Helen Raynes
Staley
Staley
About The Paw on the Tarmac
by Helen Raynes Staley
Perfect Bound; 7 x 10 inches; 68 pages, 2007
ISBN: 1-933912-74-X
$12.95
"Don't trust any humans - and some cats." Such is the watchword of Charles, the cat in Helen Raynes
Staley new children's book, The Paw on the Tarmac. Illustrated by Ellen Reed Driscoll, Paw on the
Tarmac is the charming tale - or tail? - of an animal and his journey home - wherever home may find him.
Janet and Bill, along with their feline companions Toes, Beau, and Belle, discover among their
surroundings one night a mangy cat, lost and alone. After a sound cleaning, some hearty catnip-laced
food, and a trip to the veterinarian for good measure, the family of five is ready and willing to accept
Charles as one of their own.
But always present in the gypsy cat's mind is his first human connection, Chrissie, who was cruelly
forced to abandon him without warning on a dark country road. Never forgetting for a second the
warmth of her friendship nor the harsh lesson of her separation, he wrestles with his necessary
involvement in the human world.
Also unsure of his place in the scheme of things, Toes - the fluffy diva of the house - ensures that things
will be as miserable as possible for the new arrival, and that her own role is secure. Charles is a solitary
breed... humans are handy to have around, but the ones he has met are fickle. Being served treats is well
and good, but he knows that food can be found just as easily in other ways. Charles will take affection,
but never need it.
With one eye on the possibilities of human kindness, and one eye on the door, will Charles find his way
into the family? Or will the manipulative and snotty Toes ruin his chances at becoming a beloved pet once
again? And, if not, what's a cat to do?
by Helen Raynes Staley
Perfect Bound; 7 x 10 inches; 68 pages, 2007
ISBN: 1-933912-74-X
$12.95
"Don't trust any humans - and some cats." Such is the watchword of Charles, the cat in Helen Raynes
Staley new children's book, The Paw on the Tarmac. Illustrated by Ellen Reed Driscoll, Paw on the
Tarmac is the charming tale - or tail? - of an animal and his journey home - wherever home may find him.
Janet and Bill, along with their feline companions Toes, Beau, and Belle, discover among their
surroundings one night a mangy cat, lost and alone. After a sound cleaning, some hearty catnip-laced
food, and a trip to the veterinarian for good measure, the family of five is ready and willing to accept
Charles as one of their own.
But always present in the gypsy cat's mind is his first human connection, Chrissie, who was cruelly
forced to abandon him without warning on a dark country road. Never forgetting for a second the
warmth of her friendship nor the harsh lesson of her separation, he wrestles with his necessary
involvement in the human world.
Also unsure of his place in the scheme of things, Toes - the fluffy diva of the house - ensures that things
will be as miserable as possible for the new arrival, and that her own role is secure. Charles is a solitary
breed... humans are handy to have around, but the ones he has met are fickle. Being served treats is well
and good, but he knows that food can be found just as easily in other ways. Charles will take affection,
but never need it.
With one eye on the possibilities of human kindness, and one eye on the door, will Charles find his way
into the family? Or will the manipulative and snotty Toes ruin his chances at becoming a beloved pet once
again? And, if not, what's a cat to do?
The House on the Rim
and Other Stories
Short Stories by Helen Raynes Staley
Published October 2008
ISBN 978-1-933912-89-9
B&W 6 x 9 in Perfect Bound, 232 Pages
$14.95
Helen Raynes Staley is a master of atmosphere. Starting smoothly with a palette
knife she is soon down to a No. 3 or 4 squirrel hair. Painstakingly she creates her
scene without the tiniest trace of labor, applying her own blend of description with
meticulous care, ready to receive its characters. And always, but always, her gift for
suggesting decadence will have seen every space filled with the sweet smell of decay
and the place already aching for intrigue, the scene then to be increasingly spattered
with less harmonious hues until we are eventually presented with something
pointillist and everything changed.
Joe Robinson, author of
A Difficult Man and Tommy Turnbull
Helen Raynes Staley crafts robust fiction infused with history, philosophy and a
world view that is at once wise and deeply moving. With a sharp wit and playful
command of the language, Staley creates characters and scenes that leave the reader
in awe of her considerable talents and hungry for more of her haunting scenes and
provocative stories.
Paul Grondahl, author of
Mayor Erastus Corning: Albany Icon, Albany Enigma and
I Rose like a Rocket: The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt
and Other Stories
Short Stories by Helen Raynes Staley
Published October 2008
ISBN 978-1-933912-89-9
B&W 6 x 9 in Perfect Bound, 232 Pages
$14.95
Helen Raynes Staley is a master of atmosphere. Starting smoothly with a palette
knife she is soon down to a No. 3 or 4 squirrel hair. Painstakingly she creates her
scene without the tiniest trace of labor, applying her own blend of description with
meticulous care, ready to receive its characters. And always, but always, her gift for
suggesting decadence will have seen every space filled with the sweet smell of decay
and the place already aching for intrigue, the scene then to be increasingly spattered
with less harmonious hues until we are eventually presented with something
pointillist and everything changed.
Joe Robinson, author of
A Difficult Man and Tommy Turnbull
Helen Raynes Staley crafts robust fiction infused with history, philosophy and a
world view that is at once wise and deeply moving. With a sharp wit and playful
command of the language, Staley creates characters and scenes that leave the reader
in awe of her considerable talents and hungry for more of her haunting scenes and
provocative stories.
Paul Grondahl, author of
Mayor Erastus Corning: Albany Icon, Albany Enigma and
I Rose like a Rocket: The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt
Helen Raynes Staley's Books Are Published by Westview, Inc. |
About the Author
Helen Raynes Staley has spent her life studying, teaching, and creating in the arts:
from the Martha Graham Dance Studio to the The High School of Music and Art, to
Queens College, to the University of Pennsylvania, to membership on faculties of
universities in Paris and China. She has shown her photographs at galleries in Ireland
and Albany. Now Emeritus Professor of English at the Sage Colleges, she and her
husband, Harry Charles Staley, poet, and Emeritus Professor of English at The
University at Albany, write and reside in Albany, New York.
Helen Raynes Staley has spent her life studying, teaching, and creating in the arts:
from the Martha Graham Dance Studio to the The High School of Music and Art, to
Queens College, to the University of Pennsylvania, to membership on faculties of
universities in Paris and China. She has shown her photographs at galleries in Ireland
and Albany. Now Emeritus Professor of English at the Sage Colleges, she and her
husband, Harry Charles Staley, poet, and Emeritus Professor of English at The
University at Albany, write and reside in Albany, New York.
