CatChannel Exclusive: Meet Author Bonnie Pemberton
Learn more about the inspiration behind her book The Cat Master.
By
Stacy N. Hackett
1. Why did you write the book?
Initially, I wrote The Cat Master as a tribute to my beloved cat, Buddy, who died when he was eight. I was heartbroken. I’d always worked in the arts as a playwright, copywriter and actor, and after moving back to Texas from Los Angeles, I used the novel as a creative outlet. Only after reading it in front of a writing group, and realizing how enthusiastic the responses were for the story, did I get the sense that it might be worthy of publication.
2. What was your inspiration?
My inspiration was every animal who ever struggled to live in such a difficult world. Though there are five species other than cats represented in the story, I become particularly interested in feral cats when I moved to Fort Worth. A huge colony roamed the neighborhood where I lived, and I became very attached to them. I wanted to tell a story through their eyes in a way that would not only entertain, but bring the reader into what it’s actually like to be an urban animal trying to survive without and in spite of human intervention. I think the deeper animal issues imbedded in the adventure are equally important for children as well as adults. A friend who had read the book called to tell me that she’d never look at the feral cats in her alley the same way.
3. What is your writing process?
My writing process is to come up with a general plot that interests me and one that has an ending that I’m clear on. The middle comes more slowly, but I’m not an author who follows a rigid plot line. I let the characters take me places as I go, as long as it points toward the ending I want. In The Cat Master, a lizard named Orie was only supposed to climb into a pot and be gone, but somehow he kept popping up throughout the book! I think that’s what makes writing so fascinating. You never know what’s going to come out of a piece of dialogue or some eccentricity in a character that you hadn’t planned on.
4. Do you have any other books?
I’m currently writing a sequel to The Cat Master. It’s called The Lizard Returns, and it features the lizard character, Orie. Many other characters from The Cat Master make a return visit, but there are plenty of twists and turns with new species as well. It deals with the illegal trading of endangered species.
5. What has the feedback been on the book so far?
Animal lovers adore it. Children’s librarians aren’t quite sure what to make of it. I’m not surprised, as it deals with dark subjects, such as animal abandonment and feral cat issues. Characters are in peril, and the book has a gritty underbelly beneath the simple hero’s journey. But the kids who have read it have been completely enthusiastic.
6. Are you a cat owner? How many do you have?
We have four cats: two indoor and two in our offices. We also have two dogs. All of our pets are strays that we rescued in the neighborhood. In addition, I’m the inventor of Sticky Paws for Furniture, a double sided adhesive product that keeps cats from scratching furniture. My company, Fe-Lines Inc., has been in business for over a decade, so you could say that cats really are my life!
7. Do cats influence your writing? How so?
Cats are a never ending source of amusement, amazement and admiration for me. They’re so intrinsically graceful and beautiful and yet, so tough. I found an injured feral beneath a bush at my office last week. What struck me most was how incredibly ferocious and fearless he was, despite his helplessness. And even though he was physically in bad shape, I found him to be majestic, a real warrior. I’ll use him some day in one of my books.
8. Were certain parts of the book more difficult to write than others? Which ones?
From a writer’s standpoint, the weaving of multiple plots from many points of view was challenging, as well as creating vibrant animal characters that not only spoke and thought, but maintained the behavior of their various species. From a personal standpoint, the attachment I had to every animal character was real. Most of them were based on actual animals that I’d either owned or known and loved through family and friends. It was hard to put them through anything that I knew the reader would worry about or suffer over, because that’s how I feel when reading about animals. But, in the end, all’s well that ends well. I’ve been told by readers that the story stays with them long after the book is finished. I believe that’s what good fiction is all about.
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CatChannel Exclusive: Meet Author Bonnie Pemberton