White Plains, New York — Canadian author Lorrie Bell Hawkins took home 5 awards Saturday evening at the Cat Writers Association's 17th annual awards banquet for her book Jolicure Cats. Two Certificates of Excellence and Muse Medallions were awarded to Bell Hawkins in the categories of memoir and illustration. In addition, the book received the coveted Kuykendall Image Award for illustration, graphics and design.
Jolicure Cats was first released in the fall of 2009 by Percheron Press of Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. It was produced and distributed by Goose Lane Editions of Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The book tells the stories of 14 family cats — all but one with a connection to Jolicure, New Brunswick, a small farming community on the Tantramar Marsh close to Sackville. It features reproductions of original oil paintings by the much-celebrated American illustrator and muralist, Dwight Kirkland of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania.
The portraits were specially commissioned by the author and each is based on a visual montage created by Lorrie Bell Hawkins herself who conceived of the project and acted as its overall creative director.
"I had a very clear idea of how I wanted the book and illustrations to look. So, sometime in 2007 I went on a global search for just the right illustrator for the Jolicure Cats stories she said . "I received submissions from over 40 truly outstanding artists. It was really challenging to make a final selection, they were all so talented. But, Dwight's work was compelling to me and we seemed to have a good creative and artistic rapport. I just knew that we would work well together so he was my choice."
“When I received his finished oil portraits of my cats, I was overwhelmed. They were all so beautiful, just as I remembered each of them and he had captured their unique personalities.
“I'm thrilled and honoured to receive these awards and I know that Dwight is too. It was a true collaboration. Really, we both created the book, along with Goose Lane’s art director and designer, Julie Scriver who also played a very important role.
“I am deeply grateful to both of them and to the Cat Writers Association which does so much to encourage authors to write on a wide variety of topics of interest to cat and animal lovers. There are those who specialize in cat care, cat rescue, veterinary services, nutrition, training and handling, breeding, and showing, while others write cat-themed novels, memoirs, short stories, poetry and more.”
Jolicure Cats is available at bookstores throughout Canada and through online retailers such as Chapters Indigo, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Percheron Press Canada was founded in the early 1980s and continues to be dedicated to helping emerging writers get published. Over the years various books on a variety of subjects - local history, poetry, cooking, personal reflections - and authored by interesting and talented writers saw their way into print as the little press quietly met its mission
Goose Lane Editions is Canada’s oldest independent publisher. Based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, it specializes in the publication of contemporary literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. The company also provides book packaging and custom publishing services to trade and institutional publishers.
The Cat Writer’s Association, Inc. (CWA) is an international association of professional communicators who provide to the general public and to specialized audiences news, information, education and works of literary and graphic art that help describe, dramatize, explain and illuminate the myriad aspects of felines, especially domestic cats, and their place in human life and culture. CWA members promote the best interests of all cats through a variety of media and formats, including newspapers, magazines, radio, television, web sites, blogs, public relations and publicity, photojournalism, illustration, fine arts, photography, video, podcasts, speech, technical writing and more. Members strive always to observe and promote the highest standard of ethics in the generation and publication of cat information in all genres and media.
