Don't
you just love it when an animal character brings together the hero and
heroine? I'm not talking about
werewolves or other shape-shifters. Just
every-day, garden-variety cats and dogs.
Of course, Smokey, my Chinese crested hairless dog mascot, would object
to being called a garden-variety anything.
He's very proud of the fact that in my books, "cresties" and
other dogs work their magic when it comes to introducing or reuniting soul
mates.
In
fiction, animals can also humanize a character.
I'm sure you've seen it in movies and TV shows: the grumpy character falls for a pet
and wins over the
audience. Remember Jack Nicholson and
the Brussels Griffin dog in As Good As It
Gets? Hollywood calls this device
"petting the dog" -- a quick, visual way to let the audience know
that a character has redeeming
qualities. Fiction
authors use the same trick. I
particularly enjoy pairing a big, bad Alpha hero with a miniature pooch. It's so much fun watching them bond.
Whether
it's for matchmaking or a little crime-fighting, I have pets -- especially tiny cresties -- in all of my
books.
Sometimes, a crestie might show up in a cameo instead of a starring
role, but there is
one in every story (just
like Alfred Hitchcock, who appeared in his own movies). The unusual
canines often win the Ugliest Dog contests, but they're perfect for my humorous books.
Four-legged characters are featured in my
"Dr. Ally Skye, Sex Therapist" romantic mystery series as well. In the first book, Sex & the Single Therapist, Zack Crawford (the homicide detective
hero) insists Ally drop her personal investigation of a patient's murder. Despite Zack's frustration over Ally's
amateur sleuthing, her two cats accept him. Obviously, the cats have
discerning tastes! Not long after, Zack
ends up with a temporary houseguest, a canine crime witness. The scruffy mutt helps break down the wall
around Zack's heart.
I love
pets -- both real and fictional. As a supporter
of animal causes, I write fictional dogs and cats that are spayed or neutered
and were adopted from shelters. May is
National Pet Month. Join me in
celebrating those who give us unconditional love and add that extra something
to our romance novels!
Happy
reading!
--
Marcia James
Marcia
James writes hot, humorous romances featuring heroines you can root for, heroes
to die for, and funny dogs. In her
eclectic career, she has shot submarine training videos, organized
celebrity-filled nonprofit events, and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as
how to safely install traffic lights, she is enjoying “researching” and
plotting her novels' steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many
years.
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1 comment:
Thank you to the Nine Naughty Novelists for having me on your blog! And for those readers who love dogs, I have a Canine Cupids and Crimefighters prize category on Brenda Novak's May online auction for diabetes research (http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/auctionhelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&m=3&sort=1&st=1&days=&category_id=15207&skipkw=1&_start=1). The auction offers hundreds of wonderful prizes for a great cause!
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