Title of your new book:"Zen for Cats"
Describe your book in 50 words or less:
It's a humorous book that teaches cats basic feline Zen practices, like the martial arts of the Sofa Samurai and the proper way to perform the toy ceremony, so that cats can learn how to dominate their humans while still allowing us to believe that we are their masters.
What's your favorite line from your book?
One of the Kitty Koans, or Zen problems: "Why does the vacuum cleaner fall silent when its tail comes out of the wall?"
What's your favorite book? Movie?
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Dr. Strangelove, directed by Stanley KubrickWhich writer's work influenced you the least?
"The Mill on the Floss," by George Eliot.
About what will your next book be?It's "The Special Titanium Edition of the Official Exceptions to the Rules of Golf" -- a revised, expanded, and updated collection of generally accepted forms of legal cheating on the links.
Your most aggravating habit?
Avoiding answering the really tough questions.
Which one extremely famous person would you like to read your book?
The Dalai Lama -- because if he liked it, maybe he would be willing tout in a good word so I could be reincarnated as a cat.
If you had a yacht, what would you name it?
The Water Hazard
What one thing would you like to learn to do?
Control the flight of golf balls with my mind.
Henry Beard is a co-founder of "National Lampoon" and has written more than a dozen books including "O.J.'s Legal Pad," "Latin for All Occasions," and "The Official Exceptions to the Rules of Golf," now in its revised centennial edition. He lives in New York City.
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