What’s the origin story of the book?

I’m Ezgi Bekar, born in Ankara, raised in Istanbul and based in Paris.
I moved to Paris from Istanbul 8 years ago with my cat Ren for my corporate job.

When I first arrived in France, I did not speak a word in French.
It was very hard to integrate in the beginning, everyone and everything felt strange and I felt like I’ve not been accepted as who I am truly.

I’ve moved 4 apartments and 4 neighborhoods in Paris (all in the right bank side) and where I finally truly found my safe space was the 18th Arrondissement.

18th Arrondissement is one of those neighborhoods where history walks with you when you walk in the streets and it has a true sense of community with all the diverse background of individuals it hosts and hosted since a long time in Paris.

After I moved to the 18th Arr., I found my rhythm, my friends and my forever home. When I finally started to feel like myself again and not like a stranger, I had the idea to create a relatable and rich story for children where I put my search of belonging and emphaty in a cat universe and make my cat Ren the protagonist of this cat universe based in Paris’s 18th Arrondissement.

In the book Ren and his adventures and the various cat characters he encounters aim to teach kids empathy, compassion and belonging.