Kerri J. Busteed

I started writing my first book, A Mother's Cry, in 2000. This was the year I began working in the Emergency Department as a nurse. One ordianary night a particular family came in to the department that the doctor was concerned about. This family was in frequently with very unusual symptoms that never quite made sense. The doctor took me aside and confided in me that he was worried the mother had Munchausen Syndrome. Had what? I quickly looked up the meaning of the term and realized the doctor believed the mother was purposely making her children sick so she could bring them to the hospital to get medical attention. It is a strange, but true phenomenon that some people or care givers suffer from. We were never able to prove this family had any such disorder, but it was the beginning of A Mother's Cry.

A few years later I took my writing in a different direction. I took a class in children's literature and chose to write a story for young readers. Will's First Hunt was written in part because of my illustrator, Leon Byers. He approached me first, asking me to write a story that he could illustrate. I wasn't exactly sure what a young man would want to draw, so I took a long walk in the woods on a cold January morning. That is when the idea for Will's First Hunt first began. Leon and my husband are both huge hunters. I have been living in the shadows of a hunter for many years and have listened to him share his love of hunting with others. From then on I took daily walks through the woods and would create the next chapter of the book until at last the rough draft was created. The book was fun to write, but seeing the fabulous illustrations that Leon created really made the book come to life for me. I couldn't be happier with the end result. I hope that many children will also chose to enjoy this book as well.

Currently Leon and I are working on a second book for Will called Will Barnes Bow Hunting Adventure. Bow hunting seems easy enough, until you try it for yourself. Watch for this sequal in the near future!