Bud Anderson sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about him. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Bud.

What is your full name?
Börje Ulf Dyggve Anderson (hence, Bud)

How old are you?
Late fifties.

What is your profession?
Retired: prior to my retirement I was recruited by the RCMP, then I joined the Vancouver Police Department. Within the VPD I became a homicide detective and eventually headed up the integrated homicide investigation squad. I then had an opportunity to use my investigative, and command and control experience, as well as the background I had in carrying out work that required CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) clearances to head up the Canadian arm of an international task force tackling gang crime.

Do you have a significant other?
I have been married twice. My first wife, Jan, died – let’s not talk about that – and I’m now married to Professor Cait Morgan.

What is their name and profession?
Cait and I met when I was still with the VPD, and she was giving a guest presentation on her novel profiling methods as related to victims of crime. I was able to hire her as a sometime-consultant on cases where an understanding of the victim’s life and lifestyle allowed for my team to narrow and focus their investigative effort. Though I have retired, Cait continues in her profession as a professor of criminal psychology at the University of Vancouver. She’s quite well-known, and highly regarded, in certain circles, having developed a unique approach to profiling victims of crime.

Do you have any children?
No.

Do you have any siblings?
No.

Are your parents nearby?
I’m pleased to say that both my parents are in good health and live within about 90 minutes of where Cait and I make our home. They were born in Sweden, as was I. They migrated to Canada when I was an infant.

Who is your best friend?
I shall be honest and tell you it’s Cait. We’re fortunate to have found each other. I rely on her insight and enthusiasm for justice a great deal.

Do you have any pets?
My black Lab, Marty – the world’s best dog. He’s never met a snack he didn’t want to eat, nor a stick he didn’t want to chew. As Labs go, he’s pretty normal, I guess, but his heart and loyalty are so great he sustained an injury to his ear when he tried to save my first wife, Jan, from a killer. But I said I wouldn’t talk about that. Suffice to say, there is no dog I would rather share my life with – even if he’s got a squiffy ear, and a bit of a tummy.

What town do you live in?
Cait and I live on five acres half-way up a little mountain in the south western corner of British Columbia. We live in an area where the homes are spread pretty far apart, and I suppose the “centre” would be the Post Office and Feedstore – but that’s it. Not a town, a district.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Having lived in a city, and worked in a city, for many years, I’m glad to now live in a rural area.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Cait and I each sold the homes we were living in at the time to be able to buy this house, which we found, and chose, together. We moved in just before our wedding (which was in Wales), and then got settled in properly before we left for our extended honeymoon in Hawaii, from which we cruised back to BC.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Anywhere I can reach out and touch Cait! (She told me to say that!) Seriously, anywhere at all. I enjoy walking Marty around the acreage, love pottering in the garden, or sitting beside the either the log fire or the woodstove when it’s chilly outside.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I’m a kind of “meat and potatoes” guy – so I guess my answer is anything that’s not too fancy, that I don’t have to cook for myself. As for dessert – not much of a sweet tooth, so cheese, I guess.

Do you have any hobbies?
I guess gardening’s become a hobby since we moved here – because I cannot, in all conscience, call bringing killers to justice a “hobby”.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Cait and I have travelled together more than I’d ever travelled before we were a couple. I’d like to spend some more time in Wales – where Cait’s from. I think that would help me better understand her.

What music do you listen to?
Call me old-fashioned if you must – I’m a “classic rock” lover, though it makes me feel old when I realize the music of my youth is now called “classic”. Don’t listen to a lot of music – happy to have things quiet.

Do you have a favorite book?
I tend to steer clear of crime fiction and non-fiction, which Cait keeps telling me is a mistake. If I had to nominate one title as having informed, entertained, and inspired me I’d say this one: Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis. Incredible book!

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Time with Cait and Marty, outside, walking and enjoying nature.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
First of all, I don’t think I could – far too much of my life has been spent dealing with matters that must – and should – remain confidential. But, if I did, maybe “Just a Man” would be a good title, because that’s what I am.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Having been a professional for decades, I now find myself having to deal with corpses at every turn, it seems. Cait and I share a belief that justice is critical, and we seek to ensure it’s delivered whenever we can.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I’m happy to say there’s no such thing. One of the delights of having retired from a life of service is that I can now choose what to do, and when. Life dictates that plans have to be made, but it’s the joy of spontaneity which allows me to get out of bed each morning happy in the knowledge I have no idea what I’ll end up doing that day. If Cait and I are at home, the early part of my day will definitely include some quality time with Marty, when we can walk the five acres we live on and take in all the natural beauty around us.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Another unanswerable question, I’m afraid. It seems Cait and I can’t leave our home to travel – for whatever reason – without someone dropping dead around us. It’s terribly unfortunate, but I know only too well that humans can do the most terrible things to each other for all sorts of reasons. If Cait and I are facing that sort of situation, we tend to act quickly, and as a team, to do whatever we can to help ensure justice is served.

The Corpse with the Iron Will, Cait Morgan Mysteries #10
Genre: Traditional
Release: June 2021
Purchase Link

Welsh criminal psychologist and globetrotting sleuth, Cait Morgan, and her retired-cop husband Bud Anderson, are enjoying some well-deserved peace and quiet at home, in moody, mountainous British Columbia. The sudden death of a neighbor is a significant loss for them both, so Cait’s honored when Gordy Krantz’s “unusual” will requests that she eulogize him at his memorial.

However, delving into the dead man’s background becomes a pressing priority when a puzzling theft, and some surprising discoveries, put our favourite sleuths on high alert. Might someone living in their seemingly tight-knit – and certainly off-beat – rural community have wanted their neighbor dead? And if so, are more people they know at risk?

The tenth Cait Morgan Mystery from Bony Blithe Award-winning author Cathy Ace, The Corpse with the Iron Will, forces Cait and Bud to use the skills they’ve honed tackling cases around the world to unmask a killer who’s too close to home for comfort!

About the author
Cathy Ace’s Welsh Canadian criminal psychologist sleuth Cait Morgan encounters traditional, closed-circle whodunits around the world, while her WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries feature a quartet of soft-boiled female PIs who solve more cozy cases from their office at a Welsh stately home. Her standalone suspense novel, The Wrong Boy, has been optioned for TV (as have her Cait Morgan Mysteries). Shortlisted for Canada’s Bony Blithe Award three times in four years, winning in 2015, she’s also won IPPY and IBA Awards, and has been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award. Cathy lives in Canada, having migrated from Wales aged 40.

All comments are welcomed.