From a Part of a Dream
An interview with Melody Bussey by B. Lynn Goodwin

Unfinished business haunts Cat Adams, the heroine of Melody Bussey's CRAZYCATS. She is recently divorced and financially unstable when she inherits the old Victorian foster home in New Hope, KY where she was raised. Memories of her reckless youth haunt her when Cat brings her four year old son Ryan to New Hope, yet she is determined to create a better life for him. Going back means facing old failures and unsettling memories. She is determined to make her life work for her son's sake despite old memories.

While exploring his new yard, Ryan falls into a muddy pit, his foot trapped in a skeleton. Soon Cat unearths literal and figurative skeletons as she combs through the underground tunnels in search of long-buried secrets and truths. 

Ex-geek, Marcus O'Connell, now the town veterinarian, stands by her. Whether she needs advice about the cats invading her home or help with facing her past, he is a strong ally. 

First-time author Melody Bussey brings a fresh approach to this story. Cat's loving, gutsy spirit, her predicaments, and her regrets are all handled in a unique way. CRAZY CATS is a spirited read and seems like the work of an experienced writer. Study Melody Bussey's journey into the publishing world in the interview below.

LG: When did you first know you were an author?

MB: For me, I knew my dream of becoming an author had been realized when I was holding a copy of CRAZY CATS in my hands. Up until then, I kept imagining
all the things that could go wrong: publisher changes his mind, etc...

LG: Boy can I identify with that fear! Your story had some unique twists. Did your original idea come from a character, a what-if, or something else? 

MB: This whole story evolved from a part of a dream I had one night. I had been 'stumped' for a story idea, and I needed one for a course I was taking through Writer's Digest.  To be honest, I never expected this story to be anything more than a learning vehicle. But, when it was finished, Carolyn Crane (who I worked with through WD) said it seemed quite publishable and would also translate well to screen.

LG: I am delighted to know that story from a class can turn into a published novel. How is the story's star, Cat Adams, like you and how is she different?

MB: All the characters have a piece of me in them. I think the part of me that exists in Cat is our intense love for our children.  Cat speaks her mind, for the most part, and that part of her I envy.  I always think of the coolest things that I 'could've said'  after the fact. 

LG: What gives Cat her strength?

MB: Cat is a survivor, as so many adults are that have come through the foster care system in this country.  Cat had it pretty easy compared to some foster care situations, but it was still hard on her and it taught her to defend herself verbally. Unfortunately, it also taught her to protect her heart.  Her other real strength is her maternal instinct, that ferocious mama-love that refuses to stop, even when the situations seem pointless and hopeless. Her love for her child is her one all encompassing reason for moving back to her childhood hometown where they have never forgotten the wild child she'd been.

LG: How did your background as a veterinary assistant help you with this book?

MB: I have worked for veterinarians for many years, off and on, so many of the animal stories that are woven through the book, and the quirky animals that show up, are animals I got to know through my years working for various vets.  I also think getting to work in the diagnostics lab at my last job (for a vet) was incredibly helpful. That's where I learned about animals' reactions to some common everyday products and not-so-common everyday products.

LG: The book is skillfully plotted. Tell us about your writing process. How long did the book live in your head? How did you organize it? Did you stop and edit as you drafted or do it later? How long did the process take?

MB: Okay, you caught me.....I'm an outliner.  I know many authors shake their head when you admit that you outline, as if you've somehow squelched the creative spirit of the profession or the work in progress.  For me, working with an outline gives me a direction, I don't forget things that I want to include, and I think it keeps the pacing of the book consistent and interesting.  I thought about a 12 step program to get me past the outlining addiction, but couldn't find where I'd put my list of reason to go.  Seriously, outlining is simply a bare bones skeleton of the story. The characters add flesh to it and breathe the life into it. Several times in the writing of CATS, the characters changed the original outline. I let them. See...I can be flexible. 

The book first occurred as a dream, then I let it marinate in my head for about two weeks. I knew that it was a decent plotline when I could sit down and sketch out the first 12 chapters without blinking. The whole process, from concept to publication took a whopping 4 years.  The first two years, I was simply in no rush and was learning through a writing course. The following year I found an agent and a publisher, then it took another year to make it into print.

I like to revise, but I try to limit how much of it I do initially. If I stop and get lost in the rewrites, then I lose momentum.  Every day as I sit down to work on a manuscript, I will back up one chapter,  allowing myself to edit a bit as I read. Someone coined the term lockstitching to describe this technique. Whatever it's called, it seems to work for me and I see some glaring errors in the process.

LG: Your approach sounds good. Who are some of your favorite writers and why?

MB: Nevada Barr for her Anna Pigeon series and the strong, female role she's created. Denise Dietz for her incredibly unique voice. Janet Evonovich, who proves that murder can be a laughing matter. Peter Abresch for his wonderful characters and insights into an elder world that I'm not a part of yet.  Lillian Jackson Braun and her fantastic setting, characters, and descriptions of the feline thought process. Rita Mae Brown for many of the same reasons as I love L.J.Braun. Vince Flynn, whose hard boiled action mysteries are not only inspiring, thrilling and dynamic, but also because I know he hand sold his first book out of his home for a long time before New York 'found' him. Harlan Coben. My newest read and quite the surprise for me. Truth is, I
probably never would have picked up Harlan's book in the store....I'm not THAT into sports mysteries or sports agents., but I knew I would be attending a conference where he would be the keynote speaker. I always read the keynote speakers book, if at all possible. I was amazed by his wit, the strength and convictions of his characters and the flat out skill that he brings to the mystery field.  I read his books and realize that there is still more to know about this craft called writing. I plan to dissect as many of his novels as I can lay my hands on.

LG: Fantastic list!  When does a writer need an agent?

MB: I know that many very successful authors have gone on to score some major advances and contracts without an agent, but I know more writers out there, that would have done better had they had someone take on the chore of submitting queries and wading through the rejections. I asked my agent not to send me the rejection letters, unless they were hand written and some explanation that was helpful was attached. I think this went a long way to helping me keep my head above the waterline while I was waiting for a publisher.

LG: What are you working on now? Will Cat Adams appear in other books?

MB: As soon as CATS was out the door and on my publisher's desk, I started on the sequel: DOG CRAZY. It's about a man, Uncle Buddy, who at one time trained
the war dogs in Vietnam. At the end of the war, the men were ordered to leave the dogs behind although they had saved thousands of soldier's lives. As a former dog handler/trainer, I understand the bond a trainer has with a dog and how much more intense it must've been for those soldiers, whose very lives they owed to these dogs, when they had to leave them behind. This situation unhinges Uncle Buddy and sets a great  backdrop for the mystery to take place when Uncle Buddy is killed. And....Cat's ex in-laws and ex husband make an appearance, which causes major problems.

LG: Where can people buy copies of CRAZY CATS?

MB: Crazy Cats is available at most bookstores, and if all their copies are gone, they will be glad to order it for you....they take care of the postage.  I'm also available online from Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com It's highly likely that the store near you has sold out of them. All my signings, so far, have been sell outs! Yay!!

LG: If the bookstore is sold out, ask them to order CRAZY CATS from Top Publications, Ltd. It is ISBN: 1-929976-04-6.

Melody, one of the things that impresses me most is that this started as a story for a Writer's Digest class. I am sure it went through enormous revisions and development in two years, but I like that it started small and grew. I look forward to reading Cat Adams' next adventure. Thanks for sharing your experiences and positive spirit in this interview.