What do you think?
Rate this book
Cats on a Pole
Despite his psychic gifts, healing teacher Joshua Gardner never saw student Harmony Rogers coming. Cats on a Pole is the story of two psychically-gifted people who are isolated—like cats stuck up on a telephone pole. But their belief that they don’t fit in actually makes them more like most people than either of them will acknowledge.
A passionate love affair without physical contact, a battle of wills without speech, a psychic duel between male and female equals who have, for the first time, met their match. Cats on a Pole is an intense, sexy, sometimes funny, metaphysical love story that “outs” the insecurities we all have, exposing our overwhelming commonality.
A passionate love affair without physical contact, a battle of wills without speech, a psychic duel between male and female equals who have, for the first time, met their match. Cats on a Pole is an intense, sexy, sometimes funny, metaphysical love story that “outs” the insecurities we all have, exposing our overwhelming commonality.
- GenresFiction
202 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2024
About the author
Betsy Robinson
11 books1,160 followersI grew up in New York's Hudson Valley and have lived in New York City for forty-nine years. I was an actor for more than a decade and did an amazing array of ridiculous jobs to support that art. Then I became a magazine writer and editor. Now I am a book editor specializing in spiritual and psychological topics. But I write fiction--specifically, funny literary novels about flawed people. My novel
The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg
won Black Lawrence Press's 2013 Big Moose Prize and was published in September 2014. My first novel, Plan Z by Leslie Kove, won Mid-List Press's First Novel Series award and was published in 2001.
Radio host Jonathan Schwartz tells an anecdote about Stephen Sondheim: When asked if he was happy about selling 25,000 copies of a book, Sondheim replied, "Yeah, but it's always the same 25,000 people who bought the last thing." Schwartz believes this is because Sondheim's work pokes people, throws light on their flaws, makes them squeal, "No, no, don't show that! Not that!" and this makes many folks uncomfortable. Feeling so exposed evokes a kind of existential hysteria, which people then attempt to explain through hysterical negative criticisms of Sondheim's work, rather than contemplating their own discomfort. But 25,000 people do like Sondheim--including me.
I like to be poked and my writing pokes. It pokes, makes you laugh, and sometimes cry.
My edit of my late mother, Edna Robinson's novel The Trouble with the Truth was published by Simon & Schuster/Infinite Words on Feb. 10, 2015.
Postscript
I am an active reader on Goodreads and cherish my friends here whose reviews enrich my reading choices in ways I never anticipated when I first joined the community.
That said, please do not send me a friend request if you aren't interested in reading and haven't articulated why you want to be my friend in the question answer box in the friend request option. Specifically, if you are a guy looking to seduce and/or pull a scam on some lady, I'm not your lady and I will ignore your request and block you.
Radio host Jonathan Schwartz tells an anecdote about Stephen Sondheim: When asked if he was happy about selling 25,000 copies of a book, Sondheim replied, "Yeah, but it's always the same 25,000 people who bought the last thing." Schwartz believes this is because Sondheim's work pokes people, throws light on their flaws, makes them squeal, "No, no, don't show that! Not that!" and this makes many folks uncomfortable. Feeling so exposed evokes a kind of existential hysteria, which people then attempt to explain through hysterical negative criticisms of Sondheim's work, rather than contemplating their own discomfort. But 25,000 people do like Sondheim--including me.
I like to be poked and my writing pokes. It pokes, makes you laugh, and sometimes cry.
My edit of my late mother, Edna Robinson's novel The Trouble with the Truth was published by Simon & Schuster/Infinite Words on Feb. 10, 2015.
Postscript
I am an active reader on Goodreads and cherish my friends here whose reviews enrich my reading choices in ways I never anticipated when I first joined the community.
That said, please do not send me a friend request if you aren't interested in reading and haven't articulated why you want to be my friend in the question answer box in the friend request option. Specifically, if you are a guy looking to seduce and/or pull a scam on some lady, I'm not your lady and I will ignore your request and block you.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 12, 2024
I'm starting to think that it might be better to describe all people as being on a spectrum, instead of singling out specific groups and referring to the people who belong to them as being on the spectrum.
The truth is. . . we're all on a spectrum; we are not all made the same way.
I think Ray Bradbury was the master of pointing out our differences, hidden away among our perceived sameness, in many of his masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s. He had a way of focusing our attention on the one person who was different in the crowd and making sure we understood that it was that person's differences that deserved our interest.
Betsy Robinson's book, CATS ON A POLE, makes me wonder if we are stepping out into a new time, a new era where we might possess the courage and the understanding to acknowledge that we are far more than one fascinating face in a giant crowd of sameness.
Ms. Robinson's novel does focus on one fascinating face in the crowd, that of Harmony Rogers, but in Harmony's search for others like her, we find a bigger group of gifts and differences, both those we understand, and those we don't.
We also learn: your inability to understand how something is possible does not make it impossible.
There are extraordinary healers all over this planet at this very moment, people who are not healing themselves or others from some “power” coming from their hands or their egos, but from a source that is far more precious and esoteric than most of us can understand at this time.
This story explores the search for healers and the wonder we may experience at our own gifts of healing ourselves and others.
I do wish that the healers featured in this story had lived by the code of ethics that all good energy healers do. Energy Healing, 101, among all professional healers: Never work on anyone without their express permission.
Both Harmony Rogers and Joshua Gardner, the two healers featured in this novel, break this rule, and I think it casts a shadow on a profession that already suffers from an abundance of scrutiny and skepticism.
I found it somewhat frustrating that a story that focuses on Harmony's gifts also manages to poke fun at other people around her who have similar, but different gifts.
The only “healer” in this story who seems to have a code of ethics and professionalism is Harmony's therapist, who is a conventionally trained person and is completely “mainstream.”
These two messages seem to be at odds with one another. . . embrace what makes Harmony different from others, but rely only on what is conventional and mainstream?
Regardless, this novel is a brave exploration of what happens to us when we become too isolated and we lose our ability to be vulnerable with others.
Whether we believe that we were made differently or not, we certainly feel different from others when we can't find our tribe.
**Special thanks to Betsy Robinson for sharing an early version of her novel with me.
The truth is. . . we're all on a spectrum; we are not all made the same way.
I think Ray Bradbury was the master of pointing out our differences, hidden away among our perceived sameness, in many of his masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s. He had a way of focusing our attention on the one person who was different in the crowd and making sure we understood that it was that person's differences that deserved our interest.
Betsy Robinson's book, CATS ON A POLE, makes me wonder if we are stepping out into a new time, a new era where we might possess the courage and the understanding to acknowledge that we are far more than one fascinating face in a giant crowd of sameness.
Ms. Robinson's novel does focus on one fascinating face in the crowd, that of Harmony Rogers, but in Harmony's search for others like her, we find a bigger group of gifts and differences, both those we understand, and those we don't.
We also learn: your inability to understand how something is possible does not make it impossible.
There are extraordinary healers all over this planet at this very moment, people who are not healing themselves or others from some “power” coming from their hands or their egos, but from a source that is far more precious and esoteric than most of us can understand at this time.
This story explores the search for healers and the wonder we may experience at our own gifts of healing ourselves and others.
I do wish that the healers featured in this story had lived by the code of ethics that all good energy healers do. Energy Healing, 101, among all professional healers: Never work on anyone without their express permission.
Both Harmony Rogers and Joshua Gardner, the two healers featured in this novel, break this rule, and I think it casts a shadow on a profession that already suffers from an abundance of scrutiny and skepticism.
I found it somewhat frustrating that a story that focuses on Harmony's gifts also manages to poke fun at other people around her who have similar, but different gifts.
The only “healer” in this story who seems to have a code of ethics and professionalism is Harmony's therapist, who is a conventionally trained person and is completely “mainstream.”
These two messages seem to be at odds with one another. . . embrace what makes Harmony different from others, but rely only on what is conventional and mainstream?
Regardless, this novel is a brave exploration of what happens to us when we become too isolated and we lose our ability to be vulnerable with others.
Whether we believe that we were made differently or not, we certainly feel different from others when we can't find our tribe.
**Special thanks to Betsy Robinson for sharing an early version of her novel with me.
Read
July 10, 2024Harmony thought about cats as she rolled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom. Her favorite cat was the one that used to get stuck on top of a telephone pole in front of the house where she grew up. At least once a month in the warm weather, she’d hear the neighbor kids yelling, “Cat’s on a pole!” as they gathered around to taunt the poor thing.--------------------------------------
Harmony would watch the scene from her kitchen window, and a couple of times she tried to thought-talk the cat down. “Are you out of your mind?” the cat would answer. “They’ll kill me.”
When he was forty-three, he met Judy. By then, construction work had taken second seat to massage therapy, where he discovered he had a gift.Harmony and Joshua have special abilities. You might even call them superpowers. As with most such talented people, that has not necessarily led to them being happy. Joshua makes a living running healing classes at his own studio. He has always had what seems a pheromonic gift for attracting women. Woof! But commitment has never been a strong suit. Until he married Judy and they had a baby, Emily. Still, it is tough to resist all those longing gaze from his students and assistants.
He didn’t understand how it worked; he just knew that when he touched people, his hands grew hot, his heart exploded, the room filled with colors, and sometimes helpers in subtle bodies would instruct him where to touch. And the clients felt better.
Betsy with pooch - image from her site
Harmony is forty-something, works at a gardening magazine, is of uncertain ethnicity, having been adopted and having no real memory of her birth parents, and is different from the rest of us. She sees colors around people, auras, and has a sense of smell that allows her to tell about a person’s health, among other things. It is understandable that being in a relationship can be tough if you can pretty much read the other person’s thoughts and feelings. Insightful? Yes, very literally. She thinks of it as being about energy, hers, others, an experiential milieu no stranger to her than seeing the usual colors or hearing the sounds of the world are for most of us. But can you live through every day seeing, sensing the world like that? Harmony is in mourning for her best friend, her late pooch and beloved companion of 18 years, Delilah.
Each believes they are unique, and are destined to remain that way. It is pretty clear that these two crazy kids are destined to get together in one way or another. In this magical rom-com, they meet cute on a Manhattan bus, and we are off to the races.
The story centers on their relationship, which, surprisingly, never gets truly physical. Maybe metaphysical? With or without physical touching it is intensely sexual. They are both, because of their abilities, outsiders. Joshua manages by running a school, trying to help people find the abilities they have, but do not recognize. He is able to direct his energy to healing as well. ”We all have this capacity,” says Robinson in her video promo for the book. She has been involved for a long time with spiritual psychology and healing arts, so brings an interesting perspective to Joshua and Harmony’s capacities.
[In therapy] I was talking about how I reacted to various people in the office. There was one guy there who wanted an office wifey. I couldn’t stand this guy. Every time he would approach me it was like I was getting slimed with ectoplasm. Etheric gunk would come over me. I wanted to take a shower.Harmony gets more ink of the two, with a large piece of that her interactions with her therapist, Doctor Thompson. These are fabulous.
Spectral beings are also a considerable presence. Ghosts? Angels? Something else? Like Julie Jordan in the musical Carousel, Harmony’s favorite musical, both Joshua and Harmony see or sense presences, which sometimes become active to the point of issuing directions.
Keep an eye out for mirrors, an image that pops up multiple times. Can you actually see yourself? Or does truly getting to know yourself require another person?
There are a few cockroach POV scenes that are hilarious, even to a native of NYC who had to contend with them for a lifetime, sometimes in large numbers. Lord knows, those of us who have spent much of our lives in city apartments can well attest to their persistence, and share Josh’s frustration at their ability to mockingly skitter away from our attempts to extinguish them. Robinson is a funny writer, so there are plenty of LOLs throughout the novel, not all related to bugs.
Cats on a Pole is a moving story about people searching for…something, love, companionship, understanding, truth, connection, release. There will be tears as well as laughs. The novel also offers a deeper perspective on spirituality and the meaning of death. It all builds up to a surprising climax, so buckle in. These cats may be stuck atop a pole, (or multiple poles?) getting some temporary safety, but they also gain a broader view of the world, and so will you.
What was extraordinary were her colors—raw red and orange energy around her torso, a deep indigo, bluer than the bottom of the ocean with radiant purple wafting through it vibrating so fast above her head it made him feel faint just to watch it. But watch it he did. How could he not? Her desire was direct and raw.
Review posted - 07/05/24
Publication date – 07/02/24
I received an eBook version of Cats on a Pole from the author in return for a fair review. Thanks Betsy.
This review is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to Robinson’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
(Partial) Profile – from her site
Betsy Robinson was raised an atheist and went on to make her living as a writer and editor of spiritual subject matter: as managing editor of Spirituality & Health magazine for six and a half years and as an editor of spiritual psychology and books about shamans and traditional healers.She is or has been an actor, a playwright, an essayist, an editor, a freelance writer, messenger, paralegal, legal secretary, chambermaid, IHOP hostess, fortune cookie writer, novelist, and more. Cats on a Pole is her third novel. Plan Z was published in 2001 and The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg came out in 2014.
Interviews
----- Ectoplasmic Inspo + Publisher at 73: Betsy Robinson - mostly on becoming a publisher
----- Why Publish "Cats on a Pole" and "The Spectators" Now? self-interview - video – 4:25
My review of an earlier book by the author
-----The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg
Songs/Music from Carousel – Harmony buys a CD of the 1987 revival
It does make one wonder if Harmony’s last name was an homage to the composer.
-----What’s the use of Wond’rin
-----The Carousel Waltz
-----You’ll Never Walk Alone
-----If I loved You
Items of Interest from the author
----- Her promo video
-----Book trailer
-----Betsy reads from the book
July 4, 2024
Elyse Walters's Facebook review:
Yippeeee! On sale now (Amazon is selling Kindle but delaying delivery of paperback till 2025! So use link, below, for that).
Cats on a Pole, a novel (with humor and an edge) about curmudgeon Harmony Rogers and healing teacher Joshua Gardner, and their duel of psychic wills. It’s available wherever you like to buy books and e-books. But here is a link to buy it at a discount directly from Ingram, the distributor. (Cheaper for you, more royalty for me, no Amazonians chewing up the majority of the price, and only one shipment—smallest possible carbon footprint): $10+shipping for paperback for sale to addresses in U.S.A. only
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?KD...
Here’s why I wrote it:
https://youtu.be/PYsiKDkxuUE?si=L_23Z...-
And here’s a very short reading from it:
https://youtu.be/WKONl2O4L40
I hope you like it,
Betsy
“Sometimes we hold memories in our bodies that we have no stories for, but feeling the memories is the beginning of feeling better”.
“Cats on a Pole” is a trip … a wonderful-memorable one at that.
It belongs in that rare group of novelists who hold the world close with compassion and tenderness.
Betsy Robinson displays a gift for noticing the world in all its oddness and beauty.
I was caught from the first page to the very last..
I didn’t so much read “Cats on a Pole”, I was hypnotized by it.
Funny, insightful, sexually energy epic, and profoundly recognizable (in ways we know - but didn’t know we know)
The seductive sentences and storytelling are ADORABLE!!!
It was a treat to spend time Harmony Rogers, Joshua Gardner, and the rest of the gang.
"Emotions have smells, energetic impact, temperature, and by noticing the specifics, one begins to learn the language of subtle information and better understand the unspoken realities of experiences”.
“Cats on a Pole” is a delightful gem…with real emotions, miscommunications, insecurities, appreciation for all living things, passion, and love ….
It’s exactly the book our world needs today!!
Yippeeee! On sale now (Amazon is selling Kindle but delaying delivery of paperback till 2025! So use link, below, for that).
Cats on a Pole, a novel (with humor and an edge) about curmudgeon Harmony Rogers and healing teacher Joshua Gardner, and their duel of psychic wills. It’s available wherever you like to buy books and e-books. But here is a link to buy it at a discount directly from Ingram, the distributor. (Cheaper for you, more royalty for me, no Amazonians chewing up the majority of the price, and only one shipment—smallest possible carbon footprint): $10+shipping for paperback for sale to addresses in U.S.A. only
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?KD...
Here’s why I wrote it:
https://youtu.be/PYsiKDkxuUE?si=L_23Z...-
And here’s a very short reading from it:
https://youtu.be/WKONl2O4L40
I hope you like it,
Betsy
Want to read
July 2, 2024Bought it on publication day and so looking forward to reading it!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews