Catch Up With Authors Melissa and Lexy Webb

Melissa Webb and daughter Lexy were inspired to write a book about the unusual behavior of their cat, Zoe.

1. What was the inspiration behind the book?
When we brought home our earless cat, Zoe, she started acting a bit odd. She did things that other cats don’t normally do. She liked to be carried upside-down. She loved jumping in the bathtub while Lexy was taking a bath, and she would play dead when I would tell her to leave the bird alone. This odd behavior is what inspired us to write about her. We also want to help bring awareness to animal cruelty.

2. What was the most difficult part of writing the book?
The most difficult part about writing the book was that we have so much to tell. We decided to make the books a series. The next book is, “Zoe Meets the Family.”

3. What was the most rewarding part of writing the book?
The most rewarding part of writing the book was that my daughter and I did it together, and that is something we will be able to share forever.

4. What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have received such a great response from everyone! Everyone loves that the book is about a real cat, and that they get to hear more about her in the upcoming books.

5. What is your writing process?
Our writing process actually started out just being another one of our craft sessions. We love doing crafts, so when Lexy suggested that we write a story about Zoe, we just started doing it. She drew some pictures, while I started writing down some words. We looked at the story and the pictures, and fixed them up a bit, and found that we did a pretty good job. We decided that it was so good, we should try to have it published. We did it!

6. Do you have any other books?
We are working on eight additional books about Zoe. We made the series a total of nine because cats have nine lives.

7. Do you share your life with other pets?
Besides Zoe, we have two other cats, three dogs and a bird. If my daughter had her way, and we had a bigger house, we would probably have many more.

8. Do your pets influence your writing?
Our pets absolutely influence our writing. The other books in our series are going to have a lot more about Zoe and her interactions with our other pets.

Stacy N. Hackett shares her Southern California home with two Cornish Rex cats, Carson and Evita, and a playful orange tabby named Jackson.