We’re delighted to catch up with “Friend” author, Suzanne Ross Jones. Her lates Cat Cafe story appears in this week’s issue.
Tell us about your story “Mother’s Day At The Cat Cafe”.
The idea for this story emerged when pre-Mother’s Day emails arrived from various companies, offering an opt out for those who might find such reminders distressing. It was established in a much earlier Cat Café story that Maxine’s mother had died when Maxine had been a child, and I began to wonder how these reminders would affect her? Would she opt out? Would they bring back sad memories? Would they remind her of happier times? Would becoming a mother herself change the way she felt about the day? How would her feelings about Mother’s Day affect her relationship with her own daughters? So many questions…. There was only one way to find the answers – I had to write the story.
Tell us about your Cat Cafe stories. Where did the idea come from?
As a family, we have always adored cats so when Edinburgh’s first cat café – Maison de Moggy – opened some years ago, we rushed to visit. I was instantly smitten by the place, and fell madly in love with the cats. I knew at once it would be the perfect setting for a story. It was just one story at first. There was never a plan in those days that Maxine’s story would evolve – and I would have been too terrified to start if I’d known then that Maxine’s Cat Café would run to (currently) 37 stories – and a novelisation of early tales – with many more ideas still to write up. I have to say, though, that if it wasn’t for suggestions and encouragement from my editors, initially Shirley, and now Tracey, my cat café stories likely wouldn’t have progressed much beyond that first one.
Do you have a cat?
Not at the moment, sadly. Growing up, we always had cats, and my grandparents had a smallholding complete with a colony of resident semi-feral farm cats. So cats have always been a part of my life. When the time is right, I will offer a home to another cat, but for now Maxine’s feline family fills that cat-shaped void in my life. In my heart, each and every one of them is very real – and as well as belonging to Maxine, I feel they also belong to me.
How long have you been writing fiction?
Years and years. From half-finished tales scribbled into exercise books in primary school, to a couple of romances handwritten onto foolscap paper when I was a teenager, to more romances typed out on my Olivetti typewriter, to stories saved directly onto the floppy discs of my Amstrad 9010…and beyond. Looking back my only wish is that I had spent less time talking about writing, and thinking about writing, and more time actually writing the words. Never in a million years did I think I would ever be published in the early days – and those early stories were very likely unpublishable in any case. Gradually, I began to send the odd story out, and there were a couple of short story acceptances from magazines in my mid-twenties, then some filler and article successes, and they gave me confidence to carry on. It wasn’t until my first acceptance from “The People’s Friend” on 31st July 2009 that I enjoyed a massive confidence boost, and more regular successes.
Do you prefer short stories or serials?
Would it be greedy to say I love both? And pocket novels, too. I love the speedy finish of a short story, the way the words fit together, almost like a puzzle. With longer work, the chance to explore characters in more depth is very satisfying.
What are your future writing plans?
More cat café stories – not sure I could stop writing those if I tried. In addition, I have notebooks filled with ideas of all sorts that I haven’t had time to write up yet. I still work full-time, and can’t devote as many hours as I’d like to writing, but retirement from the day job is finally on the radar, and plans are to dig those notebooks out and see how many will work as stories and serials and novels. I can’t wait.
Thank you so much for inviting me to be Writer Of The Week. Next to thinking about writing, and talking about writing, the next best thing is writing about writing, and I’ve so enjoyed answering your questions.
Tracey Steel Having worked on a number of magazines over the years, I have found my perfect place on the “Friend” as I’m obsessed with reading and never go anywhere without a book! I read all of our stories with a mug of tea close by and usually a bit of strong cheese too!
