Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault

by Cathy Guisewite

  Acknowledgments

  I dreamed of writing a book of essays for a really long time.

  Dan Lazar, my agent at Writers House, not only made this book possible, but made it much, much better. His thoughtful insights helped me turn the pieces I’d started to write into what I was trying to write. He gave me the bravery to weave my past into my present and tell more personal stories. Dan inspired me with his grand vision and great ideas and has cheered me on with a belief in me matched only by that of my mother. Along with Dan, Steven Malk, Torie Doherty-Munro, Maja Nikolic, and Peggy Boulos Smith at Writers House got behind my book with the full force of their support. I am very grateful to each of them for their wonderful input, hard work, and help.

  Sally Kim, my editor at Putnam, gracefully guided me to the heart of things. She helped me find truths and balance. Her ability to see the big picture from a lot of little pictures made it possible to create a whole out of the many pieces of things I wanted to say. Sally embraced this project with a wide-open heart, a wonderful sense of humor, and a deep appreciation for the power of winding hope through the piles of the day. She surrounded me with the world’s most enthusiastic and hard-working team at Putnam: Ivan Held, Danielle Dieterich, Ashley Pattison McClay, Alexis Welby, Emily Ollis, Brennin Cummings, Gabriella Mongelli, and Christine Ball. And on the production and design side: Meredith Dros, Sandra Chiu, Monica Cordova, Anthony Ramondo, Marie Finamore, Nancy Inglis, Claire Vaccaro, and Meighan Cavanaugh. Each has made every step of this book a very special experience.

  Thank you to Todd Doughty for being a champion of possibility and opening doors with his encouragement and generosity.

  Thank you to Jerry Scott and Marla Frazee for their part in ruining my retirement.

  Thank you to my sisters: Mickey Guisewite is my one-woman sounding board—the only person I’ve ever shown anything to before submitting it. Mickey’s taken every frantic long-distance phone call through a lifetime of deadlines to help me write and rewrite, with nothing in return except smeared mascara from thousands of hours of laughing and a great big phone bill. Mary Anne Nagy is an artist whose beautiful paintings have been a role model of how to create something that’s very personal and universal at the same time. Her passion for her art and commitment to sharing a meaningful, uplifting message have helped me stay true to mine.

  Thank you to Lee Salem, Jim Andrews, John McMeel, and my friends at Universal Press Syndicate. At a time when there were no other voices of real women in the comic pages, they boldly put mine out in the world and formed a great big family of support around me. They gave me the gift of trust, time, and freedom over decades to develop the kind of self-expression that I got to continue in a longer form in this book. I deeply appreciate everything they’ve made possible.

  I am very grateful to all these dear people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me finish this book before my 100th birthday.

  About the Author

  Cathy Guisewite is the creator of the "Cathy" comic strip, which ran in nearly 1,400 newspapers for thirty-four years. The strip earned Guisewite the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award in 1992, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for the TV special Cathy in 1987, and the high honor of having her work displayed on the fronts of refrigerators across the land. Cathy lives in California with her handsome and charming dog, Leo.

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