Melanie Cairns
Published Book
Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends (Dec 22) BUY ON AMAZON = amzn.to/3VRVAf8
Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself...
I have been a media lawyer working in the film and TV industry for the past 25 years. I trained as a fashion designer and dressmaker originally, then retrained to qualify as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and then a Solicitor. Clearly, I like education! Now my current learning interests are flicking ink around and researching awesome proverbs to make me feel motivated.
What first inspired you to start writing?
The pressures of an intense period of work during the pandemic led me to shut my laptop at lunchtimes and volunteer. Given my background in sewing, I heard about Scrubs4Heroes via Instagram and got making scrubs. This got my creative juices flowing. I dug out my ink pen and started sketching my Norwegian Forest cats and adding comforting mantras. These illustrations have been the basis for my hardback book. I’m probably more of an artist than a writer, but I do love calling myself an author!
What made you want to work with Rowanvale and be published?
I am an impatient realist and know that finding an agent can take time! I researched self-publishing (obsessively) and took the plunge. I researched a lot, so my decision was not taken lightly, and when my day job unexpectedly came to an end, I decided to jump into the project immediately to keep me focused and motivated. Rowanvale offers the perfect balance of getting support and being able to say you are doing it yourself!
When you're not writing, what are you reading?
My reading list is eclectic! I love my hardback book Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends—is that bad to say that? I love books that relate to my day job in the entertainment world. I love psychological thrillers. I love books that teach me mindfulness or motivation, and something new in the media industry. Some recent reads and to-be-reads are Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge and The Metaverse by Matthew Ball.
Which work are you most proud of?
I only have one published book, Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends. I love many of my illustrations. There are hundreds because I do try and draw every day. I started in March 2021, so this is a new venture which has grown into something huge and permanent very quickly.
What's your best advice for handling writer's block?
I’m thinking of drawing here rather than writing, but this is comparable—pick up a pen and start something. I even post my mistakes. I spell things wrong often and ruin the illustration, but I still post them on social media because I am human. Argyle, one of our Norwegian Forest cats, often comes in with wet feet from the garden and sits on our dining room table… On my work in progress… I finish it and share it with the muddy paw marks. I take the view that it adds character!
What's one thing you always have with you when you're writing?
My Caran D’ache ink pen. It’s a fountain pen from the Swiss pen-maker’s Ecridor range. It’s solid silver, heavy, balanced and I love it. I write ALL my quotes with it.
What is one book you would take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
Am I allowed to say my book? The quotes are designed to keep the mind balanced, inquisitive and kind and as an inky pawtrait to remind us that our pets don’t judge and are loyal however we turn up. Although, I would miss our fluffy soulmates desperately.
What is the best part about being an independently published author?
I feel like I have been on a journey and can share the story of how this came about. It’s not just the collation of the illustrations, but the pre-planning this took to have all my illustrations scanned and grouped into themes, writing out my route to being an artist and author, and the resulting tangible product I have at the end of this journey that is so satisfying to hold, smell (fresh-new-book-ink smell) and flick through. Each illustration, each furry friend, each mantra has a back story that I can tell. This is my journey that I own. It’s an exploration that I can share. And its many memories are now set in stone.
What's next for you?
My illustrations are picking up interest. I have a number of articles being published about me and my story to promote my book, my artwork and the service I offer. If you want your own illustration or to gift one to a friend, I can be commissioned. I will be exhibiting at Marlow Art Trail on May 28th and 29th, 2023. I will be taking part in Bucks Art Weeks for the whole of June at Obsidian Art near Aylesbury, Bucks. At both events, I will be drawing live! I’m nervous and excited. If you are nearby, please show your support and say hello.
Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends (Dec 22) BUY ON AMAZON = amzn.to/3VRVAf8
Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself...
I have been a media lawyer working in the film and TV industry for the past 25 years. I trained as a fashion designer and dressmaker originally, then retrained to qualify as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and then a Solicitor. Clearly, I like education! Now my current learning interests are flicking ink around and researching awesome proverbs to make me feel motivated.
What first inspired you to start writing?
The pressures of an intense period of work during the pandemic led me to shut my laptop at lunchtimes and volunteer. Given my background in sewing, I heard about Scrubs4Heroes via Instagram and got making scrubs. This got my creative juices flowing. I dug out my ink pen and started sketching my Norwegian Forest cats and adding comforting mantras. These illustrations have been the basis for my hardback book. I’m probably more of an artist than a writer, but I do love calling myself an author!
What made you want to work with Rowanvale and be published?
I am an impatient realist and know that finding an agent can take time! I researched self-publishing (obsessively) and took the plunge. I researched a lot, so my decision was not taken lightly, and when my day job unexpectedly came to an end, I decided to jump into the project immediately to keep me focused and motivated. Rowanvale offers the perfect balance of getting support and being able to say you are doing it yourself!
When you're not writing, what are you reading?
My reading list is eclectic! I love my hardback book Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends—is that bad to say that? I love books that relate to my day job in the entertainment world. I love psychological thrillers. I love books that teach me mindfulness or motivation, and something new in the media industry. Some recent reads and to-be-reads are Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge and The Metaverse by Matthew Ball.
Which work are you most proud of?
I only have one published book, Cats & Quotes & Other Furry Friends. I love many of my illustrations. There are hundreds because I do try and draw every day. I started in March 2021, so this is a new venture which has grown into something huge and permanent very quickly.
What's your best advice for handling writer's block?
I’m thinking of drawing here rather than writing, but this is comparable—pick up a pen and start something. I even post my mistakes. I spell things wrong often and ruin the illustration, but I still post them on social media because I am human. Argyle, one of our Norwegian Forest cats, often comes in with wet feet from the garden and sits on our dining room table… On my work in progress… I finish it and share it with the muddy paw marks. I take the view that it adds character!
What's one thing you always have with you when you're writing?
My Caran D’ache ink pen. It’s a fountain pen from the Swiss pen-maker’s Ecridor range. It’s solid silver, heavy, balanced and I love it. I write ALL my quotes with it.
What is one book you would take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
Am I allowed to say my book? The quotes are designed to keep the mind balanced, inquisitive and kind and as an inky pawtrait to remind us that our pets don’t judge and are loyal however we turn up. Although, I would miss our fluffy soulmates desperately.
What is the best part about being an independently published author?
I feel like I have been on a journey and can share the story of how this came about. It’s not just the collation of the illustrations, but the pre-planning this took to have all my illustrations scanned and grouped into themes, writing out my route to being an artist and author, and the resulting tangible product I have at the end of this journey that is so satisfying to hold, smell (fresh-new-book-ink smell) and flick through. Each illustration, each furry friend, each mantra has a back story that I can tell. This is my journey that I own. It’s an exploration that I can share. And its many memories are now set in stone.
What's next for you?
My illustrations are picking up interest. I have a number of articles being published about me and my story to promote my book, my artwork and the service I offer. If you want your own illustration or to gift one to a friend, I can be commissioned. I will be exhibiting at Marlow Art Trail on May 28th and 29th, 2023. I will be taking part in Bucks Art Weeks for the whole of June at Obsidian Art near Aylesbury, Bucks. At both events, I will be drawing live! I’m nervous and excited. If you are nearby, please show your support and say hello.
