BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Alison Bellringer about her writing and her recently released book, My Dog, Moss, a story rich in heart and humanity (Read the review here.).

Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else? 

This was the first of my stories to be published and was written as a way for me to dig deeper into the very particular theme of ‘man’s best friend’ and what this animal will do to prove its undying loyalty to the one who has gained its full trust. This is something I’m familiar with regarding my own dog, who is highly devoted to me, but I’ve never actually seen this concept displayed right in front of me so clearly before witnessing the same thing with another friend and his own adoring dog. I wanted to convey this sense of infinite faithfulness that animals are capable of showing to their human companions in one of my stories, and I think My Dog, Moss captures the true essence of this concept exceptionally well.

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

Are all of them an option? A few things come to mind, but one example is the humorous description of Moss (the dog) wandering around the cabin while carrying his food bowl tilted up over his eyes so much that he can’t see anything and is therefore constantly bumping into things like ‘moving’ walls on accident. Without giving anything away, another scene that is really special is when Jayden is in trouble with a wild animal and Moss willingly turns into his canine protector despite the danger immediately being directed toward him instead. Actually, when I was proofreading this particular scene later on, I found myself getting more and more absorbed in the story and leaning forward nervously, until I suddenly remembered that I already knew what happened in the end because I was the one who had written it in the first place! What I really like about both these sections is the contrasting elements of Moss’ character shining through when faced with different situations: sometimes he is very playful and acts particularly goofy for no reason, but then when it comes time to go to work herding sheep or some other serious event is occurring, he consequently turns to ‘all business and no play’ until his self-appointed tasks are completed to his satisfaction.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

My Dog, Moss is all about the bonds people can form with different animals. I hope readers are able to connect with the depth of trust and mutual understanding shown between Jayden and his dog, and come to realize that these bonds are irreplaceable and every moment is worth sharing with someone special, be that a friend, family member, or even another animal. Readers deserve to be able to take away something meaningful from their reading experience and not simply forget about the book or its heartfelt content as soon as they’ve put it down. Fashioning memorable characters or scenes and including relatable topics that exist in the real world are all part of the writing process and helps keep readers interested in the book until they hopefully reach a satisfying finish at the very end.

What’s more important: characters or plot?

They each rely on the other… Without a compelling plot, even the most well-crafted characters can seem insignificant. Likewise, creating believable characters with complex personalities that will resonate strongly with readers could be completely pointless unless there is an equally important plotline that goes right along with it. 

What does literary success look like to you?

My main focus as an author is to create engaging chapter books for children who are able to read simple plotlines on their own, continuing to help them grow in confidence and learn about real-life issues, even within fictional settings. Additionally, a long-term goal for my writing is to present younger readers with a wider range of material which illustrate high moral standards and assist those children to personally embrace these traits in their own day-to-day lives. It has never been about the number of sales made, but rather, how many people I can reach in a positive way who will then come away from their reading experience feeling encouraged or more inspired by the underlying messages of hope found in most of my books.

 What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer?

Because I live in a reasonably small country (New Zealand) there are simply far less opportunities available for me to connect face-to-face with relevant audiences or potential readers of my books without there being some degree of travel involved, and this can be particularly challenging as a young author still trying to get firmly established in my chosen genre. To get my work out there, while continually attempting to increase awareness for the type of content that I’m promoting within the pages of these books, I have to rely heavily on raising my online presence through social media or other long-distance means in order to keep growing my following and retain at least some level of interest on a steady basis. Applying for awards or entering relevant competitions can be helpful, but these options are not always affordable when being hosted overseas or if the cost is set in other currencies that have higher exchange rates or may include additional fees.

Is writer’s block real?

Yes, I believe this can be an issue for some writers, although I’ve always found it to be more of a problem depending on the mindset of the author concerned rather than anything else. For me, I occasionally get the misguided notion stuck in my head that the next scene or some upcoming dialogue is going to be more difficult to keep the story moving forward, so I end up just putting it off despite knowing from previous experience that whenever I decide to just sit down and get on with it the words usually just flow into place automatically, often without conscious thought. I also have quite a long list of potential titles or topics to include in future stories, so coming up with new material to write about has never been much of a challenge for me either.

What are some of your favorite books or authors that you most enjoy reading? 

I still enjoy reading any animal-themed middle grade story or other books aimed for younger children, but lately I’ve been going through a lot more Historical Fiction and Regency novels that are set in the 1800s. There isn’t any one title that would definitely be my favorite book, but some authors I always love collecting from are Beverly Lewis, Jen Turano, Janette Oke, and Tracie Peterson. 

Were your parents interested in literature? Did they read a lot? What books did you have in the house?

Everyone in my immediate family have been avid readers for a long time and my three older siblings and I were all homeschooled using a very literacy-based program, which means there were always plenty of books lying around the house whenever we wanted to read something. The style of each author that we had literature from was quite varied, so the range of material available to us covered quite a number of different topics or genres, including early-readers to more in-depth novels for older children or young adults. 

How many unpublished or half-finished books do you have?

So many! Because I’ve been fully immersed in the creative writing side of things for a lot longer than that of publishing, I simply already have a lot of other completed manuscripts that are just waiting for their chance to be revealed and may only need a few minor adjustments before being ready to shine.

How do you come up with names for your characters?

Suitable names regularly seem to just pop into my head for no reason, and then annoyingly enough, not go away again until after I’ve made a note of them for later on or have included them in some relevant story. To be perfectly honest, sometimes I also search Google for the most popular names in a specific year or other lists that only start with a particular letter, hoping that one or two of them will suddenly stand out or prove useful for certain characters, even though I may have dismissed them multiple times before as not being quite right.

What’s next for you?

I am working on a new series with my publisher at the moment which will likely consist of several consecutive stories each featuring the same central characters. The Horses of Saddlers Ranch is my take on the classic ‘horse-loving, pony-mad teenager concept’ and the bonds that they form with these majestic, four-legged animals. Each subsequent book is titled after a different horse, and centers around the lives of Coral Johnson and her two best friends as they have various adventures on her family’s ranch and discover the unique personalities of each new animal. Cloud came out earlier in 2025 and is the first book of the series, and the second, Golden Haze, was released in early October. Details for Book Three are still in the final stages of being produced and I am extremely hopeful that there will be a few more instalments yet to come even after that.

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