On the Shelf

Dear Second Sider,

Matta A. Rhymes is a hoot! There’s just no two ways about that. She tells her fanciful stories that give some indication of where the nursery rhymes most of us grew up hearing come from. Her stories are everything from hysterical to heartbreaking.

I know if you see any cover of The Matta Goose Stories you will see –

Told by: Matta A. Rhymes
Written by: Cay Templeton ∼The Fairy Taler∼

This might seem confusing, but I think it’s important to understand how Matta started talking to me…

How did I meet Matta Rhymes?

I will never forget that day. I was sitting in the chair that had been delivered to me all the way from Kokomo Indiana. It was sent to me from my grandfather’s house after he passed.

My entire childhood was spent in that chair listening to music and concocting stories in my head to take me to far off places. (Anywhere that was far more interesting than where I was.)

Being in my apartment in Los Angeles, was one such occasion. I was working on my next novel of The Second Side Series. In my mind’s eye a scene was playing out in front of me so I could write it down on paper.

When out of nowhere (and from outside the Beanstalk world I was creating) an older woman with a bonnet on her head walked across my thoughts like she owned the place. Not a care in the world and certainly had a sense of self. Following right behind her was a white goose.

My brow definitely furrowed and the thought, “What on earth is this?” crossed my mind.

As soon as it did, the woman stopped abruptly and turned to look right at me. There was no time to do or say anything.

As she approached, she asked me, “Would you like to hear a good story?”

It didn’t take me but half a breath to say “Of course, if you’ve got one.”

“If I’ve got one,” she scoffed. “I’ve got more than one and most everyone in your world has them all wrong. I’ve decided it’s high time I make them right.”

Then she proceeded to tell me the entire story of Little Miss Muffet. It was the 1st of The Matta Goose Stories I put to paper.

“Are you Mother Goose?” I asked her.

She took a moment like she wasn’t sure exactly how to respond.

Finally, she said, “I am, but you can’t call me that. It’s not my actual name.”

“Well then what is it?”

She gave me a smirk and said, “You’ll figure it out. You’re a smart one I can tell. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got to see a man about some Waka Melon.”

After adjusting her hat, she walked off with her goose following behind her.

The whole exchange took about twenty minutes. As soon as she left, I sat back in my chair replaying the encounter over and over again.

I must have sat there for a solid thirty minutes when I suddenly sat up and said, “I’m supposed to write her stories down, aren’t I?”

And with that, The Matta Goose Stories were born. I put away the novel I had been working on for the last 2 years and began writing down her tales. It began as a blog post that I would drop 10 stories a year and went for three years. I believe I was in the middle of season four when the notion of finally turning them over to books hit me.

Let me tell you what, it took me looking up different languages on how they said the word Mother before I stumbled across the word Matta (which is Sanskrit). And boy has it taken a moment to define who she really is and what she’s trying to say.

Over time, I find my own personal stories have eked into her tales. A couple of them are just below — the real folks who became Gramma G and Petra.

The whole world of Matta Rhymes started with that moment. And as she tells me story after story, that world has gotten bigger and bigger. If you asked me if I know exactly when or where something happens, I would have to tell you, “Only if Matta wants me to know.”

Otherwise, I just hope people enjoy her tales. Please forgive any confusion on the idea that Matta is a character that lives comfortably inside my head and uses my pen to put her stories to paper.

Some say they are sweet while others think them nefarious.

As for me, I think Matta has lived an interesting life and I just can’t wait to tell the next tale.

Gramma G

Gramma G is by far and away Matta’s favorite person when growing up. Her grandmother is the one who helps guide her and tell her stories every night!

I naturally fashioned this character after my own Gramma Templeton. She was from southern Tennessee and had a lot of fun energy mixed with sass. Her creative mind and fun expressions were so amazing, I use them to this day. She was a real character in the best way!

And if you’re wondering about the Old Mother Goose story in Season 1 — Yes, she came up with the concept of character lines. She had overheard me talking to my brother, worried she was going to die because she had far more wrinkles on her face.

At bedtime, she explained to me that she was just full of a lot of character and she had the lines to prove it. I stopped worrying after that.

Ironically, her birthday was on June 4th, 1926 — exactly 100 years before I would launch this website!

Petra

Many of you avid readers of The Matta Goose Stories are well acquainted with the troublemaking, affection scrounging goose, Petra. There should be no doubt you love her as much as Matta does, despite all her quirks.

What might be less known is that Petra was based on my dog, Sophie. My puppers was a minpin with a WHOLE lot of spunk. I once saw her make a huge man that looked like he could have easily been a linebacker for the Ravens, pinned into a corner. He asked very politely if I would mind putting her in my room.

She would jump on me every morning and nudge me with her nose to take her for a walk. And every night, she would be curled up next to me passed out. She spent most of her time during the day, basking in the Los Angeles sun while she slept, except when I said those magical words of, “Do you want to go outside.”

Sophie never had a problem explaining who was in charge in that apartment, and yet she was quite endearing. Once she warmed up to someone, they would want to take her home with them.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Petra and the relationship she had with Matta was quite similar to that of me and Sophie.

Also, the running joke of communication skills — that was all Sophie’s doing. She had a tendency to tear up stuff including toys, pillows, stuffed animals, and a whole lot of other things. Oh boy, and if she got really mad — she would poop in a place that I would most likely step in the dark. Usually in front of a commonly used door. (This was annoying especially because she was house broken AND grass trained!)

I had to let her go a couple years back (June 2024), but she still lives with me through Petra. It makes me smile every time I write a scene with that silly dog… I mean silly goose.