Melody Brunsting is a writer and artist who lives in Southern California with her husband and two large dogs. She is the artist and creator of the comic strip "Franger Chicken, the time-traveling fowl." While she has written several unpublished fiction novels, ghostwritten and owns a boutique public relations firm where she promotes festivals and events, "Norm, the Normal Dog," is her first illustrated book. Norm was inspired by the Saint Bernards of the world, and her own dog "Norm," a Saint Bernard/Boxer who she rescued from the "Swamp," a rural area in Riverside, California where people dumped unwanted dogs. Melody and her husband have had five Saint Bernards, one Great Dane, a Dalmation named Donna, and a Basset Hound named Fred. All but one of the dogs were adopted or rescued.