By Emily 12/15/04

Above is Cathy Conway Shaw

holding her book

“Fear No More the Missing Floor.”

Cathy Conway Shaw recently visited Immaculate Heart of Mary School. She came here to talk about her book and the story behind it. She spent one hour talking to each class. Even though an hour seems like a long time, it seemed much shorter. She talked about so much and she is such a lively, energetic person that the students attention was on her the whole time. She talked about subjects such as: fears, dreams, and how to overcome some of life’s obstacles. These three topics are all included in her new book, “Fear No More the Missing Floor.”

She grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and went to school, here, at Immaculate Heart of Mary. She then went to Woodridge High School and then she went on to college at Hammel Business College in Akron, OH.

Cathy Conway Shaw is now married to her husband, Willie, and she has three children. Her children’s names are Malone, Kelsey, and Parker. She named her children after the actors and actresses on the TV show “Cheers”. She loves to spend time with her husband and her children. Aside from her kids she also likes to spend time with the neighborhood kids.

Besides being a full-time mom she does many other activities. Some other activities that she enjoys are horse back riding with her daughter and going on vacations. As well as these activities she also likes to read. She really gets into the book she is reading and analyzes every detail. She is a very intellectual person and likes to think.

Cathy Conway Shaw is an around the clock mom. She loves taking care of her kids and finds this to be the best job in the world! She really enjoys being a stay-at-home mom. She is very appreciative for everything she has especially her family, her life, and her book.

Behind every book there is a story. There is very interesting story behind “Fear No More the Missing Floor” and it all started at a hotel. Her family had gone on a vacation and was staying at a hotel. Cathy and her husband had just come out of their room and were headed for the elevator. Her children were doing what every child does in a hotel, running up and down the long, venturous hallways. She told her children to come to the elevator and when they did, they asked who was going to hit the button. She told them they could all hit the number thirteen button. The children got inside the elevator quite content that they all got to hit a button. As they stood in the elevator the children busily looked for the number thirteen button but to their surprise, it was no where to be found. There mom had tricked them because there was no number thirteen button. Her husband was amazed at this fact. He had never known that there is no number thirteen in elevators. Then Cathy said, “This would be a good thing to write a book about.” She didn’t know it then, but that is just what she was going to do.

Cathy Conway Shaw had a lot of work to do in order to get her book ready for publishing. She has many steps to go through and many problems to overcome but she did it because her heart was in it. As you can tell she is hard worker! She gives all of her royalties from the book to children’s charities. She thought this would be a high-quality thing to do since 20% of children in America live in poverty.

Her book is meant for all ages. The book takes place on an elevator. It says what is on each floor of this particular building. Every floor has certain objects and items that seem to come to life when you read this enchanting story. When you get to floor number 13 there are ghosts, scary monsters, and all your fears. Since there is no floor thirteen on an elevator, none of this stuff really exists, so none of these things are real. The book is wonderful and can be your child’s favorite. I think this book should be on every child’s book shelf. I highly recommend this book!

After Cathy finished publishing her book, she sent a letter and a copy of her book to Laura Bush. She did this because she wanted her book to be included in the White House Library. She was hoping that she would get a letter back from Laura Bush in return, but was doubtful. Then a while later a letter came from Laura Bush. She was thrilled, to say the least. She said, “I felt like going to school and picking up my kids to tell them, but I didn’t want to act crazy.” This was a major accomplishment in her life.

Cathy Conway Shaw never expected all of this fame. When she was a little girl, her main dream was to be a stay-at-home mom and that wish definitely came true. She feels very lucky for all of her blessings and thanks God for her good fortune.

This is the scene the students of Immaculate Heart of Mary Student were welcomed to when they entered the school library to here Cathy Conway Shaw talk about her book.

This link will take you back to the IHM Home Page.