It started with a brilliant idea.

I would find one perfect picture of me and glue it on a stick. That way, whenever I needed to be in a picture, I wouldn’t have to worry about stray hairs or spinach-in-the-teeth smiles. I’d whip out Cathy-on-a-Stick! But then I sorta misplaced the original Cathy-on-a-Stick and so I made two more Cathys-on-a-Stick, just to be on the safe side. And then I found my original one. So with my three pics-on-a-stick, I was all set.  Really, it was an awesome plan, one that even came with a bonus. Famous writers will cheerily pose with a pic on a stick.

Amazing Jane Yolen posed:

And so did the funny and entertaining Libba Bray and Lisa Yee:

Oh! And I got men famous authors, too. The inimitable Jon Scieszka:

And The Fonz ( AKA Henry Winkler, who’s pretty hilarious, too):

Okay, fine. You’d expect children’s writers to go along with Cathy-on-a-Stick. But how about Anne Lamott?

Why, yes. Even Anne Lamott:

Cathy-on-a-Stick still gets out for a spin when I’m out and about, getting books signed by author friends, so keep checking back. (And sometimes, a pic-on-a-stick just needs to know she’s appreciated.)

That’s Cathy-on-a-Stick for you.

Which I still think is a pretty brilliant idea.