MAXIMILIAN VON THUNDERPANTS
Sixteen pounds of fur, fluff, and Very Important Cat Business.
A children’s picture book inspired by one very real and fluffy cat.
Written By Stephanie Romanski
Illustrated by Nikki Pace
COMING SOON
Meet Maximilian von Thunderpants. Max for short. Or “Sir” on formal occasions.
He supervised the household. He investigated boxes regardless of whether he actually fit inside them. He battled the fearsome Boom Stick toy. And he always seemed to know when his humans needed a little extra help, whether they had asked for it or not.
Maximilian von Thunderpants is a children’s picture book about the wonderfully ridiculous things cats do, the very serious way they go about doing them, and how much personality can possibly fit inside one extremely fluffy cat.
And the best part? Max was real.
Meet the Real Max
Yes, Maximilian von Thunderpants was real.
Max came into my life when he was just a tiny ball of fluff. He grew into a sixteen-pound domestic longhair with a corkscrew tail, big fluffy paws, and absolutely no understanding of how much space sixteen pounds of cat actually required.
He played with strings and toy mice, battled his beloved catnip-filled Boom Stick, and was perfectly happy being scooped up and cuddled like the giant furbaby he was.
Max was sweet, gentle, funny, and endlessly entertaining. He had a way of turning completely ordinary cat behavior into something that always made me smile.
He was only nine when I lost him, which wasn’t nearly enough time. Maximilian von Thunderpants is my way of keeping some of the funniest and happiest parts of him around, and sharing them with people who never had the chance to know him.
If he fits, he sits!
He was such a bag boy 🙂
From Real Max to Illustrated Max
When I first decided to turn Max’s adventures into a children’s book, I knew the most important thing was that the cat on the page still needed to feel like Max.
Not just a fluffy black cat. Max.
His giant fluffy paws. The expressions on his face. The way sixteen pounds of cat could somehow pour itself into a box made for about six pounds of cat.
That’s where Nikki came in.
She’s a very dear friend of mine who knew how much Max meant to me, and she’s now taking the real photographs and stories behind the book and turning them into illustrations. It’s been pretty amazing watching a cat I knew so well begin appearing on the page as a character while still looking and feeling like him.
The illustrations are still being created, and I’ll be sharing some of that process here as Maximilian von Thunderpants gets closer to publication.
The real Max.
Illustrated Max. Isn’t Nikki amazing? This was the first draft of Max.
About the Book
Maximilian von Thunderpants follows Max through the Very Important Cat Business that filled his days—from squeezing sixteen pounds of fluff into boxes that were clearly designed for considerably less cat, to battling his favorite catnip toy, supervising his humans, and finding new and inventive ways to make himself part of whatever was going on.
Inspired by the real Max and illustrated from the photographs and memories he left behind, the book is a funny and affectionate look at the strange little habits that make our pets completely unforgettable.
Written for young readers ages 4–8, Maximilian von Thunderpants is a picture book for kids who love cats—and for the grown-ups who have ever looked at their own pet and wondered, What on earth are you doing?
Ages: 4–8
Format: Full-color illustrated picture book
Written by: Stephanie Romanski
Illustrated by: Nikki Pace
Publication: Coming Soon
About the Humans
About the Author
Stephanie Romanski is a writer, community manager, lifelong animal lover, and the human who had the privilege of belonging to Maximilian von Thunderpants.
After years of telling stories about Max, and accumulating photographic evidence of his Very Important Cat Business, she decided his particular brand of ridiculousness deserved a book of its own.
Maximilian von Thunderpants is her first children’s picture book.
About the Illustrator
Nikki Pace, also known as Splunge4me2art, is the artist bringing Maximilian von Thunderpants, and all sixteen pounds of his fluff, to illustrated life.
Working from real photographs of Max and the stories behind them, she has helped transform Stephanie’s memories of a much-loved cat into the character readers will meet on the page.
Max’s role: Inspiration, protagonist, and management.
Max Is Coming Soon
Maximilian von Thunderpants is currently being illustrated and getting ready for his Very Important debut.
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Follow Max’s journey
I’ll also be sharing illustrations, behind-the-scenes updates, and occasional Very Important Cat Business here as the book gets closer to publication so check back often!