Shelley Long, who plays a woman named Kate in the CBS movie "A Message from Holly," says the name itself helped her shape the character:"It's a name to the point," she says. "It's a name that suits her. She's a direct and successful woman. I wrapped myself around that name."

Kate Barnes is a single woman living in New York who is completely wrapped up in her career as an investment manager. But when she gets a message from her longtime friend, Holly Caulfield, she immediately flies to Holly's remote ranch in the Southwest.

"Holly is dying of cancer, and she wants Kate to raise her daughter, Jennifer," Long says. "It's typical of Kate that she doesn't bat an eyelash and says, 'Yes.' She jumps in heart and soul."

It's not that simple, of course, in this poignant drama of change and letting go. Lindsay Wagner is Holly in "A Message from Holly," which CBS televises on Sunday.

"Kate's a successful businesswoman, energetic, good humored and not particularly domestic," Long says. "She'd rather attempt to shoot a duck than cook one. In the opening scene she goes on a duck hunt to salvage an account. She doesn't know what she's doing."

When she quickly agrees to raise Jennifer, Holly tells her it's not a business deal. She needs to give it study and care. Kate takes a six-month leave of absence, the time the doctor has given Holly to live. During this time, Holly, a sculptor, is consumed with finishing a special project, and Kate must learn to be a mother to Jennifer.

"This is really about relationships," Long says, "and within the context of this relationship these women are able to cope with a loss through love. It doesn't really focus on death. Kate focuses on assuming motherhood, Holly on letting go and Jennifer on transferring to a new mother."

Long says the movie gave her an opportunity to seek advice on the business world for the role from her husband, Bruce Tyson, an investment adviser. They have a daughter, Juliana, who is 7.

"He was able to correct a few things," she says. "It was fun to be able to ask him for advice. I think it was fun for him, too. I got to know some of the routine of his job. That was something I could build into the character."

Long also stars in the comedy "Good Advice," expected to debut on CBS early in 1993. It will be her first series since she left "Cheers" in 1987 for a career in feature films. She was recently in the NBC movie "Fatal Memories."