Too much effort to get on the couch. Favorite sound: Man: Ice cream truck. Cat: Electric can opener. Body Fat: Man: Losing sight of everything below the belly button. Cat: Can’t lick below where her neck used to be. Unexpected Side Effect: Man: Growing resemblance to John Goodman. Cat: Can use own blubber as a pillow. Excerpt from  How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Code FF25 for 25% discount at MSI Press webstore) Also available on  Kindle Jeremy Feig is originally from a small town in slightly upstate New York. After graduating from New Paltz College, he moved to Los Angeles for TV and film production work before stumbling into a career in digital marketing. Jeremy spends much of his time working on creative projects, usually involving comedy. He’s written numerous screenplays and TV scripts, created original cartoons, and directed quirky short films.

Use Your Cat to Your Advantage: The Cat Lift Cats like sitting in bags. Some think it’s a fun ride when you pick up the bag while they’re in it. So, the next time your bag has a cat inside, lift it up and down as a workout. Not only will you tone your arms, your cat will have the time of her life. Other excerpts from  How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Code FF25 for 25% discount at MSI Press webstore) Also available on  Kindle Find more cat lessons from the book! Jeremy Feig is originally from a small town in slightly upstate New York. After graduating from New Paltz College, he moved to Los Angeles for TV and film production work before stumbling into a career in digital marketing. Jeremy spends much of his time working on creative projects, usually involving comedy. He’s written numerous screenplays and TV scripts, created original cartoons, and directed quirky short films. Jeremy lives in Santa Monica with his wife, young daughter, and large cat.

  (photo by Stacy Gentry) About Me and This Book I love Christmas! Who doesn’t? Everyone I know loves Christmas, but then they are all people. I am a cat, but I enjoy celebrating Christmas with my people friends and with my Boss.  Christmas is a special time for my Boss. He is the One and Only, you know, the One who brought His plan to life that first Christmas—except no one knew then it was Christmas.  As for me, if you have read either of my other books (if not, please do), you know as much about me as it is possible to know. For those who have not read them yet, I can tell you my tale in a nutshell. It is pretty simple, partly because the beginning is rather cloudy, and I only know what the people at the Mission Gift Shop remember about me some 12 years ago. Yes, I am getting to be quite a big girl now with my own set of life experiences.  It seems that I was always in San Juan Bautista, a beautiful Mission town in the Mexican tradition. Lots of Spanish spoken here, so I have had to