Animal Antics

By Carol J. Post

I’ve been a major animal lover all my life. From my earliest childhood, I can’t remember ever not having at least one pet. Over the years, the Post place has been home to a variety of four-legged friends—cats, dogs, rabbits, even an iguana.

After losing our 16-year-old long-haired dachshund last fall, we now only have two cats, both solid black. I live in Florida and North Carolina, driving back and forth almost every month. Midnight and Zorro love to travel, so I always take them with me. Regardless of where I’m going, they try to make sure they’re not going to get left. 

"If we're packed in your suitcase,

that means we're going, right?"

My cats are great company when I write, although they can sometimes be stinkers. Last week, my husband and I went to dinner with friends. When we got home, I found Midnight on the dining room table. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to close my laptop. While I was enjoying dinner, he was making changes to my current manuscript. He added several lines of gibberish, deleted some of the stuff I had written, moved chunks of text around, then did a “save as” (F12), naming the file “kkk.” (I’m pretty sure that stands for “kitty-kitty-kitty.”) Apparently, he thought my work needed some help. Fortunately, I had track changes turned on, so I was able to reject everything the cat had done.

“Hmmm, misplaced modifier, shallow

characterization, unnecessary backstory…

Still needs some work.”

Since I love animals so much, they often find their way into my books. My hero, Bryce, in Lethal Legacy has a black lab that he rescued from neglect. When he wants to loan him to the heroine as a guard dog, he’s pretty sure he’ll behave. But getting to that point has involved some hard work and a whole lot of patience. In Bryce’s words, “Six months ago, you’d have rather taken your chances with an ax murderer than share a house with him.” Fortunately, my two are pretty good. As long as I keep them away from the computer.

What about you? Do you have any furry friends who don’t always behave? I’d love to hear about them. And I hope you’ll look for Lethal Legacy, coming out September 1.

Someone wants her family secrets buried 

He's her only chance to survive

Andrea Wheaton thought her parents’ tragic deaths were accidental—until she’s attacked during a burglary at their home. Now she’s also being targeted. Her ex-sweetheart Sheriff Deputy Bryce Caldwell insists on protecting her, though she refuses to trust him again. But with a killer closing in, can she and Bryce uncover her family’s secrets before it’s too late for them both?

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Check out her other books: www.caroljpost.com/my-books/

Our Furry and Feathered Friends

by Jean C. Gordon

Who likes pets in romances? I do. So I was surprised last week when I realized that none of the heroes or heroines in my seven Love Inspired Romances (counting my Christmas 2015 Holiday Homecoming and the book I'm currently finishing) have pets. And only one of the five books I wrote for Avalon Books has a pet in it. Why am I surprised? Because we have lots of pets. Meet:

 
Xena, our seven-year-old lab-boxer, and we think some shepherd, too, mix.



 

Cat1 and Cat2, twin sisters who really belong to our daughter, but moved themselves over to our side of the house because of the dog population on their side.




Mr. Buttons, our grandson's six-year-old lab-boxer mix.


Appa, the terrier our granddaughter brought back when our daughter and her family returned from their year in Guam.

Zori, whose heritage is anyone's guess. She looks like a miniature chocolate lab. Someone abandoned her on the experimental farm our son-in-law managed in Guam. He couldn't find a home for her, so she came back with them.




Moving outdoors, I have Baby Rooster, who replaced my old rooster, the yellows, and a Guinea fowl that was given to me. I think it's a male because I haven't seen any Guinea eggs in the year and a half I've had him. Our son-in-law also has a small flock of Guinea keets (immature adults) acquired earlier this summer.

Do you have a favorite pet in a book you've read or written? I think the next book I write is going to need a pet or two.

My Furry Editors

I’m a huge animal lover, and I love having my own furkids as writing companions.

Dogs versus Cats

There is a definite distinction between dog editors and cat editors. My dog editors want to be around me while I’m writing. But I can tell when I’ve been writing for too long because the dogs are the ones that remind me that they want to be walked and want to play. Or even more importantly they want to eat.

Enough writing!! Time to play

Time for a walk! Step away from laptop

The cats, on the other hand, want to be part of the story. 

Wouldn't I be a great character in your story?

Or maybe it’s just that they want to lay near the warm laptop. 

Look at those TYPOS!

I like the direction here....

At the end of the day, they all provide inspiration and companionship. And I can't imagine my life without them. Do you have furry companions in your life? 

Getting Visual

Hi all, Winnie Griggs here.  I've just recently started work on a brand new book--this one is scheduled to come out next December and will have a Christmas tone.  I'm a fairly visual person - though you probably couldn't tell that from my books since I tend to use descriptions sparingly.

But because I need to really have an image firmly in mind, one of the first things I do when I'm developing my story is start a pinterest board and begin pinning images that relate to the story - hero, heroine, significant secondary characters, homes, pets, etc. - anything that will help me really 'see' the people and elements of my story.

And I spend just as much time finding the images of the animals in my books as I do the people.  For the last hour I've been searching for just the right images for the pets in my book - a dog for the hero and a cat for one of the children.  It's one of those instances where I have only a vague idea of what I want but as soon as I see it there's an immediate connection.

For the last book I turned in (Second Chance Hero that will come out next May) I knew I wanted the hero, a real tough guy, to have a small, perky dog, an animal that seems totally at odds with who he appears to be.  And I had the perfect animal in mind, my daughter's dog.  This is his picture:

Besides setting up a board for each of my books, I've also set up a separate board for the animals that play major parts in my books.  You can see it HERE.

My next book, Her Holiday Family, comes out in November and it features a different kind of dog, a stray that one of the children in the book rescues.  The dog eventually worms his way into the hearts of the whole family (and it's a BIG family).

And because I just received my author copies of this book, I'd like to give one away to one of the lovely readers who leaves a comment today.  So leave a comment and tell me, do you like books that include animals with strong supporting roles?  And how important is it to you that the author provide a lot of description?

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What happens when a straight-laced young widow’s home is invaded by ten rambunctious orphans and their handsome caretaker just in time for the holidays...
 

Reserved widow Eileen Pierce never considered herself the kind of woman who was cut out to be a mother. She wouldn't know what to do with one child, much less ten. But when handyman Simon Tucker is stranded in town with a group of young orphans just before Thanksgiving, she discovers she can't just turn them away.

Simon knows there's more to Eileen than meets the eye. Though his easygoing demeanor immediately clashes with her buttoned-up propriety, Simon's kindness soon melts Eileen's stern facade. Simon and the children already upended Eileen's quiet, orderly life. Will they do the same to her guarded heart?

Ask Elnora--About loving our pets?? Lenora Worth

Hello, my little kitties. Elnora and family have had two very sad weeks. Last week our daughter lost her sweet dog, Sassy. Sassy was thirteen years old and she was one of the sweetest animals I ever knew but she was tired and ready for a long, long nap. Sassy is part of the reason we are moving to Florida. We came down here a few years ago and baby-sat little Sassy while her mama went on a trip. We took care of her for three weeks and even took her up to Georgia with us. (In a Miata). She loved all of our relatives and they loved her. While we were here, we also fell in love with this area. So thanks, Sassy, for getting us to Florida. Sassy was with my daughter through a marriage, a divorce, bad boyfriends and lots of joy and sorrow. She was a true companion who loved unconditionally. Granny Elnora will miss you, little Sassy.

This week, our kitty Cujo got sick and took a turn for the worst. She'd been losing weight but we just thought it was old age. Elnora and Big Daddy had fretted as to what we'd do when it came time to move permanently. Would she survive the long drive? We weren't sure. But Cujo Kitty has always had a mind of her own. This is a cat that jumped on the top of my van once and tried to ride all the way to a church salad supper. I had to stop in traffic and coax her down and take her home. Cujo would let friends rub her and then to show them her thanks, she'd hiss and try to bite them. Which is why most of my friends avoided her. She always preferred water from the bathroom sinks instead of a dreadful water bowl. She enjoyed Christmas morning because she got to run and jump into the wrapping paper and shred it with her claws! So in typical Cujo fashion, she decided enough is enough. I'll just get things over with now, before they make me get in that cage and take that trip. She got so sick, she couldn't eat or drink. The vet said it was hyper-thyroid and old age and we all agreed we didn't want her to have to suffer through this again. So Big Daddy and I held her and petted her and told her what a sweet kitty she was and ...after the doctor did what he had to do, she just fell asleep. Her cute little face looked at peace, at last. No doubt she is chasing butterflies in Kitty Land. We forgot to tell her that she'd probably see Sassy up there somewhere. They never quite became solid friends, but they had a mutual respect for each other. And Sassy taught Cujo how to hang around the kitchen and beg for scraps. While this is terribly sad and yes, I've cried buckets, I'm also glad I had the chance to love these two special pets. So that begs the question--why do we love our pets so much? As writers, we love to put pets into our stories. Several of us are working on a K-9 continuity right now, due out next year. I've cried tears over the animals in my story, let me tell you. Let's discuss. What is it about pets?

Oh, on a lighter note, next week is Elnora's birthday week. I'll blog Monday and all week we will celebrate with a Birthday Book Bash in the spirit of also celebrating our fifteenth anniversary at Love Inspired. One lucker blogger will get a ton of books simply by showing up and saying something pithy. I will be 28 twice by the way. The contest ends Thursday at midnight. I will announce the winner Friday (the 20th) in my Ask Elnora blog. After all this sadness, we need a fun week! I mean, Elnora needs a fun week. Virtual chocolate for everyone!

Characters of All Kinds

This is Merrillee, and I'm thinking about characters other than human beings that can populate our books. I've only written a couple of books that feature animals. Mommy's Hometown Hero is set on a farm, and my upcoming January 2012 book, Montana Match, is set on a ranch. Farms and ranches are natural places to find animals.

Below is a photo of my cat Nomar. He's relaxing on the couch that sits near my desk. The heroine's daughter in Mommy's Hometown Hero gets two kittens for her birthday.



The photo below features a black and tan coon hound. The heroine of Montana Match gets a coon hound for her birthday.



This is a photo of a mourning dove that built her nest in the corner of the roof that covers the patio at my daughter's house. I watched this bird feed her baby until the day the baby left the nest. Maybe someday one of my books will include a bird leaving the nest.



What kind of animals do you like to see in a story? Does having an animal in a story make you more interested in reading it?

Also stop by the blog tomorrow and leave your comments for Lyn Cote who will be asking your opinion about why you decide to buy a book.

Ask Elnora--Pets??? Lenora Worth

Elnora has had a busy week. After a wonderful conference last weekend (where I was given a lovely minature shoe for contracting my fiftieth book (53 books when I'm finished with this entire contract), I came home with a nasty migraine and took to my bed. Then I was asked to do an interview for one of the local stations (again because of contracting for my fiftieth book and because last month one of my books made the NY Times list.) So ... with all that ... I agreed to the interview. But the reporter wanted to do it at my house. In my office. Hah, hah. Elnora's office is like a maze of danger. Not very tidy. Clusters of books in every corner. So once again I was cleaning house in a fast and furious way. Normally, Elnora prefers to sweep the room with a glance, but desperate measures were needed for this.

My darling Big Daddy helped and we got the whole house spic and span. But there was the little problem of Cujo Kitty. She gets overly excited when we have guests and tends to give them a little "love bite" to show her affection. Or lack thereof. And lately, she's been kind of old and tired (much like her keeper!) So when the nice reporter man arrived, she promptly tried to bite him. I had to toss her into the game room with a bowl of food and a prayer. Not a good idea.

The interview went great. I had a nice friend who writes for Superromance here with me and she did a lot of the talking so that helped. Elnora mostly smiled.
But I could hear the kitty's pitiful meows in the background. Along with the garbage truck, the recycling truck and later, the train. I'm not making this up.

So everyone but my nice Super friend left and I let the kitty out. She gave me a meaningful look and pranced past me. But ... she had left me a nice little present in the game room to show her distaste. Picture Elnora holding her nose and daintily trying to clear up this horrible pile of kitty rebellion. On my carpet. So the question of the day, my darlings, is--why do cats seem to own the house in which they live? There is room for only one diva in our house and it ain't Elnora!Questions. Answers. Meows??? Anybody???

Helllooooo!

This is my first time here, and I am sooo excited to meet you all. This is a very cool blog, you know--filled with authors I admire, who write books that I love.   I'm so glad they let me join in, because I won't  have a Love Inspired book out until November!  In fact, I'm working on that book right now.

So, I'll just introduce myself.   I wrote fifteen books for a secular line before moving to Steeple Hill's Love Inspired Suspense. I've now sold nine books to that line--including FATAL BURN, which will be out in the stores during the next week.

I live with my husband on an acreage in the country, with three very  active dogs--our two Border collies, plus our grandpuppy Abby, who is here a lot because our son travels as part of his job.  Abby thinks she's still a puppy, but at ten months of age she's around 70 pounds of pure muscle, and she can sure wear the other two dogs out.  We're just glad she's here--she had a rough go of it as a young puppy, but with a lot of prayer and a wonderful vet, she's now our miracle dog!

 We also have a couple of horses out back--our son's thirty-three year old quarter horse Smokey, and my ten-year-old gelding--and lots of super-friendly, fluffy barn cats.  They've all been neutered, though we keep finding new strays that join the mix, too.  Must be all of the good cat food. :) 

Our three kids are all in college.   Emily is an English major and wants to be a professor and a writer.  Brian is working on his MBA, and Andy is close to finishing a degree in engineering and business management.

So that's it for us....and now, I look forward to meeting you all!

Blessings,
Roxanne Rustand
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com
The "All creatures great and small place"