Melody Bussey
Little did Melody Bussey know, growing up in the middle of the Eastern Kentucky Foothills, that her life would be one of murder, mayhem and outrageous animals. Melody will be doing that with the launching of her Country Woman Mystery Series. CRAZY CATS, published by TOP PUBLICATIONS and set for release in March 2001, has won early acclaim from the First Coast Writer's Festival and Byline Magazine. Ms. Bussey has worked in various arenas including music instructor, lifeguard and veterinarian technician. All these experiences and a quirky sense of humor make Ms.Bussey's books fresh and guarantees the reader a good ride.
THE EPIC SAGA OF MELODY BUSSEY
One evening, when I was younger, my mother anxiously searched the house for me. I wasn't in my bed, wasn't watching television. Finally she found me, tucked away in a quiet corner of the utility room curled up with the family's dachshund, fast asleep. It was then that my love for animals became quite apparent. And while I didn't go so far as to share their food...well, okay, there was that one time, but those treats were shaped like Hershey's Kisses!...I have shared most of my life with a wide variety of animals both large and small, four-legged and two-legged.
THE CUP IS HALF FULL
My love for writing came as a result of several wonderful and not so wonderful teachers in my early educational journey. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was a bad student, since I did manage to make honor grades, but I was easily bored. A creative mind is a terrible thing to waste. So, to pass the time I would write short stories for my friends to read. I thought it was pretty cool that they would want to read what I'd written. But it wasn't until I started receiving those two page reports for talking that I really honed my writing skills. My mother, who was a teacher in my school for some time, told me much later that the teachers who assigned the reports to me would bring them to the teacher's lounge and pass them around. If I'd only known, I'd have really turned on the juice. Needless to say, other punishment was necessary to make a point with me.
ON BECOMING A WRITER
It is said that a great writer is made as a result of some great pain and I certainly have not been immune to life's up and downs, having lost various family members to battles with cancer. But I think my own personal take on this, is that most writers understand what it's like to be on the outside of things, not being the Queen of the Prom or wearing all the cool clothes. I think it is this very experience that allows a writer to develop a keen sense of compassion for others and their situations, makes people watchers of us all, and helps us to understand the human condition with a bit more clarity. In my case I became a charter member of the LIFE'S TOO SHORT club. And by the way, I am a VERY cool person, now.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHIES
Having traded the mountains of Kentucky for the oceans of Florida, my philosophies have more or less remained the same. I have many inspirational sayings hanging over, around and above my computer desk. The one I see everyday as a screen saver is a phrase my mother was often repeating to me (and still does): ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. If you want to write, or whatever you want to do, there is no quick route, but just a slow steady pace in the general direction you want to go. NIKE says it best with their slogan. Then there's the: A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you've forgotten the words. People are important. Friends are important. Family is important. Walking in the woods, by the ocean and in the middle of a tall corn field is important. The funny one that I have hanging over my stash of munchies is: When You Kill Time You Kill Opportunities. That's self explanatory, isn't it?
FINAL IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
There are a few phone numbers that are the mainstay of any woman trying to balance home and career: Happy Maids Home Service, Jim Bo's Pizza House, and MOM & DAD's. Dust will live forever, starting that writing life won't.
