By Michelle Rodriguez
The Belton Journal
Michael Wagner is a local author and military historian who works at The Hop.
“I’ve worked there since 2009,” said Wagner. He lives in Temple with his wife, Carolyn. He’s also a veteran, having served in the United States Air Force.
Wagner has written four books, three of them about cats and two of the books are geared toward children. The books are titled “Babe’s Place The Lives of Yankee Stadium”, “Venus the Magical Kitten”, “3 Cats Named Randolph And How They Helped To Ease Our Grief”, and “Jingles Comes Home”.
His stepson, Dustin Vaughn Warncke, helps him with the covers, writing, editing, and formatting of the books.
“You know how you have photographs lying around? I used my Kodak Instamatic to take some photos, some were purchased from Ebay, and some folks let us use them,” said Wagner as he talked about the photos in his books.
When looking at the cover of the book, Venus the Magical Kitten, you want to pick the book up like it is a real kitten and give it a hug. Michael Lineberry is a lucky kid. He has a pet that loves him and has friends like Tommy from across the street and friends from school that come over to play with him and his cat, Venus. Venus the Magical Kitten is a children’s book and geared toward children, but any cat lover will enjoy it, especially the part where Venus sleeps with Michael at night and hides under the covers of his bed; when he wakes up and licks his face and licks his hand, and how her tongue feels like sandpaper. Her voice is squeaky when she meows, and she meows when Michael feeds her. She is magical because of love like the goddess she is named after, she loves Tommy, and he loves her back.
“My parents gave my two brothers and myself the most wonderful childhood, while growing up on Long Island, New York. Dogs, cats, fish, baby chicks, turtles, and even a baby alligator were part of that childhood,” wrote Wagner in “3 Cats Named Randolph And How They Helped To Ease Our Grief”.
The book contains pictures of their pet cats throughout the years. The book talks about their pet cats, how they got them, how they passed, and how they handled the grief. The book is relatable because anyone that loves animals, have had pets, or experienced loss can understand the feelings Wagner had for his pets.
The books can be purchased on amazon.com. Just type the title of the books in the search bar, purchase them, and they will be delivered to your home.
