Journey Home - A Cats Tale is a story based upon the actual life of a cat found abandoned in a dumpster, left to die. Born in a small town on the coast of Maine a unpretentious cat named 'Patches' encounters life changing experiences during his first two years. Discarded by an uncaring owner and left homeless without food or shelter, he wanders the streets to piece his life together. Along the way, he discovers new friends like Chester, a relocated cat from New York City and Buster, a neighborhood stray, who teaches him how to fend for himself
Late one night during a violent blizzard, a series of events abruptly changes his life once again after he saves Buster from a fire and then returns to the garbage dumpster for a local diner to seek shelter and food. As he jumps into the dumpster, his leg is ensnared by the steel jaws of a leg-trap. He feels the sharp, razor-like teeth cut into him, and the fear of dying or losing his foot becomes reality. Like the doleful cry of an incessant wind, memories of his past and unanswered questions about his father's abandonment engulf his thoughts.
Will he discover what has become of his siblings, find a new home, and ever understand his father's message and why he abandoned him? Will he survive the cold darkness and discover once again a path that leads to the understanding he seeks?
About the Author
Russell H. Plante is an Engineering Physicist with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Maine, a Minor in Electrical Engineering, and post-graduate courses in Business Administration. He has held positions at the Department of Defense as a Branch Head in Control Engineering, Welding Engineering, and Quality Control Engineering Analysis. During his tenure at the DOD, he was appointed by the University of Maine Physics Department to provide an industrial perspective relative to education. Maintaining additional engineering positions in Solar Energy development and analysis, he has received awards for Solar Building Engineering Design from the State of Maine Office of Energy Resources and for Energy Innovation Technologies from the U.S. Department of Energy. With a diverse writing background, he has had two academic/nonfiction publications regarding photovoltaic and solar domestic hot water energy applications published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. and Academic Press (Elsevier). In addition to his non-fiction works, he has had a Young Adult novel, “Journey Home – A Cat’s Tale”, published in 2016 and an Adult-Visionary political novel, “Beware the Dither Bird”, published in 2018. His second novel was an award-winning Finalist in the Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest and received the 2020 Finalist Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal Book Award in the category for the most thought-provoking novel. “A Sense of Purpose” is his third novel. He has recently completed his fourth novel, "The Path Before Me” and is currently writing a philosophical Science Fiction novel. He resides in the State of Maine with his wife Kathy and seven cats where there’s always a chance of a blizzard during the cold winter months and time to contemplate and create meaningful stories. Reviews and information regarding his books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, website (www.russellhplante.com), LinkedIn, Goodreads, and a Facebook Author Page.
