Today’s special guest is memoirist Melody Horrill to chat with me about The Dolphin Who Saved Me.
Bio:
Melody Horrill is an award-winning Australian environmental journalist, freelance media manager, speaker, and author of three books. She is well known in South Australia for raising awareness about dolphins and marine conservation. She is co-chair of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Cetacean Committee and Ambassador for Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch. She lives in Melbourne with her fourteen-year-old rescue cat, Q, and partner Grant. She is a passionate animal and nature lover and likes nothing more than spending time beside or in the sea.
Although Melody spent many years writing for broadcast media, her memoir, A Dolphin Called Jock, was her first book. It was published across Australia and New Zealand then internationally under a new title – The Dolphin Who Saved Me. The book focuses on connecting with nature and her extraordinary friendship with a wild, injured dolphin which helped her heal from a traumatic childhood. Dr Jane Goodall endorsed her book – which led to Melody’s involvement in the Jane Goodall Institute’s Cetacean Committee.
Welcome, Melody. Please tell us about your current release.
The Dolphin Who Saved Me is my memoir that describes my friendship with a wild, disfigured, solitary river dolphin called Jock who lived in a polluted waterway in southern Australia.
My book delves into my childhood and living with domestic violence. The violence culminated with an attack that resulted in my father going to jail, and then eventually taking his own life. As a teenager I felt lost, alone, disconnected from the world and useless. I turned to partying and carefully crafted an exterior that I hid behind for years. One day after a confrontation with my brother, I decided that I needed to change my life and education was the only way I could do it. I eventually enrolled in university and volunteered to help on a local dolphin research project. I soon met Jock, a lonely dolphin who, like me, seemed adrift, lost, alone and unable to connect with others. Over the next three years, I developed an extraordinary friendship with Jock that taught me how to be vulnerable, to love, trust, forgive, and focus on joy – rather than the sadness and bitterness of my past. Thanks to Jock and the other dolphins I reconnected with the potential of life, I learned about the importance of facing one’s fears, being brave, and breaking out of my comfort zone. It also set me on a remarkable path that I would never have imagined finding by myself, but that I still travel on today.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to write this book for years, but it wasn’t until I learned about the unexplained deaths of my dolphin friends in the river that I finally put pen to paper. I began by writing a two-page story for Australia’s national newspaper where I described my harrowing childhood and friendship with Jock openly, for the first time. I did this in the hope it would help people understand how remarkable dolphins are, raise awareness of their plight and the importance of caring for their marine home. I also wanted to help young people understand that their past does not define their future – if you experience trauma, you can come out the other side stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. A few months after the article was published, I left my full-time job to work on my memoir. I had faith that my story could benefit both dolphins and people and I truly hope it has.
When my memoir was released internationally late last year, I sent a copy to the woman I admire most in the world – Dr Jane Goodall. Amazingly, she endorsed it and her beautiful words now grace the cover. Dr Goodall asked me to join her Cetacean Committee where I now volunteer with passionate people around the globe. Our vision is to phase out the keeping and breeding of dolphins in captivity and support the rollout of seaside sanctuaries where they can retire in a more natural environment.
Excerpt from The Dolphin Who Saved Me:
Where are the other dolphins? I thought they lived in pods. I know they are highly social creatures, which rely on one another. It seems odd to see one all alone, acting so strangely, so obsessively.
As Jock goes back to his ceaseless circling, this dolphin with the deformed fin looks so lonely and isolated. I feel compassion wash over me. He looks like an outcast. Like me, he seems damaged. I wonder if he too has internal scars, as well as external ones. He looks disconnected and alone, like me, wounded and adrift in the world. Maybe he’d been abandoned by his mother. Perhaps he’d suffered pain and been shunned by his peers, as I had. It was also possible he just didn’t know how to interact with other dolphins or was too afraid to try. Something deep inside feels an instant kinship with him. I sense the beginnings of a profound connection.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am super excited that on July 15, my first young adult fantasy – A Cat Called Q and The Magic Globe will be published by 12 Willows Press. Although a non-fiction book, it shares many themes with my memoir such as being brave, caring for the natural world, and the importance of our connection to it – along with a dash of humor. It is a story I have wanted to write since I was a child. The main character is a young girl who loves nature but struggles with bullying and self-confidence. Along with a mischievous magic cat (based on my rescue kitty, Q) they embark on a dangerous adventure to save an enchanted realm and its resident animals from destruction. I loved writing this book and I’m thrilled to see it come to life.
My second non-fiction book called Sheltered will be published in Australia in September. This is a compilation of real-life heart-felt stories of companion rescue animals and the people who love them. Again, it contains themes of connection, healing, and the power of unconditional love between human and non-human beings.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I escaped into fantasy books as a little girl and dreamt of writing one myself one day! However, I lacked confidence and I never thought I would achieve my dream. It wasn’t until an English teacher in high school told me that I was a good writer that I felt I had the skills. Many years later, thanks to my involvement with the dolphins I landed a job in journalism and discovered my passion for writing and presenting environmental and science stories. It took me another thirty years to attempt writing a book and there are many times that I still often suffer from imposter syndrome.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I left my last full-time position to focus on writing my memoir. I knew it was going to require my full commitment and a great deal of emotional energy. Since then, I have worked on a freelance basis for various organizations, drawing on my media and communication management and on-camera presentation training skills. I think I would find it difficult to work full-time and write, so I try to balance paid work with my passion for writing.
I have learned that writing the first draft of a book is just the beginning. There is so much more to having a work published – such as pitching, finding a publisher, editing, and then promoting. I tend to throw myself completely into my projects so now I am focusing on the impending release of my next two books. Luckily, I have a supportive partner!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Talking to my cat Q while I write. He is always beside me in my spare bedroom which doubles as my writing room. I chatter away to him as I tap on the keyboard and he snoozes on a rug at my feet – he’s never been much of a lap cat. He is privy to all the frustrations and joy that writing brings and is my constant uncomplaining companion.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A journalist (my grandfather was one) or a writer – amazingly I have achieved both! I’ve also had a lifelong dream of working for National Geographic but that one is still in the pipeline!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I have learned through this writing journey that anything is possible. I would encourage others to chase their dreams. I know it sounds like a cliché and I’m not saying it’s easy but we have one life, one chance to follow our heart. I hope that my words have a positive impact in this world and not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for the opportunity to share them. If your readers believe they have something to say then take the plunge and say it. I believe that bravery is one of the most important attributes to have in life so take courage and, as we say in Australia – give it a crack!