On another group blog I'm on, one of the authors brought up the question something to the affect of: do you ever write about pets in your romances? As a reader, do you enjoy reading about a hero or heroine who own pets?dreamstime© Serghei Starus
But as a caveat~~I'm sure for my benefit since I'm the only werewolf author on the blog [or maybe that should be the only author who writes about werewolves on the blog]~~she said that werewolves didn't count. :) LOL
Of course werewolves don't count. They're not anyone's pet! :)
But as to the author's question about romances with pets, in Book 6 of my werewolf series, title as yet to be determined, the newly turned heroine has a cat. So how will a cat and a werewolf interact? And if the heroine brings home a hunky werewolf boyfriend, how will the cat and he get along?
Such is the fun of writing about something that is a little bit out of this world. :)
I love animals and have raised Afghan hounds, silky terriers, poodles from toy to standard sizes, Labrador retrievers, cats, and even mice. :) So I've written pets into a number of my stories, although Book 6 will be the first of the werewolf series where one of the werewolf characters owns a pet. She has not been reunited with her cat since she was changed, so it will be fun to write about it. But even more fun will be the reaction of the hero and his attitude toward keeping a cat as a pet in a werewolf household. :)This is not a picture of my Afghan hound, by the way. We have pictures of her and the silky terrier playing a game of chess...if I can ever get them converted to a digital format, I'll upload them. :)
Pets can add humor and conflict. They can bring people together, or push them apart. They can add another interesting dimension that the story wouldn't have without them. :)
I think of 101 Dalmations when I think of a story where the hero and heroine were united through the love of their pets. :)
So do you have pets in your romances? Or like to read them in your romances?
Terry
Hope everyone who's at conference is having a blast! I got an email from a former student who asked if I was there so we could get together. Next year, I said!! Wherever you are today, have a super Friday!
ReplyDeleteI've always thought Afghans were cool. I've had lots of animals in the books I've written, but they played the most important role in Warrior because the heroine could actually communicate with them telepathically and I used animals as my secondary characters. It was a blast to write!
ReplyDeleteWe're having fun at the conference. The Sourcebooks dinner is tonight. We get picked up at 6 PM in limos!!!! How cool is that???
Afghans have a cat's independent personality, totally bizarre. :) Wow, Limos! Great deal. Watch when I go to Nashville, we'll be brown-bagging it. LOL
ReplyDeleteLove the pics!
ReplyDeleteActually, Lady Anne has an intrepid cat she named Irusan after a Celtic mythic King of the Cats. He is her sidekick, her intrepid buddy and sometimes plays a pivotal role in her adventures.
I read murder mysteries, and many of my favorite have animals in them.
I love stories with pets, and the more personality the pet has the better.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna! Pets really can add to a story, I think. From conflict to humor to suspense even. :) I read a cute story where the hero is trying to keep the heroine under surveilance, only while he's wiring her place for sound, she comes back from the beach and catches him. About that time, he grabs up a stray cat scampering across the porch and says he was looking for his cat. Except it's screeching and not liking that he's holding it. :) It was cute because later she asks more about the cat, and it's a holy terror, but he doesn't know it's a he instead of a she, and it won't have a thing to do with him...etc. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, MM! I agree. A pet can add a lot to a story. I had forgotten in the opening of Heart of the Wolf, one of the things that attracted the teen heroine to a teen human was that he had a pet wolf. :)
Hi Terry-
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite topics! Animals! While the hero and heroine in HEALING LUKE have no pets, I include a cat in every one of my SIlhouette Romantic Suspenses. It's kinda a game I play with myself, but I want my readers to come to expect the cat somewhere so that they look for it as well...
I've featured several of my own cats (past and present) in the books and also a made up cat or two. When I run out of my cats, I may solicit cats (names and personality quirks) from my readers. That'd be a fun contest huh? And one heroine had a dog.
I think it is a reflection of who we as a society are... we love our pets, so why shouldn't the heroes and heroines we write about have pets too?
Meow, Beth Cornelison
www.bethcornelison.com
I've had all my pets in books for years along with borrowing my friends pets. My Bogie is now Stasi's magickal dog and I'm sure Barney will show up.
ReplyDeletePets make a great secondary character too.
Linda
Terry, I love incorporating pets into stories. Why not? Pets are apart of people lives so it only makes sense to have them in stories.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading stories that have pets in them, providing they're not a cardboard character.
I can see story #6 will be interesting. Poor kitty, she loves and trusts her girl and then to have her turn dog on her? Some adjustment is called for, but cats are loyal pets and love deeply, so while there will be some comical adjustments, love will no doubt win. As it usually does. :-)
Beautiful dogs, by the way. I love the picture of the two. I raise Great Danes. Big dog are fun.
Playing chess! Ooh, that I have to see. We have pictures of a poodle playing chess somewhere. And my Mum used to tell me about relatives who had cats and dogs that adored each other. Maybe the cat will learn to love him, bring him gifts perhaps?
ReplyDeletePets have such personality, I think they can be essential parts to stories many times--I love reading about them :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Beth. That sounds really cute in your Silhouette series. :) Reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock always making an appearance somewhere in his movies. :) Oh, I know, it's not about pets, but it just brought it to mind. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, witches have familiars, or are they not considered pets, Linda? I guess not. LOL But your new found Westie look alike will make a perfect magickal dog. He already is just from appearing on your doorstep and falling in love with your family!
I so agree, Sia, that pets are so much of so many of our lives that why not be in a romance? :)
Yeah, Book 6 should be fun. :) The only one that deals with "pets" in the story as a werewolf is the vet. So it should be interesting. :) I'd love to see a picture of your great danes. I love them!
Sheila, we'll have to compare pictures of chess-playing dogs!!! :) And yeah, just like my cat got used to all the new household humans and the dog, she loved everyone. :)
I so agree, Danielle! thanks for dropping by during your busy RWA schedule! Bet you're having a great time! :)
Terry,
ReplyDeleteCute Pictures. Sweet Animals. I love those animals in the stories. Like Cheryl's Warrior. Way Cool. And Nina Bangs. Just slays with her Cosmic trouble maker Cats. Cats and werewolves? I see conflicts. Hiss!!!!!
And I hope you're talking about Carol's story as #6. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
Woohoo, Patricia, thanks so much for following along and dropping by to comment! Enjoy! Several of us have upcoming releases, so keep an eye out, we'll be giving away books too! :)
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